Hey everybody!
I’m currently waiting for C&C Red Alert 3 to install, so I figured what the hell might as well start this article, no?
Tom Clancey’s End War (11/4, 360, PS3, PSP, DS) – I was intrigued enough to try the 360 demo of this one. So, in the not-to-distant future World War 3 is starting and you get the role of a leader for either US, Europe, or Russia barking out commands for your units. Although I do enjoy the fresh idea of voice commands, I wasn’t enthralled in it as much as I expected. I’ve been an RTS fan ever since the early C&C days and I guess I’m kind of fond of the old fansioned type. I definately see this as the type of strategy game more people could get into, and I will even probably get more into it if I give it more time to grow on me. The camera’s a bit funky since it follows currently selected units but that’s just something to get used to.
James Bond 007 : Quantum of Solace (11/4, 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS) – Movie franchise games are usually fickle at best, but I never mind trying a new Bond game. Being based on the Call of Duty 4 engine does not hurt either considering how solid the game is. The newest installation to the Bond series also includes one of it’s biggest multiplayer portions to date, including up to 12 player games online.
Gears of War 2 (11/7, 360) – Alas, I have to wait for my copy in the mail but needless to say this is one of the highest anticipated for the 360 this year. The limited editions selling out like hotcakes on most retailers offering preorders was explaination enough for that. Luckily I was able to bag one on amazon a week before release (I procrastinated like a dumbass and didn’t preorder earlier). Ah, meat shields and chainsaw battles…I can’t wait.
Call of Duty : World at War (11/11, PC, 360, PS3, Wii, DS) – Only the second (if I’m counting correct) major World War 2 FPS to feature the war in the pacific, the first being Medal of Honor : Rising Sun. Going back to what the Call of Duty series does best, the newest game focuses on the US Marines in Japan and Russian conscripts in Western Europe. Also featuring new online Co-op up to 4 players or 2 players offline. This one uses the Call of Duty 4 engine as well.
Mirror’s Edge (11/11, 360, PS3) – I’ll be quite honest, I knew little to nothing about this game before the commercials started playing. I had heard of it awhile ago but didn’t really care to look into it. That all changed when the demo popped up and I thought I’d give it a whirl for the 360. You take the role of an aptly titled “Runner” named Faith who moves goods/messages in a highly totalitarian dystopic future (say that 5 times fast). Even though the demo was only a training scenario and 1 short level after it was still highly entertaining. Not only is it visually beautiful but also pure fast paced action. There’s running, sliding, rolling, jumping, wall-jumping, shimmying, zip lining…did I mention jumping? The focus is mainly on evading enemies rather than combat. Sure, there’s times where you can’t avoid it and you might have to disarm an enemy (with slo-mo that can even help you with that) but when you’re clearly outnumbered it’s best to do what you were trained to do…RUN and get through no matter what. The theme song for this game is also gorgeous and oddly enough also titled “Still Alive” (no relation to that lovable/addicting ending song from Portal). The original has lyrics, but even as an instrumental it’s just breathtaking. The PC version will be hitting stores early next year. One last word of advice, don’t look down lest you succumb to vertigo…
Banjo-Kazooie : Nuts and Bolts (11/11, 360) – First in the Banjo-Kazooie series since the N64 days and I’m just as excited for it as ever. I tried the demo and I probably would have loved it even more if I wasn’t going blind trying to read the text on screen of the TV I use to play all my other 360 games currently (see Dead Rising if you want another example of when you NEED a HD capable TV). But I digress, from what I played it seemed pretty fun. I don’t know whether I like the emphasis they put on that cart thing you push around to collect stuff, but we’ll see. Not to mention the low price tag ($40, a welcome change of pace) and the original Banjo-Kazooie in the arcade as a preorder bonus are both nice incentives. Here’s to hoping they’ll bring back my favorite Conker as well…
