What games are you looking forward to in next 12 months

[loki]

As per title, what games are you looking forward to over the next 12 months or so. Still plugging away at COD 4 on PC and it offers nothing. As it's a pretty closed game system, there has been little opportunity for custom mods and maps which is a shame. Although, me and my friends have been really tearing it up on Company of Heroes and Opposing fronts. It's such a fantastic game.

However by the end of this year I hope to get a PS3(Purely for Blu-Ray) and a Wii for Alexander for Xmas. So there are quite a few games I would like to get on all 3 platforms.

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising (PC). Operation Flashpoint was probably one of the finest squad based shooters to come to PC. It's been a game that has stood the test of time and still has a vibrant multiplayer community. Due for release in 2009, the follow up, Dragon Rising, it looks to retain the brilliant squad based aspect of the game whilst developing some exciting new features to the AI.

After reading a preview of it in PC Format it looks as though a lot of effort has gone into modelling every aspect of the game on real life environments and weapons. What poses a question mark is going to be the stability of the game engine. They are looking at a model adopted by star dock for Sins of a Solar Empire in that the recommended and minimum specs will be kept to a minimum to ensure a wide user base. Not due till early 2009 but I suspect it will be worth the wait.



Star Wars: Force Unleashed(Console Multi Platform) Mmmmmm Lightsabres on Wii I think when I get the Wii, I may dip my toe with Force Unleashed. This time around it pits you as Darth Vaders apprentince. So that with the draw of the Dark Side force means it could be a winner all around. The Force Unleashed debuts Digital Molecular Matter. Objects and enemies react with incredible realism, whether cut down by a lightsaber or hurled through the air using Force powers. I really think a good Star Wars game is long overdue. KOTOR being the noticeable exception to a long list of average titles to come from Lucas Arts in recent years.



Call of Duty 5: World at War(PC & Console)Coming out in November this year on PC & Console, this takes the Call of Duty franshise back to World War II In the Pacific Theatre. Although not developed or released by Infinity Ward, it still utilises the same game engine as COD4. I was a fan of the single player campaign as it was short enough and dramatic enough. Multiplayer on the PC was a good experience but I have found a lot of the environments to offer little variety once you had played them a few times. Im not sure that the latest offering will bring anything new to an already saturated shooter market.



Fallout 3 (PC & Console) One of the biggest hits of this years E3, Liepzig Games Con & Pax. Fallout 3 is coming to PC & Console around November this year. For those unfamiliar with the previous two games, imagine some of the classic games of a few years ago, Baldurs Gate II and it's large immersive world. That will give you an idea of the scale of the previous two games. Very much a 3rd person affair. Then step forward a few years to Elder Scrolls IV, this time a first person game but with the common theme of large open worlds to play. Fallout 3 was bound to take that step from 3rd to 1st person whilst it retained the trademark large scale game arena.

Fallout 3 is set in 2077 around Washington and the world is a mix of post apocalyptic wastelands mixed in with a superficial utopia to protect the masses from the harsh reality of a post nuclear conflict. The story looks a simple affair in that your father has had enough of Big Brother and decides to leave the safety of the protected area. It is your job to rescue him before he is killed or worse.

With the storyline having matured throughout Fallout 1 & 2 this may end up being just another shooter with nice eye candy for the un-initiated. It's well worth doing some reading on the previous two games to get some background on the game universe. However I think this could really pick up the slack from where S.T.A.L.K.E.R & S.T.A.L.K.E.R failed from a game play(former) and storyline(latter) perspective. Given how Bethesda have developed their games over the years, I think this could be a real big hit for PC and Console gamers alike. Certainly one to get your teeth into this Autumn



So what are you looking forward to ?