Most Anticipated Games of 2008
So every website and their mother is doing a big ol’ list of games that they are all hot and bothered to play for 2008, and rarely update the blog, so I decided to make one myself. Now these games are in no order, but just a list of games I am looking forward to getting my hands on. Lets begin…
Alan Wake
I have been patiently waiting for Alan Wake for a number of years now. I still remember seeing Remedy E3 demo in the ATI booth and just being blown away. Some of the changes they have made in the overall game I am really excited to see. Since Microsoft and Remedy haven’t really showing anything off about Alan Wake is almost two years, I hope it turns out well. I wouldn’t mind playing a open world thriller game that happens to take place in my backyard, Alan Wake takes place in a fictional town in Washington State.
Alone in the Dark
Now many people hear the title Alone in the Dark and they think of the Uwe Boll movie, but really there is a great long history of one of the original survival horror games. The last one by Darkworks had some great moments in it, but really didn’t catch on. Eden Studio is working on this new version coming out for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, and it looks awesome. The game takes place in New York City with a primary focus in Central Park. The detail of the environment is simply amazing if you have been to Central Park. Atari released a new video showing off some of the interactive environments in the game and the direction Eden is taking the game. Want to chop a table in half? Go grab an axe and flip the table over. It looks brilliant, but we shall see how it translates to gameplay. The other thing that catches my eye is their inventory system and menus, or should I say lack of one. The player simply opens their jacket up and looks down. Simple and effective and really damn cool. I wish I thought of it.
Battlefield: Bad Company
I love first person shooters, as if you keep reading there are a number of them on this list, but I have always enjoyed the Battlefield series even though I’m really not that big into online multiplayer. Well the guys and girls at DICE heard my prayers and decided to make a single player Battlefield game and that is where Bad Company comes into play. This is the first game using DICE new Frostbite engine which looks great, but one of the big features is total destruction. Want to blow through a wall? Well throw a grenade at it and watch it fall. It really opens up some interesting gameplay dynamics as well as some interesting challenges for the developers. I can’t wait.
Dead Space
My other soft spot in game is horror based game, especially survival horror and Dead Space is right up my alley. It is Resident Evil 4 meets Event Horizon. You play the lone survivor on a deep space salvage ship and have to kill aliens by cutting off their limbs. I love scifi stuff and I love horror. This one can’t come out any sooner.
Fallout 3
I have to be honest, I am not a big RPG fan these days, and I didn’t play Oblivion and I didn’t play the old Fallout games on PC. But something about Fallout 3 gets me excited. Perhaps this more action heavy version from Bethesda will push me over the edge and become a Fallout fanboy.
Killzone 2
I don’t own a Playstation 3 yet, but I think Killzone 2 might push me over the edge. The game looks flat out amazing, no one can argue that at this point. I actually didn’t mind Killzone on the Playstation 2. I had some major flaws, but I think they had something really cool and I love the world space that the guys and girls at Guerrilla Games have developed with the Killzone IP. I think with a little more polish and a little more time, Killzone 2 will be something special.
L.A Noire
One of my favorite movies of all time is L.A. Confidential. I love that 50′s copy stories and L.A. Noire is like a gaming wet dream to me. The game is being developed by Team Bondi which was started by the project director of The Getaway on the Playstation 2. The Getaway actually had some interesting mechanics, but Team Bondi really hasn’t shown much of L.A. Noire besides this short trailer. I am really hoping that this game rocks.
Left 4 Dead
Zombies? Co-op? Random AI spawn locations? What more can you ask for? Left 4 Dead should be freaking awesome. This game will really change the way people develop co-op games from now on, where you actually HAVE to work as a team instead of just play in the same space at the same time. I applaud Turtle Rock for attempting such a ground breaking game and look forward to playing it soon.
Resident Evil 5
I love horror games, and Resident Evil 5 looks like it is going to be freaking awesome. Capcom doesn’t let gamers down that often and RE5 looks like another winner.
Saboteur
Pandemic announced this title and it really isn’t getting alot of buzz from various websites. It gets labeled as ‘another World War 2 game’, which is sad because there are tons of stories to tell in that time period. The thing that makes me excited about Saboteur is their color shifting gameplay where the world is black and white until you start doing things. It sounds like an awesome mechanic that I can’t wait to see in motion. Again EA and Pandemic really haven’t showed much off of this title, so hopefully they have a blow out in the near future.
