• Domestic

GamePro's 2008 Fall Preview Guide!

• By GamePro Staff
• September 26, 2008 12:12 PM PST
• Print
• Email this!
• Share
  • Digg
  • Yahoo Buzz!
  • FaceBook
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us

#20: The Sims 3

2009: PC
In 10 words: realer models, better aging, more community interaction. Still speaking Simlish.

#19: StarCraft II

2009: PC, Mac
StarCraft is widely considered to be the best real-time strategy game ever made. Even ten years after its initial release in 1998, professional gamers still compete in StarCraft matches for big money. With StarCraft II, developer Blizzard plans to carry on the tradition by creating the "ultimate competitive real-time strategy game." In StarCraft II, you choose from one of three playable races: the mechanically adept and mobile Terrans, the technologically advanced Protoss, or the bestial alien Zerg. Although each race plays radically different, StarCraft's hallmark is balance. We're not expecting to see StarCraft II until 2009 at the earliest, and the wait won't be easy, but you can get up-to-date information on the game's many details by visiting starcraft2.com.

#18: Street Fighter IV

2009: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
The first true Street Fighter sequel in over a decade hits the PS3 and Xbox 360 early next year. Street Fighter IV keeps the retro feel by sticking to a 2D fighting style, using 3D character models and backgrounds to spice up the visuals. Street Fighter IV plays refreshingly similar to Street Fighter games of past (you still remember all the moves, don't you?), so anyone who has an affinity for old-school fighters will love it. Adding to the nostalgia, Capcom is bringing back 12 classic characters-Ken, Ryu, Guile, and the rest of the gang-but also adds five new brawlers including the lighting-fast Crimson Viper, the burly El Fuerte, and a sinister final boss known only as "Seth." Street Fighter IV is already up and running in Japanese arcades, so we'll see if Tekken 6 can keep up come later this year.

#17: Tekken 6

2009: PlayStation 3
Tekken 5 was one of the most balanced, fierce, and replayable fighters ever created, and Tekken 6 is following closely in its footsteps. Early hands-on experiences have highlighted the game's magnificent HD visuals - seriously, folks, this is one beautiful brawler - plus countless new costumes and accessories. But Tekken 6 makes a controversial addition in its new "bound" moves, which are smashing attacks that send your opponent bouncing off the ground...and right back into your fists for more punishment. Frustratingly, these new moves emphasize massive mid-air juggle combos instead of the more nuanced back-and-forth sniping of Tekken 5. Still, Tekken 6 is upping the ante with its enormous 40-man fighter roster, which the morbidly obese Bob, the Spanish hothead Miguel, and a contortionist named Zafina. The release date remains a mystery, but we're betting on early 2009.

#16: Star Ocean: The Last Hope

2009: Xbox 360
After a third World War leaves Earth an inhospitable husk, humanity turns its gaze to the heavens. First contact with an alien race and early warp drives follow, ushering in a new era of exploration. Edge Maverick and Reimi Saionji acquire a ship of their own in this universe of possibility, and set out on the breed of epic RPG adventure that only Square Enix can pull off.

The Last Hope is actually a prequel to the 1996 original. So far, gameplay details remain elusive, with early reports indicating that the real-time combat will feature four party members working together. More than anything, we want to see the latest evolution of the series' famous item creation system, which enables characters to craft powerful items by hand. Why face tantalizing mysteries with anything less than the best gear?

#15: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

OUT NOW ON PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, PSP!
Forget Obi-wan Kenobi's subtle mind tricks; Darth Vader's secret apprentice is the Sith equivalent of an abused pit-bull. The opening level lets you tear the Wookiee home world apart as Mr. Heavy Breathing himself, but the rest of the game mines the eighteen tumultuous years between Episodes III and IV, and tells the saga of a tortured soul who might be the most powerful force-wielder in history.

Toss dozens of objects around simultaneously, scour a gorgeous and imaginative universe of strange planets for Jedi, and cut them down with incredible over-the-top renditions of classic powers like force push and lightning. What better excuse could there be to leave a trail of death and demolition in your wake than the guarded secret of Starkiller's very existence? This is Star Wars for Dark Side devotees.

#15: Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

Winter 2008: Wii
Tales of Symphonia was one of the GameCube's most popular RPGs, so this Wii sequel makes perfect sense. But this sequel is seeing some surprising changes. Unlike the original game, which offered a more traditional RPG experience, Dawn of the New World will let you capture, customize, and breed over 200 different varieties of monsters. These monsters can join you on the battlefield or aid you in other ways. We wish there were more motion control outside of point-and-click movement, but the new four-player combat zones and the stellar storyline -- featuring the original game's protagonist as the villain -- will have us eagerly awaiting this Dawn.

#14: This is Vegas

November: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Don't have the scratch to put together a Lost Wages run this year? GamePro offers up five reasons why you're better off staying home and playing This is Vegas instead.

5. Racing Tear up the strip in hot rides you'd never get permission to photograph, let alone drive, and without wrapping yourself around a telephone pole in the process.

4. Gambling Yeah, sure, you're the mathematical genius with a card-playing system that'll burn the house down. Right. Throw away your fake money at the simulated tables, and save the real cash for paying off your credit cards.

3. Glamour This is Vegas is full of celebrities, big wheels, and exaggerated beauty; Nevada's desert jewel is rife with lowlifes, wannabes and blowhards. Who would you rather hang out with?

2. Romance Those unattainable beauties won't give you the time of day if you don't look like Brad Pitt or have a stack of hundreds parked next to your drink. Luckily, your alter ego actually has a shot.

1. Clear Conscience Don't believe the tourist board: what happens in Vegas might just follow you around for the rest of your life. Raise hell in the virtual world, and you'll still be able to look at yourself in the mirror.

#13: Tiberium

Fall 2008: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tiberium doesn't mark the Command & Conquer series' first foray into first-person shooter territory, but the devastation of 2002's Renegade can't compare to the high-fidelity world of war that stretches out into the distance here. Walking armored hulks will support your quest to claim important objectives, but a great leader commands from the front. Lucky for you, Ricardo Vega's exoskeleton enables unnaturally high jumps to clear obstacles, and new weapons-such as shell that splinters in mid-air to launch homing missiles-will improve your chances for survival.

#12: Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

2009: PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
The involvement of Charlie's Angels director Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol makes us cringe, but there must be something special here to lure Christian Bale to the new Terminator trilogy. Let's hope that special sauce carries over to consoles. The game's been in development for only a year, so details are scarce, but we do know it'll track humanity's final battle against Skynet's formidable forces in 2018, and we can't wait to see what new challenges await John Connor and the mysterious Marcus Wright.

#11: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009

Fall: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP
Lest you think the lack of competition led it to complacency, this year's entry in the long-running WWE series will ship with new goodies like a create-a-finisher system, a more intimate ringside camera, less distracting intersection of wrestlers' bodies, and a revamped career mode that supports co-op for the first time. The deepest new content lies in the realm of tag team matches, where partners can hot tag for ring-clearing rampages, execute fifty different double team moves, and finish off an opponent together. Wii owners can even waggle their Wiimotes and Nunchuks during entrances to hype up the crowd and build momentum.

#10: TNA iMPACT!

September: PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2
Don't count out the challenger just yet. TNA will rock eight different arenas with a full roster of 25 combatants, some of whom are actually WWE alumni. A six-sided ring mixes up the geography, and you won't find the Ultimate X match, where wrestlers must climb cables strung over the ring to claim their prize, anywhere else. TNA iMPACT! is unlikely to ship with a comparable number of match types, and we expect a certain amount of awkwardness as players come to terms with the quirks of a new approach, but its obvious emphasis on fast-paced action over constant grappling and powerful submission holds could well make it the most frantic wrestling game on the market.

#9: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

TBA: PC, Xbox 360
Sam Fisher might be a fugitive after the climactic events of Double Agent, but he's received a lot of support from Anna Grimsd?ttir over the years, so he doesn't hesitate to come out of hiding when he learns she's in trouble. Third Echelon is a hamstrung shadow of its former glory, so Sam's on his own this time. The newly bearded operative won't spend much time hiding in the shadows, though. When you're a fugitive stalking the grounds of painfully public locations like the Korean War Memorial, sneaky subtlety requires hiding in the most dangerous place of all -- plain sight. Improvisation is the order of these dark days: a dropped cell phone's incessant beeping could distract a troublesome sentry, and food court chairs can double as projectile weapons in a pinch.

The crowds of ordinary people and expansive environments give the impression of a sort of Tom Clancy's Assassin's Creed, and the development delays make us wonder if even a top-flight developer like Ubisoft Montreal can pull off such monumental gameplay shift. Sam Fisher's no stranger to high stakes, though, so we're confident he'll find a way to work through his current growing pains.

#8: Tom Clancy's EndWar

October: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PSP
When Russia surges into Europe in 2020 in an imperialistic frenzy financed by oil profits, World War III ceases to be hypothetical and starts becoming very, very real. EndWar's near-future apocalypse puts advanced assets at your disposal, from nimble next-generation tanks to unmanned sacrificial drones and ludicrously powerful orbiting weapons platforms. Couch commanders roll into co-op and competitive matches as the United States, Russia, or European forces, and a persistent online theater of war will offer a new dynamic conflict every few weeks. Even cooler is the optional all-inclusive voice command system. After all, when was the last time you pictured a General mashing buttons and twiddling analog sticks?

#7: Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Fall 2008: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Flight simulations are often either absurdly complicated or shallow arcade novelties, but H.A.W.X. will explore the sweet spot between both extremes. Over fifty licensed planes offer variety and authenticity, from Lockheed Martin's pending F-35 Lightning II to older workhorses like the Russian MiG-29. You can take assignments all over the world, including scenic locales like Rio de Janeiro, and contend with plentiful hostile gunfire. The computer can draw a trajectory to intercept an enemy or evade a locked-on missile, or you can nail high-risk stunts like drifts and flips with a standard controller or flight stick.

#6: Tomb Raider: Underworld

November: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PC
Lara Croft is still the most recognizable female protagonist in video games, and new developer Crystal Dynamics has helped restore a bit of the old girl's luster. Lara returns in Underworld, and she feels nimbler than ever. Lara also comes equipped with some clever new tricks, such as deployable bombs, a grappling hook for rappelling, and a new camera item that allows you upload and share your favorite pics (or lurid Lara poses).

#5: Too Human

OUT NOW ON Xbox 360!
I 10 words: Nietzche, Norse mythology, and laser guns: a Diablo III killer?

#4: Twisted Metal (Working Title)

Late 2009: PlayStation 3
About all we know about the new chapter in the long-running Twisted Metal series is that it's definitely on the way, and that original designer (and God of War creator) David Jaffe is back at the helm. Hell, the developer won't even reveal whether it'll be a full-fledged retail game or a PlayStation Store download, but just the thought of seeing Sweet Tooth's ice cream truck unleash napalm and homing missiles across brand new cutting edge arenas has us honking our horns in excitement. Eat Sleep Play announced the game in a most unusual way, too. Rather than simply issue a press release, they challenged players of the PlayStation 2's Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition to find a hidden coded message that revealed the exciting new project. It got our attention, that's for sure.

#3: Velvet Assassin

October: Xbox 360, PC
Set in World War II, Velvet Assassin is a stealth-action game with gameplay nods to Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. You play as real-life Allied secret agent Violette Summer, who stealthily goes behind German lines to sabotage the war machine. As the game name implies, Velvet Assassin is more about sneaking up on enemies and dragging them into the shadows rather than ballistic shootouts. Much like other stealth action games, you creep around and grab enemies from behind, but here you can perform over 50 different assassination variations.

#2: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

November: PC
The second expansion for World of Warcraft marks the long-awaited introduction of the first hero class: the undead Death Knight. Here are five reasons why these spectral savages will be your new best friend in the world's biggest online role-playing game.

5. Rarity If you're sick of running into your long-lost identical twin every time you hit a major city, you'll appreciate that Death Knights will be less common than any other class. You can only create one of these creeps per realm, and you have to have hit level 55 to unlock the privilege, so there's a certain cachet that comes with playing as one.

4. Deathcharger Mount Death Knights will get their own mount. There's a fair amount of controversy at the moment over what's most likely a placeholder version in a recent patch, but it seems safe to assume that Blizzard's fantastic art crew will whip up something special for these bruisers to ride around.

3. Runes Rather than use mana, energy, or rage, as other classes do, the Death Knight slide runes into six slots on a blade underneath the health bar. How you arrange your unholy, blood, or frost runes helps determine your role in combat, from shieldless tank to melee damage dealer.

2. Playing with the Dead Create your own undead minions with the Army of the Dead ability, or raise fallen enemies and allies alike from the ground to do your bidding. Risen allies even get the option to control their reanimated carcass, and its new abilities, in service to your dark will. Suddenly all those corpses are actually good for something.

1. Spread Disease Turn your toon into a Typhoid Mary and spread pestilence wherever you go. As your illnesses take root in the target host, he or she will grow weak, and you'll do ever greater amounts of damage to the poor sod. Think of the Death Knight as your very own anti-Priest.

#1: Valkyria Chronicles

Fall 2008: PlayStation 3
Sega's quirky strategy RPG is already out in Japan, but Western audiences will have to wait until later this year to defend the fictional 1930 European nation of Gallia from the invading Empire. The gameplay jumps between command mode, an aerial map view of forces positioned on city streets and ravaged fields, and action mode, where you take direct control of the individuals under your command. You'll take cover, provide medical support, gain experience for improved gear, and manually line up each attack with rifles, grenades, and anti-tank weapons. Valkyria Chronicles' striking cel-shaded aesthetics set it apart from the gritty realism of most current war games, and its offbeat old world spirit could reinvigorate players who have tired of unrelentingly grim modern battlefields.

• Previous Page Prev
• Next Page Next
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

• Print
• Email this!
• Share
  • Digg
  • Yahoo Buzz!
  • FaceBook
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us