Impending Releases

In what commentators are calling "the greatest first quarter release line-up in the history of gaming"*, the next few months are rife with a whole slew of exciting prospects. Below are a list of some of my top picks (or 'some of the games I currently have on pre-order'):

Mass Effect 2 - This is probably the biggest release from here until... hmm.. let's say Final Fantasy XIII. Already picking up unseasonably high review scores across the board, it looks to set right all the complaints from the first, while refining and tightening everything that was already great. Continuing the story from the original title, and no doubt acting as the springboard for the inevitably climactic third game in the trilogy, ME2 is essentially playing the role of the Empire Strikes Back. Will it similarly be totally awesome in every way? My copy is in the post, and I shall certainly be commenting upon it in due course...

Bioshock 2 - The first Bioshock was a jolly fun romp through a dilapidated underwater city, featuring solid mechanics and 'Isn't that clever?' levels of self-aware, self-referential story-telling. The sequel puts the diving boot on the other foot by portraying the player as the behemoth Big Daddy; a constant source of worry (and cash) in the first game. With some updated mechanics, including change-of-pace underwater sections, and a differing story focus (from Adam-eating, Little Sister botherer in the original, to lumbering, single-minded protector) it appears there's enough to set it apart its forebear. But it still has a few questions to answer. The most pertinent seemingly being "Will Rapture hold the same wonder the second time around?"

Final Fantasy XIII - The most anticipated game since Mass Effect 2. Probably. Final Fantasy has always done pretty well, so the release of a new game is always a fairly big deal. But is XIII IV games too many? There has, in recent years, been more negative sentiment toward the FF titles than ever before, especially after XII which many believed lost the 'soul' of the series somewhat. But turn-based (ish) battles are back, and things seem to be more akin to 'traditional' Final Fantasy releases, rather than the 'single-player MMO' stylings of the previous title. Personally, I think that for many FFXIII is going to be the litmus test for whether Square-Enix has completely lost the plot and whether the Final Fantasy series has hit a wall. Whatever happens, though, it's hard to deny that game looks very, very pretty.

Just Cause 2 - The first game was an interesting experience. Not particularly polished or innovative, it still managed to be a whole bucket-full of fun. The premise was simple: you are a CIA agent trying to topple a corrupt Caribbean dictator. You have a bunch of story missions to complete, and a host of 'hearts and minds'-style side quests (to unlock and gain access to various missions and equipment). The hook was being able to explore all 250,000 acres of the island, in any which way you choose. That could be by hijacking a plane, parachuting onto the back of a moving car, driving said car off a cliff, bailing out and parachuting once more into an enemy base. Or onto a motorbike. Or a boat. The sequel brings all of this vehicle-hopping back, but ramps everything up to 11. The hook this time is actually a literal hook; shoot onto a plane and grapple up to it and take it over. Hook onto an enemy and pull him about. Hook an enemy and then hook the back of your car and drive about; dragging the poor soul behind you. It's never going to reach the dizzy heights of the other games so far mentioned, but it's the sort of underground-hit-to-be that's going to be a lot people's game of the year. Those people will be wrong, but you can't fault their enthusiasm.

Aliens Vs Predator - I don't actually know a great deal about this game other than it will more than likely follow the same overall design as its predecessors, it's being made by the original Aliens Vs Predator developer (Rebellion, a studio I like quite a bit), is very, very gory, has multiplayer (always a strong point for the series), and the special edition of the game comes with a model Facehugger. I'll be honest, only one of the above had any real influence over my decision to order it. And it wasn't the multiplayer.

Red Dead Redemption - GTA meets cowboys! I really, really liked the first one, and from what I've seen of Redemption it looks set to be even better. And just picture it: GTA in the Wild West. Stealin' horses, rustlin' cattle, shootin' bandits. Man, cowboys are awesome...

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - This one is interesting. It seems to be billed (in certain sections of the press and gaming community) as 'the game that will topple Modern Warfare 2'. In the multiplayer department, if nothing else. I would like to agree, especially as I had a whole bunch of fun playing multiplayer in the original, but in sales numbers alone this game doesn't really have a chance. Even after the whole 'boycotting Modern Warfare 2 in favour of Bad Company 2 because MW2 doesn't let us have dedicated servers on the PC' thing. It will do well, of that I am sure. Early reports suggest it is shaping up extremely nicely. And I already have a group of people at work lined up to play multiplayer with, which is always a good sign. Solid, fun, destructible-scenery-based gaming action.

It's going to be a fairly busy few months. And the above list isn't even everything on the horizon. I am as certain of the sun rising in the morning as I am of me picking up another three or four games before April. The main thing to take away, I suspect, is that no gamer will be lost for choice for the rest of the Winter. Or the first half of Spring.


I was also going to take this opportunity to chat about some Valkyria Chronicles stuff, but this post has already reached mammoth proportions so I shall save that for another time. To briefly sum up: amazingly great game, but damn did some design decisions get to me...

*Someone somewhere must be...