2007 Second Half Preview - Multiplatform Titles, Part 3
A few notes and caveats.
- 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 (PS2, original Xbox, GBA) 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
Multiplatform – Part 3
Title – skate. Genre – Alternative sports Developer – EA Black Box Publisher – Electronic Arts Platforms – PS3, Xbox 360
skate. (yes that’s how EA wants it, no caps with a period at the end) is EA’s attempt to wrest the alt-sports crown from Activision and Tony Hawk. Eschewing the more fanciful elements of the Tony Hawk games, skate. takes a more realistic approach to skateboarding. Instead of button taps you’ll use the analog sticks to execute and control tricks, similar to the control scheme used in Fight Night. The game is set in the fictional city of San Vanelona, a mélange of San Fran, Vancouver and Barcelona, and features 20+ real life pro skaters.
Title – Stranglehold Genre – Third-person shooter Developer – Midway Chicago Publisher – Midway Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360
A sequel to the classic Hong Kong action flick Hard Boiled, Stranglehold lets you play as Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) as he kicks mafia ass. The gameplay in this one should be very familiar to fans of Max Payne, down to the slow-mo ‘Tequila Time’. Set in both Hong Kong and Chicago you’ll go up against Russian mobsters and Chinese Triads with guns blazing in both fists. This game could end up being a big deal from a mainstream perspective. A big shot filmmaker like Woo making the sequel to his magnum opus a videogame, could signal a real sea change for the industry and its acceptance by other facets of society.
Title – Stuntman: Ignition Genre – Stunt driving Developer – Paradigm Entertainment Publisher – THQ Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
I always thought the Stuntman games had a pretty cool premise. You’re the lead stunt driver for a big movie studio, and you have to execute stunts in some pretty clever parodies of modern Hollywood’s most popular fare. While the execution hasn’t always kept up with the premise, they were nice, light diversions. Now that the game is at THQ instead of Atari the end result may actually live up to the promise.
Title – The Club Genre – Third-person action Developer – Bizarre Creations Publisher – Sega Platforms – PS3, Xbox 360
Another genre-bender. The Club takes elements of Hard Target, arcade fighting games, combo-based action titles with a bit of shooter thrown in. You play as one of eight contestants in a winner-takes-all bloodsport. You face each of the other competitors in sequence, much like the ladders in a fighting game, as you race through areas scoring combos for trick shots. Trying to fuse so many different elements into a cohesive game is a gamble, but at this point it looks like it may pay off.
Title – The Darkness Genre – FPS Developer – Starbreeze Studios Publisher – 2K Games Platforms – PS3, Xbox 360
Based on the Mark Silvestri/Garth Ennis comic, you play as mafia hitman Jackie Estacado who also happens to posses a supernatural gift known as ‘The Darkness’, which can be used in a variety of ways – but only in the dark. During the course of the game you’ll be able to employ these powers to create minions, smash enemies and create black holes. When light is present you’ll employ some old-fashioned gun fu.
Title – The Simpsons Genre – Action Developer – EA Redwood Publisher – Electronic Arts Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Based on what is arguably the greatest TV comedy of the last quarter century, The Simpsons game lets you play as all five Simpsons. The plot has the family realizing that they’re in a video game, so they decide to make the most of it and go nuts. You’ll play as Bartman in an action level, as Fat Homer in a Katamari Damacy homage and interact with all of Springfield’s most popular people and places.
Title – Transformers – The Movie Game Genre – Adventure Developer – Traveler’s Tales Publisher – Activision Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Based on the upcoming movie, expect this one to be big, loud and full of pretty explosions. Play through two different campaigns, one as an Autobot, one as a Decepticon. A free roaming adventure game that will take full advantage of the various vehicle modes and allow you do wreak havoc on your surroundings. While movie tie ins tend to be pretty bad (and this is a movie tie in, based on a cartoon, based on a toy line) Traveler’s Tales is responsible for arguably the best of the past few years – the Lego Star Wars games. Rumors abound the some of the classic transformers that didn’t make it into the movie will be included in the game as unlockables. I can only hope so.
Hidden Gem Title – Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Genre – FPS Developer – Spark Unlimited Publisher – Codemasters Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Another counterfactual (alternate history), this one asking the question – “What if Winston Churchill had actually been hit by a car in New York City in 1936?” (This is actually a classic What If question. Churchill missed being hit by a car in Manhattan by inches in 1936.) In this case the Nazis roll over the UK in WWII and use it as a staging ground for a successful attack on the US. In a interesting twist, you don’t play as a soldier here, you’re just an ordinary citizen of New York the day the Nazis attack. Instead of trying to take down the German war machine, you’re just trying to stay alive. This means guns, and big automatic weapons in particular, will be rare at first. You’ll rely a lot more on ‘environmental kills’ like whacking someone over the head and tossing them off a bridge. Eventually you meet up with the resistance and begin to fight against the Germans, but not before massive damage has been done to the country. This way you’ll be able to fight WWII battles, with familiar weapons and stories, except on American soil. A very cool twist on the common WWII FPS.
Title – Turok Genre – FPS Developer – Propaganda Games Publisher – Disney Interactive Platforms – PS3, Xbox 360
Turok may be one of the best examples of ‘inconsistent’ quality in gaming. The first few Turok games, for the N64, were good, fun shooters. But later games got worse and worse until the Acclaim, which owned the property, finally went under. Now in Disney’s hands, they’ve wisely chosen to forget the past and reboot the franchise from scratch. You’ll play as Joe Turok, leader of a Special Forces unit sometime in the future. While chasing a war criminal and his men, you and your squad crash lands on a jungle planet rife with both dinosaurs and mutant dinosaurs. You have to get the bad guys while trying not to become dino chow. The game will allow you to use stealth, including the natural cover of the jungle, but never force you to stay in the shadows – you’ll always have the option to go in guns blazing. The dinosaurs themselves will attack you and your enemies with equal ferocity, and can even be manipulated into attacking or causing a distraction. One part of the old Turok games that will be retained are the creatively wacky weapons, which were one of the best parts of the original game.
Title – Two Worlds Genre – RPG Developer – Reality Pump Publisher – Southpeak Games Platforms – PC, Xbox 360
No, that’s not TES: Oblivion. Yes I know it looks like Oblivion, and in some ways I’m sure it will play like Oblivion, but in many ways Two Worlds looks to improve on the Oblivion formula. Like Oblivion, your character tailors itself to your gameplay style. Want to be a mage? Then start hucking spells. Want to be lord of the barbarians? Then start hacking and slashing. Unlike Oblivion, the world does not level up with you, so there will be creatures that will absolutely annihilate you if you stray into the wrong areas. Also expect some insane item mixing and creation as well as the ability to ‘stack’ identical items to create a more powerful version. All in all it looks like a top notch open world RPG.
Title – Unreal Tournament 3 Genre – FPS Developer – Epic Games Publisher – Midway Games Platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360
The most anticipated FPS of 2007? Maybe. Certainly throngs of fans are eagerly anticipating the day they can sink their teeth into Epic’s newest baby. Epic promises a single player experience that’s deep and expansive, with lots of your favorite characters returning. The real meat of the game however will be multiplayer. If you’ve played UT 2004, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect - over 14 vehicles, more than 15 different weapons, and many different gametypes all played over beautifully detailed and balanced maps. And in what may be a first, the PS3 version will support at least some PC-made mods that can be downloaded from the PSN.
Can I make a suggestion Dr.? It would be awesome if you could put projected release dates (With a disclaimer, of course.). Even if it's just suspected Q4, or something along those lines.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oxonian
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's not legal for doctors to kill their patients through medical/pharmeceutical errors. That's called medical malpractice, and it results in phat lootz.
Can I make a suggestion Dr.? It would be awesome if you could put projected release dates (With a disclaimer, of course.). Even if it's just suspected Q4, or something along those lines.
I had intended to do that, but literally 90% would have been 'Late 2007', so it just wasn't worth it. In hindsight, I should have put the dates for games that had firm dates, but I just never got around to it.
Disney's publishing Turok!? Did I read that right, is this some other Disney that I don't know about or are they trying to make a break into a more mature market, and what no hidden gem?
Anyways there are a couple of more games to put onto my list of games to try to play inbetween Halo 3 and some other games. Now enough of this the Star Wars specials things on the History Channel are calling.
Certainly thongs of fans are eagerly anticipating the day they can sink their teeth into Epic’s newest baby.
thong
-a brief garment for the lower body that exposes the buttocks, consisting of a strip of fabric passing between the thighs and attached to a band around the waist.
*giggle*
Two Worlds really has to deliver on combat. That is where Oblivion really fell apart. I am also very optimisitc for how well it will be online. There are a lot of online RPGs coming out this year. Two worlds is near the top of my list, right now.
The Darkness is the only one I'm interested in, and I'm already split between Saints Row and Pokemon, let alone trying to play that with the likes of Halo 3, Mercs 2, Mass Effect, and Katamari later this year.
I just thought of something. We need an official thread. Like a telethon. Where we tally up the number of times we hear or see some retard mention how Stranglehold rips off Max Payne.
Stranglehold looks like the perfect summer game. The more I see of it, the more fun it looks.
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"Evil Avnovice is an enigma, surfing the intergalactic waves of grammar, sentence structure and valid arguments. He knows no boundaries." ~ lost
The Club and The Darkness look interesting. For some reason I keep getting a Jet Li's Rise To Honor vibe from Stranglehold, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as I quite enjoyed that little romp.
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"This computer is so slow that I'm having framerate issues with Dwarf Fortress!"
- Me at my in-laws.
Fall of Liberty... hmm, will it be like Freedom Fighters? That game was awesome. I loved the "yeah!" sound when I took back a territory or something. So I guess Fall of Liberty will be kinda like it in terms of storyline, and maybe in gameplay too.
