October’s here, and while many associate the month with watching horror movies while gobbling down Halloween candy or sipping on pumpkin spice something or another, those involved with video game culture know that things are ramping up in preparation for the holiday season. The newest generation of consoles are becoming ever-so-slightly more available to buy, even though getting them remains a bit of a nightmare, and the rush of attention-grabbing games leading into the holiday season has officially begun. Chiefly, this is a huge month for the Switch as they get geared up early for a holiday season where supply may be tricky for their competitors, reaffirming that they’ll have a slew of quality games – both new and significant ports — ready to buy alongside their now actively available, innovative system. Let’s take a closer look at what October has to offer.

Alan Wake: Remastered (PS4,5; Xbox O/S/X; PC) — October 5

The story behind the development of Alan Wake is a bit of a frustrating one, where developer Remedy Entertainment got caught in a whirlwind of console releases, hesitant publisher commitments, and a wealth of ambition behind what they wanted their post-Max Payne game to be.  Initially, the tale of Alan Wake was designed with an open-world landscape and a consistent survival-horror attitude in mind, influenced by the surrealism of David Lynch and Stephen King in how a struggling author a small coastal city and the violent shadows that come out when the sun’s down.  Armed with a flashlight used to ward off the supernatural threats, Alan Wake eventually released as an Xbox exclusive, but in a fashion that can only be described as stripped-down from the expectations, more linear and structured.

Thing is, once any remaining feelings of disappointment over “what could’ve been” have subsided, you’re left with an Alan Wake that’s incredibly atmospheric, clever in its control scheme and weapon usage, and engaging in terms of where the story ends up going. A slow launch transformed into under-the-radar popularity driven by word-of-mouth recommendations, and it has developed something a bit larger than cult status over the years, but roughly on the same level of enthusiasm. Now, Alan Wake has been remastered and, through Epic Games as publisher, makes it debut on PlayStation consoles alongside Xbox Series X and PC. Changes, tweaks, and spit-polish have been added – product placement is gone; licensed music remains — but Remedy sticks to the gameplay and narrative structure that established the game’s reputation over a decade ago, instead of trying to restore old ideas.

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Far Cry 6 (PS4,5; Xbox O/S/X; PC) — October 7

While some franchises benefit from switching things up and keeping the gameplay ideas fresh, others are less interested in doing that because part of their appeal comes from comfort-zone gameplay. With certain franchises, you kind of know what to expect with each following installment, and Far Cry has developed that reputation over the course of the last 2-3 releases from Ubisoft. If anything, one would come to expect innovation from their spinoff series, like Blood Dragon and Primal, that deliberately go in other directions while using the most recent base game’s engine as a foundation. Some entries, like Far Cry 5 and its brushes with current political concerns, may generate controversy with narrative choices, but the core gameplay itself makes sure to still provide heaps of familiarity for those playing through it.

Far Cry 6 takes a step back from immediate controversy and instead places the visage of film and TV star Giancarlo Esposito firmly at the front, casting him as a dictatorial leader of a fictional island in the Caribbean who’s grooming his child to become the next ruler. The player, naturally, takes control of a freedom fighter out to dismantle his nepotistic government ambitions, and with that the game draws the player into the familiar environment of freedom to do essentially whatever they want to accomplish that goal. Far Cry 6 hopes to smooth out some of the wrinkles created by the previous release with star power and a clear return to the status quo, though it runs the risk of doing too much of that and not getting the franchise up to the level of this next generation of gaming.

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Metroid Dread (Switch) — October 8

It’s been a while since a Metroid game has rolled onto home consoles, the last of which being Other M on the original Wii over a decade ago. Some hesitation seems to have developed since that one received less than stellar reviews, which always tends to spook out Nintendo, resulting in only portable releases of non-primary games over the past decade and an entire console generation from the company without a new adventure featuring Samus Aran; luckily, she comes back to kick butt throughout the Super Smash Bros. series. The time seems to have finally arrived for the legendary character to make their return to new content, and while another entry in the Metroid Prime first-person series remains in development, Nintendo has decided to first return Samus back to her roots with the 2.5D action-platformer Metroid Dread.

Originally in development as a DS game over 15 years ago, it makes sense that Dread follows the events of the Gameboy Advance title Metroid Fusion, in which Samus delves into an alien world known as ZDR. The devs at MercurySteam and Nintendo may have added new stealth mechanics, but those with a grasp on MetroidVania style of gameplay know what the action’s all about, preventing the character from moving forward in certain areas of the interconnected level design until they’ve earned certain powers, weapons or tools that get them beyond obstacles.  With the surge in popularity of “modernized” retro platformers over the past several years, it’s a great time for Metroid’s gameplay designs to show back up on a Nintendo console.

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Back 4 Blood (PS4,5; Xbox O/S/X; PC) — October 12

Turtle Rock Studios has had a pretty complicated history, with its legacy largely hinged on the work it accomplished under another name, Valve South, on the wildly popular Left 4 Dead cooperative zombie-horror shooter. They were responsible for developing the core original game that everyone knows and loves, and while they separated from Valve to once again be known as Turtle Rock Studios, they still came back and completed work on the DLC for the Valve-developed sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. Sure, it can be argued that improvements were made to the sequel, but it’s hard to argue with the idea that Turtle Rock is responsible for Left 4 Dead’s successful creation and longevity, and that it’s fully within their scope to craft a spiritual successor utilizing many of the same concepts for a new gen of game consoles.

That’s where Back 4 Blood enters the picture. From the name to the premise, it walks and talks like an extension of Turtle Rock’s first foray into survival horror multiplayer shooting, though they’ve made sure to make the tone less grim and deepen the storytelling underneath what’s going on. Back 4 Blood isn’t as heavily influenced by the likes of The Walking Dead as their previous creation, instead crafting the post-apocalyptic conditions and zombie-like infected monsters roaming the area into the doings of an alien source. The squad coordination, shooting, and dynamics are quite similar, though, to such a degree that early impressions have essentially labeled it as “Left 4 Dead 3”, only marginally updated to get it up to current gaming standards.

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Guardians of the Galaxy (PS4,5; Xbox O/S/X; PC) — October 26

Last year, there was a significant amount of hype that followed behind the release of Marvel’s The Avengers, where players would be able to control versions of their favorite characters from the comic-book universe in a new, exciting setting. Unfortunately, those expectations weren’t met, as the AAA game from Square, Crystal and Eidos ended up being heavy on character substance and light on campaign longevity and gameplay refinement, hampered by an underwhelming loot system and other design issues. Eidos Montreal hopes to not make the same mistakes with their attempt to take on Guardians of the Galaxy.

Inherently, due to the sorts of capabilities that the Guardians have above those of the Avengers, the scale of the action will skew a bit smaller in this game, which has been tailored into a fast-paced combination of superpowers and shooting through futuristic level designs. As players gain control of Star Lord for a wild adventure, they also become the commander of the squad and their ship, which translates to the gameplay style in which they issue commands to their squad members instead of directly controlling them in third-person combat situations … and they get involved in dialogue trees and in-game decisions with some impacts. Everything here feels more like Eidos has drawn more inspiration from Mass Effect, Deus Ex, and Saints Row IV in how it’s handling these rogues and their galactic antics.

Order Guardians of the Galaxy on Amazon

Some other new, reliable family-friendly goodies rolling out this month are the latest iteration of the Super Monkey Ball franchise, Banana Mania, and the very clear Smash Bros. replica Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl that are both releasing on practically all major platforms on October 5, as well as Mario Party Superstars – a collection of 5 older Mario Party boards and over 100 rebuilt minigames from the 64 era — coming to the Switch on October 29. A remastered edition of the full Crysis Trilogy will be out on Switch, PC, and last-gen consoles on October 15, while strategy fans will be able to enjoy Age of Empires IV on October 28. Switch and Xbox users will finally be able to play Disco Elysium with the port coming on October 12, and of course soccer fans have FIFA 22 to kick around this month if they so desire.  And finally, spooky season’s here, so it’s pretty awesome to see the Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water making its way worldwide by the end of the month (October 28).

October’s Video Game New Releases: Far Cry, Metroid, GROOT

The summer movie season is upon us, providing a great excuse to sit in an air conditioned room and avoid that brutal summer sun. However, even the best summer movie only lasts a couple of hours, three tops.

When you’re looking for another excuse to stay indoors for a few hours, why not consider our list of the best LEGO sets for summer movies? You can stay inside the air conditioned comfort of your home while completing these LEGO sets, all while reliving the fun of the summer movie blockbuster you just saw. For instance, the Silent Mary (as seen above) from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

These LEGO sets work as collectibles that’ll appeal to fans of different super heroes and different movie subjects several years into the future. You also can have fun now putting them together, following the directions inside the box … or ignore the directions and follow your own creative and artistic aim. Sure, the box says ages 7-14, but you don’t have to have kids to enjoy these fun LEGO sets.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opened in April in Japan and opened May 5 in the United States to a blockbuster start, having grossed more than $650 million by mid-May. If you’ve seen the movie, we have a couple of LEGO sets that you’re going to enjoy. (And if you haven’t seen the movie, what are you waiting for? Groot isn’t going to get any cuter, after all.)

The LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy Ayesha’s Revenge has been one of the top selling LEGO toys on Amazon in May. It has some fun options, including Yondu, Star-Lord, Ayesha, and Groot figures, along with a laser drill spaceship.

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The 460-piece LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy The Milano vs. The Abilisk kit is an impressive one. The Milano cockpit has room for four minifigures along with a Groot figure. The kit includes figures for Groot, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, will appear in U.S. theaters May 26, once again featuring Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Captain Sparrow battles a Spanish Navy ghost crew while attempting to find the Trident of Poseidon.

A cool new set of LEGO toys for the Dead Men Tell No Tales movie are the BrickHeadz toys for Captain Sparrow and Captain Armando Salazar. You can follow the directions to create individual characters or combine the two sets for a crazy character mashup.

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Another option for a more traditional LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean set is The Mill, which features 365 pieces, along with a Jack Sparrow figure and a Dead Man’s Chest.

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Wonder Woman

The Wonder Woman movie, set for a June 2 release in the United States, will explore the origins of Wonder Woman, as she leaves Themyscira to try to bring an early end to World War I.

The LEGO Super Heroes DC Wonder Woman Warrior Battle set generated quite a bit of buzz in late March, as its release gave fans a look at the villain Ares for the Wonder Woman movie. No information had been released about Ares up to that point. Beyond Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, and Ares figures, this LEGO set features a biplane too.

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Another option at a lower price point for a Wonder Woman LEGO set is the Girls Wonder Woman Dorm, which features a mini Wonder Woman figure, a Golden Lasso, and an invisible bike.

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Disney’s Cars 3

The Disney Cars animated franchise will release its third movie on June 16 in the United States. It’s especially popular with young boys … and maybe a few adult boys too. All of the favorite characters are back for Cars 3, including Mater, Sally Carrera, and Lightning McQueen, who must recover from a serious crash in this movie to try to regain his racing abilities.

We’re waiting for specific Cars 3 LEGO sets to appear, but the most comprehensive LEGO set available for the Cars franchise currently is the Ultimate Race Set. It has a big price tag, but it includes two car launchers as well as Lightning McQueen, Max Schnell, and Raoul CaRoule cars.

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Plenty of the Cars LEGO sets are LEGO Juniors, aimed at ages 4-7. One of the best is the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 Race kit, which includes Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez cars, along with a Miss Fritter road sign and movable barriers and floodlights.

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Transformers: The Last Knight

The latest film in the Transformers franchise — Transformers: The Last Knight — opens June 21 in the United States. It will feature the beginning of a war between the human race and the Transformers. Although LEGO toys aren’t offered for the Transformers franchise, you can purchase Kre-O toys, which are plastic brick toys similar to LEGOs. Kre-Os are manufactured in South Korea, and Hasbro markets these toys.

If you’re looking for a good introductory Transformers Kre-O toy, the Kre-O Transformers Galvatron Factory Battle playset is a nice option. It offers 388 pieces and allows for creation of a few different robots, including Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.

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The 560-piece Kre-O Transformers Destruction Site Devastator Set provides you with plenty of flexibility, as you can create one large robot, any of four vehicles, or any of four average sized robots.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming, which will have a July 7 release in the United States, introduces us to Peter Parker’s attempts to balance his life as a high school student, while also fighting crime as Spider-Man. We haven’t seen any new LEGO sets for Homecoming yet, but there are still plenty of cool sets featuring the webslinger.

The LEGO Spider-Man Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Building Kit is a detailed LEGO set featuring Spider-Man’s web prison inside a bridge with a movable roadway and a trap door. This set has more than 1,000 pieces.

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If you’re looking for a LEGO set for a younger child, the LEGO Juniors Spider-Man Hideout includes Spider-Man’s helicopter and Green Goblin’s air glider.

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12 Awesome LEGO Sets for 2017 Summer Movies

The internet’s intersection of geekery and shopping addiction, ThinkGeek.com, is always spurring out some new licensed goodies for the masses. We’d like to take a moment and highlight some of their best new products from over the past couple of weeks, particularly those with a flair for the ridiculous and endearing. To start, here are some yoga pants.

At ThinkGeek

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. went on a break while the other Marvel comic book show,  Agent Carter, took the spotlight on ABC. That’s all done and over now, as Agent Coulson and his embattled team try to deal with their latest threat, the newly Inhuman Sky come March 3. Naturally, you should be wearing yoga pants for the occasion, just in case you end up jumping out of your seat. Or something. File this one under ridiculous, but it’s an exclusive ridiculous for ThinkGeek and, as such, deserves to be seen by all.

Next up we have something with far less utility but far more fluffiness, the more important quality in random internet things.

At ThinkGeek

Guardians of the Galaxy is forever cemented as a bastion of merchandising for Marvel, which in no small way is due to Rocket Raccoon and Groot’s partnership as heroes of texture, the tangible and the not. Consider the above plush a peek into the damaged psyche of our violent raccoon friend, a wee baby just trying to eek out a smile while everybody tries to kill and torture each other.

At ThinkGeek

Did you ever feel like something was amiss in your living room? Like something didn’t “fit,” per se? Or maybe you just weren’t satisfied with a lack of the in-your-face, I’m a gigantic nerd kind of furnishing the type-A expressive inside you desires so strongly. In any case, here are pillows that fit together, you nutcase.

At ThinkGeek

Fair warning: this replica Borderlands 2 gun, Moxxi’s Bad touch, which she gives you in-game after enough tips, is overpriced nonsense, but it’s the kind of rare, overpriced nonsense that drives the very soul of dedicated cosplayers worldwide. Take a deep breath. It’s $650. Only 500 units will be produced. Only 500 people will ever know the simultaneous shame and pride of owning such a thing.

At ThinkGeek

I’ve included these two Aliens Minimates for the singular purpose of reigniting our faith in online shopping after baring witness to the ludicrous Moxxi’s Bad Touch replica. We need a break. These guys only cost $6. And they can fit in your pocket. How quaint.

Lately on ThinkGeek: Rocket Racoon, Pillows and Yoga Pants

So you’re up in a tiffy about that newly announced The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D bundle ($50). Nintendo figurines are all the rage right now, whether they’ve got NFC chips inside them or not, apparently. This Skull Kid figure, for instance, can’t help but pique you’re interest. All those Majora’s Mask memories are set to be rekindled come this 3DS upgrade.

You might as well dig right on in. If you want to go absolutely nuts, consider the Ultimate Limited Edition Bundle ($85), which groups that Skull Kid figurine with an official strategy guide.

You can also just buy the strategy guide separately if that binding is just too fancy to pass up on. With only the figurine, the package is just $10 more than the game itself at $50. The strategy guide bundle, on the other hand, pumps it up to $85.

But before you do any of that, The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D isn’t the only recent game worthy of a cute little extra bundled in. In fact, some of those games don’t even belong to Nintendo (gasp!). Sony’s got its own tradition of adorableness in the LittleBigPlanet franchise. LittleBigPlanet 3 is absolutely no exception. Indeed, the plush bundle ($60) is exactly what you’d expect:

At Amazon

If you just can’t get enough Nintendo and you don’t already have an amiibo, consider for a moment these two bundles ($70 each) currently being offered at GameStop. No, they don’t come with games (those bundles will arrive eventually, though), but they do come with accessories bound to be quite useful for a console designed specifically for families and less important groups of people to play together.

And in the “it’s basically a Nintendo game” category, we’ve got the Western release of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for the Nintendo 3DS. The pin included in GameStop pre-orders might not quite be as huggable as the Sackboy, but it might be just as adorable. This one might go quick. You’e got a couple months before the game’s March release date.

At GameStop

Our final item on this list isn’t attached to a video game, due mostly to the fact that nobody came up with the obvious idea to make a Guardians of the Galaxy video game. Nevertheless, it’s at GameStop so its existence on this list is justified. Yes, this is the dancing baby Groot desired by all.

At GameStop

These Funko POP! bobbleheads are all the rage over at GameStop. Added to the Guardians of the Galaxy collection is a Howard the Duck figure. Frozen fans might be satisfied as well. Just don’t stray from Ben’s too long.

The Skull Kid Majora’s Mask 3D Figurine Isn’t the Only Sweet Video Game Extra

It’s a cliche now that movie trailers often turn out better than the movie they’re promoting, but in the time between the trailer’s release and the actual movie premiere, there’s always the sweet, sweet hope that, in fact, THIS TIME, this movie will be the GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF MOVIES.

Here are 10 summer movie trailers that will have you feeling like a 12-year-old kid again (sorry, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles):

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

You say you’ve never heard of them? Doesn’t matter. If this Marvel movie succeeds (and will), expect more ’70s comics to make it to the silver screen (Black Panther).  (August 1)

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

Since Shia LaBeouf is “not famous” anymore, Mark Wahlberg steps in to carry on this incessant franchise (#4 and you know it’s not the last).  (June 27)

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

A stellar cast headlines this sequel to three different movies: The Last Stand, First Class and The Wolverine. Have your CliffsNotes ready.  (May 23)

GODZILLA

Heisenberg himself (Bryan Cranston) faces off against the classic Japanese monster in the latest reboot/remake/sequel.   (May 16)

JUPITER ASCENDING

Sci-fi fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude with the Wachowskis’ first original material since The Matrix Revolutions (gulp).   (July 18)

MALEFICENT

Tongues will be tied at the ticket counter for this live-action retelling of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty story.   (May 30)

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller return to Basin City nearly 10 years after the original.   (August 22)

THE GIVER

The latest young adult dystopian sci-fi offering to hit the silver screen, but this one has a pretty good pedigree (Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep).   (August 15)

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Taking place 10 years after the well-received 2011 reboot, this simian CGI fest once again follows Andy Serkis as Caesar the chimp.   (July 11)

EDGE OF TOMORROW

Tom Cruise follows up last year’s very solid Oblivion with another sci-fi adventure (plus a dash of Groundhog Day for good measure).   (June 6)

Required Viewing: 2014 Summer Movie Trailers