Incoming – More Leveling, Football… and Birds?

Welcome back to our feature where we aim to highlight the new releases that that our readers might be interested in!

The same thing happens every year: one or two big-name games drop early on (like Mass Effect 3) and I get it into my head that there’s nothing left for the holiday window… but when it arrives I’m always floored by just how much good stuff is coming out! As you can tell by the monster list of releases below, this year is no different.

Whether you like role-playing games, first-person shooters or even just casual games like Angry Birds, there really is something for everyone. Even the sports gamer gets a shout-in here, with FIFA 13 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 going head-to-head as usual, though for those who fancy something a bit zanier there’s also the Level 5-developed Inazuma Eleven Strikers.

This week also (finally) sees an end to the ever-changing list of speculated dates for Torchlight II, with its confirmed release of the 20th of September on Steam. With improvements to the first’s addictive formula, a competitive price, and co-op and LAN play as standard, it’s sure to be a winner. And if that’s not enough leveling for you, there’s also Borderlands 2, a new World of Warcraft expansion with Mists of Pandaria, as well as the next core Pokemon title in Black (and White) Version 2!

The end of this madness is capped off by the revival of a legendary PC/Amiga franchise with the release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, due on the 12th of October. Given Fireaxis’ own expertise with the Civilization games, it should be something pretty special!