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GamePro's 2008 Fall Preview Guide!

• By GamePro Staff
• September 26, 2008 12:12 PM PST
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#63: Halo Wars

2008: Xbox 360
PC strategy specialist Ensembles Studios takes the reigns on Halo Wars, and with it, a host of gameplay challenges. This strategy spin on the Halo shooters had some special requirements: Ensemble had to flesh out the human's UNSC vehicle fleet to make it better-equipped to handle the Convenant armada in a strategy setting. Here are the new stars of the UNSC fleet.

1. Cyclops: A sly homage to the Cyclops unit in Age of Mythology, this prototype UNSC unit is a powered exoskeleton capable of pulverizing enemy buildings with its smashing blows. It's surprisingly nimble and can race across the map faster than most vehicles.

2. Wolverine: A new anti-aircraft vehicle that can shred through Banshees and Hornets with fast-moving rockets. Unfortunately, the Wolverine is nearly helpless against ground attacks, so you've got to protect it.

3. Cobra: The Cobra excels at piercing enemy armor. Their high-powered rockets can drive back enemy tanks. In a pinch, you can deploy it for artillery strikes on nearby buildings.

4. Vulture: When the UNSC needs some heavy firepower, it calls in these bad boys. The slow-moving Vultures take time to position, but can harass enemy troops with devastating rocket volleys.

#62: Halo Chronicles

2009: Xbox 360
Microsoft and film developer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) will be collaborating on Halo Chronicles, a mystery project that promises to blur the lines between film and video game. The title was announced in 2006 and, since then, precious little information has filtered out. Microsoft recently confirmed that Halo Chronicles will be delivered episodically, although there's no indication as to whether new episodes will be delivered on discs or via the Xbox 360 Live online service.

#61: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

November: PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS
EA is taking a huge risk in translating this obscure fantasy book into a video game. It features a small, pallid English boy named Harry Potter who, as a magician, has all sorts of fanciful adventures. In this third-person adventure, players get to take the role of Harry and his magician pals Ron and Hermione as they cast spells, brew potions, explore the grounds of a magic school, duel with other wizards, battle fantastic monsters, and play a broom-based game called Quidditch. Oh, and someone gets killed in the book, so it's expected that this game will contain the same tragedy.

#60: Indiana Jones

2009: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP
In 10 words: Dr. Jones punches Nazis in San Francisco; Indy 4 sucked.

#59: James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace

Fall 2008: PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS
Agent 007 returns in what looks to be the best James Bond game since Goldeneye - seriously. GamePro was first to see the new Quantum of Solace game, which combines action sequences from both Casino Royale and the upcoming Bond movie. Part Goldeneye, part Rainbow Six Vegas, Quantum of Solace is a "hybrid of first-person and third-person," executive producer Garrett Young explains. You play primarily in first-person, shooting enemies with Bond's favorite guns used in the movies, and the camera will switch to third-person when you take cover against objects. Quantum of Solace is the first 007 game to feature the more "physical, cunning, and dangerous" Daniel Craig as James Bond.

#58: Infamous

2009: PS3
For those who've always yearned to put on a spandex bodysuit and perform either great or dastardly deeds, Infamous won't be able to help with what's obviously a serious psychological problem. It will, however, provide an interesting comic book-style adventure set in a Grand Theft Auto-style open world. You are a metahuman, able to access incredible strength, manipulate lightning, move objects via telekinesis, fly, and so forth. In-game scenarios enable the character to gradually shift into a hero or villain, and a sprawling interactive city presents plenty of opportunities for exploration, salvation, and destruction.

#57: Infinite Undiscovery

September: Xbox 360
A case of mistaken identity sees reluctant hero Capell thrown into jail, thus setting the stage for Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery, a blend of action and role-playing. Although players only control Capell, they can form four-man adventuring parties and choose from a pool of 18 heroes, including spell-wielding twins, the requisite busty sorceress, and Sigmund, the man for whom Capell is mistaken. Undiscovery promises a seamless world with no breaks between gameplay and new "situational battles," which require either special tactics or brains to resolve. Some, simply, cannot be resolved with force at all...

#56: Just Cause 2

September: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Improvements are the order of the day with Just Cause 2. Why? Just 'cause. The developers promise the third-person adventure will see improved combat and smarter enemies. Drivable vehicles, a core part of any open-world action game, will now be influenced by various terrain types and surfaces. Upgradeable weapons will also be included, as well as a new mission structure that de-emphasizes optional side-quests. Just Cause 2 will also encourage the player to create chaos to empower the game's factions, thus weakening the country's corrupt government. All this bodes very well for the action-heavy adventure.

#55: Killzone 2

February 2009: PS3
Killzone 2 promises to be the most intense and ultimate first-person shooter on the PlayStation 3 when it deploys early next year. Initial trailers and gameplay demonstrations reveal that Killzone 2 is set to take place entirely on planet Helghan, the home-world of the bug-eyed Helghast who invaded ISA colonies in previous Killzone games. You play as ISA special ops member Sev, when your squad lands behind enemy lines to lead the main invasion force.

Killzone 2 features a new "lean and peak" cover mechanic that, unlike Rainbow Six Vegas, remains in the first-person view at all times. Multiplayer has been confirmed, unfortunately cooperative play has not, and there is a high possibility of a public beta in fall 2008. If Killzone 2 plays half as good as it looks, shooter fans are in for one wild ride in February 2009.

#54: Lego Batman

OUT NOW!
Traveller's Tales is a development house with a simple recipe for success: Take a hugely popular franchise, stir in every recognizable character and location from its canon, and build an action-platformer out of digitized Danish bricks. It worked for Star Wars, it worked for Indiana Jones, and unless extremely portly women decide it's time to sing falsetto, it'll work for Batman.

This time around, though, things will be a little darker. The various characters in Lego Batman will be portrayed in their classic, 1960s TV-show garb, but environments and color schemes will reflect more Tim Burton than Adam West. There will also be two separate cooperative campaigns: one for the Dark Knight and sidekick Robin, and another for Batman's numerous nemeses. With a lot of extra effort being put into emotive animations and a fresh combat style, this one promises to satisfy.

#53: Left 4 Dead

November 2008: Xbox 360, PC
One part survival horror, one part co-op shooter, and two parts Valve, Left 4 Dead is a smash hit in the making. The game pits two teams against each other in a cooperative campaign where up to four player-controlled survivors blast their way through hordes of A.I. "infected." As the survivors desperately dash between safe zones, up to four more players can assume the roles of the "boss" infected, using their night vision and an array of gory abilities like kamikaze explosions and 50-foot lasso tongues to try and kill off the living. Valve's got this one in the (ammo) bag.

#52: Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

October 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS
Ten years after the youthful gamers of the world united over the good, clean fun of Spyro the Dragon, French developer ?tranges Libellules is aiming high with its series revival-literally. Earlier games in the action-platformer trilogy restricted Spyro's flight, but Dawn of the Dragon is being designed for complete freedom of movement, letting players take to the skies whenever they please.

You'll also be able to switch dynamically between Spyro and his former nemesis, Cynder, during gameplay, or bring in a friend and fight cooperatively against enemies. The cooperative play won't be online-enabled, but the star-studded voice cast and polished gameplay will make Spyro a go-to title for gamer families.

#51: Legendary

September: PS3, Xbox 360
In 10 words: Pandora's Box opens; monsters spill out. Protip: Monsters hate bullets!

#50: LittleBigPlanet

October 2008: PS3
If you're a PlayStation 3 follower, then you already know about LittleBigPlanet, the online-centric, physics-based, side-scrolling platformer/puzzler that's taken PS3 fandom by storm. But do you really know what to expect? Here's a look at the subtler features in the game.

1. You can make your own stickers. Little Big Planet will allow players to pin up pictures of anything they like, whenever and wherever they want. You'll even be able to use photos taken with the Playstation Eye! We sense an impending influx of genitalia graffiti.

2. You can go emo. Using the directional pad, players can switch between four different emotions for their characters at any time: happy, sad, angry, or worried. It's a fascinating and consequence-free device that should give gamers a unique way to express themselves. But with a 3:1 ratio of negative to positive emotions, don't be surprised if your friends go emo.

3. You can slap your buddies. Another consequence-free device in Little Big Planet is the ability to slap your fellow players across the face on a whim (in-game, of course; what you do on your own time is your business). All it takes is a quick flick of the thumbstick, only the harder you flick, the harder the slap. Go ahead. You know they deserve it.

4. You can build limitless levels. We're probably most excited about Little Big Planet's built-in map editor, which enables you to quickly build levels as big (or as high) as you want. We're looking at it as a physics-driven gaming death machine. The tools and traps are there; all we need now are folks with sordid imaginations. Any gamers in the house?

#49: The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

Fall 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PC
Like a hack-and-slash remix of Star Wars: Battlefront, Lord of the Rings: Conquest excels at epic team battles. In the campaign, you'll choose from several character classes - archers, wizards, warriors, and more - and complete team objectives, such as protecting Helms' Deep from Orc bombers. Once you finish the campaign, you can scour the Shire as Saruman's Orc army in a new, separate campaign.

But massive online battles are the real draw. You can play as legendary LOTR characters such as Aragorn, the Ring Wraiths, and even the man-stomping demon Sauron. The game's scale is impressive: battles include dozens of characters onscreen, and catapults rain fiery death on the teeming battlefield. A stampede of 150-foot Oliphants couldn't keep us away from this geeky gem.

#48: MadWorld

Q1 2009: Wii
In 10 words: Okami team makes an ultraviolent arcade brawler. Wii love fatalities!

#47: Mario Super Sluggers

OUT NOW ON Wii!
Continuing the tradition of Mario-branded sports games, Nintendo is wrapping up its sequel to Mario Superstar Baseball. Like Wii Sports and Mario Strikers Charged, Super Mario Sluggers will make great use of the Wii Remote, but this time around there's an extra level of complexity. Batting, for instance, is still a matter of flailing the Wii Remote around, but now you'll be able to bunt a pitch or charge up your swing. You still wind up and "throw" a pitch with the Remote, but in Sluggers you can curve the ball, or use button combinations to hurl character-specific pitches like Mario's flame-wreathed fastball. You can even man the outfield or steal bases. If you've been waiting for Mario to storm a baseball diamond on the Wii, Sluggers should be a welcome addition to your collection.

#46: Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

OUT NOW ON PS3, Xbox 360, PC!
Having built up a reputation for delivering ridiculous explosions and wanton devastation, Pandemic Studios is pushing the boundaries of sanity with World in Flames, their sequel to 2005's cult hit Mercenaries. Maps and level loads have been ditched in favor of a seamless, sprawling world covering the wide expanse of Venezuela. And in this world, you can level anything and everything with the press of a button. Forests will burn, bridges will crumble, and you'll drop tanker trucks onto oil rigs from the safety of your helicopter. Is anybody not ready for this?

#45: Mirror's Edge

Fall: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Crackdown let us soar from rooftop to rooftop like the Hulk on a rampage; Assassin's Creed let us tumble and sprint and climb with a mastery of free running. But while both games let us control the movement, neither let us experience it. Not like this. Mirror's Edge is one of those games that changes something you thought was unchangeable. It's not about combat, although you'll shoot, punch, and kick your way out of trouble with the authorities. It's not about stealth, either, although you'll be doing your fair share of hiding from the totalitarian government, ferrying messages between resistance fighters. It's not even about freedom, despite the staggering sprawl of the chrome-white cityscape slipping away beneath your feet.

No, this is a game about speed; about looking through the eyes of an acrobatic parkour artisan as she leaps, falls, sprints, and slides across the highest girders and longest cables in the city. There's no over-the-shoulder cam, there's just you: your arms, your legs, your balance, and your ability to traverse any obstacle, so long as you can keep moving. If you thought that the first-person experience couldn't be rewritten, think again. There's a reason why we're so excited about Mirror's Edge. This is something we've never seen before.

#44: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Fall: PS3, Xbox 360
In 10 words: Less blood, no fatalities? No thanks. Wait, Batman? We're there.

#43: Midnight Club: Los Angeles

September: PS3, Xbox 360
This isn't the Midnight Club you remember. The cult racing series has been re-imagined and re-located to SoCal, bringing the famously night-owl racing series into the sunlight for the first time. Midnight Club: LA blends the fast-paced Burnout Paradise with the more cerebral Gran Turismo 5, adding noteworthy features such as a nifty GPS-based overhead map and a go-anywhere, do-anything gameplay philosophy.

Because Midnight Club: LA's development team also worked on Grand Theft Auto IV, you'll see some similarities in the checkpoint-based races. For starters, it doesn't matter how you get to the next checkpoint, so shortcuts are encouraged (and denoted on the map). You can also gain four special driver abilities, such as the slow-mo "Zone" mode. But our favorite feature is the insane visual detail on the cars, down to the glittering paint jobs. Check out those screens!

#42: Neopets Puzzle Adventure

Fall 2008: Wii, DS, PC
Neopets is bigger than you think - over 12 million monthly visitors visit Neopets.com, spending hours designing Neopets and interacting with the Neopet community. Puzzle Adventure, though, is more akin to handheld favorite Puzzle Quest. Each player builds a Neopet character with basic stats, magic spells, and clothing. The chief difference between Neopets Puzzle Adventure and Puzzle Quest, however, is the game objective. In Puzzle Quest, you win by matching three like icons in a row. Neopets Puzzle Adventure is based on the strategy board game of Reversi, (or Othello). The end goal is to dominate the board with your colored gems.

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