Video game fans are never short of ideas for their Christmas lists. It's as soon as summer's end that they can eye a packed list of premium releases that fall and plan which ones they want to be playing come the holiday. Below are the five games I expect to pop up most often on people's wish lists.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Sept. 16 - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, DS
A story bridging “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope” places players in the shoes of Starkiller, a secret apprentice to Darth Vader who helps the Sith Lord hunt the last vestiges of the Jedi. Starkiller can slash his way through melee combat situations with Force powers that allow him to hurl TIE Fighters at foes and boomerang his lightsaber across spaceship hangars. A demo of the game suggests some difficulty in mastering its twin-analog stick Force control, along with a generally subdued tone to its combat. But the game's original story and the thrill of engaging dozens of enemies at a time with Force powers may prove to be the droid “Star Wars” fans have been looking for.
LittleBigPlanet
October - PlayStation 3
Ever since Sony used this puzzle/platform game to present its business figures at this year's E3, the buzz surrounding it has multiplied significantly. As either Sackboy or Sackgirl - a textured character template for avatar customization - “LittleBigPlanet” players are granted a seemingly endless amount of interactivity with their environment. Worlds are built from household items like cardboard and thread and crudely colored with marker and paint to comprise an inspired aesthetic that breaks with the photorealism of other next-gen releases. PlayStation 3 owners seem equally excited about playing the game as they do about using its world creation tools to craft their own levels. The inscrutability of the title's exact purpose seems only to betray its extreme open-endedness.
Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2
Oct. 19 and Oct. 26 - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
The rhythm game wars are set to resume this fall when both these sequels release. While “Rock Band 2” seems almost business-as-usual by introducing only a stellar set list and an optional $300 drum set, the next “Guitar Hero” marks risky new territory for Activision. The addition of drums and vocals to the franchise was surely necessary, but the jury will be out on its execution until the game's release. Boding well for the game is the sterling track record of Harmonix, the “Guitar Hero” series' long-time hardware developer. Regardless of both games' quality, their mutual exclusivity in people's homes was largely erased by the announcements from EA and Activision that either game's instruments will be compatible with the other.
Gears of War 2
(Nov. 7, Xbox 360)
The influence of “Gears of War” could be felt in any shooter in the past year (e.g. “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Kane and Lynch”) where taking cover was crucial to surviving. In its sequel, players will once again fill the boots of Marcus Fenix and lead his Delta Squad against the Locust Horde in a dystopian future. New to the series is the use of downed enemies as shields and an elevated gore quotient. Along with an enriched mythos and easier difficulty options, these new elements of “Gears of Wars 2” look poised to expand the Xbox franchise's following.
Resistance 2
November - PlayStation 3
When it wasn't fielding complaints from church figures for setting battles in England's Manchester Cathedral, “Resistance: Fall of Man” anchored the PlayStation 3 in its first year as arguably the system's finest exclusive title. Its sequel will continue the story of alternate post-World War II history, in which six-eyed aliens called Chimera have threatened humanity. Early previews of the game promise a massive escalation in scale, such as a boss battle with a 300-foot-tall Leviathan. Such points of appeal in “Resistance 2” look likely to continue sharpening the appeal of the PlayStation 3.
David Wilcox
253-5311 ext. 245
david.wilcox@lee.net
Sept. 16 - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, DS
A story bridging “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope” places players in the shoes of Starkiller, a secret apprentice to Darth Vader who helps the Sith Lord hunt the last vestiges of the Jedi. Starkiller can slash his way through melee combat situations with Force powers that allow him to hurl TIE Fighters at foes and boomerang his lightsaber across spaceship hangars. A demo of the game suggests some difficulty in mastering its twin-analog stick Force control, along with a generally subdued tone to its combat. But the game's original story and the thrill of engaging dozens of enemies at a time with Force powers may prove to be the droid “Star Wars” fans have been looking for.
LittleBigPlanet
October - PlayStation 3
Ever since Sony used this puzzle/platform game to present its business figures at this year's E3, the buzz surrounding it has multiplied significantly. As either Sackboy or Sackgirl - a textured character template for avatar customization - “LittleBigPlanet” players are granted a seemingly endless amount of interactivity with their environment. Worlds are built from household items like cardboard and thread and crudely colored with marker and paint to comprise an inspired aesthetic that breaks with the photorealism of other next-gen releases. PlayStation 3 owners seem equally excited about playing the game as they do about using its world creation tools to craft their own levels. The inscrutability of the title's exact purpose seems only to betray its extreme open-endedness.
Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2
Oct. 19 and Oct. 26 - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
The rhythm game wars are set to resume this fall when both these sequels release. While “Rock Band 2” seems almost business-as-usual by introducing only a stellar set list and an optional $300 drum set, the next “Guitar Hero” marks risky new territory for Activision. The addition of drums and vocals to the franchise was surely necessary, but the jury will be out on its execution until the game's release. Boding well for the game is the sterling track record of Harmonix, the “Guitar Hero” series' long-time hardware developer. Regardless of both games' quality, their mutual exclusivity in people's homes was largely erased by the announcements from EA and Activision that either game's instruments will be compatible with the other.
Gears of War 2
(Nov. 7, Xbox 360)
The influence of “Gears of War” could be felt in any shooter in the past year (e.g. “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Kane and Lynch”) where taking cover was crucial to surviving. In its sequel, players will once again fill the boots of Marcus Fenix and lead his Delta Squad against the Locust Horde in a dystopian future. New to the series is the use of downed enemies as shields and an elevated gore quotient. Along with an enriched mythos and easier difficulty options, these new elements of “Gears of Wars 2” look poised to expand the Xbox franchise's following.
Resistance 2
November - PlayStation 3
When it wasn't fielding complaints from church figures for setting battles in England's Manchester Cathedral, “Resistance: Fall of Man” anchored the PlayStation 3 in its first year as arguably the system's finest exclusive title. Its sequel will continue the story of alternate post-World War II history, in which six-eyed aliens called Chimera have threatened humanity. Early previews of the game promise a massive escalation in scale, such as a boss battle with a 300-foot-tall Leviathan. Such points of appeal in “Resistance 2” look likely to continue sharpening the appeal of the PlayStation 3.
David Wilcox
253-5311 ext. 245
david.wilcox@lee.net
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