10 of the best games to play this autumn
OnLive's launched and gaming weather is setting in. Warm up your graphics card with this season's finest games
Gears of War 3
Xbox 360 (out now), £40
One of the greatest action games of all time has now made it to trilogy status and, unlike Return of the Jedi, this won’t disappoint. The third-person, cover-based action in Gears of War 3 is more cinematic than ever and now lets four players tackle the campaign mode together. Guns like the digger, which fires missiles underground into enemy encampments and a multi-player horde survival mode make this an essential buy.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
PC, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 (November 8), £40
One of the most eagerly anticipated games of all time, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be running at an eye-bulging 60fps. A useful addition when playing the new co-op survival mode where you must fend off ever tougher waves of enemies. With levels based in London and New York it’s set to be the most epic game of the series yet. Book time off work now.
Resistance 3
PS3 (out now), £40
One of the most jaw-dropping games to be released on the PS3, Resistance 3 adds 3D visuals and PlayStation Move controls to one of the console’s earliest FPS games. Keep an eye out for the mutator gun that makes enemies rapidly grow boils that explode. Yummy.
Battlefield 3
PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (October 28), £40
The direct sequel to 2005’s Battlefield 2 is actually the 11th game in the series. Complications aside, EA has had plenty of practice and in Battlefield 3 you’ll find a perfectly honed first-person shooter. The graphics incorporate the ANT system used in FIFA for true-to-life body and facial graphics, while there are perks off the ground, too – like piloting a jet fighter.
Unchartered 3: Drake’s Deception
PS3 (November 2), £40
Drake and his witty charm are back for the third instalment of Uncharted. With new melee attacks, multi-opponent fights (a bit like Batman: Arkham Asylum) and stealth options, Uncharted 3 should score off the chart. We’ll be bringing you a review of Drake’s 2011 antics as soon as a copy hits our desks.
Forza Motorsport 4
Xbox 360 (October 14), £40
You could risk it and steal a Lamborghini, outrun the police and defy death at every nearly-out-of-control turn before succumbing to that inevitable prang. Or you could get involved in Forza 4, which is so realistic and has so many cars (500), it’s almost better than the real thing. Almost.
Batman: Arkham City
PS3, Xbox 360, PC (October 21), £40
The Dark Knight returns to tackle more fiendishly evil bad guys than ever with the likes of The Joker, Dr. Hugo Strange, The Riddler and Bane all out to have the cape of our favourite crusader for their very own. Now you can play as a faster character in the form of Catwoman. Yes we’re skeptical about games with more than one protagonist too, but after a quick go with Catwoman (not like that), it feels like a sped up version of Arkham Asylum – which is a very good thing.
Driver: San Francisco
PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC (Sept 24), £40
The most stylish driving game of all time is back with overhauled graphics, breath-taking stunt driving and over 200 missions. The ’70s cop show inspired theme works perfectly and leaves you feeling decidedly cooler in real life when stepping into your Nissan Micra.
FIFA 12
PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, 3DS (September 30), £40
FIFA is fast leaving its main rival, Pro Evo, weeping in the dressing room as FIFA 12 extends its goal difference with the new Impact Engine. Real physics is applied to the movements of the ball and players based on varying physical forces which translates into realistic play like no football game before. A new Tactical Defending system that emphasises manual defending while Precision Dribbling varies ball control depending on the player’s position.
Rise of Nightmares
Xbox 360 (September 24), £25
Horror gaming is about to get real. Using the magic jiggery-pokery of Kinect you can traverse the blood stained world of Rise of Nightmares using a bevy of blunt and sharp weapons to take out the hungry zombies. Look out for electric knuckle dusters that can be used to explode zombie heads. They’re fun.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
