Huge Destiny launch marks start of spring video game flood

Destiny's huge launch has announced the arrival of the September-Decemebr games flood.. Photo: Bungie

Destiny was built by the studio that created Halo, and published by the company behind Call of Duty. It was always going to be a hit, but the actual figures are staggering.

While the sales figures are wholesale units sold to retailers, rather than actual retail sales, they are still impressive: US$500 million in its first 24 hours, making it the most successful launch of a new franchise in game history.

However, is just the start. The September-to-November period is always peak season for video games, owing to the Christmas retail bonanza. Most of the year's biggest games are released at this time, and 2014 is no exception. Here are some of the other games that will be following on Destiny's heels.

Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U will be the first game to take advantage of Amiibo - a Skylanders-like interactive figurine line with a Nintendo touch. Photo: Nintendo

For the whole family: Destiny is all about the shooting and the explosions, and many parents are looking for something less violent for their younger kids to play. They also often want games that they can play together, and the coming months are packed with excellent family-friendly releases.

Disney Infinity and Skylanders will be going head-to-head again this Christmas, with both game-plus-toys franchises releasing new editions. Disney Infinity 2.0 will introduce Marvel superheroes, while Skylanders Trap Team will allow players to capture creatures they encounter in the game to play as later. Nintendo's biggest release of the year is likely to be the new version of Super Smash Bros., coming to the Wii U and 3DS. This family-friendly beat-em-up will feature a massive roster of Nintendo characters, and launches alongside Nintendo's new line of Amiibo interactive figurines.

Also coming: Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, LittleBigPlanet 3, Fantasia: Music Evolved, and Just Dance 2014.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare looks to shake up the style and gameplay of gaming's biggest annual franchise. Photo: Sledgehammer Games

For the action fans

Naturally, the annual Call of Duty will be dropping in the first week of November. This edition is titled Advanced Warfare, and features plausible near-future technology such as stealth suits, robotic exoskeletons, and automated drones.

This year we will get double the Assassin's Creed, with the next-gen only Unity taking Xbox One and PS4 owners to revolutionary Paris and the previous-gen Rogue continuing the swashbuckling high seas adventures in the 18th century, during the Seven Years War.

Borderlands gets a 'made in Australia' update with the oddly-named Pre-Sequel, a game that takes place between the first and second. Made in Canberra, it will take Borderlands fans to Pandora's bizarre moon to fly around in low gravity.

Also coming: Sunset Overdrive, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Bayonetta 2, and Far Cry 4.

For the car lovers

The next few months will see a number of diverse, top quality driving and racing games hitting store shelves. Forza Horizon 2 is one for the Xbox owners, offering a huge, free-roaming open world based on southern France and Italy.

Ubisoft's long-delayed The Crew is finally arriving, offering another gigantic open world to explore at high speed. The map is based on the USA, with hundreds of kilometres of roads where players can race, get into police chases, and more.

Driveclub will bring the PS4 its first dedicated racing experience, from the studio that created MotorStorm and World Rally Championship. This is a stunningly pretty street racer, less about closed tracks and more about racing on public roads.

Those who like their cars with guns included will be pleased to know that the next-generation re-release of Grand Theft Auto V is also coming before Christmas for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.

For the thinker

Those who like something with a slower pace and more strategic thinking will also be well-served. Civilization: Beyond Earth is likely to be one of the biggest PC games of the year, taking the historical-based Civilization franchise into the future for the first time as colonists from Earth compete to dominate an alien planet.

If you like to be frightened, horror games are also going to be big this year. Alien: Isolation will recreate the tense mood of the original film Alien, with just one creature that cannot be killed, forcing the player to run and hide. Also coming is The Evil Within, a back-to-basics horror tale from Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil and the acclaimed Resident Evil 4.

Also coming: World of Warcraft: Warlord of Draenor.

Sport fans

Finally we have sport, with big release like FIFA 15, NBA 2K15, WWE 2K15, Pro Evolution Soccer 2015, and many more.

Whatever you are into, there are great games for everyone on their way. Expect to see many of these under the Christmas tree.

DexX is on Twitter: @jamesjdominguez