Posts Tagged ‘Xbox 360’

Preview of Halo Reach initial armor.  Much more information to come after game release! Take a look!

Halo Reach live action trailer released today from Europe’s Gamescon! Not flashy or heavy with action, but still cool. Halo Reach may have more ‘serious’ real-world overtones than expected in a Halo game.

This generation of gaming consoles will last for some time considering a few big game releases on the horizon in 2011.  Two games, Id software’s Rage and Crytek’s Crysis 2 will be released in September and March of next year.  The current consoles are still powerful enough to run the very high tech game engines for each.  The id Tech 5 for Rage first demonstrated by Carmack himself in 2007 on an 8 core Macintosh with a 512MB Quadro video card is one bad-ass game engine.  It is rumored the engine will also power the hotly anticipated Doom 4 which has been confirmed by id software to be “deep in development.” Also, the Cryengine 3 game engine designed by Crytek will power the long awaited Crysis 2.  This engine is also very powerful and is said to support DirectX 9, 10, and 11.

Not much is known about id software’s next game Rage except that it is a new franchise about a post-apocalyptic world left behind from an asteroid impact. This game will allow the player to fight and drive in a combined first person shooter driving game.  I personally think the game will be much more in-depth than that and will probably include many RPG elements, although car combat and shooting will be at the games core. Rage is a huge game and id did voice some concern early in development whether they could release the game on 2 discs for the Xbox 360.  There are rumors that the 1 Terabyte game could be released on 3 dual layer DVD discs for the Xbox 360 and 1 Blu Ray disc for the PS3. Lately there has been talk that a version of Rage will be released on the iPhone!

Crysis 2 for release on all systems besides the Wii is the other huge release for 2011. Developed by Crytek in Europe the game will follow in the footsteps of the smash PC hit game Crysis.  Crysis is a game that not many people got to experience considering the very powerful and expensive gaming rigs required to run the game.  Very much a first person shooter at its core, Crysis 2 is set in New York city in the year 2023 during an alien invasion.  Combat will be urban in style where you’ll be able to strategically plan your movements and attacks in an evacuated cityscape wearing the high powered Nanosuit 2. Debates about whether the console version of this game will live up to standards is under discussion among gamers.  I was not impressed with the first teaser trailer released early this year for console versions.  Let us hope Crytek won’t disappoint us.  Crytek’s earlier console versions of FarCry and FarCry 2 where not bad so there is hope.  On a final note, the PC version of Crysis 2 will definitely outshine the console for those who can afford the latest and greatest hardware.  If you have an Alienware machine then your in for some awesome eye candy.

Project Aces developer of the Ace Combat series will be releasing another fantastic flight combat sim sometime next year 2011.  So, you haven’t finished Ace Combat 6 Fires of Liberation yet?  I haven’t either, but this is a perfect time to get back into the series before the new game arrives.  I love playing Ace Combat 6 hours on end.  I usually get stuck, put the game down for a few months and then eventually get back to it at some later date.  I love the game so its worth some of the frustration.

Namco Bandai games are great if a bit arcady.  I really hope their new game Assault Horizon won’t lean that way too much.  I want the Assault Horizon to not only sport ultra realistic aircraft and terrain, but also the combat and flight characteristics should be more realistic also.  Wait!  Unlimited missiles, bombs and guns aren’t all that bad.  Ok, I regress. I love blowing crap up!

The October 2007 release of Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360 was great, but a huge disappointment for fans of the series who were loyal to the PlayStation.  I personally think if that game were a PlayStation exclusive it could have been a huge PS3 system mover. Four years later the next Project Aces game Assault Horizon will give new ‘birth’ to the series taking it in a new direction for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360.  Few details are available, but the trailer looks fantastic! Take a look for yourself.

Producer and Executive Director Kazutoki Kono:

“For us, this is a rebirth of our premiere franchise, Ace Combat.” “It’s a chance for us to take the player in a completely new direction.”

“I’m confident that we’re creating a new type of intense and visceral action shooting experience with Ace Combat Horizon,” Kono continued. “We’re utilizing all of our collective vision and skills to deliver a phenomenal game. Players will be closer than ever to the combat, experiencing the impact of each shot fired.”

Some games that sneak out as little known originals or fantastic revamps of PC games for consoles really get me excited. Dark Star is one of these games for the Xbox 360 that was first released in 2006 for the PC as a star fighter simulation game. The game garnered great reviews for the PC back then, and this version for the Xbox is looking great as well. The game should introduce this generation of console gamers to an older and successful genre of space flight combat.

Dark Star One reminds me of space fighter games like the acclaimed Wing Commander series from the 1990′s played on PC’s.  There aren’t many games of this type released on consoles today and newer PC games of this genre like EVE require some decent hardware performance in order to get the full effect of the space environment.  Finally, we have something to play on consoles that not only looks stunning on an HDTV big screen in 1080p at 60 frames a second, but it is fun to play as well.

Dark Star One: Broken Alliance has depth.  The game follows its predecessor very closely. Space dog fights and exploring planets in the galaxy is something that rarely gets old.  The game is vast in scale offering over 30 hours of single player campaign play with more than 330 unique planets to explore.  The game also allow you to customize your ships with over 200 components.  The story in the game is also very in-depth featuring more than 40 minutes of voice acted cut-scenes and more than 90 minutes of original music score.

Although exploring the galaxy is fun in its own right, space combat is where its at.  Players can shape their own experiences in the game depending on what type of archetype they choose to pursue.  Whether you enjoy playing like a Mercenary or Smuggler is up to you. Over all, the game should satisfy gamers who love sci-fi although the only major complaint about Dark Star is the somewhat cheesy voice acting and somewhat simple and repetitive game-play.  If your a sci-fi fighter combat fan and can overlook some minor faults then your in for a great time!  I suppose the price could be a little lower for a revamped title from 2006.  Decide for yourself if the $50 dollar price is worth it for a game that has changed little except for the introduction of High Definition. Dark Star: Broken Alliance may well be worth the price for over 30 hours of gaming.