2008 might be best remembered as the clash of the titans, as Grand Theft Auto 4 marks the beginning for this unending race for glory. This year shall also witness a multitude of epic (first person shooters) games being delivered right at your door step.
This unending vortex of destruction crafted by countless alien invasions began way back in the realm of Contra and as the years progressed the horror of the extinction of the human race became terrifying realistic, so in the current generation we have Gears 2, Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 battling it out to reclaim the crown, the throne, the kingdom that had been snatched by the highly over hyped Halo 3. (Sorry Chief no one can hear you scream or whine in space).
GEARS OF WAR 2
Release date: November 2008
Current status: Gameplay trailer on May 9, 2008
It is a mad world out there, the light mass bomb lived up to its name by delivering quite a hit in 2006 which actually translated into Microsoft becoming a serious threat in the console wars. Marcus Fenix and Emergence Day became a household name, the sadist rejoiced as reports of chainsaw massacres began to flow out on the internet.
The 13 year old multiplayer spammer was overjoyed to harass new people with his new vocabulary which had graduated beyond the days of Halo 2 on Xbox Live. The tech geek drooled over Unreal 3.0 which made Cramack like a random “I.D.-ot”, and Cliffy B jumped around in a bunny suit claiming to have created the perfect “ Resident Evil-Bionic Commando-Kill.switch” game which deserved an applaud.
Story: Fenix returns in his orc slaying antics in Gears of War 2, set 6 months after the original game, this one promises to be quite a thrill ride. A city called “Jacnito” is reeling under the Locust Surge, as the light mass explosion also caused much of the liquid iImulsion underground to vaporize, resulting in a fatal disease called “Rust Lung” to spread among the diminished human population.
Humanity seems to be in a worse situation than T-virus infection. Marcus and his troops of soldiers are sent in to the hole “to take the war to the locust”. The city that has been described as, “Once a rich subsection of a large metropolis, now the poor and wealthy survive alike behind its walls” (Game Informer). The story also seems to have an eternal love story element with the Dom’s wife Maria also playing a prominent role. The plot claims to be original to the core, but majority of it still reminds me of a healthy blend of sci-fi alien slaughtering movies.
Visuals: Unreal 3 used to look like a slick oil painting once upon a time, now the effect has been overdone to the extent that most Unreal 3 engine games are pretty much indistinguishable form each other, dubbed version 3.5 this new breed of graphical whore house offers a healthy amount of upgrades including Ambient Occlusion, water effects that blow past Bioshock to the implementation Mova Contour and probable Natural motion engine. The possibilities seem limitless and hopefully we should see wider open door environments that were promised in the original game but never implemented completely.
Gameplay: Chainsaw dueling (Nuff said)
Positives: A solid franchise that has proved itself in the past, Unreal 3.5 technology, a healthy dose of violence that is significantly different from GTA 4 (free from Jerk Thompson syndrome) since killing aliens have always been morally accepted than killing human beings. New multiplayer modes to keep you company post-boredom of GTA 4. Increased Color Palette with the new version of the engine.
Negatives: The same old pop-and-shoot might get a tad bit boring especially since every other game seems to borrow form Gears of War more than occasionally. The eye candy of the Unreal engine might not appeal especially since it is essentially more of the same.
RESISTANCE FALL OF MAN 2
Release Date: Fall 2008
Current Status: Demo and Information Overload in May
Once upon a time Insomniac wanted to do something beyond Ratchet and Clank, so they hatched together a plan and stole an alternate universe from the clutches of Ming the Merciless to craft out a stellar launch title for the PlayStation 3. for months to come the game was the sole reason for buying Sony’s ultra expensive console. From Being dubbed to a poor man Gears of War to Sony’s Halo killer, the game maintained a loyal and hardcore fan following.
Story: Nathan Hale shifts from the shores of Great Britain to America where the Chimera is seen to be growing, and “The Sentinels” are in pursuit to defeat the Chimera like they did 2 years ago. The short pre-rendered cutscene, reminds me of the alien horror movies that did rounds in the sixties and seventies in Hollywood, freaky yet absolutely a pleasure to kill.
Visuals: A lot has improved since the first game, utilizing an updated Ratchet and Clank Engine Insomniac set out to create surreal worlds of pain and destruction sans the grey hound syndrome that most games suffer from. The Chimera look vicious, with 12 new types being added in the game and bosses fights to literally die for. This game seems to be in the process of rephrasing the term “poor man Gears of War”
Gameplay: These guys redefine alternative in a variety of ways, if the larger abnormal variety of guns were to die for in the original, the developers promise a truckload of boss fights that are significantly different from all other FPS arriving on earth.
Positives: Well almost everything about the game is getting a major overhaul, so there is actually a lot to look forward.
Negatives: Might possibly be pitched against Gears of War 2 in case of a Killzone 2 delay. The games these guys make are often underappreciated with due credibility going to Sony’s marketing team which seems to be lost in “Uncharted” territory.
KILLZONE 2
Release Date: Late 2008 to Early 2009
Current status: Demo rumored in August, playable at Sony Gamers Day
Guerilla Games have come a long way from the tech-demo they showcased for the PS2, the initial excitement of the original game was phenomenal, with most people drooling over their screens looking at the levels of realism they had managed to create on the PlayStation 2 which was to cough blood to play something like Ninja Gaiden.
According to a reviewer, unfortunately the game whilst looked staggeringly lifelike in screens failed to impress people in motion. The long anticipated sequel might just nurse the wounds and gashes they suffered a long time ago.
Story: The game a bunch of pseudo aliens, inspired from the Nazi’s from the second world war and like all games falling into this genre this one also looks at humanity’s last stand against a insidious invasion.( I tell you these guys should go for some romantic love stories, parents wouldn’t mind that for sure)
The scenario shifts to the Helghast, home planet of Helghan from the ISA colony planet of Vekta on the PS2 and PSP .
Gameplay: The gameplay material released so far has shown the ISA orbital invasion using drop ships dodging heavy anti-aircraft fire carrying the infantry down to the Helghast capital city of Pyrrhus on the planet’s surface.
Attention to detail has been of top priority to Guerilla Games especially after the red embarrassment they suffered at E3 2005 with a pre rendered trailer and the result is visually striking games that challenges almost all games out there. The shadows, the destructible environments, the solider and player animations and chaos seem to mirror the grim future that humanity may be ultimately heading towards.
“Killzone 2 uses a Deferred Rendering engine that integrates MSAA (MultiSample Anti Aliasing). Cell will also parallel process geometry and indirect lighting.” In short the most realistic shadows you’ll see this side of the planet.
Positives: Visuals, sound effects and overall gameplay immersion seem to be at the top of the priority of the developers and all this seems to be coming along rather well.
Negatives: Guerilla Games does not exactly have a back history of making quality games, Killzone and Shellshock Nam were mediocre titles. A rumored $60 million dollar budget does not make all this look all worth it and adding to this is the gameplay which might blow the visual fragments into smithereens if it does not offer too much innovation after a point.
Here are screenshots that have been put side by side for you visual convenience
– By Neelesh Mukherjee