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Every summer, video gamers face weeks of doldrums as studios hold their biggest, most-anticipated titles in reserve for the holidays.
As a result, the release cycle slows down to a lethargic crawl, but that doesn't mean there's nothing worth playing. With a lack of competition from AAA titles, publishers often choose the summer months to release their wild cards, games that represent entirely new worlds and that buck the trend of annual franchise variations.
Here are nine titles set for launch before fall's arrival on Sept. 23:
"King's Quest: The Complete Collection"
* Release date: July 28 (PS3/PS4/PC), July 29 (Xbox 360/Xbox One)
* Summary: At his granddaughter Gwendolyn's behest, an elderly King Graham reflects on - and relives - the past exploits that helped him shape the kingdom of Daventry.
* Why it's hot: This is a brand-new entry in one of gaming's most long-lived and respected adventure franchises, one that has lain dormant for almost 20 years. Presented in a series of five episodes and an epilogue - which will release incrementally through 2016 - players use their wits to navigate a series of puzzles and make choices based on bravery, wisdom and compassion to shape the way the story unfolds. Eschewing the series' traditional point-and-click interface, players now interact directly with the environment.
* Price: $40 PC/Playstation 3/Playstation 4/Xbox 360/Xbox One (digital download only)
* Rating: E for everyone
"Everybody's Gone to the Rapture"
* Release date: Aug. 11
* Summary: The inhabitants of a rural English village have disappeared. As they wander a seemingly abandoned world, players piece together the events behind what seems to be the end of days.
* Why it's hot: "Everybody's Gone to the Rapture" is being developed by The Chinese Room, the makers of stunningly beautiful adventure game "Dear Esther," which is the spiritual predecessor of "Rapture." This time, however, players can directly interact with objects in the game world, which is rendered in breathtaking detail by the CryEngine graphics engine.
* Price: $20 Playstation 4
* Rating: Pending
"Disney Infinity 3.0"
* Release date: Aug. 30
* Summary: Disney's answer to the "Skylanders" physical/digital interactive toy franchise from Activision, this is the third major version on "Disney Infinity" with all new worlds, characters and storylines.
* Why it's hot: "Disney Infinity 3.0" builds on the scope of the previous entries in the franchise by adding a slew of new figurines and game sets based on Disney's most recent properties and acquisitions. The game focuses on the events of recently released films such as "Inside Out" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" as well as "Star Wars Rebels" and the "Star Wars" films. The combat also has been reworked to be deeper and more complex.
* Price: $65 starter pack PC/Playstation 3/Playstation 4/Xbox 360/Xbox One (includes game/game base/two figurines/play set piece and web code card); additional figure/set piece packs are $10-$15).
* Rating: E 10+ for ages 10 and older
"Mad Max"
* Release date: Sept. 1
* Summary: Robbed of his belongings, shamed and left to die alone in the desert wasteland of the Plains of Silence by a group of bandits, Max Rockatansky embarks on a quest to recover his beloved Interceptor vehicle. Along the way, he teams up with a crazed mechanic who offers to help him seek his vengeance and - perhaps - build an even better car, The Magnum Opus.
* Why it's hot: Not technically tied to the recently released film, "Mad Max: Fury Road," this game features a similar emphasis on vehicular combat, which makes up more than half of the gameplay. On foot, combat plays out as a smooth flow combining fisticuffs with other weaponry. Players also can acquire new parts for their car, from guns to wheels to engines, as they navigate an open world environment filled with activities such as races, time trials and enemy convoys to attack. To survive, they must find food and fuel and survive dangerous weather events.
* Price: $60 Playstation 4/Xbox One
* Rating: M for mature
"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
* Release date: Sept. 1 (Sept. 15 on PC)
* Summary: Following the destruction of his home base, mercenary leader and field agent Big Boss fell into a nine-year coma. Newly awoken, he takes the reins of a new mercenary group, The Diamond Dogs, and travels to Afghanistan during the Soviet War on a quest to discover who was responsible for the attack on his organization.
* Why it's hot: In 2014's "Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes," players were introduced to developer Kojima Productions' shiny new Fox graphics engine but were constrained to a game world that consisted of a single military base and an all-too-brief storyline. "Phantom Pain" is touted as being "200 times" larger than its predecessor. Players can use a wide variety of approaches - from stealth and subterfuge to all-out assaults - as they tackle missions in the game's vast, open-world environments.
* Price: $60 PC/Playstation 4/Xbox One; $50 Playstation Playstation 3/Xbox 360
* Rating: Pending
"Sword Coast Legends"
* Release date: Sept. 8
* Summary: Return once more to the storied Sword Coast region of Faerun on an adventure that will have world-shaking ramifications for all the Forgotten Realms.
* Why it's hot: "Sword Coast: Legends" is a roleplaying game that is set in the same game world as pinnacle RPG franchises such as "Icewind Dale," "Neverwinter Nights" and "Baldur's Gate." It is being billed as a "shared storytelling experience" closely mimicking the pen-and-paper "Dungeons and Dragons" tabletop roleplaying experience. A Dungeon Master mode allows one player to create custom campaigns for other players, then customize their adventure in real-time.
* Price: $35 Linux/Mac/PC (deluxe editions $60-$150)
* Rating: Pending
"Super Mario Maker"
* Release date: Sept. 11
* Summary: For more than 30 years, gamers have helped heroic plumbers Mario and Luigi navigate treacherous worlds full of power-ups and enemies to stomp. Now, they'll try their hands at building levels of their own.
* Why it's hot: "Super Mario Maker" is a suite of creation tools that leverage the touchscreen interaction of the Wii U controller to let players craft their own Mario levels that incorporate the look and gameplay elements of various titles in the franchise's history. Players can share their creations online and download those made by others. The tools let creator/players turn the game's typical rules on their head by combining gameplay elements from the entire sweep of Mario's career, from 1985's "Super Mario Bros." through 2012's "New Super Mario Bros. U."
* Price: $60 Wii U
* Rating: E for everyone
"Forza Motorsports 6"
* Release date: Sept. 15
* Summary: Microsoft's exclusive flagship racing franchise - and the primary competitor to Sony's "Gran Turismo" series - returns with its sixth mainline entry in 10 years.
* Why it's hot: Drive in 450 cars with fully modeled interior cockpits through race events including nighttime sprints at Daytona International Speedway and the Le Mans endurance race. "Forza 6" includes 10 new tracks. Cars can be customized and will suffer realistic damage. Players must now contend with accurately modeled, 3D puddles that affect car handling and interior view visibility.
* Price: $60
* Rating: E for everyone
"Soma"
* Release date: Sept. 22
* Summary: Radio silence has engulfed an isolated, underwater research facility. A nightmare unfolds around the staff as they notice strange, human-like behavior from the machinery, encounter bizarre creatures and suffer interruptions from "alien constructions."
* Why it's hot: "Soma" is a first-person horror game and the latest release by Frictional Games, the creators of critically acclaimed, nervewracking titles such as "Penumbra" and "Amnesia." The game's oppressive, gloomy atmosphere will be rendered in extra-creepy fashion courtesy of the third version of the developer's in-house HPL (H.P. Lovecraft) graphics engine.
* Price: TBA
* Rating: M for mature
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.