We all require a bit of rest and relaxation, so it’s great that the fall and spring semester coincide with the release dates of some of the biggest names in gaming.

Marcus Fenix, Nathan Drake and Commander Shepard are all making a return this academic year in what seems to be final installments in their series. Gamers also will see the first Diablo game in a decade and an update to the Battlefield series that could be the new benchmark for first-person modern-combat shooters.

Unfortunately, students may have to wait until winter and summer break to actually play the games. However, if gamers budget their time and pick and choose which games to pick up, it’s possible to enjoy some of the best games.

Below is a list and brief overview of some of the exciting games being released.

BATTLEFIELD 3
Developer: DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release date: Oct. 25
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (rumored to be on the Wii-U as well, but not officially confirmed)

Sure, it’s another modern combat shooter, but the latest installment in the Battlefield series could be the best so far. The game hasn’t been playable for the masses yet, but reports from gaming websites and magazines state “Battlefield 3” will maintain the team-based tactics and slower-paced gameplay of its predecessors.

DICE also has created a new version of the Frostbyte Engine that promises updated graphics, more destructible environments and hopefully a grand ole time. The addition of the new graphical engines means DICE is taking the Battlefield series to the next level and not just the next numerical number.

MASS EFFECT 3
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

The best way to describe the Mass Effect series is to think of the games as a massive, linked choose-your-own-adventure series spread over three novels. Then imagine that series in space with dozens of alien races that all speak excellent English.

The final installment in Bioware’s Mass Effect series will bring the science-fiction epic back to Earth for the ultimate encounter with an ancient, alien civilization bent on destroying the galaxy. It doesn’t seem like a complicated plot, but Bioware’s Action/Role Playing Game hybrid eschews mindless action for tactical squad combat and brilliant storytelling.

“Mass Effect 3” looks like Bioware will be continuing the trend of dialogue over action, but it won’t skimp on the latter.

UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release date: Nov. 1
Platform: Playstation 3

The third chapter of the Uncharted series is taking Nathan Drake and gamers to the desert to find the lost Arab city, Iram of the Pillars.

The Uncharted series is the closest gamers can get to feeling like they are Indiana Jones. It’s a fun, adventure-filled series championing fast-paced combat coupled with exciting platforming across crumbling buildings and sinking ships. The Uncharted is an excellent series with a cast of protagonists that maintain believable personalities while thrust into supernatural and inescapable situations. Hopefully, “Uncarted 3: Drake’s Deception” will make its predecessors proud.

DIABLO 3
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Release date: TBA
Platform: PC

If you fire up Diablo 2 and log on to that level 99 Necromancer, you may find people are still playing a game released more than 11 years ago. Now, fans of the loot-hoarding series will get another shot at stealing all the underworld’s treasures.

Blizzard’s “Diablo 3” isn’t promising anything new, players will assume the role of a particular class and they will battle of the denizens of hell and other dark places to get shiny, new items.

Blizzard’s history of taking as much time as they want on projects means the game’s transition will be exponential instead of sequential. Blizzard’s dedication to quality could lead to gamers keeping “Diablo 3” on their hard drives for another 10 years.

GEARS OF WAR 3
Developer: Epic Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Release date: Sept. 20
Platform: Xbox 360

While “Gears of War 3” (and a few other titles on this list) aren’t moving video games forward in the artistic department, it’s hard to argue with the Gears of War series’ formula. Take military troops, place them in massive armor and have them use ridiculously violent weapons in a war to save the planet from alien forces.

It might be Michael Bay’s wet dream game, but Epic Entertainment channels unbridled testosterone into effective gameplay that is easy to pick up and damn entertaining. From the gameplay videos, it looks like “Gears of War 3” will tow the series line, but it’s going to add more multiplayer content with new competitive modes and expanding cooperative to four players.

Indie spotlight

RAYMAN: ORIGINS
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: November 2011
Platform: Xbox Live, Playstation Network

In an era of big budgets, huge developers and modern warfare, it’s nice to see a prominent publisher use the indie-developer model. Ubisoft has assembled a small team of developers to create “Rayman: Origins” and their idea is to use smaller groups to maximize creativity.

This isn’t the first time a developer has done this, but it is the first time Ubisoft has dipped into the downloadable market with a promising game.

The game is set in the Rayman universe, so bright colors and strange creatures are guaranteed, but gameplay videos and demos show the small development team is keeping the game simple.

It’s a 2-D cooperative platformer, so keeping everything simple facilitates the entertainment. Ubisoft also said — in the wake of outcry from gamers that games are too easy now — that “Rayman: Origins” will bring challenges to gamers they haven’t experienced since playing Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo and Ninja Gaiden on the Nintendo Entertainment System.