Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Developer: Mercury Steam | Publisher: Konami | Out: TBA
It’s irrelevant at this point whether or not Lords of Shadow started off as a legitimate Castlevania game or not. The fact is, it is now. Developed by Spanish studio Mercury Steam, the title’s most newsworthy fact is that game legend Hideo Kojima is acting as some sort of advisor/producer. With the Metal Gear maestro having long suggested an interest of being involved in a Western style game, we’re assuming he twigged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on Konami’s list and thought: “That’ll do nicely.” (Actually, more likely “Sō desu ne” considering he probably thinks in Japanese). It’s all very peculiar as, at least ostensibly, the game’s hack’n’slash style is a huge departure from Castlevania’s traditional and hallowed aesthetic and tone. It does boast a stellar voice cast including Patrick Stewart, Robert Carlyle and Natascha McElhone. In the minus column, however, Mercury Steam have yet to set the gaming world alight with a kick-ass title. Clive Barker’s Jericho has a Metacritic score of 61% for instance.
Crysis 2 – Developer: Crytek | Publisher: EA | Out: TBC
A strong candidate for the “Game Most Likely To Be Dissected By Pixel-Counters In An Effort To Justify Their Lives” award, we are in no way underestimating what the arrival of a Crysis game on consoles means to the wider FPS arena.
The original Crysis on the PC was a powerhouse in the graphics department. But, just like that pretty girl you lusted after only to then get and discover she had the personality of a step, some people didn’t want to stick around and actually play Crysis. That’s not to say the game doesn’t have its supporters, but there are those who consider Crysis’ gameplay to be simply not on par with its visuals. This is not meant as a slur on Crytek by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it’s more a testament to just how beautiful the game is.
Crysis was a wonderful achievement and we’re more than optimistic that their next venture, Crysis 2 – due to launch on multiple formats next year – could really shake up the FPS genre for years to come. The source of this hope lies in the studio’s groundbreaking CryEngine 3, an engine (really?) capable of producing some startling graphics no matter what hardware it’s running on. We reckon CryEngine 3 would dazzle on the ZX Spectrum. Of course, we’re kidding. Who’d want to play an FPS with rubber keys? You’d get owned in no time.
Dante’s Inferno – Developer:Visceral Games | Publisher: EA | Out: February 12th
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, the crush the guys over at Visceral Games have on Santa Monica Studios and their God of War III title is so big that if I was a wife or husband of one of Dante’s Inferno’s producers, I’d be checking their phone for incriminating text messages. It’s not that we’re saying the games are quite similar, we’re saying they’re practically identical. In fact, we’re pretty sure if you pre-ordered God of War III and Dante’s Inferno from the same online retailer, you’ll never receive that package. At least, not according to temporal mechanics which dictates the two would cancel each other out. Of course, this is Jean-Claude Van Damme in Timecop type quantum physics so, who knows?
Admittedly, there are differences between Dante’s Inferno and the God of War series. For instance, while Kratos’ tale is a twisted bastardisation of Greek mythology, Visceral have chosen to corrupt something slightly more recent in Dante Alighieri’s 14th century epic poem, The Divine Comedy. The point is: if early footage and imagery hasn’t already convinced you, the recent demo should demonstrate just how close these two games really are. From the relentless combo chains to the Quick Time Events, Dante is even faced with inexplicable barriers preventing him further progress until certain baddies are vanquished.
So, we think it’s going to tank then? On the contrary, just because a game is (incredibly!) similar to another, that’s not to say it can’t still be a worthwhile investment of time, money and effort. Not to mention the technical feat Visceral have achieved by locking the game in at a consistent 60 frames per second – one of the Holy Grails of this generation. Dante’s Inferno also possesses some unique elements from utterly grotesque levels to its own finishing moves that will curdle your blood. It also looks like mindless fun as you descend into the many strata of Hell in search of boobies. Oh wait, God of War has boobs too. Scratch that.
Dark Void – Developer: Airtight Games | Publisher: Capcom | Out: January 15th
The gaming business is all about innovation. Whether it’s squeezing more juice out of finite resources or presenting a challenge to gamers with new and abstract gameplay methods – studios consistently find themselves in a constant struggle to keep things as fresh as possible for a discernible audience. Airtight Games are such innovators.
Looking at the gaming spectrum and realising that it needed a good shake-up, the Dark Void creators decided to introduce the concept of the “vertical shooter.” Of course, this is not the first time we have heard this particular expression, but let’s be honest, Damnation wasn’t any damn good. From the recent footage of Dark Void, however, we get the feeling that this time it might be a tad different. Where “different” is synonymous with “not pants” in this case.
Dark Void has all the hallmarks of a budding franchise. An interesting premise, high-velocity action sequences, and a protagonist who has access to what is essentially a jet-pack. Actually, discard everything here before those last two wonderful and suitably hyphenated words. We’ll start again. Dark Void shows promise purely based on the fact that its protagonist has access to what is essentially a jet-pack. Plain and simple. In this crazy gaming world full of stealth elements, insane weaponry and treasure hunters who can climb mountains while never getting tired, sometimes the kid in us just wants a guy with a jet-pack.
And we’re not the only ones. Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, also liked what they saw in Dark Void (*ahem* jet-pack) and immediately snapped up the movie rights. Will the game actually be any good? Well, we don’t have that long to wait to find out, but we have a sneaky suspicion that this could be the dark jet-pack horse of 2010.
Darksiders – Developer: Vigil Games | Publisher: THQ | Out: January 5th
If Dante is spinning in his grave after what Visceral Games have done to his beloved canticle, imagine what subterranean breakdancing moves the guys who wrote the Bible will be doing when they discover the changes Darksiders’ Vigil Games have inflicted on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The source of the issue is the face-lift the harbingers of destruction have received in the upcoming title. Gone are Conquest and Famine, two of the respected founding members of the ruinous Fab Four, replaced instead by two new upstarts, Strife and Fury respectively. But, come on, who really cares about biblical canon? (Don’t even ask what happened to Pestilence.)
Players take on the role of War, probably the most famous of the grim quartet, and with your trusty steed, Ruin, you attempt to seek out who prematurely triggered the Apocalypse and thus destroying the world. In your quest you’ll search for your fellow Horsemen above and below ground, solving puzzles while you layeth the smacketh on anyone that even looks at you sideways. After all, you are War. It’s kinda in the job description.
Data-Fly – Developer: ORiGO Games Ltd | Publisher: TBC | Out: TBC
Deemed vaporware for what must be a number of years now, the appearance of a new image a couple of months back from what we’re assured is ORiGO’s upcoming Data-Fly injected a modicum of plausibility that this game might actually see the light of day. Of course, that graphic was a lizard sitting on a rock so, well, don’t hold your breath.
The premise of the game is admittedly intriguing. Taking on the role of FLY, a nymph-esque female character we’re told is actually a nanotech enriched AI cyborg … type … thing, you attempt to rescue your creator, Azadeh, from a military base. The trailer (below and an exclusive to PlayStation Universe) pushes all of our geeky sci-fi buttons, despite the fact that it’s obviously just pre-rendered fanciness. But the themes of evolution and science run amok suggested in the footage may be enough for us to keep one genetically modified eye on this. Just in case, you know, it actually gets a release date.
DC Universe Online – Developer: Sony Online Austin | Publisher: SOE | Out: TBC
The MMOs are coming! The only question is: when?
The first of a number of massively multiplayer games on our 100 PS3 Games of 2010 list, DC Universe Online has a number of obvious winning factors going for it.
Probably the most salient of these is the fact that the property is absolutely teeming with recognisable characters people already possess some sort of affinity with. From the Man of Steel to firm fan-fav Batman, DC Universe Online takes the DC comics pantheon of superheroes and invites you to join their ranks.
Other positives include the pedigree of SOE when it comes to pulling off such a venture. After all, everyone might hark on about World of WarCraft these days, but SOE’s Everquest launched five years before the mammoth life-stealer and is still extremely popular among its fans. Of course, we should mention that for every Everquest there’s a Star Wars: Galaxies, an MMO you don’t hear much about these days.
Another plus is Jim Lee’s involvement in the property as Executive Creative Director. Comic-book fans will immediately recognise Jim’s name, knowing all too well that the super-artist was at least some way responsible for Marvel’s turnaround in the early ’90s thanks to his groundbreaking (although brief) stint on the rebooted X-Men comic. What all this means is that when it comes to the design of the core characters of the universe, they’ll at least look absolutely kick-ass.
Dead Nation – Developer: Housemarque | Publisher: SCE | Out: TBC
Hailing from Finland’s Housemarque – the same studio that gave us twin-stick shooter Super Stardust HD – Dead Nation, (considering Zombie Apocalypse and Burn! Zombie Burn! are already drinking all the free booze) is admittedly quite late to the PSN undead party. But we absolutely love zombies. Well, more accurately, we absolutely love killing zombies. Expect undead carnage dispensed with two thumbs of directional destruction from the Fins sometime next year.
Dead Rising 2 – Developer: Blue Castle / Capcom | Publisher: Capcom | Out: Q1 2010
Dead Rising was a fun no-holds barred zombie-basher for the Xbox 360. However, the fact that a million minds didn’t cry out at once when its sequel was announced as a multiplat title, should give you some idea of how integral it is in the mindset of 360 zealots. In other words, it was fun. It’s just not viewed as a Sacred Cow or anything. Though this is likely more to do with the fact that it was more a launch title for the Xbox 360, so it’s not like the original could have simultaneously graced the PS3 even if it wanted to. Then again, it’s not like we ever saw a port either.
Dead Rising 2 returns you to a world overrun with the undead. As Frank West, a photojournalist who seems more at home with a baseball bat than a Nikon, the object is to stay alive – and have some fun in the process. Considering this time you’re in Fortune City, an obvious gaming-universe version of Las Vegas, that might be harder than you think.
The sequel is now under the auspicious care of Blue Castle Games but with Capcom and creator Keiji Inafune still heavily involved. In fact, many of the original Dead Rising Capcom team now work at Blue Castle so we’re not seeing any real issue here. But let’s get down to brass tacks. You can brain zombies in this game with the head of a moose. I’d repeat that sentence again for emphasis if I wasn’t still in shock from writing it in the first place.
Dead Space 2 – Developer: Visceral Games | Publisher: EA | Out: TBC
The first Dead Space was a welcome respite from the incessant sequels we were bombarded with this year. Sometimes it’s just nice to pick up something that comes with no expectation or frame of reference whatsoever. Along with Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space went someway in introducing the concept of an EA finally shaking off the shackles of its Industry Bad-Guy persona; a publisher willing to take a chance on new IP and proffer something different to a user-base slowly becoming jaded by sequelitis.
Dead Space was not a perfect game but it was damn enjoyable. With a sequel now officially on the cards, we’re hopeful that space engineer Isaac Clarke’s next encounter with the Necromorphs will be even better than his first. This time out Isaac overcomes his inherent shyness, and instead of being his usual reticent self, will actually have a voice in the sequel. Gone is the stricken Ishimura ship as a location, with a station near Saturn called Sprawl now taking on duties as a deadly playground overrun with alien nasties.
Dead to Rights: Retribution – Developer: Volatile Games | Publisher: Namco Bandai (America) | Out: TBC
2002’s Dead to Rights brought new meaning to the expression “One man and his dog.” With his faithful hound, Shadow, no-nonsense cop Jack Slate patrols Grant City, a corrupt cesspit inhabited with more criminals than citizens. One of the most vicious yet totally obedient dogs we’ve ever seen – kinda like a bizarre mix of Cujo and Lassie – the availability of having Shadow to run into the fray and bite enemies in the nethers might be a tad gimmicky, but it does offer something different.
The original Dead to Rights made heavy use of Max Payne-esque Bullet Time shenanigans and presented a plot very much along the lines of a John Woo Hong Kong action flick. Recent footage of the sequel also shows why the censors were getting a little hot under the collar with certain elements of the game. Apparently it’s OK to blow someone’s head clean from their shoulders, but controlling a dog to chew their face off is a big no-no.
Deadly Premonition – Developer: Access Games | Publisher: Marvelous Interactive (Japan) | Out: TBC
Starting off as Rainy Woods, Deadly Premonition resurfaced this year as a budget priced Silent Hill/Siren dare we say contender. It also sticks in my mind as a game that was an Xbox360 exclusive for all of one day. In reality, the game simply wasn’t announced with the full associated platforms when brought back from the dead and to our picky attention.
From the new recent footage on offer, it would appear Deadly Premonition is gaming’s equivalent to Snakes On A Plane, hailing from the “So Bad It’s Good” school of schlock. The graphics are muddy, the acting and voice work atrocious, and it appears to heavily “borrow” from a number of more established horror games. So we’re looking forward to it then? Oh yes!
Deus Ex 3 - Developer: Eidos Montréal / SquareEnix | Publisher: SquareEnix | Out: TBC
If you thought people were pissed at Final Fantasy VIII after falling so headlong in love with Final Fantasy VII, you should check out the reaction fans had toward Deus Ex’s 2003 sequel Deus Ex: Invisible War. Personally, I thought the follow-up was a gritty, futuristic jaunt, well executed albeit a little clunky and slow-moving in places. Then again, I never played the original. Die-hard fans of the first game, however, hated it for its dumbed down augmented system and a move away from its RPG origins. So, we don’t envy the task ahead for the Montréaleans making Deus Ex 3 for they’re sure to piss someone off. Take the backlash from the fans when a cover system was unveiled for the new title as a prime example.
Deus Ex presents a cyberpunk world infested with clandestine government forces and almost cabalistic covert groups hell-bent on making the future more unpleasant than it already is. Throw in bio-modification, fervent religious doctrine and more conspiracy theories than you could shake a grassy knoll at, and you get a dangerous yet intriguing universe to visit. Little is known about the new Deus Ex other than it will be a prequel, and that the augmentations will take the form of four distinct categories: Combat, Stealth, Technology and Social.
Doom 4 – Developer: id Software | Publisher: Bethesda Softworks | Out: TBC
Still regarded as one of the big daddies of the FPS clique, Doom 4 is apparently deep in development with more information promised to be revealed at next year’s QuakeCon. What we do know is that it will use id Software’s new Tech 5 engine, technology that will also drive id’s other FPS RAGE (which we will discuss in Part 8 of this series), and – for the tech-heads – is actually based on DirectX 9 specifications thus does not require DirectX 10 to run.
The chances of Doom 4 raising its beastly head by this time next year are pretty unknown. We place it here on this list more as a placeholder. Who knows, it might make it.
DUST 514 – Developer: CCP Games | Publisher: CCP Games | Out: TBC
PC gamers will likely be all-too familiar with EVE Online. A sci-fi based MMO, the game has over 300,000 active subscriptions and a loyal if not zealous following. Developed by Icelandic gaming house CCP (Crowd Control Productions) Games, the developers revealed at this year’s Eve FanFest that the company were working on a title for the seventh generation of consoles (that’s us). Further details emerged later on in the year at GamesCom where DUST 514 was officially unveiled.
DUST 514 is an intriguing concept for how it plans to integrate with the extant EVE universe. A companion game of sorts, while PC EVE Online gamers will continue to shape the universe from orbit, console gamers will get the opportunity to fight ground battles on the game’s plethora of planets. Both games are hence intrinsically linked, with conquests and defeats played out on the surface having lasting ramifications to the wider EVE setting.
It’s a novel idea and one that might actually work. What also attracts us to DUST 514 (apart from being an MMOFPS) is just how purty the graphics are. Check out some footage on the interwebs if you need convincing.
EA Sports MMA – Developer: EA Tiburon | Publisher: EA | Out: TBC
Despite UFC über-meathead Dana White threatening to blacklist any fighter who signed up for their likeness to appear in EA’s retort to THQ’s new UFC Undisputed franchise, recent early glimpses of EA Sport’s Mixed Martial Arts title indicate we have nothing to worry about.
Of course, Dana should have known better to tell any man who looks like a shaved bear what to do, as signing up to the rival product is exactly what a whole host of his brawlers went and did. We’re assuming when big names like Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture defied White and accepted EA’s cheque, the UFC president probably wished he had kept his mouth shut as there’s no sign of such blackballing actually coming to light.
With THQ releasing a follow-up to their successful inaugural UFC title also next year, we’re seeing a FIFA/PES type schism appearing in the MMA world. The winners are the gamers of course, with those of you out there who like to beat the tar out of your fellow oily man soon to have two new titles to channel your frustration through.
Earth No More – Developer: Recoil Games | Publisher: Radar Group | Out: TBC
We’re going to go out on a limb here and designate Earth No More as “Game Most Likely Not To Happen” on this list. An FPS set in a town experiencing a strange outbreak of red tentacles (happens all the time around these parts), Recoil Games have announced that the title is on hold indefinitely due to financial reasons. Take into account the recent allegations of IP theft by Cinemagraphix Entertainment directed at 3D Realms (now Radar Group) whoallegedly (there’s that word again) were pitched the idea of Earth No More back in 2005 by Cinemagraphix, and the omens are not good. And we’re not talking about red tentacles.
Earthworm Jim – Developer: Gameloft | Publisher: Interplay | Out: TBC
The news this year that Gameloft had received permission to develop an Earthworm Jim game for what included next-gen consoles was greeted with jubilant jumping up and down by the game’s (now aging) fan-base. For the uninitiated, Earthworm Jim was a platformer designed by Dave Perry and Doug TenNapel that proved quite popular on the likes of the SNES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis back in the mid 90s. It even spawned a cartoon.
The attraction of Earthworm Jim, apart from its addictive one-more-go gameplay and colourful art style, was its tongue-in-cheek antics. In what other game can you play a worm capable of pulling himself from his own space-suit and lassoing his head to a hook in order to advance to the next platform? Genius.
Earthworm Jim 4 will likely be a PSN title. If it makes it at all.
Edge of Twlight – Developer: Fuzzy Eyes | Publisher: Southpeak Interactive| Out: TBC
When I first imagined writing this 100 PS3 Games of 2010 list, one of the immediate things that jumped into my head was “Oh, I’m going to have to probably mention Edge of Twilight”, something I was not looking forward to considering the title’s current limbo status.
Nothing to do that that vampiric teenage girl wet-dream snooze-fest, Edge of Twilight features bounty hunter Lex, who, being a halfbreed, is one of the only few people who can cross between two worlds.
This third-person perspective title featuring intricate steampunk imagery and some interesting action sequences hit a wall this year when its Brisbane-based developer Fuzzy Eyes announced the game had run aground due to issues with publisher Southpeak Interactive. A recent press release states, however, “all outsourcing parties [are] still working hard on EOT development.” We didn’t know the project had been outsourced, but we’ll take any good news if it means the title eventually gets a release.
Enslaved - Developer: Ninja Theory | Publisher: Namco Bandai | Out: TBC
Heavenly Sword is a really good game. There, I said it. Not the best game ever created. Nor is it earth-shattering. But it’s also not mediocre or even bad as some may want you to believe. Of course, this is just a personal opinion and we all have them, but what Ninja Theory managed to create with Heavenly Sword was truly spectacular in terms of art. We won’t descend into the “Are games art?” debate here, but the look and presentation of Heavenly Sword was second to none. It was polished to an inch of its life.
It’s because of this attention and care Ninja Theory showed to its PS3 exclusive launch-title that we’re fascinated at what they have in store for their upcoming multiplatform title Enslaved. Similar to some degree to their previous venture, Enslaved offers intense combat and environment traversal on an Earth 150 years in the future. Blasted and now unrecognisable, players take on the role of Monkey and an AI companion, Trip. The game’s title is in reference to how Trip “enslaves” Monkey by hacking into his mind through the use of a fancy headband. The title is also in reference to the game’s setting, as she does this in an effort to keep them both alive and out of the nefarious hands of slavers.
WOOOO we are getting there lol
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