More than 5 years ago the God of War series started Kratos on a journey that has been as exciting as it has been bloody. The final installment of the series is here, and it doesn’t disappoint.
If you are a fan of the series, then you already know that God of War and God of War II were remastered and released for the PlayStation 3 in the God of War Collection (see our review here), and God of War III takes up where they left off, but the previous games aren’t a prerequisite in order to follow the story line.
Almost everything in God of War III seems to be on a much grander scale, and the graphics are definitely top notch. The detailed environments and bad guys show how a first party title should be done. Santa Monica Studios put an amazing amount of effort and hard work into this title, and have far outdone even their previous work, which was admittedly stunning.
So here I am, back again to write another article in which I substitute raw facts for opinionated ignorance. This time around I thought all you avid readers would like me to enlighten you all with information that I've ripped off other sites, re-written and claimed as my own. This time I'm focusing on UP COMING RELEASES that I'm quite excited about. And to be honest, you should too.
(Heads up- make sure you all have pennies in the pocket for NOVEMBER)
MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 - - - September, 2009 (very nice website!) To be honest I don't know much about this game, and for good reason- I don't want to. I remember back in the day when I would eagerly await the day when I would get to go to the game shop and buy a new Mega Drive or PSX game. Back then everything was a surprise, I knew nothing about new releases, nor did I read many reviews for that matter. Of course there were the occasional disappointment, but finding that gem was always a thrill. As for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, well the first was an awesome game. Incredibly fun (especially 2 player) and really I don't need to say much more. There were some problems with unbalanced characters, but I'd assume ( / hope) it has been fixed for the new game. And needless to say, in this case I'm more than happy to jump in at the deep end and buy the game regardless.
TEKKEN 6 - - - Late October, 2009 (New character Bob has a TWITTER!) I downloaded the video of this from the PSN and all I can say as this- it looks just like Tekken 5. Oh sure, the graphics are better, there's more characters and there's new features and game modes. But still, it looks like it plays just like Tekken 5. And, personally, I think that that makes it BRILLIANT! Honestly- did any fans of Tekken have any problems with Tekken 5? No. It was great. And Tekken 6 is simply an improvement on that. What more could you possibly ask for? An improvement on that "Tekken Force" game thing? Well GOOD NEWS! There is a new, improved version of Tekken Force- and this time it's not just a throw in extra. A lot of time has been put into it to make it a really good stand-alone game. Honestly, this game just seems to get better and better...
GOD OF WAR 3 - - - March, 2010 (too far!!) I never owned the previous titles, they slipped by me for some reason... But I ended up sitting in on my cousin playing the first game again, then watched (and played) my friends play the second a few months back. I don't need to tell you all how good they were, but the prospect of a new God of War game made me hold out for the next instalment.... And believe me, it definitely seems worth while...
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM - - - Late August, 2009 I wasn't that fussed about this game at first. I don't really know why, perhaps due to the horrible track record of DC superhero games (if anyone wants to dispute this I'd like to point you all towards Superman 64, Mortal Kombat vs DC, Superman and Barbies Dreamhouse etc...) But then I got far more interested when I downloaded a video on the PSN that shows that PlayStation 3 owners will get the chance to download a pack that lets you play as the Joker! Now this to me makes the game worth owning alone. Shortly after this I decided to look into the rest of the game, you know, the "playing as Batman" bits. Clearly I've been brainwashed by previous games to think that this title would simply be a case of the brick-shithouse that is Batman waltzes into an insane asylum and kicks arse as an indestructible killing machine. How (partially) wrong I was. It turns out that the Dark Knight is finally being played the way he should- as a stealthy detective. You have to stalk your prey, using your high tech equipment to follow certain enemies smells and foot prints, using sonar to detect enemies through walls, hanging from the rafters before finally swooping down to silently take out your enemy... Perfect! Australian Gamers Yug got the chance to play the game for the whole afternoon and strongly recommends it for when it comes out. Although he did mention the hand-to-hand combat is something to be desired. But I suppose only time will tell...
SCRIBBLENAUTS (It's for the DS, so shhh....) September, 2009 Really I shouldn't be talking about this here (what with it being a PlayStation blog and all) but what can I say, this game makes it worth it (and I thought that by putting it in the middle here no one would notice...) Out of all the games I'm looking forward to, this is the only one that Nintendo has managed to peak my interests with. It's exclusively for the DS and seems to have slipped under many peoples radars.... Until E3. It sat quietly at the back of the room under the unassuming Warner Bros tent, politely letting all the other titles take the lime light- God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Guitar Hero 5 etc... But after word spread, everybody wanted a look into the world of Scribblenauts. And let me tell you- it's a pretty impressive world! The idea, like most brilliant ideas, is quite simple- it's a 2D cartoony puzzle game in which you solve each puzzle by writing down objects to use. One example given at E3 was a level in which a kite is stuck up a tree. The player types "Ladder" and a ladder appears and the character walks up it to reach the kite. But that's not all- you can type almost ANYTHING! You could type "beaver" and a beaver appears and chomps down the tree, or "lightning" to make lightning strike the tree, releasing the kite! The back catalogue of words and animations is phenomenally huge. Impressively so. Scarily so. I could talk all day about it (one guy couldn't defeat a horde of zombies so he typed "Time Machine", went back in time, got on a dinosaur, went back again and stomped them all!) so really, watch out for it!
DJ HERO (Why not!) RELEASE TBC I like guitar hero, who doesn't, but not enough to buy it. What can I say, after about 2-3 songs I get bored. Then the drums came out- much harder but it meant I started playing for much longer. So my theory (tried and tested) states that DJ Hero will provide all of us with at least 1 MILLION hours of fun. Fact.
(AND NOW, FOR THE BIG ONES)
HEAVY RAIN - - - Early 2010 To be honest, I didn't know too much about this game before E3... And I feel ashamed for not knowing. This game feels like a revolution among gaming. It almost leaves me speechless. It... Well... Wow. After hearing about it I went online to find in-game footage and, although I found some (and it was GREAT!) I also found this--
If that doesn't leave you speechless and begging for more, then you are in the wrong century my friend. This, I feel, is honestly the future. I am a huge fan of "Playable Movies"- games that have an intense storyline, for example, the Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid sagas. And this feels just like it. It almost looks more like art than a game (much like The Path) and I for one just cannot wait for 2010.
LEFT 4 DEAD 2 - - - November, 2009 Now this one is strange for me. In one way I am thrilled about this game and cannot wait to get my hands on it. On the other hand, why so soon?! I've barely scraped the surface of L4D. It's only had 1 major update, opening up options and modes that should have been available on release anyway. I was hoping that L4D would go down the same route as Team Fortress 2- constant updates, more maps and a cult following. They were so close before throwing in the towel and making a new game. On the other hand, perhaps this really is the new TF2. Team Fortress 1 was great, then improved on to made one of the greatest online FPS ever made. So perhaps that's what L4D2 will provide? The new melee weapons sound great though, as well as the new enemies, new locations, improved AI Director, weather system and maps. But all of these things need to be flawless to justify a new game release so quickly after the first. And in the ideal world- compatibility with the original L4D. I for one just cannot simply forget about those brave, brave survivors...
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2 - - - November, 2009 Almost everybody you talk about this game with you will hear them saying "The story is amazing... So in depth.... Brilliant story telling... Game mechanics work so well... Written amazingly... Blah blah blah". I'm not calling them liars, all I'm saying is that I never actually played the single player campaign enough to notice. Instead, I bought the game solely for the online multiplayer. I can honestly say it is one of the greatest online games I have ever played. And the prospect of a new game, even if it's only for a few extra maps, is well worth it. The game-play barely needs more. In fact I'd go as far as to say it cannot be improved upon. The graphics are already top-notch and the game is easy to pick up and brilliantly hard to master. The prospect of new weapons, new maps, new specials and other bonus' hidden under it's skin honestly leaves me lying awake at night waiting to buy this game. And with special editions like THIS to taunt us, how am I ever expect to get to sleep until it is mine in NOVEMBER?!
ASSASSINS CREED 2 - - - November, 2009 I was a late-comer to Assassins Creed fad as it was a while until I could afford one. By the time I decided to buy my bargain basement copy for £10 I had been bombarded by people on forums spouting about how terrible the game was. Then after I bought it I had several people tell me how stupid I was to pay £10 for it. And I was perplexed. The game was really enjoyable. It was quite simply- Brilliant. The free-running aspect of the game was the most relaxing and smooth form of park-our I have ever played. And at the same time it was one of the most tense and exhilarating gameplay I had played when escaping the guards on full alert (Although after a while, that dulled down a bit [unlike the Metal Gear Solid games]). I didn't understand what everyone hated about it... Until I completed it and I was presented with the most face-slappingly insulting ending I had ever come across. It ends at the most interesting point, nothing is explained, nothing is answered- it almost feels as if the game writers honestly didn't know how to end it, so just slapped credits on instead. At that moment I realised what everyone was on about all this time. I forgot about the good parts and focused on the ending. But then I went back to it. I played for hours with a few friends, simply for the free-running. We spent hours finding new ways to kill people, new places to get to and new routes to take on missions. This was incredibly fun. After this I downloaded the videos of the initial gameplay and cut-scene video from Assassins Creed 2 and was once again blown away. Much like the best titles out there they appear to have simply built on the already perfectly working game mechanics and still managed to improve upon them. I can't really say much more on it really. It is most definitely one of the games I am most looking forward to getting my hands on- if not THE game I want to play most of all.
SO. This was my sum up of the up and coming games that deserve the most hype and attention. I hope you all keep a close eye on these titles- I know I will.
IGN is reporting that DC/Wildstorm Comics and Sony are teaming up to chronicle the events of Kratos in a God of War comic series. Spanning six issues, this new comic will hit stands this October and is being written by Marv Wolfman who, among being a notable dude in the comics biz, is also a big fan of the games.
The series, which will run up until the release of God of War III, focuses on the sordid tales of Kratos' past, detailing his enrollment in the Spartan army at the age of seven, as well as events that occur between the first two games. What we're wondering is how the comic will include the QTE sex scene. You can't have God of War without that!
Matthew Stover is penning a novelization of the PS2 original which should be released alongside the third game.
“In the novel GOD OF WAR, Kratos, the game’s protagonist, is a great warrior who seeks revenge on the God of War Ares for the deaths of his wife and child. On his journey to Olympus, Kratos must battle great monsters of legend–and fight his own inner demons.” So basically it’s the first game in text form.
Preorder from here
There is also a God Of War movie on the way which is in preproduction.A film adaptation of the game was announced in 2005. Creator David Jaffe confirmed that a completed script had been written by David Self and would be sent out to an unspecified "huge-name director". Jaffe also expressed interest in seeing actor Djimon Hounsou in the role of the protagonist, Kratos.
Furthermore, at Comic-Con 2007, Game Head's Geoff Keighley introduced the creator of God of War, David Jaffe to infamous film director, Uwe Boll. Jaffe was asked by Keighley, "Would you really let [Uwe Boll] direct God of War?", to which Jaffe answered "If it was my call you ask me? Truthfully? No, I would not." Boll replied, "Wait until you see Postal, then you judge." Jaffe also confirmed that Universal Studios is behind the making of the God of War movie but was unaware of its current status. Brett Ratner was originally set to direct the film, but has since abandoned it.
US, July 13, 2009 - A report online claims to have the early word on the screenplay for the film adaptation of the PS2 videogame God of War.
CC2K claims to have seen an early draft of the script by David Self (Road to Perdition) and says that "everything about God of War is like Clash of the Titans, only taken to the extreme and amped up to satisfy the 21st century sensibilities of males aged 15-25."
The site says Self's script "has stayed true (almost slavishly so) to the game's plot." Although most of the changes are relatively cosmetic -- satyrs and cyclops are now far taller than they're portrayed in the game -- they claim there has been one "significant" alteration made to the source material that may rankle some fans of the game.
SPOILER WARNING: CC2K claims the end of this draft differs from that of the game, with the script ending on an "unresolved" note. "Instead of being offered (and accepting) the Godhood of War after he attempts suicide as he does in the game, in the script Kratos is offered the godhood, rejects it, and casts himself off the cliffs," the site reports. Just as Kratos is about to die, the script supposedly has him say, "Your turn, Hades...", before it cuts to black. No intervention by Athena, no trip to Mount Olympus, and no Blades of Athena.
I have set up a poll on the right hand side for the four games i'm looking forward to the most, so vote for your top upcoming game and lets see which one is the most popular.
GOD OF WAR 3
coming out march time next year so it's still a way off but could be the ps3 top game next year.
UNCHARTED 2
sequal to one of the best new ip's coming christmas time 2009.
GRAN TURISMO 5
PSP version coming this october and the ps3 version should be out by christmas 2009.
MAG
256 player online battles this will set the bar in FPS games, coming 2009
