| Most Anticipated Monstrous Games of E3 |
|
| Written by Melissa | |
|
Prince of Persia (X360, PS3) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was one of the last generation’s defining moments, so it would have been easy for Ubisoft to just build a standard sequel on the successes of its previous trilogy. The fact that this is not the case, that the series is instead being rebooted with an incredible hand-painted aesthetic and open world, show a strong dedication to making the Prince one of the most lasting and important franchises in gaming (though the big budget movie helps on that score as well). While previous PoP titles did sell well, after the blockbuster success of Assassin’s Creed, the timing is perfect for the Prince to really make it big.
Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) Since closing the door on the last console genre, Square Enix has relied on handheld games and Wii side stories alone. If the publisher’s last fiscal statement said anything, it was that’s no way for a company to live—so while Square Enix has some other interesting console games in the pipe, it needs to bring its megaton franchise back into the public eye. It’s not surprising that Final Fantasy XIII will show up in some form at E3—and regardless of what form it takes or what the game looks like now, it could certainly steal the show if it tried.
Street Fighter IV (PC, X360, PS3) At worst, this is a surprise come back of one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. At best, this could be the surprise come back of a genre—certainly if anything could revive a flagging fighting game field, a new numbered entry in its greatest series would be the thing to do it. Perhaps the best sign that this game knows what it will take to succeed is its reverence to Street Fighter II—all of the characters from that game will return, and the gameplay mirrors the measured pace of that early entry. Considering versions of SFII still sell in strong numbers, it’s easy to see how this strategy could succeed on the market.
Rock Band 2 (X360, PS3, PS2, Wii) No matter what other companies say, the fast-paced game of catch-up that has gripped the music genre says one thing louder: the four-piece Rock Band is the standard for the field. And while little is known about it at this point, what is known proves that Harmonix hasn’t lost the plot with Rock Band 2. Sticking to its “platform” guns, the game will be fully backwards compatible—with old DLC, with old instruments, the works. And while user-created content is not a go this time, there are certainly things about the game yet to be announced—you don’t want to miss this one at the show.
LittleBigPlanet (PS3) Despite seemingly constant delays, LittleBigPlanet remains one of the most unique products in Sony’s first-party arsenal. The idea of a game that lives and dies by the content created by its users has been tried before in first-person shooters, but LittleBigPlanet, with its lovely textured graphics and universal, non-violent charm wants to be much more—the YouTube of games perhaps, or the Legos of the 21st century. Of all the games that could bring PlayStation 3 to the mass market, this remains the best hope.
Halo Wars (X360) Halo Wars is more than just the next title from Microsoft to have the Halo name. It’s also more than the first Halo project not spearheaded by Bungie. Halo Wars wants to be a revolution in real-time strategy, a console exclusive built from the ground up for a console controller—in other words, Halo Wars wants to do for real-time strategy what Halo did for first-person shooters. If it succeeds, it could crack wide open the nascent console RTS market as gamers try it based on the franchise alone. It’s been reported that the game will be playable by the media at E3, so the show should give a much better idea as to how its succeeding.
Spore (PC, Mac) It’s certainly something that even after the seemingly endless amount of words typed about Spore, even though it’s appeared in publications as non-game centric as The New Yorker, even though the wait for the game has been years long and interminable, almost everyone who knows about it is still excited at its promise. And after the success of the recently released Creature Creator, that excitement is still mounting. Will Wright’s SimEverything could very well the next big thing, tossing aside silly ideas like “demographics” and just appealing to everyone everywhere. In other words, the next Sims.
Gears of War 2 (X360) Gears of War 2 is a lot of things. To the gamer, it is epic, the sequel to the game that dominated man hours spent on Xbox Live for most of 2007. To developers, it’s the new baseline, as every new Epic game has come to represent the state of the art for the now industry standard Unreal Engine 3. In both regards Gears of War 2 looks great. A few improvements to the constantly evolving engine have already been shown, and most gamers agree that new mechanics like martyrdom and the “meat shield” look like fantastic fun. Gears of War is already one of this generation’s emblematic franchises, so it will be great to see how the sequel goes about cementing that status.
Resident Evil 5 (X360, PS3) RE5 is not even close to a retail release, and yet it’s already one of the most interesting topics in the industry. It brings with it the highly respected pedigree of Resident Evil 4, hands-down one of the best games of the last generation, and will probably sell strongly to the audience that loved, or even heard about, that game. Yet it’s also mired in controversy over some concerns regarding racism. So it’s a project that’s walking many tightropes of expectation, and there’s potential for huge success or massive failure here. As a result this E3 could be the most important public showing for RE5 until its release—it should be fascinating.
Fallout 3 (PC, X360, PS3) Fallout 3 shows great evolutionary leaps every time it’s displayed for public viewing, with recent revelations—the childhood simulating character creator, the 500 endings—being particularly fascinating. Now that it’s coming precariously close to its announced release date, this E3 should represent the game’s biggest showing yet. If there are any surprises left in the title to announce, expect them to get announced at some point during the week. But even if there aren’t, Fallout 3 has already proven itself to be a sprawling, ambitious project that anyone in the gaming audience would wait to spend more time with.
Rise of the Argonauts (PS3, X360, PS3)
An
action RPG that promises to be way more action than RPG, Rise of the
Argonauts has a winning mythological premise and lots of little design
touches that keep the game looking fresh. Take the Argo—the ship of
legend will act as a seafaring headquarters from which your recruited
Argonauts will provide support. There is also a “deed” system that will
increase Jason’s abilities via the acquisition of Xbox Live
Achievement-like trophies. So it’s bursting with interesting ideas, and
it’s all running on the reliable Unreal Engine 3—this could be the
sleeper hit of the year.
Capable developer Gearbox has never swung for the fences with quite as much gusto as with Borderlands. The fact that the game is original IP isn’t even the half of it—it also promises a procedural item creation system that will provide this sci-fi first-person shooter over half a million weapons. If that’s not enough, Borderlands also shares some ambitions with big-budget role playing games: the world will be expansive, character growth and classes comes standard, and missions and side quests will populate the landscape. Borderlands has all the earmarks of a breakout hit, and its scope should easily take the breath away from both shooter and science fiction fans.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was hardly the biggest first-person shooter of 2007 in the west. But it posted platinum-level sales in Eastern Europe, where its freeform gameplay and mythos steeped in Russia’s unique science fiction struck a strong chord. With little similar competition in the region, its sequel Clear Sky should do well for itself there also. Which isn’t to say the rest of the world shouldn’t (or won’t) give it a go as well—Clear Sky will add a tactical, squad-based turf war to the already eccentric proceedings, and should be just as curious and interesting a beast as its predecessor.
The Force Unleashed could well be the biggest project to bear the Star Wars franchise name since Episode III ended the franchise’s non-animated theatrical run. Every Star Wars fan has been curious about the period right before the Original Trilogy when Darth Vader had his run of the galaxy; Force Unleashed promises to capture this period from the perspective of the Dark Side, using exciting new technologies to realistically render bot the AI and the Force itself. If the persistent rumors are true, this could well be the last project completely built by LucasArts’ internal studio—but in that case, it will be one heck of a send-off that a lot of Star Wars fans will experience.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 (PS3, X360) All that’s known about Beyond Good and Evil 2 is that it’s currently being worked on by Ubisoft premier designer Michel Ancel. But in this case, that’s more than enough—Ancel’s resume does include perennial hit Rayman and (naturally) the first Beyond Good and Evil, after all. And the first Beyond Good and Evil is particularly beloved. The small audience that played it has been talking about it ever since, praising its varied gameplay and realistic, strong female protagonist Jade. So the sequel is exciting, and though its commercial success is by no means assured it’s possible that maybe the adult gaming audience is finally ready for this franchise.
Lock’s Quest (NDS)
2007’s
biggest surprise sales blockbuster was a little DS game called Drawn to
Life, built by a little mobile developer called 5th Cell. That game
gave the independent studio a reputation for creating innovations with
strong market appeal, and it could cement that reputation with Lock’s
Quest, a curious RTS/Action/RPG/minigame hybrid with cute graphics,
quick thrills and a world that can be completely remodeled by the
player. In other words, it has a lot of elements that appeal across a
wide variety of gaming demographics, as well as a lot of ambition. If
this one lives up to its potential, it would be great to see it succeed.
Allegedly the last PC exclusive from the bastion of PC gaming high technology, Crytek’s side story to 2007’s Crysis looks every bit as graphically dazzling as its predecessor. It also promises to be a more market-friendly title (a tall order considering Crysis’ million-selling status); Warhead provides a less strategic, more bombastic run-and-gun affair compared to the original Crysis. And with a year of hardware advancements in between Crysis and Crysis: Warhead, that more widely appealing design will find that a lot more people have the rigs to actually run it well. And who knows? If Warhead does manage to find that perfect balance, perhaps Crytek will stick to their PC-exclusive stomping grounds for a while longer.
Tomb Raider Underworld (Wii, PS2, PS3, X360, PC, NDS) It’s been a few years since Crystal Dynamics took the Tomb Raider franchise and reinvigorated it with Legend. But it’s really with Underworld that the series’ previous mistakes have been taken to heart. Rather than rest the game on its laurels again, Underworld is a creation that looks toward with the new; the game engine is all new, the way the world interacts with Lara is more realistic, combat now has melee and will flow fluidly into the puzzle mechanics. And if that wasn’t enough to guarantee sales, Lara has a motorcycle now too.
Sonic Unleashed (Wii, PS2, PS3, X360) These days it feels like SEGA promises the moon with every Sonic title, to the point where it’s hard to fall for it anymore. Take Sonic Unleashed; it’s promise of a revamped, re-invented Sonic echoes the promises SEGA made before this generation’s first Sonic the Hedgehog hit the Xbox 360 with a sad plop. And yet, franchise sales have never followed the same curve as the blue blur’s review scores. This is mostly because of Sonic’s strong appeal to the child market, but on some level the graying Genesis owner wants to believe what we’re told, that this next Sonic really will reclaim the glory days. Anyway, Sonic Unleashed. It’s running on a new engine and has some 2D environments. It’ll sell, and as for the rest of it? Here’s hoping.
MadWorld (Wii) Platinum Games, formerly Seeds, formerly Clover Studios, isn’t known for making commercial hits. No, that team is known more for making instant, beloved classics. Okami certainly, but Viewtiful Joe is in there as well, and the only people who remember God Hand these days love it to absolute death. MadWorld, a blood-soaked black and white Wii exclusive, feels like a return to the playful, experimentation that made this team famous. Will it sell? Well, it’s nice to think that just maybe, this time, the market has caught up to what Platinum is doing.
Animal Crossing Wii (Wii) As of this writing, Animal Crossing Wii still exists as a hopeful glimmer in the eye of the gaming public. Nintendo hasn’t said anything at all about it yet, though almost all speculation says that it exists and will be announced soon—and if that’s the case, E3 is as good a place to showcase it as any. It’s a completely believable theory. Nintendo’s Christmas lineup is currently a complete mystery, and Animal Crossing, already a surprise hit on GameCube and DS, is such a good fit for the casual Wii-loving audience it’s startling it’s not on the system already.
16. Left 4 Dead (PC, X360)
Resistance 2 (PS3) The first Resistance was the big win for the PlayStation 3 at launch, but Resistance 2 looks set to spin that good first impression into an empire. Resistance 2 pushes the game out of London to the more relatable (in the US, anyway) environs of the United States. A good move, but not as good as the massive 60-man multiplayer that the game promises. That’s fantastic scale for an online console game; add on some more focused, objective-oriented teamplay and Resistance 2 is a good contender for gamer’s next networked obsession.
Killzone 2 (PS3)
13. Fable2 (X360)
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC, X360) Red Alert’s Cold War gone hot is one of the most beloved scenarios is all of strategy gaming, and the franchise’s long seven year absence makes this game even more exciting and desirable. And by adding the pseudo-Japanese Empire of the Rising Sun faction the festivities get even more campy and strange, complete with towering mecha, psychic schoolgirls and parachuting bears. So it’s got a lot of hooks for both the longtime fan and sugar-crazed newcomer alike.
Far Cry 2 (PC, X360, PS3) Far Cry 2 has found a unique gaming setting in the jungles, savannahs and towns of Africa, and it plans on giving the player a lot of that setting – 50 square kilometers, to be precise. Plenty of new gameplay elements will make themselves known as the player crosses that expanse: some wounds have to be treated with field medicine (ie. fishing a bullet out with a knife) and brush fires can be started, only to be whipped up realistically by wind. Far Cry 2 is an underutilized brand moving to an underutilized setting while adding multiple new innovations, making it an extremely strong contender in the hardcore shooter market.
Source: Next Generation © 2006 Future Network USA
|
Going
on the title alone, Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe feels a decade late,
like it should have been slugging it out with Marvel Vs Capcom for the
quarters of 90s teenagers. But it’s actually a better idea,
commercially, in 2008—now the game can ride the tide of successful
comic book film blockbusters. It can pull from the years of solid
design work and franchise reputation rebuilding that culminated in
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. And with an anticipated ESRB rating of T for
Teen, there’re no retail hurdles to keep the adolescent male
demographic from eating this up with a spoon.
Valve
doesn’t release duds, and it doesn’t buy teams that can’t deliver. So
the fact that it purchased Turtle Rock Studios and have put a great
deal of PR muscle behind Left 4 Dead speaks volumes as to how good this
game could be. The game has a completely innovative, yet highly market
friendly hook in its “four survivors must cooperate to survive the
zombie horde” premise, though players of a less polite persuasion can
also take up the role of a super-powered zombie. This could very well
be the next major online phenomenon, like Team Fortress 2 before it.
Three
years on and Killzone 2 is still trying to shake off its disastrous
“showing” at E3 2005. Admittedly the team at Guerilla has done a fine
job of actually approaching the target in that first badly marketed
“target render,” with more recent previews showing the game as
appropriately attractive and bombastic for its high position in Sony’s
portfolio. But it still needs a big floor to show off, and it needs a
man to say “in-game graphics” about one thousand times in front of some
huge HD Killzone if it wants to really nail the market. E3 historically
has had some very big floors.
A
lot on Fable 2 is already known, and most of it is interesting on a
variety of levels. There’s the in-game dog, a character of
unconditional love that will act as the player’s anchor to the game’s
world. There’s the Pub Games, a series of Xbox Live Arcade titles that
will act as both encapsulated products and previews for the big
release. Then there’s the gay marriage, pregnant adventuring, and all
manner of family matters to deal with in the game as well. It’s a game
that promises to push boundaries and break some of the medium’s more
ridiculous unnecessary taboos. Considering the success of the original
Gable, it’s likely many people will choose to experience this move
forward—surely a good thing.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
