Games to get in September

Ready your wallets, boys and girls, for the gaming flood of 2011 is officially upon us.


Each year, the “holiday window” seems to start a little bit earlier. With any luck, this means we’re only a few years away from having all the quality titles spread out through the entire year rather than crammed into the final quarter in hopes of gobbling up the largest portion of Christmas sales.

This month sees the launch of Sony’s entry to the motion control market as well as a slew of big-name games.

No matter what genre you prefer or system you play on, September has something to offer just about everyone.

September
7th- Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
7th- Sports Champions (PS3)
12th- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS)
14th- Halo: Reach (360)
19th- PlayStation Move
28th- Front Mission Evolved (PS3, 360)
28th- Dead Rising 2 (PS3, 360)
28th- Fifa 11 (PS3, 360, Wii)
30th- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Predator (PSP)

Where to begin, right?

I think it’s odd to have Move titles release before the hardware even ships but, hey, I’m no marketing genius. Of the Move launch titles, Sports Champions looks like the most complete offering that is also likely to be a lot of fun.

As for the Move itself, I would actually recommend holding off for a few months to see what developers have coming down the pipeline. While the initial offerings are pretty varied, I’m not seeing anything yet that makes this new hardware a must-buy.

Kingdom Hearts fans (i.e. This guuuuuuuy) have tons to look forward to in Birth by Sleep, said to clock in at 40-plus hours with the best combat in the series.

Professor Layton games are always a sure bet for the DS and Dead Rising 2 will give you plenty of ways to off zombies when it releases late in the month.

The two biggest titles for September (and possibly the year) though, are Halo: Reach and Fifa 11, both releasing within just a couple weeks of each other.

My wish? A 2011 hybrid of the two games wherein soccer players are given the option to switch into first-person mode and wreak havoc with a Needler if they aren’t in possession of the ball. Make it happen.