Dr.Finger
05-15-2007, 04:09 PM
Welcome to the latest instalment of Evil Avatar's 2007 Second Half Preview. Over the next few days we'll be bringing you a peek at some of the more intriguing games of the latter half of the year, a season which is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
A few notes and caveats on the preview.
- This list covers officially announced games that are reasonably expected to see the light of day in the last half of 2007, so no Duke Nukem Forever, Killzone 2 or Mario Kart Wii. I also only discuss games for the systems they have been officially announced for so Hellgate: London stays under the PC heading and MGS4 stays under PS3.
- Release dates used are for the U.S. releases of the game. Several of these titles may have already been released in other territories, or may not be released in others until a later date.
- I can only go on what information I have right now. Some games will slip to next year; others will be added to the schedule.
- For the sake of brevity any download-only titles (XBLA, PSN, VC, Steam, etc.) and games for last-gen systems (Original Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, GBA, etc.) are excluded from the list.
- The Hidden Gem is a game in each category that doesn't have a lot of hype or buzz surrounding it but still looks, to me at least, like a winner [/I]
Xbox 360 - Third Party
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Ace%20Combat%206%201.jpg
Title - Ace Combat 6
Genre - Modern Flight Simulator
Developer - Namco
Publisher - Namco Bandai
The venerable flight simulator franchise comes to the next-generation with its usual blend of frantic dogfights, desperate defenses and ridiculously incomprehensible storyline. Don't expect Namco to reinvent the wheel here, just expect some solid, but very satisfying, gameplay. What you can expect with this one is online play over XBL, supporting up to 16 player melees, team matches and co-op play.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/BioShock%201.jpg
Title - BioShock
Genre - First-Person Shooter
Developer - Irrational Games
Publisher - 2K Games
Go home, take your copy of System Shock 2 into a large pool of water, toss in an auger drill and your mutated/deformed little sister and you have BioShock. This first-person shooter takes place in an underwater colony that began as a utopian ideal but has degenerated into chaotic cesspool of morally questionable science projects. Your character can upgrade and modify both his body and his weapons in a wide variety of ways, although the body-mods may have a cost down the line. All of this takes place in a darkly beautiful underwater setting with an almost art deco feel. Like many of the big 360 titles slated for this year the story seems to be a primary feature of this one rather than an afterthought, which is positive step for gaming in general.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Culdcept%20Saga%201.jpg
Title - Culdcept Saga
Genre - Card Battle RPG
Developer - Omiya Soft
Publisher - Namco Bandai
Wikipedia describes this game as "Magic [the Gathering] meets Monopoly" which is just too.... strange not to love. A pretty neat looking card battle game, this one has a trick up it's sleeve (get it? Sleeve? CCG? I'm so witty) online play. While this may not seem like the most exciting game to come along, it caters to a niche that is woefully underserved. And an online card battle game seems like a fun little diversion, a la Uno on XBLA.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Hour%20of%20Victory%202.jpg
Title - Hour of Victory
Genre - FPS
Developer - nFusion
Publisher - Midway
I usually wouldn't put another World War II shooter on this list (because lets face it, there are more WWII FPS' than there are minutes in a day) but this one looks like is may be able to rise above the fray. You control three different types of soldier during the course of the game - an all around commando type, a sniper, and a stealthy covert-ops soldier. Combine that with an ability to hop into anything with wheels and some very nice looking graphics and this one may be a keeper.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Overlord%201.jpg
Hidden Gem
Title - Overlord
Genre - Humorous Strategy
Developer - Triumph Studios
Publisher - Codemasters
If you've ever spent much time on a PC gaming forum then you've probably heard the love for Dungeon Keeper a strategy game with a subversively evil sense of humor. Overlord takes that wicked sense of fun and crosses it with Pikmin's gameplay and some graphics that are both stylish and detailed to produce one of the more fascinating titles coming this year. Your character is found in the rubble of the deceased Overlord's tower, so naturally his minions assume he has been reincarnated into you. You lead them on a quest to get revenge on the seven heroes that destroyed the tower and killed what may or may not have been your former self while controlling a horde of various minions.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Tenchu%20Z%201.jpg
Title - Tenchu Z
Genre - Stealth Action
Developer - K2
Publisher - From Software
You know the drill. Throwing stars. Poisoned rice. Invisible death. Vendettas. Tenchu Z however introduces some elements not seen in previous iterations of the series. A deep create-a-ninja feature. Customizable skills and abilities. What else? Oh yeah:
Four-player co-op play over Xbox Live.
That's right; you and three friends can take to the rooftops together to rain dark vengeance down upon your enemies. While co-op play is becoming more and more common, four-player co-op is still pretty rare, so it makes this game really stand out from the herd.
Coming Tomorrow: Playstation 3 - First Party
Previously
Xbox 360 - First Party (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29911)
A few notes and caveats on the preview.
- This list covers officially announced games that are reasonably expected to see the light of day in the last half of 2007, so no Duke Nukem Forever, Killzone 2 or Mario Kart Wii. I also only discuss games for the systems they have been officially announced for so Hellgate: London stays under the PC heading and MGS4 stays under PS3.
- Release dates used are for the U.S. releases of the game. Several of these titles may have already been released in other territories, or may not be released in others until a later date.
- I can only go on what information I have right now. Some games will slip to next year; others will be added to the schedule.
- For the sake of brevity any download-only titles (XBLA, PSN, VC, Steam, etc.) and games for last-gen systems (Original Xbox, PS2, Gamecube, GBA, etc.) are excluded from the list.
- The Hidden Gem is a game in each category that doesn't have a lot of hype or buzz surrounding it but still looks, to me at least, like a winner [/I]
Xbox 360 - Third Party
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Ace%20Combat%206%201.jpg
Title - Ace Combat 6
Genre - Modern Flight Simulator
Developer - Namco
Publisher - Namco Bandai
The venerable flight simulator franchise comes to the next-generation with its usual blend of frantic dogfights, desperate defenses and ridiculously incomprehensible storyline. Don't expect Namco to reinvent the wheel here, just expect some solid, but very satisfying, gameplay. What you can expect with this one is online play over XBL, supporting up to 16 player melees, team matches and co-op play.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/BioShock%201.jpg
Title - BioShock
Genre - First-Person Shooter
Developer - Irrational Games
Publisher - 2K Games
Go home, take your copy of System Shock 2 into a large pool of water, toss in an auger drill and your mutated/deformed little sister and you have BioShock. This first-person shooter takes place in an underwater colony that began as a utopian ideal but has degenerated into chaotic cesspool of morally questionable science projects. Your character can upgrade and modify both his body and his weapons in a wide variety of ways, although the body-mods may have a cost down the line. All of this takes place in a darkly beautiful underwater setting with an almost art deco feel. Like many of the big 360 titles slated for this year the story seems to be a primary feature of this one rather than an afterthought, which is positive step for gaming in general.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Culdcept%20Saga%201.jpg
Title - Culdcept Saga
Genre - Card Battle RPG
Developer - Omiya Soft
Publisher - Namco Bandai
Wikipedia describes this game as "Magic [the Gathering] meets Monopoly" which is just too.... strange not to love. A pretty neat looking card battle game, this one has a trick up it's sleeve (get it? Sleeve? CCG? I'm so witty) online play. While this may not seem like the most exciting game to come along, it caters to a niche that is woefully underserved. And an online card battle game seems like a fun little diversion, a la Uno on XBLA.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Hour%20of%20Victory%202.jpg
Title - Hour of Victory
Genre - FPS
Developer - nFusion
Publisher - Midway
I usually wouldn't put another World War II shooter on this list (because lets face it, there are more WWII FPS' than there are minutes in a day) but this one looks like is may be able to rise above the fray. You control three different types of soldier during the course of the game - an all around commando type, a sniper, and a stealthy covert-ops soldier. Combine that with an ability to hop into anything with wheels and some very nice looking graphics and this one may be a keeper.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Overlord%201.jpg
Hidden Gem
Title - Overlord
Genre - Humorous Strategy
Developer - Triumph Studios
Publisher - Codemasters
If you've ever spent much time on a PC gaming forum then you've probably heard the love for Dungeon Keeper a strategy game with a subversively evil sense of humor. Overlord takes that wicked sense of fun and crosses it with Pikmin's gameplay and some graphics that are both stylish and detailed to produce one of the more fascinating titles coming this year. Your character is found in the rubble of the deceased Overlord's tower, so naturally his minions assume he has been reincarnated into you. You lead them on a quest to get revenge on the seven heroes that destroyed the tower and killed what may or may not have been your former self while controlling a horde of various minions.
http://www.evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/Tenchu%20Z%201.jpg
Title - Tenchu Z
Genre - Stealth Action
Developer - K2
Publisher - From Software
You know the drill. Throwing stars. Poisoned rice. Invisible death. Vendettas. Tenchu Z however introduces some elements not seen in previous iterations of the series. A deep create-a-ninja feature. Customizable skills and abilities. What else? Oh yeah:
Four-player co-op play over Xbox Live.
That's right; you and three friends can take to the rooftops together to rain dark vengeance down upon your enemies. While co-op play is becoming more and more common, four-player co-op is still pretty rare, so it makes this game really stand out from the herd.
Coming Tomorrow: Playstation 3 - First Party
Previously
Xbox 360 - First Party (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29911)