There are quite a few exciting releases coming out in the near future (some more exciting than others). I thought I'd give an overview of the titles that I'm really pumped about.
Dead Space – October 14, 2008 - PC/360/PS3
Synopsis:
Dead Space is a third-person action game in which the player takes on the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke, who battles a polymorphic alien species called the 'Necromorphs' on board a stricken interstellar mining ship.
Isaac is a space engineer who works for the Concordance Extraction Corporation (C.E.C), a company that operates "giant mining ships" throughout the galaxy. His company receives a distress call from the USG Ishimura, a “Planet Cracker” class ship that destroys planets in order to extract valuable ore. Assuming that the ship has had a mechanical failure, Isaac and two other C.E.C employees set out to rendezvous with the Ishimura. They soon discover that the ship has been overrun by a hostile alien race. After boarding the ship, Clarke is separated from his party and must battle his way through various hazardous environments to safety.
My thoughts:
This game looks awesome. I'm really digging the mood and ambience. It looks to be a Resident Evil meets Alien. They've developed a system for the game which they're calling "strategic dismemberment" where the enemies act differently according to what limbs you sever with your gun. Some enemies won't be taken down by a headshot; in fact, these enemies, while blind as a result of the damage, will proceed to go berserk and thrash about even harder than normal in an attempt to find you. If you dismember the legs of an enemy, they will still keep coming - using whatever limbs they still have available to drag themselves along. Sounds pretty sweet.
Essential preview video:
Video 1Left 4 Dead – November 4, 2008 - PC/360
Synopsis:
Left 4 Dead puts four human playable or AI controlled survivors of an apocalyptic pandemic against hordes of the Infected. Regular Infected are controlled by the game AI, while human players can control up to four mutated Boss Infected with special abilities. The Survivors' goal of Left 4 Dead is to help each other make it through a level to safety. Infected players must cooperate to stop them.
My thoughts:
I'm really really excited about this one. I've already got 3 buddies signed up and ready to go for this one. I can't wait to blast endless hordes of the undead. I think the human-controlled super zombies are going to be a really interesting mechanic. The playstyles of survivors and infected are going to be very different from one another, which I think is a breath of fresh air in this genre.
Essential preview videos:
Video 1Video 2Borderlands – TBA - PC/360/PS3
Synopsis:
Borderlands is an upcoming science fiction first-person shooter with RPG elements that is currently in development by Gearbox Software for the Microsoft Windows PC platforms, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
In the distant future, several colonization ships head to Pandora, a planet on the edge of the galaxy. The colonists are drawn there in search of a better life as well as vast mineral resources said to be on the planet, free for anyone's taking, akin to a futuristic gold rush. Some time after settling the colonists discover that there is little the planet offers, aside from some decrepit alien ruins. Those who have money leave, the remaining population devolves into chaos and lawlessness. Some of the settlers seek to get rich quick by discovering alien technology. Most others are just trying to survive. After seven earth years, the planet's slow orbit brings a transition from winter to spring, and many horrifying creatures emerge from hibernation.
A beacon of hope for the remaining colonists emerges in the form of a mysterious vault carved in the side of a mountain. This vault is said to contain vast stores of alien technology and secrets. The only problem is that the people who discovered the vault were completely wiped out by some sort of protective force. The only evidence of their discovery is a scattered radio transmission, proclaiming the vault's majesty, but not its location.
My thoughts:
Not much has been released thus far for this game in terms of videos or screenshots, but the articles that I've read about the game's concepts and design have me really excited. The game is basically Mad Max meets Diablo (Diablo in terms of the massive amounts of loot to be found in the game) Evidently the designers said that they loved playing Diablo because it was fun to go through dungeons and see the huge piles of loot you had acquired by the time you were done; this game is going to incorporate that idea. There are over 500,000 UNIQUE weapons to be found in the game. Then add in customizable vehicles to buy and trade and a cool backstory and setting...I'm liking it. The game is going to be online, but I don't think it's going to be an MMO - it's going to be smaller scale like Diablo.
Non-essential (but still cool) preview video:
Video 1Prototype – Q1 2009 - PC/360/PS3
Synopsis:
In Prototype, the player controls the character of amnesiac Alex Mercer in New York City, with freedom similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto series, in which the player can visit most locations and interact with the environment while not engaged in missions. Alex will clash with the military, the Black Watch Special Forces, and the Infected (the effects of a mutated viral epidemic) as he works to discover the secrets of his past.
A key aspect of Prototype is the 'disguise and destroy' concept, which is tied to Alex's enemy-consuming and shapeshifting powers. Alex can consume the bodies of those he has beaten and killed, which gives him access to their memories, their experiences, their biomass, and their physical forms. Alex can also shapeshift into more specialized forms for attack, defense, or sensory enhancement. All of these together are intended to give players multiple ways to complete their objectives.
My thoughts:
Open-world with some pretty badass superpowers taking on tanks, choppers, giant mutants and more...I like it. "ME WANT SMASH!"
Essential preview videos:
Video 1Video 2Mirror’s Edge – Q4 2008 - PC/360/PS3
Synopsis:
Mirror's Edge is an upcoming first-person action-adventure video for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The game is set in a conformist dystopia in which communication is heavily monitored by a totalitarian regime, and so a network of runners, including the main character, Faith, are used to transmit messages while evading government surveillance.
My thoughts:
I just found out about this game recently. I have to say, the trailer looks pretty damn sweet. Plus I'm a big fan of Orwellian fiction. The environment looks to be less 1984 and more Equilibrium - everything is very clean and orderly, but the people are under the control of the city-state. I think this is the first game to ever make such extensive use of Parkour (the "martial art" where crazy people jump around on buildings) - I'm interested to see how well they replicate it. It's definitely looking good so far!
Essential preview videos:
Video 1Dark Void – May 31, 2009 - PC/360/PS3
Synopsis:
Dark Void is an upcoming video game being developed by Airtight Studios and published by Capcom for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game is said to mix on foot and mid-air combat.
My thoughts:
...woah...The Rocketeer just turned awesome.
Essential preview videos:
Video 1Video 2High Profile Upcoming Releases
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that you all already know about these games, so I'm not going to go into any depth on these titles as I'm sure you've already seen quite a bit of material from them. Needless to say though, I'm really looking forward to all of these games.
Resident Evil 5 – Q1 2009
Street Fighter IV – TBA
Diablo 3 – TBA
Starcraft 2 – TBA
Fallout 3 – October 28, 2008
Gears of War 2 – November 30, 2008
Prince of Persia: Next Gen (working title) – Q4 2008
Other Interesting Upcoming Releases
Here are some other games that I'm not exactly super psyched about, but am still looking forward to and will be keeping an eye on.
Darksiders: Wrath of War – TBA
Project Offset (working title) – TBA
Champions Online – TBA
Rise of the Argonauts – TBA
Tiberium – September 2008
Beyond Good and Evil 2 – TBA
The future is looking bright. I just hope these games don't dash my dreams of gaming goodness to pieces. Probably will though...
Main Story
