Mars – Developer: Spiders | Publisher: TBC | Out: TBC
French studio Spiders’ futuristic red planet excursion, we’re promised RPG elements along with intense hand-to-hand combat on a planet that has recently shifted obit and hence no longer in contact with Earth.
The production images released of the title so far don’t exactly inspire confidence, but we’ll keep an open mind nonetheless. We’re quite partial to your typical trapped-on-Mars-with-a-water-shortage-while-some-of-the-planet’s-inhabitants-have-been-transformed-into-mutants-by-the-sun’s-rays story.
Max Payne 3 – Developer: Rockstar Vancouver | Publisher: Rockstar Games | Out: Q4 2010
The hard life hasn’t fared too well with ole Max Payne. Discarding his usual look and now resembling a cross between John McClane and Hacksaw Jim Duggan, the perpetually simile-spouting troubled ex-cop has had his fair share of life’s tragedies. From losing his wife and child to the inability to find a decent shirt in this his third outing, Max Payne 3 suggests a departure from previous Payne titles on numerous fronts.
Apart from the change in appearance, Max has also left his hometown of New York, now shacked up in the sweltering climes of Sao Paolo, Brazil where he has become embroiled in the shady underworld of private protection.
One of the most intriguing of elements about Max Payne 3, apart from the title being the first in the series not to be created by original studio Remedy Games, is how it was originally earmarked or a late 2009 entry. With a new release date of late 2010, we’re intrigued to find out what this entire year of extra development time will being to the title.
Medal of Honor – Developer: EA LA (campaign) / EA DICE (multiplayer) | Publisher: EA| Out: Q3 2010
The first M-rated Medal of Honor title and taking place in a whole new modern setting for the popular FPS series, Medal of Honor is a blatant retort to the phenomenal success Activision have enjoyed with Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare games.
Not that we blame them of course. When a game sells in the numbers Modern Warfare 2 recently posted, we’d also be doing all we could to wrestle the crown back from the Call of Duty franchise.
A press release from EA confirms that all the action in the recent Medal of Honor footage is actual gameplay, with players gaining the ability to take to the skies in a chopper while also wrecking havoc on the ground in an assortment of vehicles.
It’s an audacious endeavour and one us gamers will undoubtedly benefit from. Could EA really create a war game to rival the commercial success of Activision’s flagship shooter? We have our doubts. Though Medal of Honor does have a prestigious legacy, the developers will have a steep hill to climb in order to impress a fairly partisan audience. We’ll continue to monitor the reboot’s progress throughout 2010.
Metal Gear Solid: Rising – Developer: Kojima Productions | Publisher: Konami | Out: TBC
Announced to much aplomb and after a Konami media circus that included oblique countdowns and surprise appearances at E3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising represents a changing of the guard so to speak for the legendary Metal Gear series. Not just in terms of lead character, for this will be the first MGS title the imitable Hideo Kojima won’t have total control of. Of course, even as producer, expect the picky Kojima-san to stamp his authority all over the upcoming title.
What this change suggests for the future of the series or the quality of this product is anyone’s guess, but we do know Raiden will feature prominently while the upstarts of Kojima Productions will have the opportunity to shine and prove the series still shows signs of longevity without the old man pulling the strings.
The chances of MGS:R making a 2010 release are slim. Whether this is due to the inherent high-production value of each of the games in the series or because of Konami’s tendency to take at least three years to create a new Metal Gear title, either way, we mention it here as, without Kojima-san in control, all bets are off. Who knows how long Rising has actually been in development. A Q4 2010 appearance, though unlikely, is not out of the realms of fancy.
Mirror’s Edge 2 – Developer: EA DICE | Publisher: EA | Out: TBC
Mirror’s Edge’s inaugural appearance on the PS3 was greeted with muted success. Selling over a million copies and receiving mostly positive reviews, there was always the feeling that, despite performing well on multiple fronts, EA thought it had the next Lara Croft-esque commercial explosion on its hands.
Ultimately, and likely because the industry had simply grown up so much since Tomb Raider’s debut more than anything else, Mirror’s Edge failed to resonate with the masses at the same level.
A sequel was recently confirmed by EA Games Senior VP Patrick Söderlund. Whether some of the criticisms of the first game (such as its length, clunky combat and somewhat restrictive free-roaming elements) will be taken on board remains to be seen.
ModNation Racerss – Developer: United Front Games | Publisher: SCE | Out: Q2 2010
Yes, at first glance it resembles Mario Kart a great deal, but that doesn’t make United Front Games’ ModNation Racers sandbox racing title any less appealing. If anything, it just makes us want it even more.
The big sell comes in the form of the track, vehicle and character creation tools; powerful user-content generating devices that turn what was initially a simple and charming quirky racing game with colourful characters into an endless fertile playground for budding level designers.
We’re impressed that Sony are not resting on their laurels after LittleBIGPlanet and are continuing to push the “Play. Create. Share.” mantra into new genres. And if early word out of the closed beta for ModNation Racers is anything to go by, we’re not the only ones.
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 – Developer: CyberConnect2 | Publisher: Namco Bandai | Out: Q3 2010
Somewhat overlooked upon its late 2008 release in Europe, Naruto’s first Ninja Storm was like playing an episode of the popular anime cartoon. With jaw-dropping combos and a truly luscious visual style, we’re confident Naruto’s sophomore assault will be just as impressive.
Naughty Bear – Developer: A2M | Publisher: 505 Games | Out: TBC
A bear pissed off after not receiving an invite to a party goes on a homicidal rampage against his furry ex-mates. It’s so twisted that we’re understandably fascinated with what developer Artificial Mind and Movement will conjure up with the title next year.
After all, if A2M can create one cute, bloodthirsty plaything in WET’s Ruby Malone, we’re sure they can handle a bear with a bad head.
Nier – Developer: Cavia | Publisher: SquareEnix | Out: TBC
OK, brace yourself. Here comes the science bit. The background behind Nier is a confusing hodge-podge of multiple titles, strange exclusivity deals and more names than a Spanish con-man. At this point we’re pretty sure Nier is actually two titles, Nier Gestalt and Nier Replicant, both due for a PS3 release sometime next year. We think. Both games exist in the same universe with the protagonist of each title searching for either a mother or a sister. Or … something …
We’ll attempt to unravel the mystery of Nier’s apparent schizophrenia as things progress.
No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise – Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture / Feelplus (port) | Publisher: Rising Star Games | Out: February 25th
Some see it as a sign of the Apocalypse. We view one of the best Wii games getting an HD sprucing up and eventual release on our console of choice as simply good business practice. Goichi Suda’s critically (if not commercially) well-received tongue-in-cheek action title jumps from Nintendo’s popular and ubiquitous console to the PS3 and 360 this year where it might actually sell some copies.
We won’t go into the whole 3rd party titles on the Wii issue here but, suffice to say, producers are waking up to the fact that Nintendo’s behemoth is exceptionally strong in some areas, but inherently weak in others. These same 3rd party producers are now looking at new options in an effort to get their titles into the hands of more gamers. Enter, the HD port.
No More Heroes is a natural candidate for ship-jumping. A slightly more mature title than the usual titles on the Wii, it’s also one of the rare non-1st party Nintendo titles that critics actually warmed to. Recognised for its novel structure and presentation, No More Heroes has enough attitude and quirkiness to impress a new audience this year.
Despite these qualities, the game still has its (non-Wii hating) detractors, with some owners of the original title bemoaning elements of the gameplay including a bad case of Assassin’s Creed-itis in terms of repetition. One thing there’s not much argument about, however, surrounds how jarringly unattractive the title was. At least in this area we will see a welcomed upgrade, with recent images of No More Heroes on the PS3 (now with the subtitle Heroes’ Paradise) looking quite nice indeed.
It’s a shame that the satirical (and cocky) nature of Travis Touchdown was not experienced by more gamers when he first hit the scene a couple of years ago. It would appear this issue will soon be remedied.
