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GamePro's 2008 Fall Preview Guide!

• By GamePro Staff
• September 26, 2008 12:12 PM PST
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#41: Prince of Persia

Holiday 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
The mysterious figure slides down the embankment with rugged grace, strands of his turban trailing behind him, his sandals surfing the currents of sand that flow across the sun-baked rock. His path leads directly and unavoidably to a thousand-foot column of empty space, and the cliff on the opposite side seems miles out of reach. The rogue leaps out without hesitation, hangs in the air for a moment, and all seems lost-until a feminine form materializes in the air above him, her arm outstretched, to swing our hero to safety.

Unlike his predecessor, this new Prince holds no sway over the flow of time, but he's every bit as acrobatic. Running across multiple walls in sequence, clutching ledges, and scrambling up sheer surfaces has never looked better than in this new-generation reinvention of Prince of Persia. A shiny new "grip glove" comes in handy as well: as it grinds against rock or cuts into soft sandstone, you'll descend sheer surfaces with full directional control, dodging troublemakers on the way down. The acrobatics are comfortingly familiar in concept and control, but breathtaking in their showmanship.

The fresh start afforded Prince of Persia's corrupted regions is a fitting metaphor for the game as a whole. Where the existing trilogy emphasized rewinding time and the unwieldy consequences, this new adventure springs from the more powerful and transformative notion of rebirth. From what we've seen so far, it could be one hell of a fresh start.

#40: Project Origin

October 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
"Project Origin": a deranged experiment on a hapless child, cursed with psychic ability and imprisoned for it, forced to give birth to at least two of her own children over the course of a lifetime of shackled suffering. Monolith Studios' F.E.A.R. told the tale of one of those children and the search for his mother, Alma. Now, F.E.A.R.'s sequel will continue to unravel Alma's story, this time through the eyes of a Delta Force agent named Michael Becket.

Horrific as Project Origin's experimental namesake was, Monolith is looking to boost the blood, tighten the story, and further the fear-factor in its return to the cursed Armacham facility. The graphics have gotten a much-needed HD boost, and the combat features some sweet new weaponry and the return of F.E.A.R.'s much-celebrated slow-mo Focus mode. The already impressive enemy intelligence has also gotten a makeover, with enemy behaviors now completely unscripted and unpredictable. In other words, play the same section of the game twice and you'll get two different experiences.

Those experiences should be plenty scary, too, since Monolith is trying to work your senses during gameplay. Focus down your gun's iron sights and your vision will sharpen while your hearing dulls; blow away a target at close range and your visor will be splattered with blood, forcing you to listen for enemies while taking the time to wipe the gore away. F.E.A.R. wasn't perfect, but Monolith is sure trying to put out the perfect sequel.

#39: Prototype

February 2009: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
A hooded hero, a guiltless conscience, a barren memory, and trans-human abilities both awesome and bewildering together define Prototype, a sandbox action game set in a modern-day, open-world, shockingly authentic New York City. As the city falls to the ravages of a viral mutation and the government charges the streets to fight back the infected populace, Alex Mercer seeks only to learn who (and why) he is. As for the what, that's easy: Alex is a shapeshifter. He can absorb, consume, and take on the properties of anything-objects, creatures, enemies, and innocents alike. It will take all his abilities to beat back the city, and all of our patience to wait until 2009 when Prototype finally hits store shelves.

#38: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

Fall 2008: XBLA, DS, PC
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was a fiendishly addictive puzzle/RPG that used Bejeweled-like gameplay to simulate combat. Despite its outrageously enjoyable gameplay (it's still a favorite in the GamePro offices), Warlords had two problems: it looked awful, and its puzzle board was ho-hum. Like a good sequel should, Galactrix is evolving its take on puzzling with these three gameplay enhancements.

1. Complete graphical and environmental overhaul. As its name implies, Galactrix is going solidly sci-fi. The move into space has meant transforming the cartoony look of Warlords to a cleaner, more futuristic style that puts the cutesy fantasy setting to shame. The RPG elements of combat have also changed, and instead of managing the spells and health of a Warlord, you'll be watching the weapons and armor of your spaceship.

2. Pegboards are out; hexes are in. Perhaps the most important change coming in Galactrix is the puzzle board revamp. No longer is the playing field a square board with circular, peg-like tiles; now, both the board and tiles are hexagons. Tile-swaps can be made in any of six directions instead of four, multiplying the game's complexity.

3. Gravity is no longer on your side. Now that matches take place in space, new tiles no longer fall from the top of the screen every time you clear a set of three or more; instead, tiles will "fall" into play from any of the six directions, based on which way you're flipping pairs. That means you can create different chain combos by switching the same two tiles different ways, making strategy absolutely vital to success.

#37: Pure

OUT NOW ON PS3, Xbox 360, PC!
In 10 words: Extreme off-road racing with amazing graphics. Prettiest game ever?

#36: Resident Evil 5

2009: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Set in a small African village, former special ops agent Chris Redfield finds again himself in a sticky situation. Strapped with bulging biceps and a machete, Chris is outnumbered by more onscreen zombies than any other game in the series. They're more relentless, too, charging Chris with blades, pipes, and wrenches, grabbing and biting at his shoulders if they can get close enough. Constantly wrestling with his vile adversaries (which are Las Plagas victims a la RE4), Resident Evil 5 looks to be the most intense and uncomfortably graphic Resident Evil yet.

POINT 1: No Place to Survive There is literally no place to survive the horror in Resident Evil 5. You're able to barricade Chris indoors just like in RE4, pushing cabinets and tables in front of doorways to stall the weaker "infected," but bigger "boss zombies" will demolish your efforts in a single blow. For instance, one hulking foe in particular is a girthy executioner who wields a massive mace-axe capable of killing Chris in one swipe.

POINT 2: Real Fire and Electricity On a visual level, the fire effects in Resident Evil 5 are a striking feature. If you're a fan of the incendiary grenades from RE4, you're going to pyro your pants when you see zombies light up in RE5. The same goes for the electricity effects. You can shoot telephone pole conductors, which fall to the ground and emit an electric-shock wave. Incendiary or electricity, either way you're going to end up with burnt zombie toast.

POINT 3: Unsolved Mysteries "There are lots of elements and enemies you haven't seen yet," teases co-producer Jun Takeuchi. For instance, co-op was merely a rumor up until the E3 confirmation. You and a friend will now be able to romp through the infected villages of Africa together as Chris and new partner Shiva. Of course, there's still the looming suspicion surrounding Sherry Birkin last seen in RE2.

#35: Resistance 2

November: PlayStation 3
Resistance 2 hits the PlayStation 3 this November, and with it, one of the biggest, most ambitious first-person shooters ever devised. Here is Resistance 2 -- by the numbers.

1) Two campaign modes. Resistance 2 includes two separate Campaign modes, each with its own storyline. The Campaign mode is an epic single-player experience based around the exploits of half-Chimera, half-human Lt. Nathan Hale as he seeks to liberate Chicago and San Francisco from the Chimera invaders. But there's a second campaign, too, in the...

2) 8-player online Cooperative mode. This entirely separate storyline allows you and seven buddies to play as Medics, Soldiers, and Special Ops in massive online battles. Each character class has special powers, such as the Soldier's energy shield or the Medic's healing rays, which can help protect your team from the...

3) Scores of enemies. Resistance 2's Cooperative mode overwhelms eight players with Starship Trooper-style Chimera onslaughts, and you'll have to work as a team to thin the crowds. As you vanquish boss monsters, you'll earn Chimera artifacts that will unlock new equipment and outfits. But to earn all the secret upgrades, you've got to play the...

4) 60-player online Competitive mode. Surprisingly, 60-player online matches aren't as chaotic as they sound. To keep big matches manageable, Resistance 2 splits each team into a handful of smaller squads; these squads them go off to accomplish team objectives. But these numbers are nothing compared to the biggest surprise in Resistance 2...

5) A 300-foot boss monster. The Leviathan lurks in Chimera-occupied Chicago, and it's so big it blocks out the sun. To overcome this titan, you'll need to fire LAARK rockets down its gullet as it prepares to devour you. But even that might not be enough.

#34: Saints Row 2

October: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
In 10 words: open-world gang carnage continues in Volition's answer to GTA.

#33: Red Faction: Guerrilla

2009: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
In 2001, Red Faction's GeoMod technology promised the complete destruction of everything in the game, from metal walls to Martian terrain. Unfortunately, that promise was waylaid by ugly graphics and unimaginative level design, making GeoMod little more than a gimmick. Enter Guerrilla, the evolution of Red Faction that has, like so many games, gone open-world. Armed with a Halo 3-inspired mining hammer and a bevy of explosives and roving vehicles, you can destroy anything and everything in the world-except the terrain. This restriction is for the better, according to developer Volition. In Guerrilla, they're going with gameplay over gimmicks.

#32: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels

Winter 2008: Wii
Sporting the same visual style of this summer's Clone Wars CG movie (and this fall's TV show), Lightsaber Duels is a one-on-one fighting game featuring prequel characters such as Obi-Wan, Anakin, General Grievous, and Count Dooku, plus new faces like Anakin's padawan Ahsoka Tano and Dooku henchwoman Asajj Ventress. We're still not sure if this game can support precise lightsaber motions but, either way, it's got to be better than the last Star Wars fighting game, the ill-concieved Masters of Teras Kasi (ugh).

#31: Shaun White Snowboarding

Fall 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Peaks, powder, and heart-pumping speed may introduce Shaun White Snowboarding, but it's authenticity that defines the game. Shaun "Flying Tomato" White, with an Olympic gold medal around his neck, has partnered up with Ubisoft to help create the most fun, realistic, seamless snowboarding game ever made. It's not just a licensing arrangement, either. White makes regular trips to Ubisoft's offices to nail down what works and what doesn't.

You'll start at the top of mile-high mountains and literally board anywhere, in any direction, all the way down. It's an ambitious, yet utterly natural approach. You can view the snow cascades from any angle, thanks to customizable camera angles. You can even snowboard in a first-person perspective-a feature White himself insisted on. The slope terrain gradually changes on the way down, simulating the vegetation growth of a real mountain. And the courses themselves will be mind-numbingly massive, with ten-minute runs commonplace. Sports games that appeal to the masses are few and far between (see 1080), but Shaun White Snowboarding could very well bridge the gap.

#30: Skate 2

Fall 2008: PS3, Xbox 360
After the original Skate outsold Tony Hawk 2:1, it was no surprise when EA announced Skate 2, a promise that already has fans flexing with anticipation. Returning to the city of San Vanelona five years after the events of the first game, players will find that skateboarding has become an outlawed phenomenon. City-erected obstacles will make tricks harder to pull off, and getting caught is no longer just a ticketable offense; it's grounds for the kinds of severe penalties that make grinding the law that much more appealing. A tight-lipped EA hasn't said much beyond the faintest hints of a harsher, more immediate skating paradise, but we're crossing our fingers for this tricked-out sequel.

#29: SOCOM: Confrontation

September 16, 2008: PS3
While Zipper Interactive works on re-imagining SOCOM 4, they've passed the reigns for an online-only SOCOM sequel over to Slant Six. Confrontation stays true to the classic gameplay of SOCOM in virtually every way-customizable weapons, realistic player damage, an authentic armory, and over-the-shoulder, squad-based shooting-and then takes things one step further by bringing it all to the PlayStation 3. You'll see a variety of multiplayer maps, both new and classic, as well as a Sixaxis tilt-enhanced cover system and some very pretty graphics. Fans of Counterstrike, Rainbow Six, and Metal Gear Online will want to check out this puppy.

#28: Silent Hill 5: Homecoming

October: PS3, Xbox 360
In 10 words: US devs tackle horror, add dodging and better combat. Boo!

#27: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Fall 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC
The alien symbiote, best known for turning our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man into a dark emo prick in Spider-Man 3, has spread its gooey vine-like grip throughout the streets of New York City. In Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, you have ultimate control over the fate of the city and over Spider-Man's path. Here are three ways Web of Shadows is building a better Spidey.

1. Red and black suit Spideys. For the first time in a Spider-Man game, you will be able to control both the acrobatic red suit Spider-Man and the savage, Venom-esque black suit Spider-Man. You can switch between the suits, even in mid-attack, to create new, devastating combos and finishing moves.

2. An overhauled combat system. You can now lock on to enemies - it's about time! - to help you better exploit Spidey's agility and strength. A context-sensitive camera system makes combat hyper responsive, allowing you to take on multiple enemies at once.

3. Choose your destiny. The choices you make will reflect the outcome of the game. Web of Shadows showcases many classic heroes and villains, and the missions you choose to accept will influence who will aid you in the fight to save New York from the impending symbiote takeover.

#26: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Fall 2008: DS
Hold up, now. Sonic the Hedgehog, in a role-playing game? For the Nintendo DS? Stop scratching your head -- it's true. This is a true RPG, too. You'll lead Sonic and his friends through classic locales like Green Hill Zone on a journey to rescue Knuckles and find the location of the disappearing Chaos Emeralds. You'll control everything using the DS stylus, from point-and-click movement across the world to the turn-based combat and mini-games. We're holding out a lot of hope for this unusual pairing.

#25: Sonic Unleashed

Fall 2008: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2
Finally! A 3D, high-def envisioning of Sonic the Hedgehog that captures it all-the ridiculous speed, the bouncing puzzles, the breakneck twists and turns and loops that bring us back to our Genesis days. Sonic Unleashed will fluidly tie together both classic 2D levels and short, full-3D speed stints in a drop-dead gorgeous 3D world. By day, he'll collect golden rings, blast through enemies, and traverse a shattered Earth on his quest to find the ever-elusive Chaos Emeralds. But when night falls, Sonic's inner werewolf comes out to play.

#24: Splatterhouse

2009: PS3, Xbox 360
Twenty years after bursting onto the arcade scene as a gore-infused beat-em-up and survival-horror prototype, Splatterhouse reawakens as a sleek new-gen brawler. It's a full-3D re-imagining more brutal and bloody than anything else in gaming. We're talking about Hulk-style thunderclaps popping brains and two-by-fours separating muscle and sinew from bone. This game will not be getting a Teen rating.

Splatterhouse tells the story of Rick Taylor, a college student whose girlfriend has vanished into the depths of West Mansion. As monsters and demons claw through the house, Rick happens across the Terror Mask, an ancient relic that transforms him into a primal beast with otherworldly strength and regenerative power. Rick's journey will take him to the furthest corners of the world to track down his beloved Jennifer. It's a simple story from a simpler time in gaming, but Splatterhouse's complex combat system should shine through the blood fountains. If you're looking for God of War-style carnage, look no further.

#22: Spyborgs

2009: Wii
Spyborgs combines violence and hilarity into one Saturday-morning cartoon package. This action-adventure game brings together five quirky super-spies. The gameplay switches between combat and puzzle-solving/platforming, and the goal is to work cooperatively, using different characters to engage in team-based challenges. But here's the genius twist: Spyborgs follows a Saturday morning cartoon structure, complete with commercials (some of which are playable mini-games). We're so there.

#21: Spore

OUT NOW ON PC AND MAC!
So you've downloaded the Spore Creature Creator. Good for you! If you haven't, now's the time to get in on the fun (psst...it's free!). Here are a few tips on how to start playing a wacko Mother Nature; mad scientist-grade white jacket not included.

Step 1: Add a body: Start out with a strong body shape. Use your mouse's scrollwheel on the various spine pieces to enlarge or shrink body areas.

Step 2: Arms and legs: If you want your creature to move about in a timely fashion, you may want to think about adding arms and legs. Than again, anything is possible -- you can have a creepy crawler if you so desire.

Step 3: Eyes and mouth: Your creation is going to need to be able to see and eat if it's going to survive in the big bad world. You can also decide whether your creation eats plants, meat, or both.

Step 4: Wings, horns and more: Time to decorate! Everything you need to customize your creature is included in this extensive section of accessories.

Step 5: Paint shop: Now you can choose colors and textures to your creature, or even add stripes, polka dots and other textures.

Step 6: Finalize!: You can now drop your creation into a basic environment to watch its behavior. You can experiment with movement, fighting, and breeding practices. A new life is born!

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