The DeanBeat: Be sure to make some time for the best games of the fall

7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PS 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Launch date: Nov. 3
Metacritic score: TBD

You may or may not believe that the menagerie of futuristic weapons in this game are possible, but you’ll probably decide that those weapons are a great deal of fun anyway. One of them is a grenade that will paint an electronic picture of all of the enemies that surround you, even if they are not directly visible, during a given moment of gameplay. Sledgehammer Games is weighing in with its first solo title in the long-running series which generates about $1 billion in revenue per year. The game has 40 million monthly active users, so those players want something different and new every year. This year, they’re getting just that. Sledgehammer spent three years, or an extra year, taking Call of Duty into the future. And actor Kevin Spacey gives a great performance as the egotistical head of a paramilitary corporation that fights its own private wars.

8. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Platforms: PS 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows
Launch date: Nov. 18
Metacritic score: TBD

There be dragons. EA BioWare has figured out that good storytelling and Game of Thrones style execution is what really matters to fans. This dark fantasy series has become more ambitious since the first title debuted in 2009. With this latest project, production values are good and the graphics are worthy of the next-generation moniker. Much like the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I expect it will make us feel like we’re immersed in a fantasy role-playing universe.

Above: Some action from The Construct Quarter.

Image Credit: TrumpSC

9. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: iOS
Launch date: March 11, 2014
Metacritic score: 88 on iOS

Yes, this is a very old game on this list, but if you overlooked it like I did, you should give it a try. The first time I played it, I found it to be very addictive, and I played it until the battery ran out on my iPad. It’s a card battle game with Warcraft characters. You draw cards at the beginning of your turn and use up resource points playing cards that can either protect your hero or hurt the other player’s forces. Played against real people, the game moves fast. You may think that you’re winning a match, but your rival may throw down some of the craziest cards to turn the tables and leave you red-faced. Even though there are a bunch of new games, I’m sure that this is going to grab a lot of my time.

Above: As you move your cursor around the Halo-select screen, the music will change to match the current choice, so you hear the originals’ tunes.

Image Credit: Microsoft Studios

10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Bungie
Platforms: Xbox One
Launch date: Nov. 11
Metacritic score: TBD

Master Chief will make his debut on the Xbox One video game console with a collection of classic Halo games, all remastered for the new machine. As far as bargains and good merchandising goes, you can’t beat this combination of four games in one $60 package. It’s a compilation of all of the games with Master Chief in them. The cool thing is that you can play any mission in any of the games as you wish. All of the levels are unlocked. You can create your own “playlist” of your favorite levels from across the games. If you want to play nothing but tank missions, you can do just that. As we all await Halo 5: Guardians, this could be a welcome diversion.

Above: Destiny

Image Credit: Activision

11. Destiny

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bungie
Platforms: PS 4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Launch date: Sept. 9
Metacritic score: 76 on PS4

I wasn’t a big fan of this game at E3, but I played it after launch, and it wasn’t as bad as I figured. The graphics are reasonably good, but the movement is capped at 30 frames per second. The sound quality is excellent. The very beginning of the game is a little weak, but if you stick with it, the action starts to get furious. The firefights become very difficult, and you may want to think about getting cooperative help. But once you get used to it and acquire some powerful weapons, the going gets easier. The story keeps you going because, as usual, the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance. It is dramatic, and it has some surprises.

12. Project Spark

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Team Dakota
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360
Launch date: Oct. 7
Metacritic score: 75 on Xbox One

Microsoft now owns Minecraft. But this game was its home-grown title aimed at getting people to create their own games. Capitalizing on the trend toward user-generated content, Project Spark helps you unleash your creativity by making it brain-dead simple to create your own games. Since its release, gamers have been very active in creating their own titles or taking someone else’s creation and remixing it. If you’ve got a kid with a little bit of creativity, you should unleash the child into Project Spark and give him or her unlimited game time. The results could be startling.