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Our 10 Most Anticipated Action Games Of Fall 2017
We kicked off 2017 by outlining our most anticipated action games of the year, but a surprising amount has changed since then. Some entries like Nioh, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild have already released to rave reviews, while other promising projects like Below, State of Decay 2, and Red Dead Redemption 2 have been delayed into 2018. As such we're taking a new look at what the rest of the year has to offer action-game fans. These are our 10 most anticipated action games of this fall.
10: Crackdown 3
Platform: Xbox One, PC
Release Date: November 7
Crackdown 3 was announced back at E3 2014, and its attendance at subsequent trade shows has been spotty at best, leading many to wonder how development has been faring. Our demo at this year's E3 certainly showed promise; the super-powered Agent antics that players loved about the first game are back, and the sprawling crime ring you're combating is more responsive to the actions you perform.
However, Crackdown 3 still has much to prove; the open-world genre has changed and evolved a lot since 2007, and the game's most impressive feature – city-wide destructible environments – has been relegated to competitive multiplayer. If Crackdown 3 wants to compete with the GTAs and Saints Rows of the genre, it will need more than a wacky Terry Crews to hang its hat on.
09: Metroid: Samus Returns
Platform: 3DS
Release Date: September 15
Fans have spent decades begging Nintendo for a new 2D Metroid game, and this fall they'll finally get it...sort of. Sure, Metroid: Samus Returns isn't new per se – it's actually a remake of the 1991's Game Boy sequel, Metroid II. The game is also coming out on the 3DS and not Nintendo's new HD-enabled console/handheld hybrid that's just screaming for a retro-style 2D Metroid of its own. But you know what? It's still more classic side-scrolling action, with some fresh visuals, new abilities, and a control-scheme overhaul. We'll take it!
08: Matterfall
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: August 15
Speaking of 2D side-scrollers: Housemarque's newest arcade-inspired action title is coming hot on the heels of Nex Machina's release, and looks just as frantic. Matterfall puts you in the boots of a futuristic super soldier who must jump, dash, and blast her way through an alien army comprised of anti-matter. Players can expect the twitch-based, bullet-hell combat of Housemarque's previous games, but with the added wrinkles of platforming challenges and matter manipulation to keep things fresh.
07: Cuphead
Platform: Xbox One, PC
Release Date: September 29
Cuphead has been toying with our emotions for far too long, but if Microsoft's celebratory release date announcement at this year's E3 is to be trusted, the visually stunning ode to the classic cartoons of the 1930s will finally launch this fall. Once restricted to a series of boss battles, StudioMDHR delayed the project several times to expand Cuphead into a full-fledged run-and-gun adventure – but still starring anthropomorphic tableware, naturally.
06: Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: September 15
Arkane Studios just launched Prey a few months ago, but the developer is wasting no time jumping back into the immersive sim genre that it has helped pioneer. Death of the Outsider serves as a standalone spinoff to Dishonored 2, and tasks new protagonist Billie Lurk with assassinating the deity who endowed Corvo and Emily with their powers. Players can expect a host of new abilities to experiment with, and will travel to new areas in Karnaca. Death of the Outsider features an "Original Game Plus" mode, which unlocks some fan-favorite powers from the first two games to spice up subsequent playthroughs.
05: The Evil Within 2
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 13
The Evil Within 2 was one of the biggest new announcements out of Bethesda's E3 2017 press conference, and while we didn't see any gameplay footage, the surreal CG trailer was enough to get us excited. Granted, it wouldn't take much given our love of the first Evil Within, but creepy locations and a host of monstrous abominations promise plenty of scares for the sequel.
04: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: 2017
Horizon Zero Dawn already wowed us once this year, thanks to its engaging combat, intriguing mysteries, and – last but not least – giant robot dinosaurs. Thankfully, Guerrilla Games isn't wasting any time giving fans more. While only shown in trailer form, Frozen Wilds promises new areas to explore (if the name of the expansion didn't tip you off, think snow), new beasts, and more answers for Aloy. Given just how much Horizon Zero Dawn's ending revealed and explained, we're not even sure what mysteries Aloy has left to solve – but we're excited to find out.
03: Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 10
Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system still stands out as one of the most intriguing new features of this generation, and Monolith is looking to capitalize on that success with the upcoming sequel. This time around Talion won't just be fighting the series' procedurally generated orcs, but teaming up with them as well. Orcs will sport more unique personalities, interact with Talion more in cutscenes, and remember and respond to your actions on the battlefield. Mission objectives will also feature more variety, and a revamped progression system offers up more deadly skills along with stat-boosting equipment you can loot from defeated foes. Our hands-on sessions with Shadow of War have been promising so far, so we'll be keeping a close eye on the game ahead of its October release.
02: Assassin's Creed Origins
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 27
Assassin's Creed has hit some rough patches over the years, but that hasn't stopped Ubisoft Montreal from experimenting with the series. In addition to the new Egyptian locale, Origins sports a greater focus on RPG elements, and the revamped combat puts a greater emphasis on tactics and positioning. Players can also expect a massive open world to explore; Ubisoft Montreal says Origins is the size of the Caribbean in Black Flag, only instead of endless open water, you explore pyramids, tombs, oases, and many more locations. Also, you fight a giant snake?
01: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: August 22
Naughty Dog fans were disappointed by the lack of The Last of Us 2 news at this year's E3, but another duo was ready to pick up the slack. Sure, The Lost Legacy is more Uncharted, but considering how spectacular the series is, that's not a bad thing. Plus, The Lost Legacy offers players something no Uncharted game has before: the opportunity to partake in the series' globetrotting, treasure-hunting fantasy from a new perspective. Character building is one of the Naughty Dog's specialties, and as much as we love Nathan Drake and company, we're ready to get to know a new cast. Luckily, we won't have to wait long.
For more on what to expect this fall, check out our lists of the most anticipated Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch games, as well as the top 10 RPGs we can't wait to play.
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