First off, Mirror's Edge is coming out for PC January 6 of 2009. The very capacity to be allowed the freedom to control the character as the player would his or her own body proves to surpass any video game before it. In this way, players aren't merely punching buttons to manipulate what they see before them, players are utilizing the controls as a medium through which they can watch their chosen actions performed by a character on-screen. In Mirror's Edge, the character is the player. Having already been released for the XBox 360 and PS3 on November 11, the game's hype has become realized. Soon, the computer nerds of the US will be granted the privilege to pick apart Mirror's Edge for PC. The time will come on January 6, 2009.
Now, more PC games of 2009.
February: Exclusively for PC, Commander in Chief comes out on February 20, 2009. For what seems like the first time in gaming history, Commander in Chief allows for the player to choose an existing country to manage in a real-time simulation. Players can either execute their orders and commands in a campaign-like manner, or they can utilize the vast realm of the internet and pit their military forces against other countries, built from the ground up by players just like them. Matters such as economics, energy costs and advantages, and changes in the roles of the government's cabinet members must be taken into account. Every choice made by the Commander in Chief (you) can change the course of history forever.
March: Tom Clancy's EndWar will be released March 2, 2009. This game looks like an extremely intricate improvement upon old school Battleship; which is fascinating in my book. In the brilliant vision of Tom Clancy, the year 2020 finds the three factions of the world (Enforcer Corp / Europe, Joint Force Strike / USA, and Spetsnaz / Russia) at each others' throats; unceasingly trying to out-maneuver the other. Consequently, the global powers are becoming disrupt. A nuclear blast in the Middle East leads to a massive dent in the crude oil supply, ultimately throwing off the balance of life for all nations. The last war of the world is at hand. Who will be the nation to end up on top? (Previously released for PSP, DS, XBox 360, and PS3 on November 4, 2008)
April: On April 1, 2009 Prototype is scheduled to be let loose upon the US. Set in current-day New York, the game puts the player in the role of comic-book-style antihero Alex Mercer, an ordinary guy who wakes up one day and finds himself completely at a loss for memory, yet equipped with a fresh set of superpowers. He is given a very special job by some obscure corporation; having no other options but to comply. The player takes on the role of Alex and must use the many physical forms and abilities at his disposal to find a way through the world in search of answers.
May: The only game officially set to be released this month is X-Men Origins: Wolverine. VideoGamer.com basically describes X-Men Origins as a sort-of interactive follow-up of the original movie's trilogy. The developers at Amaze Entertainment seem to have the idea in mind that those unique individuals addicted to the comic books, then hooked on the movies, may ultimately find salvation in sinking their claws into video games that feature the series' very own characters and storyline. Time will only tell if this baby will make bank or sputter out completely.
June: Solely due to the fact that this game is brought to you by Capcom, the adventures of Dark Void should be nothing short of mind-blowing. With such titles as Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, etc under their belt, one can only see the promise of greatness in Capcom's future. To the matter at hand, videos on Dark Void evince the same sort of third-person shooter feel of the action featured in the Gears of War games. A tinge of Indigo Prophecy's button commands can also be seen in correlation to Dark Void. Furthermore, the overall game play doesn't look all that simple, when put into perspective. The main enhancement tacked onto this one would be the introduction to vertical direction. Instead of trapping the player on a strictly horizontal map on which to tread, the player can physically leap above his or her line of sight and launch the character onto an entirely new plane of the scenery. If you can master the multiplicity of the options at hand, greatness can be achieved.
July: For the kiddies interested in losing themselves in some hardcore J.K. Rowling adventures, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just may be your cup of tea. On July 17, the Warner Bros. film as well as the Electronic Arts video game are both scheduled for release. In Rowling's sixth novel in the series, Harry Potter and his group of close friends discover that their previously safe-haven of a school for magic (Hogwarts) is brought under some unexpected turmoil and the only way to quell these unfortunate occurrences from further outbreak is to enlist the help of this motley crew of gifted students. The ensuing video game is plotted to follow the events of the book, as well as the upcoming movie, but allows for the player to every aspect of the individual characters.
August: In August, Madden NFL 2010 will be available for all who own some sort of console or handheld gaming device. The long and short of this upcoming release is that EA Sports has a whole new set of improvements and technicalities to tweak in order to make this new Madden one of a kind... again.
September: TimeGate is liberating its developmental hold on FPS Section 8 on September 30. After the resolution of a lawsuit pinned upon TimeGate by ABC Studios earlier this year, the game has been issued a sure-fire release date for September of next. Requested permission for the use of the name Section 8 for ABC's upcoming television sci-fi drama resulted in trademark infringement as a direct reflection of TimeGate's pending registration and ownership rights. "Protecting one's intellectual property rights is paramount in the entertainment business and it's no different at TimeGate," said Adel Chaveleh, TimeGate's CEO and President.* Politics aside, Section 8 is an advenient first-person shooter set in a time not far from now. There are two warring factions, good guys vs. bad guys, that are battling it out - epic style - for ultimate victory. TimeGate clearly made it known that this game is unlike its predecessors in that the opposing infantries are not amassed in a world war, but are instead fighting almost privately for peace among their secluded nations, giving an entirely new perspective on war altogether.
October: Brash Entertainment is saving the release of a Saw game for next October. After an event in which a few of the producers gathered 'round, sparked rumors flew about, in response to ideas for a game that may very well be a direct adaptation of the Saw movies. How this is to be done, no one quite knows for sure, but from the "words" of Bert Ellis, journalists should not be writing about this upcoming game, instead they should wait and see what's to come from Brash's development team.
November: After next Fall's scheduled QuakeCon event to be hosted in Dallas, Texas, a consumer electronics show by the name of Li-Fi will be held at the Dalls Convention Center November 20-22, 2009. Hopefully, something revolutionary may come about as a result of all of the combined minds said to attend this show.
December: Now, is it golden oldie Starcraft II or spankin' new Bioshock 2 that have gamers, all across the globe, salivating at the bit for a chance to reserve that one special game title in December?
With Starcraft II's innovative use of the most advanced technology in graphic design, it is almost as if the player is looking down upon his or her entire military fleet from a very real satellite encampment of the United States' military forces; the overall images are that intense. The refraction of the lighting upon each and every surface that the rays come in contact with, in response to the player's every chess-like move, is simply unfathomable. The time and scrutiny that the color and shadowing that make up the appearance of the individual machines sucked up ALONE is enough to question one's own sense of reality. Not to mention the complete and utter mind-boggling strategy that Starcraft II entails within every second of its game play.
And then there is Bioshock 2. In the first Bioshock, the player is taken from what seems to be a normal, monotonous life and is plunged into a foreign body of water, due to a mechanical plane malfunction. From here, the player descends into Rapture, a mystifying city cloaked beneath the sea. Not only is the player completely alone in his or her experience of being thrust down the rabbit whole that is Rapture, but the player is consumed by the world that has been created in Bioshock - and it's not an entirely unwelcome journey. The player becomes so wrapped up in the morals and ethics of the AIs in this game alone, that the extraordinary gameplay just lifts the player up seven levels higher on the scale; further and further passed any kind of expectation he or she may have conceived prior to indulging in Bioshock. Now 2K Games wants to expand upon this realm of gorgeousness. Can anything be sweeter than that?
Comments