Best Games of the Week. No. 0

Pilot Issue.

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It’s cold. Well, not too cold, but cold. Autumn has traditionally crept up unexpectedly, and the change in the colors of the trees looks like a texture glitch that urgently needs a developer patch.

Hmm. I’m not quite on topic. After all, autumn is not just a few tons of fallen leaves but also a massive amount of hits from the gaming industry. [Modern Warfare 3](/games?search=Modern Warfare 3), [TES 5: Skyrim](/games?search=TES 5: Skyrim), MineCraft (which still pretends to be in beta while we pretend to believe it), [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3), %your_favorite_game_here% and many others. And what’s annoying is that well-meaning gamers have suddenly been hit by school/institute, all vacations are over, they have no time to keep track of games, how can they not miss the game of their dreams?

So, for experimental purposes, I’m launching a weekly "Best Games of the Week". A bit of a silly name, in my opinion, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. So suggestions for the title are welcome. The format is also open for consideration. And, in general, all suggestions are welcome; after all, I’m not writing this just for myself.

Thus, I find the organizational moments exhausted. Let's move on to the Essence™.

[Gears of War 3](/games?search=Gears of War 3)

Marcus Fenix solemnly completes his adventures. The trilogy [Gears of War](/games?search=Gears of War) has reached its logical conclusion on September 20. However, let's not point fingers, although it was hackers who leaked the beta version at that time.

The game remains an Xbox 360 exclusive, still a third-person shooter (now with co-op for up to four players!) and still make reviewers weep with joy into their pillows. 91% — that’s the average score of the game. Let’s collectively curse exclusives.

[Hard Reset](/games?search=Hard Reset)

In fact, the game appeared on virtual Steam shelves on September 13. The localized version was only released on the 23rd.

Apparently, a new trend is emerging in first-person shooters: cyberpunk. After all, World War II has been, modernity has been, and we’ve flown in those space... not a bad choice.

However, [Hard Reset](/games?search=Hard Reset) was met coldly: a weak plot and monotony crippled the game. It’s hard to call the grim world anything other than that. It’s generally hard to call it anything at all: it is perceived more as a decoration.

But one thing that can’t be denied is that the decoration is damn beautiful. If you miss games that don’t strain your central nervous system and are also visually appealing, this is your choice. The game reminds me of [Quake 4](/games?search=Quake 4).

[F1 2011](/games?search=F1 2011)

The FIFA of the racing world. Every year the same, with a bit of extra. Unfortunately, I can't say anything specific about this part: I’m not a fan of the series.

[Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad](/games?search=Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad)

Heroes of Stalingrad have become a stumbling block among all action enthusiasts. First, games about the events of the forties today look like true mammoths. Second, the monstrous (no, seriously monstrous) number of bugs. Beta testers (myself included) are in a state of mild shock: this didn’t exist in the actual beta. Third, the dreadful fixation on realism. Fourth — the campaign...

You should launch the single-player game in Red Orchestra 2 for training, to forget it like a bad dream five minutes later. The banal capture of points with bots, whose intelligence is hard to describe with decent words — this is not quite what was expected.

Only those who go through all this and spend a few hours being killed by a random bullet in multiplayer risk to reach enlightenment and love this game. Truly, you need to be a fan of realism in games to grasp the essence of Red Orchestra 2.

But the fact is that there are few such games on the market. So if you are a staunch opponent of all the casual stuff, then there isn’t really anyone left to challenge you.

Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

The secret meaning of porting the game from DS not only to the "big" consoles but also to PC remains a mystery for everyone. Of course, an average score of 85% is good, but vague suspicions still torment.

The graphics are decent, everything looks nice. The gameplay is somewhat reminiscent of classic Lines, only with an opponent. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the time to try it personally: the game was released on September 22.

But I think casual players will approve.

DLC

[Two Worlds 2](/games?search=Two Worlds 2): Pirates of the Flying Fortress

Due to my extremely vague knowledge of the game, I’ll limit myself to a quote from the press release:

"...in addition to various weather effects like thunder and rain, players will have access to dozens of types of weapons, armor for horses, completely new breeds of steeds, fresh bosses, new animations during cutscenes and dialogues. An extensive single-player campaign, as well as completely new multiplayer maps will keep you from getting bored."

The official website of the expansion can be found here.

[Fallout: New Vegas](/games?search=Fallout: New Vegas) Lonesome Road

A relatively small DLC. A lot of decent armor. Weapons, on the contrary, are few and not impressive. Enemies have suddenly become smarter. Apparently, a "Tactics for Dummies" book has finally arrived in the Wasteland. The plot revolves around the meeting with the sixth courier and its consequences.

It is recommended to play with a character of level 25 or higher. The storyline lasts about 5-6 hours. However, you can explore the world here! Yes, the developers suddenly created not a small location, but multiple smaller locations, which can only be a delight.

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So that's the week. Not yet a tsunami that could sweep even a prepared player off their feet, but there’s already something to play. And that’s good.