Promising upcoming game releases

The Game Room
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It looks like we’ve potentially got a few good months ahead of us for game releases.

Modern Warfare 2 has a shot at setting all sorts of game buying records. I hope the $60 price tag for the PC version doesn’t set a new trend, but I’m sure in this case it will be worth it.

There’s Fallout 3: New Vegas which I’m very hopeful about. It isn’t a sequel to Fallout 3, but rather, it’s a group of some of the original developers of the fallout series working with the fallout 3 engine. I hope to see better dialog, more interesting game decisions, and an interesting story.

Operation Flashpoint 2 is a sequel to one of the best games of all time (IMO), Operation Flashpoint. It isn’t made by the same developers (the original OFP developers went on to create OFP’s spiritual successors ARMA and ARMA II. I haven’t gotten ARMA 2 yet mostly because money is tight but I plan to, even though it has some rather horrid interface/control issues. I was pleasantly surprised to see some new in-game footage (1 2 3 4) that indicate that it may be a real sequel to the game.

They seem to be focused on realism, open world dynamic objective based missions, (I assume) being able to use any weapon or vehicle available on the battlefield, crazy long draw distances and realistic combat ranges (OFP/ARMAs are still the only game I think gets this even close), etc.

It looks slow as hell, but they’re demoing it on the xbox so that’s actually a good sign - the game pushes the cutting edge so it should look great on the PC.

If it turns out to have ARMA 2’s depth without the flaws, I may get it. I may end up getting both.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 is a rally racing game. I’m not big into racing games, but among the different types of races rally racing is definitely the most interesting. It has detailed physics and car damage models and that appeals to me. If it basically turns out to be a better looking and more realistic FlatOut, I’m in.

What got my attention is that the developers announced an intent to delay the PC version by a few months in order to beef up the graphics and add directx 11 support, one of the first games to do it. They say they think they can make it the best looking racing game of all time. In the days of dumbed down, aged-tech console ports, I really appreciate it when a developer puts in the extra effort to make the game better on the PC.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a game that I probably should be looking forward to more than I am, since I’ve logged quite a few quality hours in with other SDMBers in L4D. I guess I’m still kind of irritated at how long it took them to release content that should’ve been available at launch, and now they’re cashing in by coming out with a sequel in only a year. I’m sure I’ll still end up getting it, and it’ll be fun - but I’m not wildly enthusiastic about it.

So what is everyone else looking forward to?

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Alpha Protocol

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My biggest want for the fall is probably New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I mean, it’s the first 2D Mario game on a console in nearly 20 years. What’s not to love?

I also think Wet (with Eliza Dushku voicing the main character) looks pretty neat. Fills the hack n’ slash/gunplay niche that I love.

Guitar Hero 5 has a great soundtrack (Sympathy For the Devil!) and I’m thinking about it.

I’m not a big Halo player, but Halo 3: ODST could more or less be considered a new episode of Firefly with the voice cast involved, so I’m thinking about it as well.

Wolfenstein is a maybe, I’m hoping for a demo.

And while the demo was a bit disappointing, Batman: Arkham Asylum still looks great and I’ll rent it at the very least.

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Dragon Age, Champions, and, of course, Brutal Legend, here.

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Ooooh, cool. I’ll give anything with JE Sawyer (fallout 2) as lead design a spin.

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Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

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I’m also looking forward to Fallout 3: New Vegas, as well as Left 4 dead 2 and modern warfare 2.

On the Left 4 Dead front I’m also looking forward to the new DLC coming out. I believe it’s a new campaign and it’s free for PC, $7 for xbox.

Let’s see,

Dragon Age origins is looking great! I think it will live up to it’s hype as “spiritual successor” to Baldur’s gate. Definitely picking this one up.

Majesty 2 should tide me over till C&C4 which will tide me over until Starcraft 2.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is also on my to play list.

Isn’t there a new Supreme commander coming out? And when is Diablo 3 expected?

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Both are expected in 2010 (although anything Blizzard says with regards to release dates is an educated guess at best). Fallout: New Vegas is also not coming out until 2010.

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I’m looking forward to the September 9th release of The Beatles: Rock Band.

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Tekken 6, Starcraft 2, Final Fantasy XIII

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Trine - I’ve never been big on puzzle games, but I played the demo for this one and it looks pretty fun. Graphics are pretty too.

Disciples III - Haven’t played a good turn-based game in a while.

Fallout 3 - I haven’t picked up any of the expansions yet, so I’m hoping they’ll all be sold together at some point in the future…

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Bethesda is releasing a Game of the Year Edition that will include the original game bundled with all of the expansions sometime in the fall. Sorry it’s not more specific, but that’s all I got.

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That’s what I came in to say. I’m hoping they fixed a lot of things wrong with the first one.

I do know it is going to be gorgeous.

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It’s still in closed beta and isn’t likely to come out until the end of the year, but I want Global Agenda so bad. It looks like it fixes the issues with both Planetside and Tabula Rasa. I’ve been let down by MMOs pretty often in the past so I’m trying not to get too hyped about it, but it really looks good.

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Wolfenstein should be out next week, any indications what to expect?

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It didn’t even occur to me that there wouldn’t be a Rock Band 3 coming out this year. I heard about the Beatles game but figured it was going to be an incremental installment.

Then again, RB2 feels nearly perfect and they don’t have to release new games to have new songs, so I suppose there’s not really much of a reason to have a rock band 3…

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The new Splinter Cell game looks intriguing.

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I’m sure there will be a RB3, it’s too much of a cash cow not to make it. But for this year it’s brand extension with Beatles and RB: Lego (which will be family friendly rock songs).

Champions is also scheduled to hit mid-September. For those looking for a multiplayer superhero RPG that you can play with your buddies in the same room Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is also scheduled for mid-September (though unlike the last two iterations in the series I’m passing on getting it early on since my friends will be playing Champions with me and I’ve heard some bad things about the game being stripped down).

Looking a bit further out I’m excited that there will finally be a Sakura Wars game brought to the US in November; the fifth game in the main series is coming to the Wii as Sakura Wars: Fairwell My Love. It’s a tactical mech strategy game mixed with a dating sim. Seriously.

I seriously think there’s something for everyone dropping in the next few months across all platforms. That surprised me since I’m used to going four or five months between major release that I’m interested in.

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Mass Effect 2 has me planning to drop off the face of the earth for the entire month of January 2010.

I’m also looking forward to Dragon Age Origins and The Old Republic (KOTOR MMO), but ME2 is the release that I am truly salivating over.

Hmm, it occurs to me that all three are Bioware games. Yay, Bioware!

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There will, in fact, be a Rock Band 3. Harmonix confirmed over the weekend. It’ll be cool, no need to worry.