Now, doesn't that seem like quite a list to choose from? Well, there's a downside to that because I've only named off sequels so far, and I've also only named games that were coming out for the Xbox 360. Think about it, while not all of the titles I've just listed might interest you, you have to admit that quite a few of those numbers are games that you'd definitely like to spend some quality time with. While normally I'd look at a list as long as this for sequels and be kind of disheartened by the fact that they'd probably be nothing too original, one quick glance around the net through different previews and interviews with the developers will tell you the exact opposite. Games such as Mercenaries 2 or Fable 2, while carrying some of the concepts from their original counterparts, are robust in comparison due to the technology of today's console systems and the creativeness of today's developers, but let us not get too carried away about the different games just yet, let's look at the list of others coming out under new IPs for the different developers.
This list includes games like Too Human, FaceBreaker, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Lego Batman, Rise of the Argonauts, Dead Space, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Tom Clancy's End War, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, and Left 4 Dead. Now that isn't every game coming out for the Xbox 360, but they're just some of the bigger titles to look forward to this upcoming season.
Even with all these big time releases, one thing to keep track of though is what's being released over Xbox Live Arcade. With the recent release of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, I've been constantly plugging away hours trying to one up my score each time. Taking what made the original so great and expanding on every component; the developers did a great job with this sequel as far as I can tell. Other games released on Live Arcade to check out would be Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Braid, and if you're looking forward to Fable 2, you should be picking up the Pub Games. These four Arcade titles alone could keep you busy for quite some time to come.
There just really isn't a reason to be sad when being a gamer around the holidays unless you're constantly looking down at the stack of cash in your wallet draining from week to week over these upcoming releases. In the coming weeks, we'll take a closer look at these games as they're about to be released and see how well they stacked up to people's expectations. But until then...
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As far as the games section goes, reviews will be forthcoming including reviews for Assassin's Creed, God of War, Conan, Crackdown, plus many more to come after that. On my off time from the site, when not being pulled down by "The Man," I've been keeping my time busy with games like Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, Battlefield: Bad Company, Space Siege, Legend: Hand of God, Bully: Scholarship Edition, plus many other titles to keep me going through the summer's long drought of game releases; so keep tuned in from now on to get the info you need for the games you want. With such an expansive list of AAA titles coming out from now till the end of the year, you'll have plenty of choices to choose from when deciding what to do with your holiday season, and I'm hoping I can help you make the best decision for you with news, reviews, and blogs from now on.
But if you're still waiting for a game to come out in the Fall and need something to tide you over till then, check out my Top Ten lists of years past for different consoles and the PC to see what'll be worth your time….
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World in Conflict - A massive title trying to make its name in a genre already studded with long standing franchises, World in Conflict shouts out its name with authority. Creating an engaging experience through an impressive, matched with some great voice-acting, but not to be done is the graphics component of this game, where the huge battles are sprawled out across large detailed landscapes. Creating a realistic battleground with destructible environments in a world where the Berlin Wall never fell and Russia is massing a large scale against Western Europe, World in Conflict will have you playing mission after mission from beginning to end throughout the campaign's lengthy 14 single player missions. And when you're finished with that, you still have the superb multiplayer part of the game to keep you occupied for weeks to come. The multiplayer side of the game is fast paced, and well balanced where you'll be spending hours online perfectly your own strategy on how to take your opponent.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - With each new installment into the series, it seems like the Call of Duty series keeps getting better in not only overall quality, but also gameplay. With this latest game in the franchise, the series takes a modern twist and it does it well. With an intense campaign that has you crossing the globe from the middle of the ocean on a sealiner to the ghost town near Chernobyl. Although the single player campaign may be a little on the short side, not enough can be said about the depth that's in the multiplayer component of this game. With an already great track record with the online multiplayer, Infinity Ward adds something more with an experience system that has you unlocking different ****s and weapons when playing online with others. A different take on the importance on playing more and becoming better online, Call of Duty 4 rewards the player well with their multiplayer component and this feature will keep players and fans of the genre playing for hours on end.
Crysis - Some may be asking, why would Crysis be on this list, it's just another first person shooter that does everyone else a normal FPS would do, and I would say you're mostly right, but you just can't look past the graphics in this game and how realistic the environments look. Yes, the gameplay isn't leagues above other games of the same genre like the graphical content, but they're certainly solid in their own respect. This game does have polish in regards to the actual over gameplay and you have to respect that, but no other game has been able to express their atmosphere like Crysis, mainly due to the graphics and physics engine. Gamers have to be impressed with what Crytek has done and obviously look forward to what they might do in the future. One can only imagine where we go from here with the graphics component after this game's release.
The Witcher - Coming out of nowhere from a first time developer, The Witcher brings back the role-playing game genre with force. With an amazing storyline, engaging combat system and an alchemy system that's unparalleled in any other game, CD Projekt took a license created by Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish writer, and made a very impressive role-playing game. Hours of engaging gameplay are yours to be had, not only because it's a lengthy game, or because of the replay value with multiple endings and different dialogue trees, but also because of the toolkit and the mods that fans will be creating for this game. Made from an Advanced Aurora Engine, the same engine that ran Neverwinter Nights, the developers breathe new life into this aging graphical engine and makes The Witcher shine in the mist of the some of the best looking games coming out today.
The Orange Box – You get the award winning Half Life 2, plus the two following episodes that progress the story even further, a new ****of gameplay from Portal which one can only imagine where the community will take its abilities, and finally Team Fortress 2, a multiplayer team-oriented experience where the different ****s actually matter in the overall gameplaying experience. You'd be hard pressed to have never heard of the Half Life series, but if you haven't had the chance to play it, treat yourself and get The Orange Box. First person shooter fans will see the quality and time that Valve took in creating each component of this package in the first few hours and will then be able to play for unlimited amounts of hours when dealing with the thousands of fan created games based off of the Source Engine.
Gears of War - First coming to the Xbox 360, then onto the PC with some added content, Gears of War brings the dirty corridor fighting to the mouse and keyboard. With an entire extra chapter that flows smoothly into the over storyline, the developers made this Gears of War look great on today's computers with larger resolutions and advanced details for those computers with the horse power. From start to finish, the gameplay is solid with great sound, graphics, voice acting and sound, and a decent lengthy campaign, but you can't forget about the multiplayer which will give you the replay value you've been looking for from an action game.
Bioshock - Somewhat of a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, Bioshock becomes one of those games that you can play over and over again, not only for how beautiful the underwater metropolis of Rapture looks, but also because of the impressive storyline and voice acting is within the games fifteen or so hours. With an impressive physics engine that shines whether you're using your inferno power to light your enemies on fire or your telekinesis power to throw objects around the artistically designed environment, Bioshock gives player multiple ways to progress through the game. Just because it seems a little bit more linear than most modern role-playing games, doesn't mean that the game doesn't have replayability, because there are just so many ways to take out different enemies whether you want to run and gun or use the environment for your needs. Bioshock is a game that gives first person shooter gamers the hope to have overall great quality artistic games in a world where developers seem to rinse and repeat each year with installments in their age old franchises.
Europa Universalis III - Have you ever wanted to control the world around the time that Columbus discovered the new world? Well, you have your chance in Europa Universalis III. No other game has ever given you more depth in every aspect of your triumphant reign over the world that in this last release in the series. If you're a newcomer to the series, don't be dismayed by the learning curve, just spend a little with the instruction because once you pick this game up and really get into what it is to control a culture back in the day, you'll never be able to pull yourself away from the computer. This is one of those games where it's not all about the graphics and that's not to say that the graphics are terrible, just that the developers spent the majority of their time on coding a game filled with depth and TBS fans will appreciate it.
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars – Following up a long line of previous installments in the Command Conquer series, Tiberium Wars had a lot of pressure to be a great game and the developers succeeded. With some great graphics, decent voice, not to mention the funny wanna'be serious movies into between missions played by actors from the previous games, and a storyline that has you guessing what will happen from beginning to end, this game delivers a solid experience that fans of not only the series, but the genre, will be happy with. A multiplayer component that is balanced, quick-paced, and also fun, is added to provided a well rounded experience in this latest installment.
Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar - The world that Tolkien created is now online for your enjoyment. That's right, what you read in the books, and what you saw in the movies, it's all here leading up to a certain point in the trilogy and it's only getting bigger. Trying to attract both MMORPG and Lord of The Rings Fans, Shadows of Angmar takes the best of both worlds and puts everything into a very detailed, story driven game, along with some superb graphics that fully illustrate the landscape that Tolkien had created so many years ago. Whether you're a fan of MMORPGs or Lord of the Rings, you'll be pleased with this title. Since launch, Turbine, the developers, have released mass amounts of free content that not only extend the overall storyline, but the territory in which you can explore. One can only think of what they may include in an actual expansion.
