The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is a tie between Fallout 4 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) and Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One, Xbox 360).

Bethesda’s Fallout 4 gives players plenty to do as it’s the latest open world post-apocalyptic game from the developer. The first-person RPG will let players explore New England in the aftermath of a nuclear war and create a wholly unique character and adventure. Players will even be able to craft an entire city to serve as their base of operations.

Meanwhile, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be the second game to explore Lara Croft’s early adventures. Developer by Crystal Dynamics, with assistance from co-publishers Square Enix and Microsoft, Rise of the Tomb Raider will show the part where Lara Croft changes from an amateur archaeologist and adventurer into “The Tomb Raider.”

Also of note this week is Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void (PC), the finale to Blizzard’s “Starcraft II Trilogy.” Focusing on the Protoss faction, the standalone game will actually “unite the three races in the ultimate battle for survival against an ancient evil threatening all life in the universe.”

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: Fallout 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, StarCraft: Legacy of the Void, more
• Nintendo Download: Nintendo Badge Arcade, Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX, Stella Glow, more
• PlayStation Store: Fallout 4, Super Dodge Ball, Superbeat: Xonic, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Rise of the Tomb Raider, Fallout 4, more

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Call of Duty: Black Ops III (PC, PS4, Xbox One), the latest game in the long-running Call of Duty franchise and the third in Treyarch’s popular Black Ops sub-series. In Black Ops III, players will once again get to travel to the future in a world where war is more high tech than ever. Be aware that Call of Duty: Black Ops III will also be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but the previous-generation version of the game will only include the game’s multiplayer modes and not the single-player Campaign Mode.

Also of interest this week is Need For Speed, the next entry in EA’s series of racing games. Developer Ghost Games considers it a complete reboot of the series and has packed the title with five overlapping storylines and dozens of cars.

Finally, there’s two for the kids as Yo-Kai Watch (3DS) and Snoopy’s Grand Adventure (3DS, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) have also been released this week. One is a Pokemon-like adventure game, while the other is a side-scroller starring everyone’s favorite beagle and his birdie pal.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up For Downloadable Games

• Retail Releases: Call of Duty Black Ops III, Need For Speed, Yo-Kai Watch, more
• Nintendo Download: Yo-Kai Watch, Rodea: The Sky Soldier, Snoopy’s Grand Adventure, more
• PlayStation Store: Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Need For Speed, Dragon Fin Soup, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Need For Speed, Snoopy’s Grand Adventure, Barbie and Her Sisters: Puppy Rescue
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Call of Duty: Black Ops III

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One), the latest chapter in Microsoft’s long-running space saga. The Master Chief is now a fugitive and players will take control of both the pursuer and the pursued to find out the truth.

Also available this week is WWE 2K16 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One), the latest wrestling simulation from developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games. Starring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the latest WWE game includes the franchise’s biggest roster of wrestlers ever, as well as a redesigned Create-A-Wrestler mode.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: Halo 5: Guardians, WWE 2K16, Minecraft: Story Mode, more
• Nintendo Download: Human Resource Machine, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, PictoParty, more
• PlayStation Store: DriveClub Bikes, WWE 2K16, Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Halo 5: Guardians, WWE 2K16, Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4, Xbox One), the latest entry in Ubisoft’s long-running historical adventure series. This time, the action switches to Victorian London, as a gang of hooligans bands together to battle the oppressive ruling class and an evil secret society.

Four other titles will likely be of interest to plenty of players this week including Nintendo’s multiplayer Zelda adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS); Activision’s return to the stage, Guitar Hero Live (PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One); Ubisoft’s latest dance game, Just Dance 2016 (PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One); and the latest game in Bandai Namco’s Tales series of RPGs, Tales of Zestiria (PC, PS3, PS4).

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Next Week’s Retail Releases: Guitar Hero Live, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, more
• Nintendo Download: The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, Just Dance 2016, more
• PlayStation Store: Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Tales From the Borderlands: The Vault of the Traveler, Life Is Strange: Polarized, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Tales From the Borderlands: The Vault of the Traveler, Life Is Strange: Polarized, Just Dance 2016, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Layers of Fear, Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is
Yoshi’s Woolly World, a side-scrolling platformer for the Wii U. Following in the footsteps of 2010’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Yoshi’s Woolly World wraps Mario’s dinosaur in yarn and sets him loose on the world. Fans of Nintendo-style platformers will thoroughly enjoy it, as will anyone on the lookout for games with unique art styles.

Also available this week is Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4), a “hack and slash” adventure game from Square Enix and Koei Tecmo. Mashing together the former’s Dragon Quest series of RPGs with the latter’s Dynasty Warriors style of action games, it should be of interest to fans of both franchises.

Other New Retail Releases

3DS

• Goosebumps
• The Legend of Legacy
• The Smurfs

PlayStation 3

• The Arland Atelier Trilogy

PlayStation 4

• Back to the Future
• Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below
• Grand Ages: Medieval
• The Talos Principle
• Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut

Vita

• Corpse Party: Blood Drive

Wii U

• New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U
• Yoshi’s Woolly World

Xbox 360

• Back to the Future

Xbox One

• Back to the Future
• Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut

New Release Round-Up For Downloadable Games

• Nintendo Download: Yoshi’s Woolly World, New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U, more
• PlayStation Store: Dragon Quest Heroes, Minecraft: Story Mode, Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Minecraft: Story Mode, Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, Back to the Future, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Marvel Puzzle Quest, Bedlam, Rock N Racing Off Road DX

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Rock Band 4 (PS4, Xbox One), a glorious encore for the band simulation series from Harmonix. Featuring full compatibility with nearly all PS3 and Xbox 360 instruments, Rock Band 4 is perfect for fans who want to jump right back into the genre on their PS4 or Xbox One.

Also of note this week is Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4), a compilation that brings the first three Uncharted games to the PS4 for the first time; and Transformers: Devastation (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One), an action game set during the cartoon franchise’s “Generation 1” era. Both games should appeal to nostalgic players and those looking for a new action game.

Other New Retail Releases

3DS

• Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash

PC

• Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide
• Transformers: Devastation

PlayStation 3

• Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax
• Transformers: Devastation

PlayStation 4

• Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (Game of the Year Edition)
• Ride
• Rock Band 4
• Rock Band 4: Band-In-A-Box Bundle
• Rock Band 4: Guitar Bundle
• Transformers: Devastation
• Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection

Vita

• Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax
• Farming Simulator 16

Xbox 360

• Transformers: Devastation

Xbox One

• Dragon Age: Inquisition (Game of the Year Edition)
• Ride
• Rock Band 4
• Rock Band 4: Band-In-A-Box Bundle
• Rock Band 4: Guitar Bundle
• Transformers: Devastation

New Release Round-Up For Downloadable Games

• Nintendo Download: Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash, 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Legend of Legacy, more
• PlayStation Store: Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Rock Band 4, Transformers: Devastation, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Rock Band 4, Transformers: Devastation, Elite: Dangerous, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Kaiju Panic, Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 (PS4, Xbox One), the latest skateboarding game from Activision and Tony Hawk. The Tony Hawk franchise has been on hiatus since 2012, so a new entry will surely excite fans. However, the reviews haven’t been great, so proceed with caution.

Other New Retail Releases

PC

• Fallout Anthology
• Grand Ages: Medieval
• Might & Magic Heroes VII

PlayStation 4

• NBA Live 16
• Samurai Warriors 4-II
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5

Vita

• Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Xbox One

• NBA Live 16
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5

New Release Round-Up For Downloadable Games

• Nintendo Download: Freedom Planet, River City Ransom, The Rivers of Alice, more
• PlayStation Store: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, Journey, Mega Man Legends, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, NBA 2K16, NBA Live 16, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Fat City, Polychromatic

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Lego Dimensions (PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One), a ridiculously massive crossover game from TT Games. Having mastered the art of Lego-izing our favorite characters with the “Lego _____” series, developer TT Games has decided to smash them all together in a huge crossover game that also features a Skylanders-like NFC Base. With levels based on The Simpsons, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, The Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, The Lego Movie, and plenty more… there’s something here for everyone.

Also of note this week is a pair of new sports sims. There’s the soccer stylings of FIFA 16 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) and the basketball bravado of NBA 2K16 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One).

Other New Retail Releases

3DS

• Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer

PC

• Blood Bowl II
• FIFA 16
• NBA 2K16

PlayStation 3

• FIFA 16
• Lego Dimensions
• NBA 2K16

PlayStation 4

• Blood Bowl II
• FIFA 16
• Lego Dimensions
• NBA 2K16

Wii U

• Lego Dimensions

Xbox 360

• FIFA 16
• Lego Dimensions
• NBA 2K16

Xbox One

• Blood Bowl II
• FIFA 16
• Lego Dimensions
• NBA 2K16

New Release Round-Up For Downloadable Games

• Nintendo Download: Animal Crossing: Home Designer, Extreme Exorcism, Beatbuddy, more
• PlayStation Store: Skylanders SuperChargers, FIFA 16, Blood Bowl II, Soma, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Skylanders SuperChargers, FIFA 16, Blood Bowl II, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Guns Gore & Cannoli, Fermi’s Path

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