On that note, this post is a melding of my favorites from E3 as well as a Fall Preview so that you all have a heads up as to what I am excited for in the next five months. I am leaving out such guarantees as Madden 08, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, and BioShock either because of their obvious ability to have every gamer’s attention already or them being previously highlighted on my site. Sorry for all the Xbox 360 love but this is gonna be a huge fall for Microsoft, and being an Xbox 360 owner I am finally pumped to expand my collection.
Assassin’s Creed
Xbox 360 and PlayStation3
November 2007
This game has been on my radar ever since I saw it at E3 last year and it is shaping up to be one of the leading games this fall. Assassin's Creed takes place during The Crusades and you play as Altair, an assassin in a secret guild who must gather information to take out targets throughout the game. I love the era this game takes place in while the art and environmental feel that Ubisoft Montreal has seemed to capture looks amazing. Gameplay involves a brand new control scheme that lets the agile Altair scale walls, trounce rooftops, and blend into a crowd with ease. I cannot wait to get my hands on this title.
Virtua Fighter 5
Xbox 360
October 2007
Already released on the PS3, Virtua Fighter 5 is finally making its way to the Xbox 360. With finer tuned gameplay and rumored cleaner graphics than its Sony version, VF5’s main draw over it’s own competition is that the Xbox 360 version will be fully online through Xbox Live. I am getting sick of the new trend in game sequels, but the Virtua Fighter series is my favorite fighting game and it is going to be a joy to get back into this near perfect fighter. Look for my customized Wolf to be clotheslining the competition all over Live this fall.
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii
August 2007
I don’t really know what to say about Galaxy. This is going to be the greatest Super Mario game since Super Mario 64 and possibly the best one ever made. Taking advantage of the Wii Remote in all its glory, Galaxy is going to clear even more Wii units off the shelf (like it even needed any help). In this game Mario travels from planet to planet visiting different fully 3D worlds with variant gravitational effects. Just go buy this game the day it comes out and toss it in your Wii. I wish you luck in trying to turn it off.
Mass Effect
Xbox 360
November 2007
This Xbox 360 exclusive title is being brought to us by the RPG masters over at BioWare. Mass Effect takes place some time in the future and, besides its gorgeous looking graphics, it promises to take us on an amazing journey with characters that we actually care about. A vast setting, fully customizable characters with skill trees, fun combat, and a seemingly endless amount of branching storylines are sure to please RPG fans to the fullest. With the possibility of each playthrough being drastically different in story and character development, Mass Effect is another one that I cannot wait to dive into.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Xbox 360
October 2007
One of my favorite series is making its current-gen debut and exclusive Xbox 360 release this fall with Ace Combat 6. I played all the Ace Combat titles on the PS2 and I am heavily anticipating this newest effort from Namco. Photorealistic terrain and the arcade style combat that serves up some of the best dogfights around is back and also fully supported by Xbox Live for battles of up to 16 players. If that doesn’t sound like fun then I don’t know what does. Keep those formations tight and watch out for bogies!
Heavenly Sword
PlayStation3
September 2007
I was initially biased towards not giving a crap about this game because it looked like a female version of God of War (I know Matt, you can say “I told you so” in the comments). After watching more videos and developer commentaries about Heavenly Sword, the game just looks so damn polished that it is hard not to mention it. Plus the graphics are through the roof with production value. Look for this PS3 exclusive title to boost PS3 owners bragging rights in September.
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Xbox 360 and PS3
October/November 2007
While Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction for the PS2 and Xbox wasn’t the greatest title to hit the market, I enjoyed the hell out of it and played through the whole thing. It was an open world GTA clone but it had its own image with some great gameplay ideas that seemed to be limited by the hardware at the time. With the new consoles able to handle much more processing power, Mercenaries 2 looks to be everything that the first game tried to be. Calling in air strikes to level both jungle and modern environments should have me smiling from beginning to end.
Eternal Sonata
Xbox 360
September 2007
Finally Xbox 360 owners are getting the RPGs that they deserve and Eternal Sonata has been slated as the sleeper hit of the fall. Taking place in composer Frederic Chopin’s head while he lay on his deathbed, Eternal Sonata has an original look and feel to it that instantly sucked me in. With a battle system centered around light and dark sections of the combat area, the changes to party members attacks and abilities adds a new dynamic to fights. With so many established huge hits coming out this fall, Eternal Sonata is destined to become buried in the commotion. But for the RPG enthusiasts out there, make sure to keep your ears open for this potential gem.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Xbox 360, PS3, and PC
October/November 2007
The first Call of Duty for the PC was one of the greatest shooters I had ever played. Not only did it have great visuals, pacing, and presentation, but the audio was blowing my room apart and had me freaking out due to the intensity and immersion that Call of Duty captured. But after, and even before, Call of Duty and its subsequent two sequels, the WWII shooter genre has become one of my least enjoyable gaming experiences. There are so many damn WWII titles out that I guess developer Infinity Ward heeded the complaints and decided to bring the franchise to the modern era. I have no doubt that Call of Duty 4 will finally bring the same awesome experience that the first title produced, and thrust us face first into this new setting. It is unbelievable that all the screenshots released so far are using the in-game engine.
Army of Two
Xbox 360 and PlayStation3
November 2007
It is hard for me to resist a good Co-Op game. I love the feeling of working with a partner(s) to beat the computer and let everyone know we were unstoppable. Electronic Arts new title Army of Two is becoming the ultimate two-player Co-Op game as you team up with a buddy in order to make a shit-load of cash as a well-tuned mercenary duo. Not many details have been released about gameplay mechanics, but if this game is anything close to what the screenshots indicate, then I am all for it.
So there it is, a small taste of things to come. I didn't even get to everything so maybe I will get a Part 2 up soon...
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