Playing it safe: 3 big game releases today, all sequels
November has traditionally been one of the busiest months in terms of big-name video game releases, and with good reason: publishers want to put out their guaranteed big sellers right before the holiday shopping season.
This year is no different, with three AAA games releasing today, all of which are sequels to massively popular games.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V was originally released one year ago, but an updated and remastered next-gen version is being released today for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, with a PC version to follow after the New Year on January 27.
The original version of the game received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and the next-gen rerelease is doing just as well, currently holding a 97/100 for the PS4 version on Metacritic.
While some might criticize Rockstar Games for repackaging an old game and calling it new, the PS4/Xbox One edition is not just a straight port with a better resolution.
The new version offers better visuals, exclusive new vehicles and weapons, and over 100 new music tracks. It also includes new activities for players and several gameplay tweaks, such as the addition of a new first-person view mode.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Few developers have seen the highs and lows of fan reactions more than BioWare. They’ve released some of the most critically acclaimed adventure RPGs: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age: Origins.
They also released several games that were not as well received, most notably Dragon Age II, which did favorably amongst critics but received extremely low user reviews on Metacritic and other sources.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is BioWare’s attempt to get back to what the first game did best: Great story telling, an interesting and dark setting, and solid RPG gameplay.
Far Cry 4
If there is a developer that needs to woo gamers back to its side right now, it’s Ubisoft. The Montreal company has been slammed over the last week over their botched launch of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, which has suffered from crippling graphics problems and numerous bugs.
Far Cry 3 was something of a surprise hit for the developer, doing far better than the previous two games in the series. Critics praised the setting, excellent voice acting, and open world gameplay.
Far Cry 4 departs from the usual tropical setting of the series, taking place in a fictional location in the Himalayas. The game has received positive reviews so far, with many players praising the game’s visuals and the gameplay similarities to its predecessor.
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