Platforms: XB360, PS3, PC
Release date: October 2010
A me-too revival of the esteemed shooter franchise that features box-like maps, killstreak rewards, and soldier classes befit of any modern warfare title. "Modern warfare"...that sounds strangely familiar.
Platforms: XB360, PS3
Release date: October 2010
Other online players can drop in and out of your single-player campaign to either assist you in your mission or impede your progress. Each level is a self-contained, multiplayer arena. Players "jack" into characters in the game, which allows them to take control of any model on the battlefield. When players die, they can jack into another character.
Platforms: XB360, PS3
Release date: July 2010
Tecmo tries its hand at a Gears of War-style cover-based game. One innovation: You can launch your lady co-op companion at enemies. I'd like to see Marcus try that with Dom.
Platforms: XB360, PS3, PC
Release date: 2011
If Borderlands is "RPG lite" then Rage is "RPG extra lite" -- it's primarily action-based, with some vehicle sections, but you'll be able to stop in towns to talk to people and pick up new missions. The game's quite the looker, too.
Platforms: XB360, PS3, PC
Release date: March 2011
Armageddon takes the Red Faction series underground the surface of Mars as the player must eliminate an infestation of strange creatures. The fully destructible environments of Guerrilla return, and players now have new methods of wrecking havoc, such as the magentic gun that causes two objects to attract. Players will also pilot massive mech-like suits as they battle onward.
Platforms: PS3
Release date: Fall 2010
We're not too wild about the PlayStation Move setup (how many shooters on the Wii do you love playing with motion controls?), but the new (destructible) cover system, five-man squads, and customizable ways to issue commands to your A.I. teammates show the game still has hardcore cred.
Platforms: XB360, PS3, PC
Release date: 2011
Set in Dubai after massive sandstorms destroy the city, The Line is a squad-based, third-person shooter with context sensitive commands, which allows players to order teammates to action in an evolving battlefield. Campaign follows a non-linear path influenced by player decisions, but all paths are to the same end.
Platforms: XB360, PS3
Release date: October 2010
A very Japanese, very arcadey take on the Gears of War-style cover-based shooter. Features a lot of slow-mo "bullet time" gunplay, screen-clearing weapons, and fast sliding from cover to cover (no more walking around like a sucker).
Platforms: XB360, PC
Release date: 2011
XCOM is the classic strategy series reimagined as a first-person shooter. Its suburban, atomic-age '50s vibe is cool, but it remains to be seen how much of the original's quirky gameplay and deep strategy will show up here. Hopefully lots.
If I could only have three games, my answer would be pretty lame:
1. Gears of War 3
2. Halo: Reach
3. Crysis 2
With honorable mentions going to Homefront and Vanquish. :) (I think I just cheated there)
Mt three would be:
1. Dead Space 2
2. Red Faction Guerilla
3. Gears of War 3
1. Halo: Reach
2. Crysis 2
3. Brink
An I'll go with Homefront and Dead Space 2.
1. Halo: Reach
2. Dead Space 2
3. Crysis 2
Looking forward to Halo: Reach a lot. I don't know how they're going to fit everything onto a single disc. It's a Kool-Aid jammer.
1. Halo: Reach
2. Gears of War 3
3. Dead Space 2... ... ... With a side of Brink.
Am I the only one who's bored with shooters? None of these games look interesting or intriguing to me (not even Front Mission, and I'm a big fan of mech games). For those making lists in response to this story, what is it about the games Shoe's included in this post that you find so exciting?
I have suddenly become very interested in Brink over the last week. If the parkour-like movements are as smooth as they say it will be, it could be a very interesting experience. Plus, I trust Bethesda to put their publishing money behind games that they truly believe in.
@Jason: I'm definitely a little jaded on these, but my top two (Halo: Reach and Gears 3) have really awesome co-op modes (Firefight and Beast mode, respectively), which has me excited about the genre again. It's a relatively new subgenre, these "Horde" modes. If it were all campaign and multiplayer only, I wouldn't care nearly as much.
Shoe, you definitely made Gears 3's Beast mode sound like a great time on the Mobcast. I'm really looking forward to that now. These days, I would agree that if the emphasis in shooters isn't on co-op, I'm not nearly as interested.
Also, please don't tell me that I'm the only one that thinks GoldenEye Wii looks like complete crap (graphically and otherwise) and simply should not exist. That game is nothing more than the inevitable failed attempt to plug into our late-90s nostalgia of the console multi-player renaissance (attempt number two, I should say; anyone remember the debacle that was Rogue Agent?). At least it won't be in EA's hands, but rather Eurocom's, who has had some solid success on the Wii with Dead Space: Extraction. In any case, it's time to let GoldenEye die.
@Jason: With the exception of Dead Space 2, The games on my list are all game's my little group of gaming buddies are probably going to get. I'm not entirely sure who plans on getting Brink, so that one's still "wait and see." But those are really the only 4 games that I have a strong desire to play. And with the one exception, it isnt for the solo offerings.
It's true that while I may be a little burned out on all the shooters, there are exceptions that I look forward to. And these games are not the only games I plan on playing through out the next year or two.... I keep it fresh like that. :)
@Jason: Preach on, brother man. Now, I was never really a shooters fan, so I can't say that I'm burned out.... but seeing them all compiled here side-by-side really shows off what I think the genre's main problem is. Scroll down the list quickly and see if you can tell too much of a difference.
Again, I don't play them, so I can't really judge. I'm sure if I had a sweet HD set-up I'd be blown away by some of the work that's being done on many of these games. But it's a bit disconcerting that a few great franchises (Front Mission, XCOM) are trading in their identities to hop on the shooter bandwagon. I just don't get why more games (especially on the Wii, where horsepower is a problem) don't try and separate themselves with a more unique graphical style -- why all the uber-realistic, plasticized testosterone-fests? I can imagine how, by subverting these conventions, one could make a very cool, unexpected, new experience. And if anyone has any recommendations for just this sort of thing, do let me know.
I can only get 3? You're not the boss of me!
1) Halo: Reach
2) Gears 3
3) Call of Duty: Black Ops
@Shoe, I have totally shunned traditional multiplayer/deathmatch modes. Quit cold turkey -- I'm not playing if it's not a horde mode. I'm committed for the near term to Firefight, Nazi Zombies and Horde/Beast.
Also, because I refuse to be limited (and am not even close to sick of 1st/3rd person shooters), I'll go ahead and admit I am definitely picking up Dead Space 2, Crysis 2 and probably Ghost Recon. Those on the outside and looking in are Rage and Quantum Theory. But both of those games look sick in a Borderlands and Gears (respectively) sorta way.
So much gaming! So little free time!
1. Spec Ops: The Line - I'm not much of a military shooter fan, but its surreal buried-in-sand Dubai setting, interesting premise, and that trailer with Björk -- of all things -- playing in the background to scenes of firefights on shifting sand dunes kind of drew my attention to it.
2. Kane & Lynch: The first one wasn't an stellar game by any means, but I liked the "crime movie" feel it had. I hope they refine the controls and improve the storyline for this one. The new Fragile Alliance mode -- supposedly based on real-life heist stories -- sounds really interesting as well -- and yeah, the unique visual style is a selling point as well.
3. Singularity - It's not on the list, but what the hell. I'm really looking forward to the time-bending, puzzle-solving challenges -- I think they'll make for good variety.
@Jason: I'm really interested in Reach for the customizable firefight and scalable coop in campaign. I hope really gets back to great storytelling with reach's campaign, and I honestly can't wait for a real challenge from those Elites on Legendary again. It's all about nostalgia for me! I really just wanna see what my 360 is capable in regards to Crysis, but I've got a crush on Brink. The only thing I think Infinity Ward did right with MW2 was Marathon Pro. It has a sort of free running feel to it if you get quick with it and Brink looks to make that the focus of its game.
The shooter aspect isn't why I'm interested in a few of the titles here -- it's the other things they do. I'm interested in Spec Ops's squad mechanics, which seemed pretty comprehensive during the demo. I'm hoping to see something similar to Star Wars: Republic Commando. I'm also interested in Homefront's narrative approach, and I always like being the underdog.
I should be really excited by Front Mission and XCOM, but I'm not. I'm mostly disappointed that these are shooters and not strategy games.
1. Halo: Reach- Because Jeffrey has pretty much commanded me to learn Halo so we can play together. :)
2. Brink- Because it looks cool.
3. Crysis 2- Because Richard Morgan is writing it.
If I have the money, I'll also pick up Red Faction. If Spec Ops has good squad mechanics I'll definitely try it.
@Rob I'm hoping it's like Republic Commando too. I really enjoyed that game!
I thought a "magentic gun" would turn everything magenta. Anyway, thanks for doing this, guys. I've been retardedly busy lately and simply can't keep up with all of this news. And Jason; you don't play shooters so you don't get an opinion!