Gears of War’s cover system is getting a bit tired these days, so when I heard at E3 that Capcom’s upcoming shooter Dark Void lifts it, I had to stop myself from yawning. But then the developer giving the demo twisted the camera angle to reveal that we weren’t walking down some dark hallway blasting enemies — we were flying up the side of a tower, leaping from cover point to cover point courtesy of a veryRocketeer-ish jetpack.
Moments later, the protagonist leaped off the side of the tower, cutting a beeline toward a wildly maneuvering metal disc. Try as it might, the disc couldn’t get out of his path, and when he alighted on top of the frame, a familiar sequence of button presses popped up just as they might in God of War. Triangle, X, Square and the craft’s pilot had been beaten soundly and thrown from the disc — only to have his ride hijacked, Grand Theft Auto-style, by our hero. Three minutes of gameplay and Dark Void had cemented itself in my mind as the sleeper hit of 2009.
Let’s review: The original StarCraft, released in March of 1998, was one of the deepest, best balanced, most addictive real-time strategy games ever made. It had three richly varied races, an actual story and near-limitless potential for strategic variations. Now, Blizzard Entertainment — a developer that has never released a bad game — is finishing up a sequel with gorgeous graphics, new unit types and abilities, and improved online matchmaking.
What’s not to anticipate about StarCraft II? I mean, except for the fact that I’ll be losing my job and my friends and getting scurvy because the game will end up devouring every waking moment of my life. Some people are griping because Blizzard has already announced plans to hold back some content for expansion packs. But come on, do you really think you won’t get your money’s worth? People are still playing the original, 11 years later.
Mass Effect is a science fiction action-RPG created by BioWare Corp., the commercially and critically acclaimed RPG developer of “Jade Empire,” and “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.” As the first human on the galactic stage, you must
uncover the greatest threat to civilization. Your job is complicated by the very fact of your humanity, as no one trusts you and you need to find a way to convince everyone of the grave threat. You will travel across an expansive universe to piece the mystery together. As you discover and explore the uncharted edges of the galaxy, you come closer to an overwhelming truth – learning that the placid and serene universe you know is about to come to a violent end and that you may be the only person who can stop it! In addition to the main story arc of the game, players are be able to visit a large number of uncharted, unexplored planets which are side quests independent from the main story. At any time during the campaign, a player can choose to explore one of these planets and have an opportunity to discover new alien life, resources, ruined civilizations and powerful technologies. Talents and abilities are upgradeable and advanced talent options become available at higher levels. Weapons and vehicles are customizable to include various effects, abilities and upgrades using the “X-Mod” system. Each character class have unique talents and abilities which increase in power as the player progresses through the game
