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The Other 25:
The
OTHER Games I’m Looking Forward to...
Written
By:
J. Michael Neal
Part One
What a year for
gaming this will be! Doom 3, Half-Life 2,
World of Warcraft, Halo 2, Jade Empire, Fable,
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Gran Turismo 4, Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas, Resident Evil 4, Metroid
Prime 2: Echoes, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy
XIII, Prince of Persia 2, Knights of the Old Republic
II: The Sith Lords, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, so on and so
forth – everyone knows about the big, BIG games coming out
within the next 9 months that will surely pwn the all of us, but
within this goulash of heavy hitting, soon-to-be million sellers
there’s also a sizable number of equally amazing, lower-profile
games that just may sneak under your radar, for one reason or
another, if you aren’t careful.
Every year they
come, the “sleeper hits”, the “short list” candidates, the
“critically acclaimed” commercial “failures” that gain cult
followings but make little headway on the sales charts before
plummeting to the depths of the bargain bin. Us high-falutin
hardcore gamer types typically value them just as highly as we do
the chart-toppers, if not more so, and for us, the next 9 months are
looking brighter than ever. Sure, I’m on just as many pens and
needles for the super-hyped games as the next geek, and rightfully
hold my fair share of pre-orders on some of the above titles, but
personally, I’m awaiting the next 25 potential sleeper hits just as
much…
You might want to keep an eye on them too…
Why I’m Excited: Dude,
have you seen this thing in action yet? It looks downright
orgasmic! It has such a unique look and feel, what with the wacky,
exploding dog-style hand-drawn animation, and it’s a 2D side-scroller
for crying out loud! And not just any 2D side-scroller at that – an
incredibly frantic, violent, humorous, and disturbingly cute 2D
side-scroller with an ass-load of replayability! I seriously can’t
wait to get my hands on this!
Why It May Go Unnoticed:
First time developers and a
greenhorn publisher make a 2D side-scrolling shooter console
version of a free Flash game? This will no doubt be a tough sell to
the 3D-obsessed public, no matter how many year end awards this game
will eventually rake in…
Systems: GC, PS2.
Beyond
Good & Evil II?
Why I’m Excited: At this
point, this game is little more than a shadow, but considering what
it’s a shadow OF, it’s still worth getting jazzed about! BG&E
was yet another gem from cult-gaming god Michel Ancel, but it didn’t
sell well enough to please Ubisoft, so now the fate of the former
trilogy is up in the air. Hopefully, Ubisoft will do the right thing
and let Monsieur Ancel finish telling his wonderful tale.
Why It May Go Unnoticed:
“Unnoticed”? It may never see the light of day! Poor sales can
easily kill a grand trilogy. Ask Yu Suzuki.
Systems: Your guess is as
good as mine, but I’d wager all platformers.
Conker:
Live and Reloaded
Why I’m Excited: I missed
the original Conker, not being an N64 owner myself, so I’m
totally stoked over this one. Not only do I get Rare’s next-gen
follow-up to its controversial platformer, but I also get to
experience Bad Fur Day without having to pick up some crusty,
used N64 at a flea market and put up with generation-old muddy
visuals. Plus, it’ll put my near-wasted Xbox Live
subscription to use!
Why It May Go Unnoticed:
Rare has a lot to prove to the world. Well, not really, but that’s
what many people think.
Star Fox Adventures failed to cause
much of a splash among those looking for the next
Perfect Dark,
and their first Xbox title, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, was
generally regarded as a big, steaming pile of style over substance.
They are a few more poorly received releases from losing nearly all
of the street-cred they built up during the 16 and 64 bit days! And
on top of that, the first Conker didn’t exactly burn up the
charts, so how much branding potential the title has is debatable…
System: Xbox
Why I’m Excited: I damn
near soiled myself when I first saw this game! In all honesty, I’m
anticipating this game as much as Half-Life 2 and Doom 3.
It’ll probably be my next
War of the Monsters – campy, B-50’s horror movie nods,
classic Bernard Herrmann score remixed by Junkie XL, animal
mutilation, massive destruction, probing! Pandemic certainly knows
how to give a man what he wants! Hell, how many games do you know of
that use Plan 9 From Outer Space as a story catalyst?
Farmers, lock up your cows, because it’s on come First Quarter 2005!
Why It May Go Unnoticed:
Being “my next War of the Monsters” will probably mean it
won’t sell much better than War of the Monsters, even if you
can probe pathetic earthlings and wreck-havoc freely, GTA-style.
Systems: Xbox, PS2.
Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires
Why I’m Excited: The
Dynasty Warriors series is one of the most rewarding franchises
out there. It has some of the coolest, most chaotic battles in
gaming, tons of replayability, a multitude of unlockables, and
enough Chinese history to make you feel like you’ve learned
something. Empires looks to add a deeper tactical element to
the game, both on and off the battlefield, which should make the
game more challenging and more addictive than ever before.
Why It May Go Unnoticed:
For some insane reason the Dynasty Warriors series has never
gotten much respect from gaming critics, and although it has a
modest if not dedicated fan base, KOEI's franchise still seems like
a dark horse in the industry. Let’s see how many magazine covers and
front-page features DW4E gets between now and September…
System: PS2.
Part Two-->
Posted:
8-31-04 |
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