Games To The Video 7

This is "games to the video 7."

The first half of 2010 is looking great. With several games being pushed back until the first half of 2010, we are seeing a lot of games that would normally be saved for the holiday season. I hunted down release dates for most of them, but I still have a few that just say "Q1" or "Q2". On my list that I keep up to date with release dates of all games I'm interested in, I still have a lot of "To Be Dated" and "TBA 2010". I used my judgement on how much information was available on the game, and determined that those "2010" ones will probably be released in the second half of the year.

If you want to check out the other "Games to the Video" posts I did, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all there for your viewing. For this edition, I'm tweaking things a little bit. You'll stillf ind a picture, link to Gamespot [links removed] to the game, little blurb about it, and the release date. The games represented are all games that I found and think are interesting, not just popular titles. You won't find Mass Effect 2, because I didn't like the first Mass Effect. Simple as that. Games are for the first half of 2010.

I get release dates from a few different websites. Some of them I heard from interviews from Xplay. Sites like Gamespot, IGN, and Wikipedia are my other sources.

I used to do and Honorable Mentions section, but I just smashed them into the main article. I don't know if I'll keep doing it that way, but for "7," that's how it is going to roll. I will take a look back at "Games To The Video 6," and let you know how those games did. Let's get started.

Darksiders: used to have a subtitle of "Wrath of War". I did put it in "Games to the Video 6," but it needs to be here as well. Same stuff from "Games to the Video 6." I want to add that I preordered it, which doesn't happen often (although it seems to have happened a lot during 2009). I like the art style. The game looks fantastic. The concept sounds good, and the gameplay videos just make me want to play it. My sources say January 5, 2010 for this gem. It will be on the Playstation 3 and XBox 360.

Bayonetta: Made by Platinum Games, the same people behind MadWorld, and a lot of other games under a different name. Basically, this game is Devil May Cry, next-gen. The demo was fun. It's definitely a fast paced action game. You pull of combos like no one's business. It reminds me of Ninja Gaiden, except Bayonetta makes Ninja Gaiden look like a slow moving turtle. You play as a witch, who is going to be killing a lot of angels. Good times. Shooting and slashing are only two ways to do this. Your hair is the source of your magic... and your clothes. During a boss fight, you'll be wailing on them, and then a button prompt pops up, your press it and you go into some quicktime events where your clothes flow off and turn into a dragon that goes om nom on the boss. Did I mention that you play as a female witch? If you took a look at gameplay videos and said Devil May Cry clone, you wouldnt be far off, but to be fair it is created by the same guy who made the first Devil May Cry. The game sounds like a good time, and the demo was fun, but I will be waiting for some reviews, since Darksiders comes out same day. January 5, 2010 if you missed that date. PS3 and 360 as well.

Army of Two The 40th Day: You may have noticed that the first Army of Two appeared no where on the previous "Games to the Video." That's because I played it once with a friend a long time ago and I never bought it. Well the sequel makes it because the first one was fun, and I'll be buying it for the 360 so I can play with friends. The first one was meant to be played with another person and I assume this will be too. Anyways, coop for this one as well. The coop elements seem more dynamic from the first one. You can enter into coop moments at any time, versus predetermined sections. Aggro also makes a return. Basically everything from the first game come back, except it is better. The controls have been refined. I assume this was prompted by the release of Gears of War 2. Sounds like the controls are similar. Cover system comes back. I think I saw people taking cover behind a hippo, or a rhino. I think Hippo because the level had water. You take control of the same peeps from the first one, Tyson and Eliot. The game takes place a few years after the first game. There's more weapon customization options as well as the option to carry a 4th weapon, dropped from an enemy. Good times. January 12, 2010 for the 360 and Playstation 3 for this game. Apparently there is a PSP version as well.

Dark Void: Tesla is in it. Do you need a better reason? Yeah probably. You can run on the ground and shoot stuff. There's a cover system and all that, similar to Gears of War. Oh and you have a jet pack that allows you to take the fight vertical. Good times. That was really the selling point for me, which may be a little sad, but whatever. To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about the story. You are fighting some aliens in an alternate universe where the aliens have enslaved the humans. That's pretty much it. Testla helps you in some way. Yeah. January 19, 2010 for PS3, 360 and PC.

MAG (Massive Action Game): Not making up the name. 256 player online battles. Think massive online multiplier game for first person shooters. Because that's what this is. 8 players make up a squad, 4 squads make up a platoon, 4 platoons make a company. Players gain experience and gain ranks. Each squad will be led by a higher ranking player. Each squad will have objectives, and each individual player will gain more experience if there objectives are completed. This encourages people from running around doing there own think, because you think 256 people and the chaos. Hopefully Zipper Interactive, the same people who did Socom, knows what they are doing. I'm curious to see who they do. This game comes out January 26, 2010 for the Playstation 3 only.

Dante's Inferno: based loosely on the poem by the same name... actually the poem was called "The Divine Comedy" but whatever. The section of the poem was called "Inferno" and was written by Dante. So the game doesn't have the same name as the poem I suppose. When I say "loosely" I mean it. The game is pretty much a God of War clone, however it does have a few things differentiating itself from it, judging from the demo. First you are Dante and you have a scythe. Death's scythe to be exact. You can either condemn or absolve things you grab with your scythe. This leads to experience points which can be put into "good" or "evil" skills depending on what you do. Good skills upgrade your cross weapon, and evil skills upgrade your scythe with more combos. The demo was brutal and graphic, and i expect the game shall be too. I await the game's release February 9, 2010 for the PS3 360 and a PSP version.

Blur: I like my arcade racers. Burnout Paradise will probably forever be by favorite racer of all time... at least until Criterion releases another Burnout game. But Blur looks good. Real world cars, with arcade physics sounds good to me. Also, vehicular combat. I see a few cool real world vehicles like Corvette, Viper, Mustang, and Eclipse. There's more listed, but I was just giving a taste. There's multiplayer and there's 4 player splitscreen. I actually started watching out for this game after I mistook for another racing game. This one comes out February 15, 2010. PC, PS3 and 360.

Singularity: It's a first person shooter, but it has a time mechanic. A device that lets you go between the 1950's and present day. It can also control the age of an object or the enemies. Good times. Premise is good. Activision is treating the developer well. However me and Activision aren't playing nice right now, so this game might have to wait. If it's really really really good, Activision might redeam themselves in my eyes. Maybe. Release date is February 15, 2010 for PC, PS3, 360.

Red Steel 2: Red Steel 1 was a crappy game. The developers realized this. So when the Wii Motion Plus was announced, the went "hmmm.... our swordplay would be 100% better with that." And so Red Steel 2 was born. They are using a new game engine, and the game has a Borderlands graphics feel to it. You can switch between sword play and gun play anytime you want, which sounds good. The game needs to prove itself so I'm gonna wait for reviews on this guy before I go out and buy, but it is looking promising. Release date of February 16, 2010 only for the Wii.

Heavy Rain: This is an interesting game. First off, it's one of the best looking games I have seen, judging by the screenshots and preview videos. I remember seeing the tech demo for this game, and remember how great it looked. Secondly, most of the game is just quick time events. However, if you miss a quicktime event, you don't necessarily die, but it might change the story. Actually it probably will. It's been stated that it shouldn't be called a video game, because it really isn't. It's an interactive movie, that is dynamic. You play as four characters, and your characters can die, and the story will continue, just no through the eyes of that one character. Each of the characters are looking for the Origami Killer. It has adult situations so say no to your children if they ask for it. No the violent kind, but the sexual kind. February of 2010 for this game, either the 28th or 16th. I see both. Playstation 3 exclusive.

God of War III: Do I have to say anything else? Ok. I am a God of War fanboy. It is my favorite video game franchise, next to Starcraft. I will not listen to any people who argue that the game is bad. It is the only game that I am a fanboy of. The other person might have very valid points, but I will just punch them in the face, insult their mom, and walk away. Cause that's how fanboys roll. Playing the demo for God of War III is like playing the first God of War for the first time... it was amazing. The graphics are some of the best I have ever seen. The gameplay has improved, and the blood and gore has expanded into a blood orgy of goodness. Santa Monica Studios created a new technique called zipper effect. Basically anything with organs, they are holding their organs inside them, and then Kratos comes along and unzips their guts fron their innards. It's awesome. I preordered the Ultimate Edition. I had to. Pandora's Box, and a lot of other things. This guy rolls out March 2010 for the Playstation 3 only. Eat it.

Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands: This is the Price of Persia game being released about the same time of the Prince of Persia movie! It takes you back to the Sands of Time era. Actually, it takes place between Sands of time and Warrior Within. Different story from the movie, which redeemed it in my book. However, it wasn't announced until recently, and it is being released for everything imaginable. This is definitely a wait and see kind of thing. Waiting for a review and demo if possible. If it bodes well, Im gonna have to beat Sands of Time. Comes out May 11, 2010 for PC, 360, PS3, DS, PSP and probably something else.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker: This game has Big Boss in it. That means it takes place after Metal Gear Solid 3. I need to finish 3. I finished 1 and 2. There's four player coop, which is a first in the series... i think. Kojima is directly involved in it, and called it "Metal Gear Solid 5"... unlike Rising. Looks good. I'm excited for it. I need to finish 3 though. Expect it May 25, 2010 for the PSP only.

Split/Second: This is the game I thought of when I accidentally found Blur. Arcade type gameplay, destructive environments, special events, and a story. The game takes place during a game show and you race against opponents. Not much of a story, but the premise sounds good. I'm looking forward to it. The release date is May 2010 for PC, PS3, and 360.

Modnation Racers: This is basically a mash up of Mario Kart and Little Big Planet. You can customize your car and driver, and the race track. You can build a race track from the ground up. Looking at the demo from E3, they made it look easy, which is important. The gameplay is basically Mario Kart, which is good. I love Mario Kart. No specific relase date, but I've seen Quarter 1 2010, and Spring 2010. So either Q1 or Q2 of 2010 which covers this edition of "Games to the Video." Playstation 3 exclusive.

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty: I thought that maybe if I put it on this list that it would actually come out Q2 of 2010. Likely? Maybe. Probably not though. So expect it on the next "Games to the Video." If you need background information on this game, it is the Terran Campaign of Starcraft 2, and it is a sequel to Starcraft Brood War. There is a rumor going around that the game is done, but Battle.net 2.0 is not complete, so the game is delayed until that gets done. We still need to see a beta testing for it, so I don't think Q2 is going to happen. But keep your fingers crossed. Wings of Liberty will follow the Terran, specifically, a now mercenary, Jim Rainer. The campaign won't be linear, but will end in a way that will continue the story as planned. I'm hoping for a great story experience. Blizzard has focused heavily on multiplayer, the new map editor is going to be very sophisticated. It's a real time strategy game for the PC. Q2 2010.

Nier: This is a game from Square Enix, best known of their RPG's. This is not an RPG. It's a hack and slash fun time looking game. Nier is the main character who is looking for a cure to the virus that has infected his daughter. That's basically the story as far as we know. They are also releasing game called Nier Replicant, which is a different story from Nier, exclusively for the PS3, but that might be later this year. Nier is for the 360 and PS3, and is said to be released Q2 of 2010, maybe May 2010.

Quantum Theory: Basically Gears of War, but the color palette is a lot more extensive. Oh and you have a partner who has swords. I think you can play as her. Also the tower is alive, therefore the cover and what not moves. Not a whole lot is known about it really, but it looks good. Q2 of 2010 is the release date. Maybe March 31 2010. PS3 and 360.

Here's some updates on games from "Games To The Video 6."

Batman Arkham Asylum got extremely good reviews. Alas, I did not pick this one up yet. I don't know why. I'll pick it up some day.

Section 8 was praised for it's multiplayer but the single player felt like a training mission for the multiplayer, according to reviews. I'm not the biggest multiplayer guy, so I didn't pick this one up. Also I would have gotten it for the PC, and it sounds like there are not a lot of people online on the PC version. But now that I have a 360, maybe I'll pick it up for that and see how it is. Maybe.

WET is said to be very fun, but short and not a good story and not very much replayablity. I'll pick this up when it's 20 bucks. Or maybe I'll rent it someday.

Darkest of Days got terrible reviews. I didn't buy this one and won't.

Demon's Souls is suppose to be very hard. If I were a hardcore RPG player, I would buy this one. But I didn't. Lot's of people like this one, but it is hard, so prepare yourself.

Brutal Legend is a game that I did buy. Tim Schafer is all I needed to hear. I have not beaten it yet though. Came out at a bad time (Uncharted 2 took my attention). The voice acting and dialogue is great and hilarious. The atmosphere feels metal, which is awesome. The RTS elements of the game seem very dumbed down though. I recommend it still.

Borderlands is another one I bought. If you have friends, convince them and buy this one. I like it a lot. But it seems lonely without friends to play with.

Dreamkiller flopped in the reviews department. Another one I didn't pick up.

Dragon Age Orgins I played for a little bit. If you liked Mass Effect, you'll love this game. However I didn't care for this game. Too much RPG. Way too much for me. If you are a hardcore RPG fan, you'll like this one. Lots of customization, really long story, lots of choices. Enjoy.

Assassin's Creed Bloodlines has tempted me. I want to buy it, but the reviews tell me not to. I might buy it when it is 20 bucks.

Assassin's Creed II. Loved it. I will review it in few days. But for now, just know that I loved it and it improved upon the faults of the first game. Buy it.

Darksiders - Wrath of War is on this list. Comes out in a few days.

Torchlight is a 20 dollar game that you should buy if you love Diablo, or Fate. It doesn't bring anything new to the Action RPG genre, but it is a polished experience for 20 bucks.

New Super Mario Bros Wii was a little disappointing, but it was still fun. The coop was the disappointing part. It is still fun, but it just feels tacked on.

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Haven't bought it. Still need to play Phantom Hourglass. Plus I lost my DS and am debating if I should buy a new one. I could barrow my brothers I suppose.

Edge of Twilight didn't get released as planned. The developers are having publishing problems and plan on continueing developing the game by October 2010. So the game won't be released until 2011 probably. Still looks good.

Sadness. Who are we kidding. This is vaporware. The game doesn't exist.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I bought the first game after I wrote up "Games To The Video 6," and fell in love with the game. So I bought Uncharted 2, and it's my Game Of The Year, along with XPlay's Game Of The Year, along with several others. Buy.

Halo ODST is a game I bought after I got my 360. I like the direction Bungie took with the Halo series. My biggest complaint with the Halo series was that 2 and 3 were basically rehashes of the first game. ODST transforms the game and I love it. The story is told in a cool way. Kinda like a mystery. Firefight is fun too, but I still like Horde better from Gears of War 2.

Left 4 Dead 2 I bought and played for a little bit. I think it's harder then the first Left 4 Dead. Maybe I'm not used it the game because I played the crap out of Borderlands. It's fun. The melee weapons are fun. Killing zombies doesn't get old.

I covered 3 honorable mentions from "Games to the Video 6," because I bought them. The rest I didn't. So that's why. That's all.

Have a good year.

"But our Princess is in another castle!"
-- Super Mario Brothers