Are We Facing A Gaming Drought?

We, as gamers, have just been terribly spoiled. Everything we’ve wanted has been supplied over the last few months. Innovation? Just pop in Super Mario Galaxy. A good story? Try a bit of Mass Effect. Is action your thing? Have a go on Call of Duty 4. What about immersion? The watery world of Rapture is just a loading screen away in Bioshock. Not for a very long time now has the gaming scene been so varied and so full of promise. Developers are experimenting with game design in Portal, presenting never-before-seen graphics in the like of Crysis, and encouraging group play in ways we’d only half-imagined with Rock Band. For every Lair and Spiderman 3 there’s been a flood of great games to make up for it; Halo 3, skate, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Metroid Prime 3, Zack and Wiki, PGR4. Everyone has been accounted for, and everyone has been sated.

Is it all about to come to end? We’ve entered a new year, and with it comes uncertainty. Whispers of a gaming drought are abound, rumours of us being left with nothing but 2007’s dregs, those titles that didn’t quite make it into the holiday period. Are we really going to have to break out the old consoles, or return to the games we didn’t have either the time or money to play? Perhaps’but there is hope, and a little investigation proves that there are, in fact, plenty of titles to keep the hardcore gamer happy in the coming months; some of which you may be aware, others hidden gems. Join us, as we delve deep into the offerings of Q1 2008.

The multiformat portion of new arrivals in ‘08 is arguably the most exciting, as tends to be the case. January 22nd brings two titles to the table from very different genres, and both have enough muscle behind them to generate plenty of excitement. Digital Extremes’ (of Unreal Tournament fame) Dark Sector (360, PS3) will certainly slake the thirst of those looking for third-person action. It’s certainly not the most original of games, its inspiration drawn clearly from Gears of War. However Dark Sector wears its influences proudly on its sleeve whilst also introducing its own ideas. Bloody adventure through artistically crafted levels give the indication that this is one fans of the genre will not want to miss. This will be going head-to-head with Criterion’s Burnout Paradise (360, PS3), a long awaited racer for fans of the series. Ok, personally I’m unsure about this one, having played the demo and come away completely nonplussed by the open-world approach. Nevertheless, my personal opinion cannot taint what I am sure will be a rip-roaring blast through the streets of Paradise City, and it would simply be a disservice to the fantastic games that have come before were I not too mention it here. Plus the crashes look fantastic.

Things begin to brighten up exponentially come February, predominately due to the arrival of Capcom’s powerhouse title, Devil May Cry 4 (360, PS3) on the 5th. What can I say, other than that this is simply one of the most exciting games on this list. It’s probably best that DMC4 is set to come out in 2008, not only to fill a gap in gaming, but because if it came out amongst the Orange Boxes and Mass Effects of 2007 the sheer brilliance of it all would be too much to handle and the universe would probably implode in on itself. Games don’t come much better than this, and if you’re only getting one game next year you wouldn’t be amiss to make this it. It’s not going to be easy, but a challenge could be just what is needed in 2008.

Feb 19th also sees the return of Dynasty Warriors (360, PS3) in its sixth instalment, this being the first current-gen entry to the series, offering massive-scale battles and advanced AI. Creative Assembly’s Viking: Battle for Asgard (360, PS3) is not far behind with a March release, showcasing Scandinavian lore and bloodthirsty warriors whilst handing control over the flow of each battlefield into the hands of the player. If all this hacking, slashing and general swordplay isn’t for you then maybe Turok (360, PS3, Win), arriving on Feb 5th, is. It may not be the most pioneering or inventive title, but what it lacks in diversity it looks to make up for in dynamism and sheer bloody-minded action. A generic FPS, maybe, but one that will nicely settle into the post-Christmas period.

If Turok isn’t enough to satisfy your first-person needs there’s plenty more where that came from. Legendary: The Box (360, PS3, Win) set to come out a little later into the year will offer expansive and unique AI, Frontlines: Fuel of War (360, PS3, Win) released Feb 12th promises focused and tactical multiplayer, and Condemned 2: Bloodshot (360, PS3) arrives on March 11th, allowing you your second fix of hobo-bashing and all round digital hyper-violence.

The Xbox 360 itself was perhaps the most proliferate of the big three last year, exclusively featuring many of the titles that have appeared on numerous ‘game of the year’ lists. The opening of the year may not be as full of exclusive quality and content as the end of 2008 for Microsoft, yet there are still many titles that merit interest.

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom hits the 360 early on Jan 8th, the third in the action-RPG franchise where forces of light and darkness are locked in battle. It could be an interesting diversion, an appetiser to the feast that is Lost Odyssey (Feb 12th). Epic truly is the name of the game here, with Lost Odyssey spanning four discs. It truly is a game of lavish scope and production. If larger-than-life, hugely ambitious RPGs are your cup of tea then this is the one for you. With Hironobu Sakaguchi designing, Takehiko Inoue leading the art, Nobuo Uematsu composing, and award-winning Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu writing, it’s going to be tough for this one to fall short of the mark. If Mistwalker, with the cooperation of outsourced teams such as Feel Plus (a group made up of some 40 developers involved with the Shadow Hearts series), can work upon the faults that hindered Blue Dragon, then Lost Odyssey could be just the RPG for diehard fans of the genre.

Culdcept Saga will be coming exclusively to the Xbox 360 on Feb 5th, and is the latest entrant in the popular magic-meets-Monopoly game franchise that had previous instalments on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast. It’s an interesting take on the series, with 500 different cards in total, each earned through skilful play and story mode progression before they can be used. It’s interesting to note that this comes hot on the heels of Sony’s own foray into board games-meet-videogames, Eye of Judgement.

Universe At War: Earth Assault (360, Win) hits stores on Feb 26th – an RTS developed by Petroglyph and published by Sega – intended as the first game in a planned series that celebrates the history of science fiction, using a number of plot elements that were the bread and butter of pulp sci-fi but are recognizably archaic today. Interesting narrative aside, hardcore fans of the RTS genre may do well to wait until Feb 5th for the 360 release of World in Conflict, or – if you have the patience that could kill an ox – until much later on in 2008 for Tom Clancy’s EndWar.

White Gold: War In Paradise (360, Win), upcoming sequel to the rather unimpressive Boiling Point: Road to Hell, is set for release during the rather indefinite Q1 2008. An FPS-cum-RPG it promises huge, free-roam environments, day/night cycles, dynamic relationships with six confronting factions, an economic trading system, the ability to hunt, and much, much more. Whether or not it overcomes the technical problems of its predecessor and manages to balance its many ideas all at once is another matter. Further into the year MMORPG fans can get their fix with Funcom’s Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (March 25th), although Funcom prefer the term ‘action RPG’. The new approaches to the format; darker settings, violent storyline and a more action/adventure orientated combat system, may well make Age of Conan the console MMORPG (ahem, sorry, action RPG) that eats up all your time.

Things aren’t great until late in the year in terms of PS3 exclusives, but what’s new? There are a couple to keep Sony fans happy until the release of MGS4. Firstly, if you haven’t already purchased it, then Unreal Tournament 3 may be just the choice for you. Balanced maps and a refined, accessible style of combat allows a more level field of play, where novices can face off with pros in a much more even setting. Add to this a veritable plethora of guns with more geometry than an entire UT2004 map and you’re all set for plenty of hours filled with multiplayer mayhem.

Arguably the biggest PS3 exclusive coming out at the beginning of the year is Free Radical’s shooter Haze, although recent delays have now left the release date ambiguous. Haze’s central innovations are the drug Nectar, which allows the player to utilise various powers such as focus, foresight and resilience. These mechanics are bolstered with a script full of political cogitations. Hopefully this will surpass Blacksite: Area 51’s stab at politics, which ended up a garbled mash of empty-headed liberalism. Haze may look a little generic – not to mention full of ideas pinched from other titles – but the multiplayer that features Mantel soldiers versus rebel guerrillas is full of enough innovations to set it apart.

And…well, that’s pretty much it. Unless you’re dizzy with excitement for Everybody’s Golf 5 arriving in March (which, to be fair, isn’t that bad of a game!) there’s not very much else (except for Disgaea 3, but right now that’s Japan only I’m afraid!) Sony will be heavily relying on the third-party multiformat support over the beginning of the year. It’ll be Q2 and Q3 that really start to show off the big black box’s potential for gaming.

This brings us very nicely onto the Wii (phew, this is getting long – just goes to prove that 2008 isn’t lacking for games!) As mentioned earlier, the beginning of February is truly when your wallets will start to groan, and this won’t be helped by the release of the following two titles. No More Heroes (Jan 22nd) comes from the mind of Suda 51, the man behind Killer 7 – one of the most offbeat and imaginative titles of recent years. Set in a free-roaming city you can search out day jobs, slice enemies in two with your beamsword, and cruise the streets in the distinctive Schpel Tiger, a monster bike that looks extremely desirable indeed. The dazzling combination of sharp edges, cel-shading, and hyper-violence make this a stand-out game on the Wii.

This is followed closely by probably the most exciting title on the Wii in the New Year, Super Smash Bros Brawl (Mar 9th). With its seemingly never-ending character roster the new incarnation is shaping up to be as gleefully brash as its predecessors, with a wealth of content and customisation that borders on the obsessive. Nintendo really is stepping beyond what most Smash Bros fans have dreamed of, offering such features as video replays, snapshots, a level building tool, and even ‘once-in-a-lifetime encounters’ in the form of official stages to be sent to players over the net, then disappearing at the end of the day. For those who like the series’ brand of fighting action, this will be essential.

So, what else? Feb 26th sees Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors arrive, a spin-off of the popular series which utilizes a first-person on rails shooter format, a huge deviation for the franchise. As it’s the best selling third party game of this generation in Japan to date it must be doing something right. If you feel (for god knows what reason) you don’t have enough minigame collections on your Wii then pick up Bomberman Land Wii on Jan 29th. Finally, if you don’t already own it then NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is already available to buy, and is a fantastically imaginative and colorful distraction.

The Nintendo DS isn’t without its own selection of time-passers either. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Jan 21st) continues the military, turn-based series with a darker approach. Ubisoft are also set to release the pint-sized version of Assassin’s Creed for the DS in February. Aside from the release window not much is known about the game, but expect use of the stylus to simulate slashing motions.

March 25th brings with it Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII on the PSP. Crisis Core is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII and is also the fourth entry to the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. The game focuses around Zack Fair, a 1st Class SOLDIER, and Cloud Strife during his time as a lowly Shinra guard. If nothing else this will definitely keep fans of the series happy.

Finally, there are one or two interesting titles that may pass by the casual observer. Bully: Scholarship Edition is set for release on both the Wii and 360 come Feb 5th, giving gamers who didn’t have a chance to play this when it was first released on the PS2 a go themselves. Although essentially the same game Bully will certainly find a welcoming home on the Wii, considering it is in essence a bunch of minigames tied together by an interesting setting and narrative. Also of interest is SNK’s run and gun shooter Metal Slug 3, recently released on Xbox Live. As completely mental as ever it features lots of enhancements and improvements to the original formula.

Ok, so it’s not as enticing a list when compared to the various greats we’ve been treated to over the past few months, but it’s certainly not as anaemic an outlook as some would have you believe. Devil May Cry 4, Dark Sector, Viking, Super Smash Bros, Lost Odyssey, Age of Conan; all are great looking games with enough to keep you going for a while. And hey, look at the bright side, at least your wallet will have time to breathe, and you can finally afford that Portal plush toy you’ve wanted to buy for so long. If none of the titles listed interest you, now is always a great time to dust off the old consoles and get into some hardcore retro gaming!

In spite of everything, take one look at a list of games set to come out later in 2008 and it’s easy to see the potential is there for it to be just as good a year for gamers as 2007. Just remember not to drool on yourself as you cast an eye over these titles:

Alan Wake, Alone in the Dark 5, Army of Two (hopefully they sort out whatever is making it so crap), Battlefield: Bad Company, Banjo-Kazooie 3, Bionic Commando, Brutal Legend, Borderlands, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Dead Island, Dead Space, Fracture, Fable 2, FarCry 2, Fallout 3, Gran Turismo 5, Ghostbusters, GTAIV, Guitar Hero IV, Heavy Rain, Infamous, Guitar Hero DS, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, Left 4 Dead, Mario Kart Wii, MGS4, Ninja Gaiden II, Prototype, Rainy Woods, Saboteur, Soul Calibur 4, Silent Hill 5, Spore, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Too Human, Tekken 6, The Last Remnant, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell:Conviction / EndWar / Air Combat / Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (he’s a busy guy that Tom Clancy) Wet, White Knight Story and more.

2008 will be no less exciting a year for us gamers than 2007. I strongly believe that it’s not just been a great year for gaming, nor will it be only a fantastic two years. Rather, we’re at the beginning of a great gaming era.