Games of November 2022

Post by KostaAndreadis @ 01:07pm 31/10/22 | Comments

Let’s take a look at the big releases across each platform…

With the Holiday season fast approaching it’s the time of the year when we get to see major releases make their debuts alongside stacks of great-looking games, games, and more games. And then it comes to major releases for November 2022, look no further than God of War Ragnarök for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 -- the follow-up to the 2018 classic.

November is chock full of diverse and interesting releases, from the arrival of the latest World of Warcraft expansion with Dragonflight through to the latest Sonic game going full open-world design. Plus, new Pokémon. Then there’s a bunch of smaller, lesser-known titles to keep an eye on. From the cult-based survival horror of The Chant to Obsidian’s Pentiment and Somerville -- which comes from a team that worked on the brilliant INSIDE.

Here’s what you can expect for November.

The Chant

Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 3

The Chant comes from developer Brass Token and publisher Prime Matter and is a "cosmic horror" set on an island in the Pacific North West where a seemingly run-of-the-mill spiritual retreat becomes an accidental cult that opens a doorway to another dimension known as "the Gloom". Expect survival horror, crafting, exploration, and an upgrade system all about mind, body, and matter. Eternal Darkness by the way of Silent Hill.

The Entropy Centre

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 3

Any game with a time-manipulation weapon is worth looking into and The Entropy Centre is a first-person puzzle game where your gun can rewind objects through time. ASTRA is “an AI-powered device that can scan an object’s spacetime chronology and move it through the past”. The action takes place in a giant space station orbiting the Earth, with an extinction-level event putting added pressure on solving temporal puzzles to try and reach the core of the Entropy Centre.

Harvestella

Platform: PC, Switch
Release Date: November 4

A life simulation RPG from Square Enix that blends the whole small-town farmer life of planting crops, harvesting, and learning new recipes with a cataclysmic JRPG story. And with that, there’s exploring neighbouring towns and other dangerous areas, with real-time action-RPG combat that looks very much like a Square Enix joint.

It Takes Two

Platform: Switch
Release Date: November 4

It Takes Two is the latest co-op adventure from Hazelight Studios, the team and creative force behind the somewhat underrated A Way Out – which itself was also a co-op-only affair. And much like that action-adventure riff on classic action films from decades past, It Takes Two (read our review here) preserves its split-screen presentation whether it’s being played in the same room or online. November sees the critically acclaimed title make its way to the Nintendo Switch.

Football Manager 2023

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 8

Soccer, it’s what’s on the menu. And as per the title, Football Manager 2023 presents the latest in behind-the-scenes management and simulation - which like the world sport has been a style of game that has been popular since PCs became a part of the home. Football Manager 2023 is the latest entry from Sports Interactive and SEGA and sees several new features and improvements in what is now looking like an annual franchise.

Sonic Frontiers

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 8

After a string of successful movies, Sonic Team is ready to unleash the blue hedgehog’s latest adventure with Sonic Frontiers. A more modern open-world take on the long-running (always running) franchise with a familiar cast of characters and Sonic chasing down Chaos Emeralds. So yeah, it still very much sounds like a Sonic game. With a large open world to explore and plenty of roller-coaster level design, it’ll be interesting to see how this sits alongside Sonic games from the Mega Drive and Dreamcast generations.

God of War Ragnarök

Platform: PS4, PS5
Release Date: November 9

The follow-up to one of the most beloved games from the PlayStation 4 era, and with early word being just about all positive (check out our hands-on here), God of War Ragnarök is shaping up to be another Game of the Year contender. In addition to ramping up the combat options, it retains the cinematic world-building that made the PS4 title so resonant. As per our preview, “Santa Monica Studios goes above and beyond to remind us all this is the story of a father and son dealing with loss, and as it did in the first game, it comes through in Ragnarök in spades.”

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 10

After some time in Early Access, Police Simulator: Patrol Officers is ready for its big 1.0 release across PC and consoles. And, as per the title, this is a simulation through and through. From walking the beat handing out parking tickets and jaywalking violations to using one of those speed guns to see how fast people are driving, it’s the most Police-style game since Sierra’s procedure-laden Police Quest series of adventure games from the 1980s.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Release Date: November 11

The name Tactics Ogre is legendary in the history of the tactical RPG genre, and Tactics Ogre: Reborn sees Square Enix bring back the 2010 classic with improved visuals and even some revamped gameplay. What made the original stand out will no doubt do the same today, with a rich story that changes and evolves alongside deep tactical battles. We’re talking multiple paths and multiple endings to match the various classes, weapons, skills, and magic at your disposal.

Floodland

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 15

A post-catastrophe city builder that takes its cues from the current state of man-made climate change, with the outcome being humanity plunging into a new dark age. Floodland is reminiscent of Frostpunk, in that as you take control of a lost band of survivors struggling to rebuild society you’re in charge of setting up laws and making tough decisions.

Pentiment

Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 15

Obsidian’s latest is a historical murder mystery with a heavily stylised look befitting its 16th-century German setting. Pentiment is a new choice-driven tale from a small team that includes designers that created the excellent Pillars of Eternity series. Though this one is not a traditional RPG or even the sort of interactive narratives we’ve seen of late, the unique presentation plays a major part in how the game unfolds.

Somerville

Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 15

The mysterious and striking Somerville takes place in the wake of what looks to be a large-scale alien invasion. Set in a small rural town, the narrative follows a family looking to survive and make sense of the conflict. The art direction here is very reminiscent of games like INSIDE, and with this being the first game from a new studio formed by one of the key members of that team - Somerville is shaping up to be a sleeper indie hit in the making.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 16

With the recent release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (check out our review of the campaign here), November sees the arrival of the next version of the free-to-play battle royale - Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. There’s a new massive map coming in the form of Al Mazrah, that builds on the story and locations seen in Modern Warfare II, plus new weapons, vehicles, redesigned modes and features, and even water-based aquatic combat.

Goat Simulator 3

Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 17

As games shifted away from mostly 2D sprites and animation and into the world of 3D graphics and textures and polygons, there have been several advances in simulating physics and how objects should realistically behave. From explosions and the impact of vehicles on other vehicles, to how a digital human might fall and roll down a hill. Goat Simulator 3 is silly through and through, you take on the role of a goat, but it’s the latest game in a series that is all about creating a fun physics sandbox to revel in. And now, with added multiplayer.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 18

Developer Supermassive Games has already had something of a great year, with The Quarry delivering when it comes to interactive horror that looks and feels like a playable movie. The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is the latest addition to its anthology series, with a branching cinematic horror story that follows a group of documentary filmmakers visiting a mysterious Murder Castle. The Devil in Me is also being billed as the Season One finale for the series, pointing to many more Dark Pictures coming in the future.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 18

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered made its PC debut earlier this year, bringing the PlayStation classic to the platform in style. Spider-Man: Miles Morales is set to continue the trend of PlayStation titles making their way to PC, and the feature list sounds even more impressive this time around. From ray-traced shadows being added (alongside ray-traced reflections), there’s also DLSS 3, NVIDIA Reflex, unlocked frame rates, and ultrawide support.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Platform: Switch
Release Date: November 18

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the latest game in the ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ series, with this new Nintendo Switch adventure taking place in the large open-world region of Paldea. In this new entry, players will be able to choose from three different storylines to follow - with paths leading to the usual defeating of various Gym Leaders in battle or even infiltrating enemy bases and defeating their bosses.

Evil West

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 22

Evil West is a weird western-set third-person shooter that pits the player-character, Jesse Rentierm, against a vampire threat. With giant bosses, grotesque enemies and a distorted Wild West to explore, this action-packed title comes to us from Flying Wild Hog (Shadow Warrior) who know a thing or two about bombast. A delay that pushed the game into November can only be seen as a good thing as we want games in this sub-genre presenting at their best.

Gungrave G.O.R.E.

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: November 22

Over-the-top third-person shooting and stylish melee action with gory gun battles, Gungrave G.O.R.E feel in step with October’s Bayonetta 3 as a return to pure style when it comes to combat. And this one has a bit of history too, the original Gungrave was released for the PlayStation 2 back in 2002 - with Korean developers Iggymob and Blueside reviving the series with Gungrave G.O.R.E.

World of Warcraft Dragonflight

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 28

World of Warcraft’s latest expansion will see players return to Azeroth and the ancestral home of dragons, the Dragon Isles. In addition to new zones to explore, a cinematic tale to be a part of, and the ability to ride dragons, a new dragon-based class called the Dracthyr is being introduced. The next chapter in Blizzard’s long-running MMO takes flight in November.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 30

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the highly anticipated follow-up to developer Fatshark’s excellent Vermintide series, with the 40K settings introducing Space Marines and firearms to go along with the co-op melee action. A Left 4 Dead-style co-op action game that is shaping up nicely too - which we saw first-hand with the recent Closed Beta. This is coming to PC first with Xbox to follow sometime next year. On PC it supports NVIDIA DLSS, Reflex, and real-time ray-tracing.