Out of curiosity: I know the holidays are right around the corner, and with the holidays comes the influx in video game releases. So what are everyone's wishlists? You know, if cash were no obstacle, as in if you had a truckful of money in bags marked with a big dollar sign. Also, though not a prerequisite, you could enjoy pipes and tophats and tying women to train tracks. If you'd like to talk about any of that feel free, though I don't really feel qualified to help you. What I do want to know is the wishlist, so stop distracting me and get to it.
I'll start it off:
EA's NHL 10 - Release Date, 09-15-09 I know we're all still getting to know each other and are still fairly anonymous. I for one don't know any of you. But something everyone will eventually come to know about me is this: I have two major recreational passions. The first is games of any kind (not just video) and the second is hockey. If knowing obscure statistics of current and former NHL players was a high paying job, then I'd have a high paying job, and I'd happily work overtime. With the inclusion of GM Mode in this year's version, which includes the return of fantasy draft, I can already feel the necessary truncation of social events beginning to make more time to sit in my living room.
Scribblenauts - Release Date, 09-15-09 This is the game I demanded a birthday DS from my girlfriend for. The idea of solving puzzles with a dinosaur armed with a flamethrower riding a tricycle wielding prepositional phrases is just brilliant in my book. I don't care that I have to play as...whatever that guy is. There's something about the protagonist's mittens and headgear that screams (or jots?) "should probably stay inside." Mainly, the reason I want this game is so when I get stuck on a level, it'll be the first time I have absolutely no one to blame but myself.
Borderlands - Release Date 10-20-09 I've been watching this game's progress for awhile. Like our instructor, I have a soft spot for all things post-apocalyptia. Among my friends I've been describing this game as Fallout meets Modern Warfare. I don't know how accurate that really is, but it's sufficient to get them to leave me alone. I've never really been a fan of cel-shading, but I'm going into this one with an open mind. There's something about using cel-shading as an aesthetic choice that chafes with me, and that's partly the reason I never bought Champions Online after beta-ing it. But the gameplay that Borderlands promises, along with the ridiculous amount of customization possibilities and the RPG elements, might be enough to allow me to tolerate cartoony-ness.
Dragon Age: Origins - Release Date 11-03-09 In the same way that some people blindly consume everything produced by Hollister or Nabisco, I throw money at anything that comes out of Bioware's offices. I love Bioware so much I wish I could be friends with it and invite it over to play Bioware games together. But it has to bring it's own, because I'm not taking turns. The thing about DA:O that I find most intriguing is the evolution of the player's decision-making. This game promises to go even further with having decisions affect overall game play. Of course, if the official media release detailing the game was simply: "Bioware made this, give us your money" I'd say "okay."
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Release Date 10-10-09 I still regularly play the original Modern Warfare, so this one's really a no-brainer. The way that the original was just head-and-shoulders above any other online FPS experience kept me playing long after all the preteen guttermouths migrated back to Halo 3. I don't have the budget to spring for the night-vision, however. I guess that will have to wait until I join the real-life military. But because of the original, I know way more than I should about automatic weaponry. The sequel offers improvements in graphics and menus, as well as slight changes in the online leveling system. I can't wait to continue my murderous rampage.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, 09-15-09
Tekken 6, 10-27-09
Left 4 Dead 2 11-17-09
Assassin's Creed 2 11-17-09
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Although I'm hugely looking forward to DA:O - probably for the same, "Bioware made this, HERE IS A THOUSAND DOLLARS" reasons, I'm not so keen on the impactful-decision-making-bits. I've heard similar noises before, and I've never really been impressed with the systems - sure, it changes who likes you and who tries to hit you with sticks, but the gameplay, story, and level of immersion have thus far in my experience never been altered on any meaningful level.
ReplyDeleteKoToR1/2 sort of approached and worked with this, with being Dark/Lightside influencing the strength of your spells and so ons, but ultimately, the final boss was the same no matter what, your gear was more or less the same no matter what, and the primary difference in Light/Darkside was a bit of text at the very end.
I'm still looking forward to it, and hoping they've managed to create a series of profound changes as a result of player actions, but I'm doubtful. The most substantial changes I've really ever seen come from a game usually arise during conversations with a friend and his suggestion that I do something stupid or suicidal - and I do, and it shifts the dynamics of the game more than anything the game itself could have done.
PS: Squid ouroboros is fucking awesome.