By Brian Diefenbach
Western Herald
After weeks of gorging myself on video games, it’s finally time to transition back to the real world.
2009 was a great year for games, but 2010 already shows considerable promise.
I get giddier than a middle school girl at a “Twilight” premier (I’m still stuck on 2009 references, OK?) when I think about the “Perfect Dark” rerelease due on Xbox Live Arcade.
If you have no idea what all the hubbub is over “Perfect Dark,” where have you been this past decade? You know all about “GoldenEye 007,” right? In a nutshell, “Perfect Dark” is the spiritual successor to “GoldenEye,” and even trumps it in many regards. The upgraded, high definition visuals of the rerelease and full online multiplayer will make it even better, I’m sure.
Three words: Aliens. Versus. Predator. No, not the movies or comic books. The game series. “AVP2” for the PC is considered the best game in the sci-fi/horror series, considering games from the individual “Aliens” and “Predator” franchises as well.
The next installment, simply titled “Aliens Versus Predator,” keeps the basic premise of the series. Human marines run afoul of intergalactic parasites and alien hunters. Bloodshed ensues. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Besides, they can’t do much worse than the last AVP film.
Imagine yelling “Game over, man! Game over!” as hordes of xenomorphs overtake your squad of Colonial Marines. Or roaring in triumph as your Predator rips out an opponent’s skull. Good times.
There’s “StarCraft II” coming out this year. Kind of a big deal. If you have any inkling of what a “Zerg Rush” is, you know that this sequel to one of the most popular strategy games of all time is on a lot of gamers’ minds.
In a not-too-surprising move, Blizzard has decided to milk its customers by releasing the single player campaign as three separate games. That’s right, kids. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to buy complete games anymore. You’ll have to keep coughing up money just to keep the gameplay going.
For good or ill or neither, downloadable content is sure to be a continuing trend in 2010. On the good side of the spectrum, we can count on Valve to continue releasing free content for “Left 4 Dead 2” and “Team Fortress 2”, at least on the PC.
The evil side is represented by the aforementioned “StarCraft II” content, but don’t count on it being the only game to gouge customers. As for neutral, that’s the stuff that adds to the game that you don’t necessarily have to buy. And that’s the way it should be.
Massive multiplayer gaming on the PC is jumping parsecs ahead with the release of “Star Trek Online” and “Star Wars: The Old Republic.” “Star Trek,” however, will be getting a head start with a release this spring. Now “TOR” has been pushed back to 2011, “Star Trek” has a chance to get established before its major competitor comes along.
It’ll be a hard-fought battle for subscriptions anyway: Lucasfilm has a lot of money, and BioWare has a lot of cred in the RPG game business. “TOR” is almost guaranteed a bigger slice of the pie. “Star Trek Online” has had a long and troubled development history, but shows considerable promise.
I’m a fan of both “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” but if I had to pick one of the two games, I’d have to go with “Star Trek Online.” Mostly, I’m disappointed with TOR’s tired retread of old plots and characters from the “Star Wars” universe. The art style just doesn’t seem to fit the universe, either. Everything looks sleek and shiny; there’s none of the grit of the original films.
Almost everyone with an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch has at least one game for it. While neither product is built specifically for gaming, the popularity and appeal of downloadable games and apps will fuel even more mobile gaming.
Apple is releasing their touchscreen tablet (possibly called the Slate or iSlate) early this year. Think of it as a blown-up version of the iPod touch. Why people need a bigger iPod is beyond me. However, we can expect more touch and motion control games for it, including titles from iD Software (“Doom”).
Microsoft’s Project Natal is expected to debut this year. It’s an add-on for the Xbox 360 that will allow users to control games with body movements alone – no controller required. A prediction, if I may: Natal (or whatever they decide to call it) will be too expensive for most consumers to consider buying it.
As of this writing, there are no confirmed plans to bundle Natal with Xbox 360 consoles. This will limit its exposure and ensure that few will be sold. Microsoft investors and shareholders, you’ve been warned. I smell another “Power Glove” or “Virtua Boy”, ill-conceived Nintendo products from nearly 20 years ago.
Sony’s foray into the motion control market is a yet-to-be-named controller for the PlayStation 3 that is rumored to use sonic pulses instead of lasers. Coincidentally, it looks like a microphone. Like Natal, it’s too little, too late for Sony, who couldn’t get people to buy their PlayStation 3s until last year’s price cut and marketing campaign.
The popularity and completeness of the Nintendo Wii is and will continue to be a bigger draw than anything Microsoft or Sony could possibly come up with. With more new hardware and software this year than you can shake a Wiimote at, 2010 is sure to be another interesting year in the Console Wars.
Save up some money and a few sick days; there will be plenty of great gaming this year.
Brian Diefenbach, a copy editor and columnist for the Western Herald, is a senior majoring in graphics and print science. Visit WesternHerald.com’s Weekend Scene section for more Game Brain.
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