Spotlight Title: Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
Simply put, Super Smash Bros Brawl is destined to be not only one of the best, but one of the best-loved games of 2008. Here are a few reasons why. First, the game sticks to a winning formula. The third installment in Nintendo’s ultra successful Super Smash Bros series, Brawl like the earlier Super Smash Bros and Super Smash Bros Melee features almost every major Nintendo character in not only family-friendly, but simply fun, tournament-style battle scenarios set in scenes from each character’s native game environment. Players can expect to battle as and against favorites like Mario, Link, Zelda, Kirby, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and many more. And in addition, for the first time, non-Nintendo characters like Solid Snake from Konami’s Metal Gear series and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog join in the action. Secondly, not only is Brawl a good game, it’s a good Wii game. In case you haven’t heard Wii is VERY popular. The first game in the series to grace the Wii, players new to the franchise and the console for that matter, will be overcome by the depth of the game and its features. And finally, what about those features? Brawl is no one-trick pony. Players will get all the mini game fun they’ve come to expect in Wii games, plus the added benefit of layer upon layer of game modes in both singleplayer and multiplayer, compatibility with all four of the major Nintendo game controllers, and loads of customizable features like music playback and in-game rule creation. That pretty much makes Super Smash Bros Brawl a shoe-in for top game in March, if not all of 2008.
Check out Super Smash Bros Brawl for Wii
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
When it comes to deities, the logical assumption is that bigger is better, but if you are a PSP owner, God of War: Chains of Olympus, will change all that. The first God of War game for PSP, the much anticipated, Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the first two games in the series on the PS2 and details the early deeds of the mortal Spartan warrior Kratos. Forced to serve as champion of the gods of Olympus for ten years, the savagely cruel labors and choices he begrudgingly endures would eventually turn to wrath in God of War and God of War II , but thankfully for gamers, instead of a simple time-filler for fans hungering for all things Kratos as God of War II for PS3 draws nearer, Chains of Olympus is an event in itself. Equal, if not better in some ways than either of its PS2 predecessors, its beautifully diverse physical environments, stirring audio tracks, challenging boss battles and near perfect replication of the earlier games’ combat and combo schemes may not quite put the power of the gods in your hands, but it just might be the reason every gamer needs to own a PSP.
Check out God of War: Chains of Olympus
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
Roulette to roller coasters, shows to show girls, twenty-one to terrorist, Vegas has something for everyone. And if you and your buddies are willing to put your virtual lives on the line, you can add Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2, to the list of attractions. Sequel to last year’s award-winning next-generation first-person shooter, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 places players on-point to rescue Vegas from, or give it over to an ongoing terrorist siege. Of course the market is full of first-person tactical shooters, set in exotic locations, but Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to its credit recognizes that Vegas is not just a destination. It is every destination. From the pillars of Caesars Palace and the Eiffel Tower of Paris, to the Manhattan skyline of New York New York players can expect to fight through a bevy of signature Sin City hot spots. Also, developer Ubisoft Montreal has upped the ante with online 16-multiplayer, 11 new maps, two new adversarial modes and a singleplayer mode that players can turn to co-op play at anytime. Generally speaking gamblers are loyal to one game. If Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the game it’s being billed as, I’d lay odds that the franchise will cash in on a stack of new converts.
Check out Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for PC
Check out the Standard and Limited Edition of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for Xbox 360
Check out the Standard and Limited Edition of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for PlayStation 3
Metal Gear Solid Essentials Collection (PS2)
Game collections generally are the final resting places for games and game series that’ve seen better days. At a glance this might seem the case with the Metal Gear Solid Essentials Collection, but nothing could be further from the truth. Containing Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, these games are the backbone of the iconic Metal Gear Solid franchise on the PS2 and provide a direct connection to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PS3. MGS4 is rumored to be the final installment in the Metal Gear series and short of further appearances in Super Smash Bros games, is definitely the last appearance for character favorite Solid Snake. This will be enough for this collection to get the attention of long-time fans, but this isn’t the limit of the collection’s audience. Because the 80GB PS3 is backwards compatible to PS2 games, new PS3 owners looking for background material prior to MGS4 can simply fire up their PS3 and insert the reasonably priced three-pack to catch up on the series to date.
Check out the Metal Gear Solid Essentials Collection
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (PSP)
Originally announced in 2004, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, is a prequel to the events of the entire Final Fantasy VII series. You play as Zack Fair, a rising star in the ranks of an elite fighting force known as SOLDIER. In the service of the uber and not in the least bit green corporation, Shinra, you and your teammates--whose names, Angeal and Sephiroth, will mean a lot to fans of the series--are tasked with investigating the recent disappearance of several high ranking members of SOLDIER. Again, those familiar with Final Fantasy VII will understand that the makeup of this “team” is odd to say the least. Suffice to say that there will be trouble on this mission and it will have implications for the entire planet. The big deal about Final Fantasy VII, and by way of this, Crisis Core, is that the success of this series was perhaps the single most important factor in establishing the console RPG genre outside Japan. This allowed the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole to branch out into movies, music and manga, etc. Crisis Core as a prequel will take you back to where this all began, and then some. Like I said, if you are a fan, and there are a lot of them, this is a big deal.
Check out Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Army of Two (Xbox 360, PS3)
Action/Shooter gameplay usually requires players to fight alone, shadowed by an AI companion(s) in singleplayer, or as a cog in a live multiplayer unit, but Army of Two presents another option: ground-breaking co-op tactical combat. Co-operative play via co-op modes is nothing new, but in the Shooter genre online multiplayer options are much more prevalent. The promise of Army of Two’s is that its co-op play is the point of the game, not just a mode. In the game players and their team-mate--either a partner AI (PAI) capable of learning and taking orders, or a live human team-mate--are hired to engage rogue private military corporations around the world in real world combat scenarios. Regardless of your choice of comrade, the goal is to utilize unique two-man combat strategies along with customizable weapons, vehicles and tactical shooting opportunities to beat the bad guys. Veterans of the genre who shy away from the online multiplayer scene have long lamented being stuck with AI companions unable to learn, adapt or interact with player-controlled characters. If Army of Two makes good on its promise of a learning PAI, the game is destined to become a franchise with more fans than it knows what to do with.
Check out Army of Two for Xbox 360
MLB 08: The Show/MLB 2K8 (PS3, PS2, PSP/PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, PSP)
Baseball came of age in an era of direct, unchallenged exposure to fans. Time has erased that advantage, leaving “The National Pastime” in a bit of a slump, but as more of us get our exposure to baseball from our console of choice, the big numbers put up by competing heavy hitters MLB 08: the Show and Major League Baseball 2K8 prove that there may be life left in the Grand Old Game yet. Traditionally, baseball video games have leaned towards arcade-style play, concentrating on home run derbies over pitching or vice versa, but rarely both. Thankfully, Next-Gen technology has changed that. Although there is plenty of opportunity to swing for the fences, or dominate from the mound, both MLB 08: the Show and Major League Baseball2K8 have embraced simulation gameplay, challenging players to master the intricacies of hitting, pitching and catching, to achieve victory, just as players would in real life. Okay, not exactly, but we are talking video games here and with a wide variety of features and incentives that will have you honing your skills at every position and with spring training just around the corner, all I can say is “Play Ball,” and may the best game win.
Check out MLB 08: The Show for PS3
Check out MLB 08: The Show for PS2 and PSP
Check out Major League Baseball 2K8 for PS3
Check out Major League Baseball 2K8 Xbox 360 , PS2 , Wii and PSP
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