As a huge gamer, I always keep my eye out for games that look interesting and get me pumped up! With the advent of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, many games are popping up to push these new powerhouses and bring video gaming to new heights; both old and new games are showing off their quality graphics, smooth gameplay, and new features left and right. Being only weeks away from the huge video game/holiday season, I’ve gone ahead and chosen the 5 games/DLC that have gotten me excited for the upcoming months!

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

In Black Flag, players live the life of ruthless pirate and eventual Assassin, Edward Kenway, who is also the grandfather of Connor, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed III. In similar style to Brotherhood, you can recruit sailors to become part of your formidable crew aboard the Jackdaw, and wreak havoc upon the many ships full of treasure and goods. The massive size of the Caribbean holds so much to explore, discover and plunder; it could very well take many, many hours just to travel around and take in all the sights! Naval combat, arguably hailed as the best piece of gameplay from ACIII, returns in full force and with a few mechanics added. Edward has the ability to examine the contents of far off ships through his spyglass and can choose to engage in battle or strategically retreat. Ship to ship combat is still as epic as ever and only made more chaotic and interesting with the ability to storm the enemy ship at any time during the battle. The supporting characters are a great mixture of crazy and refined, as some of the most famous pirates and personalities of the Age of Piracy show up to lend their support to Edward. Loyal fans of the franchise know Edward will eventually become an Assassin, but the reason is yet unknown; only by living through the dangerous life of this pirate will the truth be uncovered.

As a more recent, yet enthusiastic, fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, I was a bit disappointed with Assassin’s Creed III. The setting was great, and assassinating was still awesome, but I personally didn’t enjoy Connor’s character as much as I had enjoyed Ezio’s. Also disappointing were the ridiculous restrictions put on players just to complete missions perfectly. This is why I am extremely excited to get my hands on Black Flag; more of the open sea combat; a much more interesting character and the most beautiful setting since Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood. Every new trailer and gameplay walkthrough I watch only makes me happier and confident that Ubisoft has learned from Assassin’s Creed III and its shortcomings. I am, however, a bit weary on what will be presented to players when they are met with the present day portions of the game. Not much has been revealed to us, so I can only hope it will do well. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be released October 29, 2013 on Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3, November 15, 2013 on PS4, November 19, 2013 on PC, and November 21, 2013 on Xbox One.

Destiny

Set in the distant future, Destiny tells the story of humanity on the brink of extinction; the last human city set underneath a mysterious and powerful sphere is humanity’s only refuge. Players take on the role of Guardians and can choose one of three specialized classes: Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans; and one of three unique races: the Humans, the Awoken, and the Exo. Hunters are akin to recon soldiers and bounty hunters; Warlocks combine the power given to them by the sphere with their powerful weapons, and Titans are powerful soldiers favoring heavy weapons and close combat melee. The humans share the now battle-torn Earth with the Awoken, a race of exotic and mysterious beings, and the Exo, a ruthless and power-hungry race that never tires. Players can team up to take down enemies and reclaim the Earth. In an MMO-like way, Destiny has a system of matchmaking that allows various players to interact with one another without becoming overcrowded.

Bungie’s ambitious and visually stunning project, following their departure of the Halo franchise after Halo 3, has had gamers all over talking and wanting more. Gameplay trailers and stunning artwork were the few breadcrumbs that were given as teasers of what is to come; the announcement of a beta only made these crumbs all the more tantalizing. Not much is known but what I have seen so far is enough to keep my eyes peeled for information and enough to make me contemplate buying an Xbox One or PS4. Destiny’s beta is set to launch sometime in the first quarter of 2014 with the completed game launching sometime in the second quarter of the same year for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4.

Super Smash Bros 3DS/Wii U

The newest entry in the beloved Super Smash Bros series is spreading the fun from in the living room to on-the-go! New stages, new characters and a better balanced gameplay are in store for fans of the previous entries. Fans of Melee will breathe a sigh of relief as gameplay is toned back to the tight and balanced fighting of the GameCube title, while fans of Brawl will still enjoy a healthy amount of over-the-top madness and fun! Fans are especially excited about the eccentric and exciting additions to the SSB roster which includes the famous Blue Bomber, Megaman; the Villager from Animal Crossing, and the Wii Fit Trainer from Wii Fit.

I absolutely love Super Smash Bros, and naturally, I am as excited as anyone can be! Though I am a bit disheartened to hear that the new game won’t have a story mode like the epic Subspace Emissary mode from Brawl, the main feature of the series has always been the characters, and the roster so far looks to be quite interesting. The roster is currently being slowly revealed, much like before Brawl was released, and I just hope Snake makes a return. This will definitely be the game to make me get either a Wii U or a 3DS.

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode One

Revisit the beauty and wonder of Rapture before the start of the civil war that would turn the utopian city into a nightmare. Taking place in an alternate universe, players guide Booker DeWitt through Rapture as he is led by Elizabeth on a hunt for his daughter who was previously thought dead. Created from the ground up in the new Bioshock Infinite engine with new plasmids and new enemies, Burial at Sea serves to combine the beloved chaos of Rapture with the characters of Infinite in order to serve a great sense of nostalgia, wonder and mystery rolled into one.

I have not yet been able to play through Bioshock Infinite, but I have heard nothing but good things from friends and reviews. Revisiting Rapture in a new light, so to speak, is very appealing to me; I loved playing through the wreckage of Rapture in the first two games, and anything that expands on the lore is welcome in my book. Not much else has been revealed about the first episode of the DLC, but if they include characters from the first two games then it will absolutely be an instant buy for me. Burial at Sea Episode One will be released sometime in the last few months of 2013.

Watch Dogs

Set in a near-futuristic Chicago, IL, Watch Dogs drops players into the technologically driven city as Aiden Pierce, a brilliant hacker turned vigilante. Chicago, and its various technologies and residents, is now completely connected to a Central Operating System (CtOS), which allows for the complete control and monitoring of various electrical systems and daily activities of citizens. Players roam the Windy City and can hack into various systems for various reasons, such as stealing money from a crooked banker, or preventing crimes before they even happen. Players can also easily drop into another player’s session undetected and try to hack into their data, thus beginning a cat-and-mouse game between the two players.

Watch Dogs has piqued my interest for quite some time now. As a native of the Chicago suburbs, Downtown Chicago is a very familiar location and one that is always bustling with life. I’ve always wanted a game that could truly convey the massiveness of Chicago and bring its uniqueness to life. Other cities such as New York City, Los Angeles or Miami have always gotten the video game treatment but Chicago is a whole new playground that video game developers rarely think about. With Watch Dogs, I could play in Chicago while I’m in Chicago; it’s pretty much deliciously meta. The game looks fantastic, and the grey area of hacking for the greater good vs. monitoring everyone at any time for the greater good can lend itself to a great story. Watch Dogs is tentatively set to release in the second quarter of 2014.

Honorable Mention: Saints Row IV: Enter the Dominatrix

Though it’s being released today, I couldn’t help but mention DLC for one of my all-time favorite games. Enter the Dominatrix pits the Saints against the Dominatrix, a kinky despot out to rule Steelport with an iron riding crop. The return of a few fan-favorite characters and some in-depth commentary make this DLC a good time for fans of the Saints.

Honorable Mention: Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD

Technically not a “new” release, Ubisoft took this critically praised PlayStation Vita game and upgraded the graphics and gameplay to be released for consoles and PC. Liberation looks amazing and the gameplay is improved upon in addition to more missions that dive deeper into Aveline’s story as an Assassin. As an Assassin’s Creed fan, I’ve been pretty bummed out for not being able to play Liberation as I don’t have a Vita, but it seems my worries are over and my patience is rewarded! I can’t wait to be able to dive into more Assassin’s Creed lore when it arrives on January 15, 2014.