The Q1 Blues
2008 looks likely to pick up where last year left off in bloody good rude health.
| 06 Jan 2008
The Q1 Blues
Ah quarter one, the period usually regarded as a quagmire of shit releases while developers all take a break after a hectic year. With most of 2007's triple-a titles released just in time for Christmas, 2008 looks set to start off with not so much a bang but a quiet pop right? Wrong! In fact this year Q1 is something of a first for the gaming industry with loads of heavyweight releases due to hit the shelves during what is usually a dead season. 2008 looks likely to pick up where last year left off in bloody good rude health. That's right, it's yearly rundown time...
Where to begin with such a great roster of titles? For starters Tecmo's Nina Gaiden will enjoy a claret-soaked sequel on XBOX 360 that will have the Daily Mail crying shenanigans from the rooftops. It's faster, it's meaner and at least as brutal. Ryu Hayabusa can use a new set of weapons from wrist blades to giant scythes to hack enemies to pieces while spirals and twirls of blood paint the gorgeous Japanese locales a deep shade of red. The outrageous difficulty from the previous game has been toned down a bit but hardcore players can choose to revert to the original difficulty if they wish. Looks set to be a classic.
The 25th of January sees the long-waited release of Criterion's Burnout Paradise, the true sequel to Burnout Revenge on both PS3 and XBOX 360. Taking a cue from racing MMO Test Drive Unlimited, racers battle it out across Paradise City in real time, where most drivers on the streets are real players. Simply drive up to another player, challenge them to a duel and plot your own track around the cities twisting roads. Feeling mischievous? Then disrupt other players races by taking them out mid-race uninvited for maximum smugness. This one is going to be as chaotic and fast as they come.
For those let down by the cookie-cutter nature of Guitar Hero III, Rock Band by Harmonix will cure those woes. Adding a fresh spin on the guitar phenomenon, the game comes packaged not only with a guitar controller but drums and a microphone too. The idea is to get two or three of your mates round to your place or together online, forming a band and playing songs in their entirety. The possibilities are endless, setting up battle of the bands, downloading new tunes and practicing each instrument or tuning up your vocals will make this game a winner. With songs from Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Jet there will be a style to suit everyone here.
For horror fans, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the sequel to Sega's psychological thriller, hits stores in January. Main man Ethan Thomas returns although the terrifying events of the first game have left him a bone-a-fide psycho. Enlisted one last time by the police to help catch a notorious serial killer, Thomas must enter the seedy underworld of drug addicts, raving nut-jobs and killers once more. Featuring better combat, crushing finishing moves and spine-chilling horror this is shaping up rather nicely.
Finally, and by no means least, there's gargantuan Nintendo epic Super Smash Bros Brawl. Due for a March release this is THE game worth shelling out on a Wii for: a beat-'em-up featuring characters that have appeared on Nintendo consoles over the years including Metal Gear's Solid Snake, Sonic The Hedgehog, Pit from NES classic, Kid Ikarus and cheeky chappie Wario. Battling it across famous levels such as the Mushroom Kingdom, Sonic's Green Hill Zone and many more this is the ultimate collaborative effort in video gaming. Did we forget to mention it also has level editors and online battle modes? This will be one of Nintendo's finest moments.
So that's the pick of the bunch. All you need now is the cash to pay for them all.
Ah quarter one, the period usually regarded as a quagmire of shit releases while developers all take a break after a hectic year. With most of 2007's triple-a titles released just in time for Christmas, 2008 looks set to start off with not so much a bang but a quiet pop right? Wrong! In fact this year Q1 is something of a first for the gaming industry with loads of heavyweight releases due to hit the shelves during what is usually a dead season. 2008 looks likely to pick up where last year left off in bloody good rude health. That's right, it's yearly rundown time...
Where to begin with such a great roster of titles? For starters Tecmo's Nina Gaiden will enjoy a claret-soaked sequel on XBOX 360 that will have the Daily Mail crying shenanigans from the rooftops. It's faster, it's meaner and at least as brutal. Ryu Hayabusa can use a new set of weapons from wrist blades to giant scythes to hack enemies to pieces while spirals and twirls of blood paint the gorgeous Japanese locales a deep shade of red. The outrageous difficulty from the previous game has been toned down a bit but hardcore players can choose to revert to the original difficulty if they wish. Looks set to be a classic.
The 25th of January sees the long-waited release of Criterion's Burnout Paradise, the true sequel to Burnout Revenge on both PS3 and XBOX 360. Taking a cue from racing MMO Test Drive Unlimited, racers battle it out across Paradise City in real time, where most drivers on the streets are real players. Simply drive up to another player, challenge them to a duel and plot your own track around the cities twisting roads. Feeling mischievous? Then disrupt other players races by taking them out mid-race uninvited for maximum smugness. This one is going to be as chaotic and fast as they come.
For those let down by the cookie-cutter nature of Guitar Hero III, Rock Band by Harmonix will cure those woes. Adding a fresh spin on the guitar phenomenon, the game comes packaged not only with a guitar controller but drums and a microphone too. The idea is to get two or three of your mates round to your place or together online, forming a band and playing songs in their entirety. The possibilities are endless, setting up battle of the bands, downloading new tunes and practicing each instrument or tuning up your vocals will make this game a winner. With songs from Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Jet there will be a style to suit everyone here.
For horror fans, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the sequel to Sega's psychological thriller, hits stores in January. Main man Ethan Thomas returns although the terrifying events of the first game have left him a bone-a-fide psycho. Enlisted one last time by the police to help catch a notorious serial killer, Thomas must enter the seedy underworld of drug addicts, raving nut-jobs and killers once more. Featuring better combat, crushing finishing moves and spine-chilling horror this is shaping up rather nicely.
Finally, and by no means least, there's gargantuan Nintendo epic Super Smash Bros Brawl. Due for a March release this is THE game worth shelling out on a Wii for: a beat-'em-up featuring characters that have appeared on Nintendo consoles over the years including Metal Gear's Solid Snake, Sonic The Hedgehog, Pit from NES classic, Kid Ikarus and cheeky chappie Wario. Battling it across famous levels such as the Mushroom Kingdom, Sonic's Green Hill Zone and many more this is the ultimate collaborative effort in video gaming. Did we forget to mention it also has level editors and online battle modes? This will be one of Nintendo's finest moments.
So that's the pick of the bunch. All you need now is the cash to pay for them all.