2008 is almost over, can you believe it? With only a couple of big releases left, there is pretty much nothing to do for the last month but catch up on games we missed the past two months. (you know, when there were twenty good games coming out each week!) BUT I also like to focus on the future, on what to expect in the three months after this year ends, a period in which there is practically nothing released. Last year there wasn’t too much going on, aside from a couple of great surprises, such as the excellent No More Heroes. Maybe next year developers will start spreading more releases out throughout the year instead of bunching them all up in the last two/three months? Don’t count on it!
First up is The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, which is pretty much Star Wars: Battlefront for those more partial to the elves and dwarfs of Middle Earth. This is being developed by Pandemic, and it was supposed to be released this month, but luckily (and I only say this because now I’ll actually have a chance to play it when it first comes out) it was pushed back a couple of months. Maybe they realized releasing it now would pretty much cause it to get passed up over bigger titles? Could be!
And yes, you can play as an Ent.
As I said, it’s the same structure as Star Wars: Battlefront. You play as a single soldier in one of the two waging armies during many different battles in the Lord of the Rings saga, and when you die, you can re-spawn. Sometimes you can play as one of the “hero” characters, such as Gandalf or Aragorn, which gives you an even bigger advantage. You also have the option to play as the villains, which is a nice change of pace, and there will also be online play. Battle over the fate of Middle Earth…with friends! As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, this game looks like it could potentially be the best of them all.
Next we have Afro Samurai, the game based on the anime of the same name, which (at least in the English dub) stars Samuel L. Jackson himself. The anime was great, but let’s talk about the game. First of all, what is with anime games now? First Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, and now this! It looks VERY good, and just from the look of the game alone, I considered purchasing it. But I wasn’t truly convinced until I saw this.
I heard from those who played it at Comic Con that the combat system is very fluid, very easy to control, and the game is a lot of fun to play. Which is good, since this is a game that will either turn out great, or disappoint everyone big time. I can only hope it’s the former, because it has a very beautiful look to it, and it seems very faithful to the anime. Whether or not you are a fan of the series, you may still find this game worth checking out.
The final big game I’m going to be talking about is F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, which is the sequel to F.E.A.R. released back in 2004. The original was a truly amazing action game that moved fast and had some great atmospheric horror sequences. It is one of my favorite shooters to come out in a long time, and although it doesn’t have the same groundbreaking story (or story telling) as a game such as Half-Life 2, the gameplay itself and just how scary it could be were why it was remembered by many.
The original was a great looking game, but Project Origin just looks so much better
Project Origin, now called F.E.A.R. 2, pretty much picks up right where the first left off. But that’s related to the story, and I couldn’t care less about that. What I do care about is the fast paced action that we saw in the original, but now it’s amplified and made so much better. There will be a greater variety of enemies, bigger environments, (you can shoot…outside?) and more weapons that will end your foes’ lives in a great many different and violent ways. Plus, the old fashioned slow motion is back; F.E.A.R. actually managed to handle this overused game mechanic with style, and Project Origin looks to continue this tradition. Overall, it’s one game to look out for in February of next year.
There are so many more games I could have talked about, but these are the three I’m personally most looking forward to. I will have more posts like this talking about more 2009 releases as time goes on, but I figured I’d stick with the first two months of next year first. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
