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Xbox 360 2009 Games

• By GamePro Staff
• January 07, 2009 16:35 PM PST
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Dark Void

Your calloused feet have torn across hundreds of miles of cratered terrain on alien worlds and WWII killing fields, but how many frequent flyer miles have you logged? Dark Void blends the familiar thrill of incendiary run-and-gun action with extended sequences of breathtaking aerial combat.

Alien Aggression

When the cargo ship you're piloting plunges into the Bermuda Triangle, you're transported to a troubled parallel universe called "The Void." This harsh realm is infested with would-be invaders called "The Watchers," creeps who clank around in metallic armor and unload energy blasts at anything that moves, opposed by a desperate resistance force comprised of your fellow shipwrecked humans. Grab an assault rifle and join the struggle to gain ground against overwhelming odds by blind-firing from behind outcroppings and debris, or get in close and smash the butt of your weapon through some jerk's faceplate.

The gritty visuals, intense firefights, and cover-hugging mechanics might initially call to mind another apocalyptic stop-and-pop classic, but then Dark Void turns the Gears of War gameplay mechanic on its side. Thanks to the jetpack on your back, the battlefield doesn't end when you reach a cliff-it goes vertical. Peer over the rocky edge and continue the assault, letting gravity pull you down 15 feet at a time, or clutch a handhold and plant slugs in enemy heads from below when they poke out to have a look. Don't get too comfortable, either: explosions could shake you loose and send you tumbling to your death unless you master a simple "grip system" mini-game.

Flexible Flyer

You'll improve your armor and weapons with scavenged alien technology as you run, gun, jump, and climb, but there's another awesome airborne twist in store. Once upgraded, that jetpack strapped to your back is good for more than just bunny-hops. With a bit of tinkering, those thrusters transform you into a full-blown rocketeer, and send you soaring across the heavens in pursuit of heavily armed UFOs you can cling to, sabotage, and even hijack. Dodge turret defenses, evict the pilot, and then engage reinforcements in crazed dogfights filled with energy weapon special effects and fiery destruction.

With its mix of traditional, cover-based third-person ground combat, vertiginous vertical assaults, and flight-simulator aerobatics, Dark Void looks like an ambitious attempt to blend genres and add appealing new wrinkles to tried-and-true gameplay. It's hard to tell this early how seamlessly the different gameplay components will gel together, but we can't wait to have the heady freedom to pound ground, scale cliffs, and take to the skies when it finally hits store shelves.

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII's multi-platform release could be revolutionary. Other than a couple of slasher film franchises, nothing has really spawned as many sequels as Final Fantasy has. Now with a 13th installment in place, Square Enix is looking to push the series into unexplored territory with its multi-platform package.

A Bold Move

Ever since Square Enix announced its intentions to release Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360), Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3), and a cell phone game called Final Fantasy Agito XIII under the label Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, people have been wondering if they are innovators or have simply lost their mind. Only time will tell, but this is a truly unique concept and all three games will take place in a single universe divided into two worlds. Cocoon is appropriately named because it's a sheltered world that protects people from the monsters and dangers of the outside world in Pulse. As if the monsters inhabiting Pulse aren't a big enough turn-off, people who venture into Pulse also get quarantined.

First Lady

The story of Final Fantasy XIII centers on a heroine by the name of Lightning which is interesting because the series has never really put a female in the lead role of the game. Armed with her gun sword, Lightning must battle her way past tons of monsters and uncover why they've suddenly been appearing in her land. Final Fantasy Versus XIII takes a different approach in that the lead character, Noctis Lucis Caelum, is a male and is somewhat of a maverick personality-wise. Strangely enough, the two will be fighting in the same world due to the aforementioned single universe concept.

Prepare for Battle

Square Enix will once again be trotting out the Active Time Battle System as the method of combat for the game. But this time around it will be slightly modified so that players can execute combo attacks on their enemies. For example, a player can now use a combination of a stab and slash attacks instead of just using the stab command. Once a player makes their move, the attacks are animated in beautiful graphics. Going beyond the combat, people who played the previous installments of Final Fantasy will notice that the gameplay is a lot faster in Final Fantasy XIII which should definitely please fans of the series. Looks like 13 might just be Square Enix's lucky number.

The Godfather II

Things have changed since we first got an offer we couldn't refuse. This time, instead of being a lowly gun-toting thug, you step into the shoes of The Don himself. A strategy element has been added to the gameplay adding an extra bit of challenge as you try and expand your family's business.

Godfather II helps put you in the Mafioso mood by adding what is called "The Don's View." At anytime during the game, you can call up a 3D map of the surrounding area (in this case) Miami. It shows all the various rackets and crime rings and the families that are running them. Using this map you can strategize exactly how you will take over the city, conquering multiple crime rings at once if necessary. Another added advantage of The Don's View is the ability to send your hired gunmen out to various locations to do your bidding while you accompany your own handpicked crew on various misdeeds. The trick is making sure you have assembled the right crew to carry out the crime at hand. Breaking into that high security building is going to be much easier if you have someone who knows how to disarm alarms on your team.

The Godfather II has a ways to go before it is completed and hopefully will play to its strengths. The strategy element is an interesting addition and is really where the game shines. If EA can get the rest of the title to live up to the Don's View, this could turn out to be an interesting title for Grand Theft Auto fans.

Halo 3: ODST

Halo 3: ODST will put players in the boots of a UNSC recon soldier for the first time in the series. The unnamed recon agent will serve as a "new hero" for an all-new story line and single-player campaign. The game has been described as both an "expansion" and a "prequel," but players won't need to own the original Halo 3 in order to play ODST. In fact, ODST will share several elements with the original Halo 3, including the full multiplayer and Forge editing modes.

A New Fight

The teaser trailer, debuted at the Tokyo Game Show, shows a catastrophic explosion in a human city that is the result of the Covenant's invasion of Earth following the events in Halo 2. The camera then pans to show a group of heavily armored Brutes-the ape-like Covenant aggressors featured prominently in Halo 3's story line. Judging by the footage, the new lead character appears to have a high-tech visor that highlights nearby enemies in bright colors. We've received word that Halo 3: ODST will play much like Halo 3, so we're expecting to see a first-person camera view, familiar weapons, and similar gameplay.

Bungie Jumps

The Halo 3: ODST is being developed by Bungie, the now-independent studio responsible for the original Halo trilogy. Microsoft confirmed a Fall 2009 release date, and the game will ship on a physical DVD-no word yet on a possible downloadable version, but it seems logical.

I Am Alive

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder once famously asserted "Hey, I, oh, I'm still alive." That's a sentiment that could be echoed by the central character of I Am Alive, Ubisoft's upcoming disaster-survival title that may just jump-start a new subgenre of survival horror.

From what we've seen, water seems to be in scarce supply after a natural disaster strikes Adam's home city of Chicago, toppling buildings, collapsing streets, and leaving little in the way of H2O in its wake. Only eight days after the catastrophe, the city is in ruins, and citizens have turned violent in trying to survive. More than one GamePro editor subscribes to the theory that the calamity is actually a majority of the world's water supply instantly evaporating, as supported by the want for water, the streets imploding where water pipes would be, and the fact that Adam's coffee cup falls to the ground empty. We still can't quite explain the ominous beeping cell-phone call Adam received right before the event.

We're not the only ones obsessed with this game already. Eagle-eyed trailer watchers have latched onto I Am Alive the ways fans have scoured shows and movies like Lost and Cloverfield, hoping to find clues in the patchwork. One such Easter egg was a URL referencing Ruaumoko, the Maori god of earthquakes. We're really hoping Ubisoft can hit its tentative Spring 2009 goal for this game, and we also have our fingers crossed that I Am Alive will succeed where games like Disaster Report and Raw Danger have failed. Give us more action and less survival simulation, Ubisoft, and understand that sometimes an unpredictable environment is scarier than zombies or vampires could ever be.

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