Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
One of the most important console releases of the year, and definitely the most hyped, Grand Theft Auto IV takes players back to a new expanded Liberty City this month on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.An Action/Adventure game playing off the gritty and violently romanticized perception of urban America, GTA IV is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto series. Although always popular, the GTA franchise exploded onto the public stage in 2005 when Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was found to contain an explicit hidden mini-game accessible via the now infamous ‘Hot Coffee’ mod. Rest assured there will be no similar mods associated with GTA IV, but the game will be wildly popular nonetheless. The game focuses on the experiences of Niko Bellic, a new immigrant with a checkered past. In search of the American Dream, he finds instead a place where the ‘kill or be killed’ attitude that kept him alive in the motherland is his most valuable asset as he climbs the ladder in Liberty City’s criminal underworld. Gamplay consists of a blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay as you take on mission after mission or choose to wander the expansive landscape of Liberty City on your own. In addition, the game features ground-breaking soundtrack technology allowing over 150 in-game songs streamed through the radio stations of cars that Niko can steal and drive to be automatically available for download at a designated GTA IV area within Amazon.com. It’s a near seamless integration of the in-game world and that of the Web. It looks like it could be the future of gaming from where I sit.
Check out versions of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360
Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
The latest in a seemingly unstoppable line of Wii titles feeding off pedigrees bred on the NES, N64 and GameCube platforms, Mario Kart Wii rolls out on April 27th and will almost certainly enjoy the same success as previous Wii super titles Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. The amazing thing about these successes is that they are not just byproducts of the Wii’s unwavering popularity. The value of nostalgia should not be overlooked, but the simple reason that these games became blockbusters is that they are well made; simple and full of replayability and by all accounts Mario Kart Wii will be no exception. The sixth game in the franchise, Mario Kart Wii like its predecessors features favorite Nintendo characters in multiplayer and singleplayer modes racing in go-karts and in this version, motorbikes as well. Hyping the multiplayer aspects Nintendo will also launch the Mario Kart Wii Channel concurrently where players can check their ratings, see friends online, etc. Add to this that the game will ship with a free Wii Wheel, which holds the Wii Remote used for steering in the game and I can see why Nintendo sees its next hit.
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PlayStation 3)
With a history stretching back over ten years on PlayStation and PlayStation 2, the Grand Turismo (GT) franchise has long been considered best in the racing genre. Granted, this was before the coming of the Xbox consoles, but even so the title has stuck. This month Gran Turismo 5: Prologue rolls onto the PlayStation 3 and all assumptions will be put aside. Originally announced as a PlayStation 3 launch title as Gran Turismo HD, the game eventually slipped--as did the PS3--and its name was changed to Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. As the name implies, the game will be a prologue to the final version of Gran Turismo 5 (release date TBD), as well as the features players can expect in future GT games. Although being called a prologue to Gran Turismo 5, Prologue is billed as a separate gaming experience in and of itself. Hopefully this will indeed be the case, since gamers don’t take kindly to being ripped off. Regardless, at a selling price of $40, roughly $20 less than a standard PS3 title, there will be plenty of takers and a good showing this month will go far to quiet the whispers that the GT franchise has lost its lead over the competition.
Check out the Gran Turismo 5: Prologue
Portal (PC)
It’s unprecedented that games bundled as additional content with major titles generate much interest, much less get a separate release, but that happened not once but twice with the two titles attached to the Half-Life games in last year’s, The Orange Box. The first of these is Portal. An action/puzzle game, Portal is set in a mysterious lab somewhere within the Half-Life universe. Here the main character, Chell, is led through a series experiments/spatial problems by a malicious computer AI that goes by the moniker GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), where her survival depends on her success. The problems would seem unsolvable, but for the addition to the equation of a teleportation device known as the ‘portal gun.’ With it the player is able to open passageways through solid surfaces at wild geometric angles that she/he can pass through. The game is somewhat brief and in the end you either survive or not, but the purpose of GLaDOS’ experiment, as well as the overall goal of the game, is to change the way players approach, manipulate and surmise the possibilities in a given environment. It’s a valuable skill for any gamer and one that can be had for the bargain price of $19.99.
Team Fortress 2 (PC)
The second game making an appearance on its own this month after gaining massive exposure from being bundled in the Orange Box is Team Fortress 2. The sequel to Team Fortress, the granddaddy of class based action games, gameplay in Team Fortress 2 is built around two multiplayer forces competing to obtain a set objective. These objectives, or game types, include capture the flag and a territorial capture/control game type. In each the player’s task is to use the nine character classes in the most balanced way possible to achieve the goal, and of course not get blown to bits in the process. All characters roles are classified differently with regards to their offensive, defensive and support strengths, although players can mix and match as they like. As with Portal, because Team Fortress 2 was originally part of a bundled game release it will release at a lower than usual rate ($30). It is a little bit more than the cost of Portal, but its multiplayer functionality, the six maps that it ships with and its promised additional map packs make it $30 well spent for PC gaming multiplayer fanatics looking for a good time.
Check out Team Fortress 2 for PC
The World Ends With You (DS)
With franchises like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and others in their back pocket game publisher Square Enix is rightfully considered a leader in the role-playing games genre. But although they’ve made an impact on every platform, it’s clear that most of their catalog is built on the back of the PS2. But with the PS2 waning they’ve wisely made recent inroads into another wildly popular platform, the DS, with the upcoming, The World Ends With You being perhaps their most interesting project yet. An entirely new IP, not a port from an earlier console title which is so often the case, this Action-RPG is being billed as an RPG for a new generation of gamers. Set in modern Japan, and filled with technologies and influences like computers, text messaging, hip-hop and electronica, younger players will immediately identify with the 15-year-old hero Neku Sakuraba as he attempts to complete a series of modern day quests, with his life hanging in the balance, while the game’s support of 1-4 players and a battle system allowing players to control two players simultaneously should get the RPG faithful on board. All in all it sounds like a recipe for success.
Check out The World Ends With You
Target Terror (Wii)
Family-friendly titles being Nintendo’s forte, Wii players raised on filling enemies full of lead have to wonder when the gun will make its way back into gaming. True there are a few titles for Wii that take advantage of Nintendo’s Wii Zapper, which positions the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in the perfect way to satisfy trigger happy players, but to date these five, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return and Link’s Crossbow Training (bundled with the Zapper) have not created the critical mass needed to force open the flood gates for future titles that could utilize the Zapper. That could change though with this month’s release of Target Terror. A reworking of the popular arcade shooter of the same name, Target Terror puts the player in the role of an agent charged with protecting the US from a massive terrorist threat. The game’s 10 levels feature in-game weapons including: machine guns, grenade launchers, freeze guns, flamethrowers, an orbital laser beam from space and even duel-wield weapon functionality at points. Will this be enough to get said gun back in the game? I can only hope so, and myself I’m willing to lay down a few dollars to make it so.
1 comments:
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