…and by that I mean video game wise. Although by this point I’m ready for Spring weather wise as well. (thankfully out of the major recent snow storm areas atleast…for once Buffalo pulls some luck)

First things first, I’m quite excited that Alan Wake FINALLY has a release date. It was recently announced for May 18th this year. Another game that I had been following for god knows how long (atleast as long as I had been waiting for RE5, probably longer). I also took a look at the Collector’s Edition today and it looks quite tempting I must say. Not that it’s that hard to tempt me with them, as I’ve always been into the collector’s editions. Also coming out this day will be Lost Planet 2, which should serve up some good ol’ co-op action if the demo was any indication of the final product.

Even earlier in April, Splinter Cell Conviction will finally (I say finally because this one was also delayed quite extensively) will be hitting stores on the 13th. The most interesting thing to me about the newest installment is the co-op prologue campaign, which you can currently grab a trailer of as well. Hope they get it right. Closing out April will be Red Dead Redemption on the 27th which, if you’ve been watching the trailers as I have, might just have you as excited as I am for it.

In the meantime we have the first Resident Evil 5 add-on this week (YAY!), Heavy Rain next week (demo out now if you didn’t go for the pre-release one), Perfect Dark for the XBLA sometime in March (thank god…remember the winter ’09 release estimate? I do), and another RE5 add-on in early March (double YAY!) to look forward to as well.

– DGM-payne

Long overdue, here’s the first half of the rest of Riskening’s Anticipated in usual summary style. This list will round out the rest of our anticipated for 2009 and first part of 2010 (again, no particular order here other than I tried to group in most of the closer games in the first half of the list).

Let’s begin!

• WET – game consoles :  PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 – Sounds kind of like a dirty title, right? The trailer assured me that the title comes from the term “wet work” (aka dirty work) or in other words the kind of jobs that people like assassins take that usually involve death and destruction. I didn’t really know too much about this game before I watched the trailer. Hell, I only heard of it maybe once or twice before then. The trailer was enough to intrigue me though to say the least. Meet the femme fatale assassin whose work involves just as the title suggests, hacking and shooting her way through the baddies with over the top blood. Not very suprising that they’ve continually compared their game to Tarantino movie style (considering the sword and blood gushing especially that screams Kill Bill). It also promises a 70’s grindhouse style that includes the gritty film filter and the campy type of quirky enemies. It was enough to sell me on the idea. Let’s just hope they deliver a solid experience.

• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 – game consoles : Nintendo DS , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii , Xbox 360 – Formerly subtitled Fusion, this newest addition of the Marvel game series and sequel to the first Ultimate Alliance ups the ante of the co-op gameplay that made the first installment a blast (check out my post about co-op gaming if you want more about the first). The Fusion part came from the new system for combining powers and attacks between characters introduced in this game. The sequel is set during the Civil War storyline in the Marvel universe if you’re familiar with the comics. If you’re not familiar it, it involves a Superhuman Registration Act enacted by the government with superheroes on both sides of the fence (for and against it). Certain characters are locked to a side while others can play on either with an ending that changes depending on your choice of side. Most of the playable characters are returning from the first while a few new ones are also showing up to fight this time around. As you probably already know by now, I loved the co-op experience of the first game and I’m definitely ready for more.

• Batman : Arkham Asylum – game consoles : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows – The game begins with Batman taking Joker in and all hell promptly breaks loose. With the help of Harley Quinn, the Joker locks down the asylum and releases all the prisoners with Commissioner Gordon and Batman trapped inside…and then the fun begins (it looks like Batman is about to whoop the Insane Clown Posse above). Not only is there beat ’em up combat and stealth attacking (like swooping down on an unsuspecting villain) but there is also a good balance of Batman’s other specialty, detectiving. Thanks to a special visor and various gadgets Batman can get his detective mode on as well to help him with clues and even a bit of x-ray for spotting enemies. As another plus this game is actually based on the comic mythos unlike most of the past games that were either based on movies or other media. I had a chance to try out the demo for 360, which I recommend if you haven’t tried yet, and I’m pleased with what I see so far.

• Wolfenstein – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – Yes, I know this one actually just came out but I had to talk about it because it was one of our most anticipated for quite awhile. Raven and Id software bring us the latest in the Wolfenstein series, and sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, simply titled…Wolfenstein. The SS are back again with even more occult powers than ever and only one man can stop them, special agent BJ fresh from the destruction of the ubersoldat (super soldier) project (Return to Castle Wolfenstein). New weapons (like the one shown above) and a new power called “The Veil” are introduced. The game was developed from a massively improved id Tech 4 engine, the powerhouse behind Doom 3 and Quake 4. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Co-op mode is absent (which I quite liked about the xbox version of RtCW) but the usual multiplayer modes are still present. The multiplayer portion uses the engine behind Enemy Territory : Quake Wars and involves 3 unit classes which sounds pretty good and I have a bit of experience with that game as well. All in all, if it has a solid single player campaign I’ll be satisfied with it.

• Lost Planet 2 – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – 10 years after the events of the first game, the planet is thawing and the Akrid are amassing more than ever against the corporation collecting thermal energy (T-ENG). The Vital Suits (mechs) are back and some can even be co-op piloted now to accompany the up to 4 player co-op. Yes, did I mention the 4 player co-op? It’s a great addition to the series if you ask me and completely absent from the first game. If co-op is not your bag, the usual 16 player multiplayer modes are also returning. Also new on the block is the ability to customize characters including body, classes and weapons. Even better, the demo recently released on the 360 featuring a boss battle with the big ol’ creature pictured above (one of many epic boss battles included in the next game). Each boss can be be taken down in a variety of ways including riding on it’s back or even getting shallowed and taking it down from the inside (ala riftworm from Gears of War 2 style). If you don’t play with friends in co-op then AI bots will accompany you in battle. The demo is pretty short, containing only this boss battle, but it’s still a very nice taste of what’s to come.

• Assassin’s Creed 2 – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – Assassin’s Creed is back again after a pretty mysterious ending to the first game, and I hope some questions are answered. The setting of the next game takes us to Italy during the Renaissance with historical figures, including Leonardo Da Vinci (who actually helps the main character with gadgets and weapons throughout the game), and locations. The main character is Ezio, an assassin who is a descendant of Altair (from the first game), and plots to get revenge on the families that murdered his father while watching over his mother and sister. The game features plently of new weapons and vehicles to drive, such as a flying glider made by none other than Da Vinci as seen in one of the trailers. In addition there’s also updated ways to take down your enemies and more ways to hide when the heat is on. From what we’ve heard so far the game is starting to really sound like a new and improved experience building on the first.

• Rogue Warrior – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – This one comes to us based on the novel of the same name by real-life navy seal leader (and founder of different divisions) Richard Marcinko. Originally announced in 2007, the game has shifted from modern North Korea (when it was also titled Rogue Warrior : Black Razor) to 1986 USSR and North Korea. In addition to being a tactical first person shooter, the game also heavily relies on many different one-on-one “kill moves” (pictured above). I do enjoy a good shooter based ruthless combat, especially when it’s based on real-life events and people. It’s a good change of pace from the sci-fi.

• Raven Squad : Hidden Dagger – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 – I don’t really know TOO much about this game other than that it takes place in the Amazon jungles of the near distant future and it’s a combination first person shooter and real time strategy. Quite a unique combination that is I must say as well. I’ve been a long time fan of both genres but I don’t think I’ve experienced a combo-genre like this yet. It also includes offline/online Co-op play for the campaign as well, which is ALWAYS a good thing. The combination at the very least has definitely piqued my interest, hope we see a demo release.

• Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – I’ve been a fan of the Call of Duty series ever since the first one for PC and as much as I loved the WW2 settings I also thought that Modern Warfare was a great change of pace with the modern take. Among other updates, the engine for the next game has been modified to accommodate larger worlds and graphics rendering. I’m also glad that they decided to include a offline/online Co-op mode this time around, something which was missing from the first game. The multiplayer portion is returning with the familiar XP system with a few new features, such as 15 unlockable kill streak bonuses that can be selected and equipped by the player (the AC-130 gunship bonus was recently shown on a reveal trailer for the multiplayer portion). I’m pretty excited for this one to say the least.

• Max Payne 3 – game consoles : Windows , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 – Max Payne is 12 years older now…and he’s working in Brazil as private security. This is the first game in the series to be developed by Rockstar instead of Remedy. Similarly, he’s also definitely looking alot different these days with his overwhelmingly bald and scruffy new appearance. Few details are known so far but we do know that dual wielding with different types of guns (such as a pistol and automatic), human shields, and a cover system are involved. It was originally slated for a late-2009 release but it has since been pushed back to early-2010 now. Which I don’t mind TOO much, as long as Rockstar does a good job in continuing my all-time favorite series.