2010 has been a good year for RPG fans, with big hits like Mass Effect 2, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dragon Quest IX that have already been released. An already strong year will close with a bang, with these five great role-playing games coming out just in time for the holiday season.
Fallout: New Vegas – October 19 – PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
The next game in the Fallout series takes place a few years after the events of Fallout 3. It is developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which has many employees that worked on Fallout 1 and 2. Fans of Fallout 3 should find New Vegas to be especially enjoyable, as it takes the excellent base game from Fallout 3 and adds many improvements and new features to make an even better game.
Costume Quest – October 20 – Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade
This cute little Halloween RPG is developed by Double Fine Productions, the studio best known for the games Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. Players will go around town collecting parts for their costume, recruiting fellow children to their party, and collecting candy so that they can rescue their sibling from the monsters. When in battle mode, the children become giant versions of the costume they are wearing, complete with abilities in line with the costume.
Fable 3 – October 26 – Xbox 360 (PC version release date TBD)
The third entry in the popular Fable series, Fable 3 takes place 50-60 years after the events of Fable 2. What’s interesting about the game is that it is broken into two distinct halves. During the first half of the game, you strive to overthrow the evil ruler of Albion. In the second half you become the new ruler, and you get to decide what kind of a ruler you will become. You can be a benevolent king, a nasty tyrant, or somewhere in between the two extremes.
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – November 29 – Nintendo DS
Fans of the Golden Sun series have been clamoring for another sequel since 2003, and will finally get their wish this November.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm – December 7 – PC, Mac
The third expansion to the most popular MMORPG of all time hits this December. In addition to the two new races (Goblins for the Horde, Worgen for the Alliance), Blizzard is totally revamping the old zones to try and lure old players back that may have quit playing. Other features include raising the level cap from 80 to 85, the ability to use flying mounts in the Azeroth zones, and lots of new quests, dungeons, and towns.