Top 8 Upcoming Games in September 2015

August is nearly at an end and presented a decent roster of high-profile games to choose from. However, September is where the real AAA season begins and it’s full of high-profile remasters, long-awaited sequels, innovative titles, big name expansions and even a football game or two. What are some of the top upcoming games to look forward to in September 2015? We take a closer look at eight of them. As always, let us know what your highly anticipated games are in the comments below.

Destiny: The Taken King

Enough has been said both for and against Bungie’s online shooter Destiny. It’s credit enough that it’s able to stay in the news so often but whether you feel slighted by many Year One Exotics being left behind or the whole deal behind Year One rewards, The Taken King will be Destiny’s most substantial expansion till date. A new zone, loads of new gear and weapons, a new leveling system and much more are on the way but will it be enough to sway an additional $40 away from consumers’ wallets?

Mad Max

Avalanche Software is best known for the chaos and over-the-top violence of its Just Cause series. With Mad Max, it takes a decidedly different approach, mixing open world exploration with realistic brawling and visceral car combat. The game itself is very true to the aesthetic of the Mad Max universe and the appearance of various areas we love like Thunderdome, Gas Town, etc. along with the developer’s pedigree make it worth watching out for. Mad Max is out on September 1st for Xbox One, PC and PS4.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

This is the big one. With nearly perfect critical acclaim from all fronts, an immense budget and as the conclusion to the saga started with Ground Zeroes and the over-arching Metal Gear timeline, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is nearly upon us. Whether you’re looking to get into the series for the first time, eager to explore and dissect the story bit by bit or just in the mood to experience what could be the Game of the Year, The Phantom Pain simply can’t be missed. Unless, of course, you want to play Mad Max first since they release on the same day.

Forza Motorsport 6

Though Forza Motorsport has always been about celebrating the wondrous engineering of automobiles, Forza Motorsport 5 seemed to lack a tremendous selection of cars. Forza Motorsport 6 fixes this by offering more than 450 cars, a myriad of tracks to choose from and even better visuals than before. Drivatar returns to taunt players once again and the new Stories of Motorsport mode looks to offer the meatiest single-player mode in the series. Couple that with up to 24 racers on a track at once, wet weather driving and commentary from former Top Gear hosts James May and Richard Hammond and Forza Motorsport 6 is pretty much the racer to look forward to.

FIFA 16

I’m not a football guy. At all. However, EA’s FIFA series is a big deal and FIFA 16 appears to be its biggest step forward yet. Along with the usual enhancements and changes, such as Training being moved to Career mode and skill games to further tailor your players, FIFA 16 will be the first game in the series to include female teams. Twelve women’s national teams have been included along with detailed motion capture for the female footballers. If it’s all about the atmosphere, then you’ll have 78 stadiums to choose from with crowds acting more vibrant than ever. FIFA 16 is out on September 22nd in North America and September 24th in Europe.

Super Mario Maker

Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker is going beyond simply giving fans the next big Mario platformer – it’s now allowing them to create their own. Using the art styles and assets from Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros U, you can create your own Mario level replete with classic items and obstacles. Players can also manipulate elements accordingly, adding more enemies, mixing up level lay-outs entirely and then sharing these levels online. For those more interested in playing than creating, there’s the online Course World which provides access to various user-created levels along with challenges. Super Mario Maker is out on September 11th in North America and Europe.

Tearaway Unfolded

Yes, this is another port/remaster for the PlayStation 4 but guess what? The original Tearaway is one of the best PS Vita titles and Media Molecule will be effectively retelling its story on the PS4 with Tearaway Unfolded. The various features have been redesigned and enhanced for the DualShock 4 controller and an extended storyline has also been promised. If that weren’t enough, the game will be in 1080p resolution and running at 60 frames per second. Tearaway Unfolded is out on September 8th.

SOMA

What exactly has Frictional Games, developer of the amazing Amnesia: The Dark Descent, been up to anyway? As it turns out, its newest game SOMA has been in development since 2010. Not many details have been revealed aside from the first person survival horror trapping, sci-fi elements and eerie, otherworldly creatures that have only been teased thus far. But given the brilliance the studio delivered with Amnesia, it seems a given that SOMA will be something truly special. Look forward to it on September 22nd for PS4, PC, Mac OS X and Linux.