Top Games Being Released Early 2012

 Ever since E3 this year (2011), and more recently the VGA’s, many in the games industry has been looking towards 2012. Many exciting games have been revealed for 2012, as well as consoles too. The Playstation Vita and Nintendo Wii-U will both be launched next year. Much like 2011, next year has several great games which will be released earlier in the year, with the blockbuster titles to be revealed at E3 in June. With an old friend coming to the current generation, updated graphics for classic games and two rivals come together to settle their differences in one game.

This ladies and gentlemen is the top games to be released in, early, 2012.

UFC Undisputed 3

  After the huge success of UFC Undisputed 2009, THQ followed the game up by releasing UFC Undisputed 2010. Little over a year has passed since 2010 was released and now UFC will be back on your consoles with UFC Undisputed 3. The game is pencilled for a 27^th January release date for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

THQ will be looking to build on a solid single player game with good online and offline multiplayer functions. With all the hype surrounding UFC at the moment with everyone seeming to jump on the UFC bandwagon with T-shirts that they wear to the gym or baseball caps. One thing is for sure, it seems the game has stepped up from 2010.

 From the outside, the game has improved viewing of the fights with TV camera style which gives each match a feeling of real UFC action. Highly anticipated entrances have now also been added which hopefully won’t turn the game into WWE, not that there’s anything wrong with WWE.

 New fight mechanics have improved an already strong control system. You can now use complex feints (which are easier than they sound!) to mislead your opponents and score bigger blows. Submissions have also been revamped as well. New submissions have been added to the game so you can use the Octagon to your advantage, with certain moves being used in different areas of the ring.

 With a solid single player, career and multiplayer in the next game, UFC Undisputed 3 looks like it could be a brutal start to the year, with an adrenaline filled game.

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection

 The classic Konami titles are now being released in updated HD graphics for Xbox 360 and PS3, excluding the first game. The Metal Gear Solid game series is definitely up there with one of the best game series of all time. MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, MGS 3: Snake Eater and MGS: Peace Walker will all be released on two discs on the 3^rd February.

  I’m sure I’m not the only one in being delighted that these great games from a fantastic series will finally be released this generation. As much as the HD fad seems to be in full flow at this time, MGS was badly needed. Personally, I never played Snake Eater because I was glued to my original Xbox nor did I play Peace Walker because I owned a PSP for 4 weeks when they were first released, until I got bored of it.

 This game has already been released in the US and has proven popular amongst fans of the original games as well as appealing to a new generation. I have very fond memories of battling bosses such as Vamp, Fatman and Olga Gurlukovich to name but a few. Then there’s the cardboard box which you could hide in like some sort of lame Transformer. This is why I love the game. It is so serious and yet charming at the same time. I loved MGS 2 when it was released on PS2, I’m sure I will also love MGS3 & MGS Peace Walker. Could it possibly be the best HD package yet to be released? Only time will tell.

The Darkness 2

 The original Darkness was an understated success. The story drew you in right from the start and kept you on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, where you felt different emotions towards the main character Jackie. After an eventful time with his family, Jackie returns 3 years later as head of his ‘mob’ family. In that time he has managed to conceal and hide the Darkness but an event happens which releases the Darkness once more and this time the Darkness is different. Having been concealed for 3 years, the Darkness wants to take total control of Jackie and this again leads him into sticky situations.

 New features for the game include grabbing enemies and utilising the Demon Arms while shooting. This is a great feature as in the last game you were restricted to old fashioned gun controls and only being able to use The Darkness. You can now create twice as much chaos in the one move! The idea of staying in the dark has returned, with the Darkness themselves thriving on the lack of light with strategic gameplay required to get the best out of the Demon Arms and the Darklings.

On top of the new features for the story itself, 4 player co-op has been added as well, which seems to be a regularity in modern gaming. The other co-op players don’t have the Darkness powers, only the guns which they use are powered by the Darkness… If that makes sense?

 I am a major fan of the first game after picking it up back in 2009. I felt it was understated and hopefully the second game can be the popular title which the first game deserved to be. The Darkness 2 will be released 10th February.

Mass Effect 3

 The final part of the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy will come to an end when Mass Effect 3 is released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on 9^th March. The only real details which have been released at the moment are that the humans are clinging to existence by taking the last stand on earth (with the first trailer showing a soldier sniping from Big Ben in London).

 The much customisable Captain Shepard returns with his crew including his right hand man/ beast Garrus ready to take on the life threatening enemy which are the Reapers.

Much like Mass Effect 2, how you play the game is completely up to the player. You can interact with your friends/ enemies however you wish by choosing what to say to them, who to kill and what planets to visit.

 This series has been a major success on the Xbox 360 and more recently the PS3. I’m sure this will be an early contender for game of the year. Of course other major games will be released later in the year when fall arrives.

Street Fighter X Tekken

 In 2010, soon after the release of Super Street Fighter 4, Capcom and Namco announced that they would be making two games combining Street Fighter and Tekken. Street Fighter would bring the Tekken characters to Street Fighter for a face off and Namco would do vice versa. This is the first time ever that two rival companies from a fighting game genre have teamed up. The games will see Ryu fighting Jin Kazama, Guile fighting Paul Phoenix and E. Honda facing King. Of course this is Capcom’s attempt at merging the two games.

 Like mass Effect 3, the game will be released on 9^th March and development of the game should be interesting leading up to the games impending release. The game will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Max Payne 3

 March 16^th sees the return of one of gaming’s most revengeful characters in Max Payne. Max has been on hiatus ever since 2003 when the last game, Max Payne 2 was released. There have been rumours of the game being cancelled but those turned out to be false and we are nearing the release date 9 years later. In that time however a film has been made which, I have not seen yet but hopefully it didn’t hurt Max’s reputation too much.

 The game will see the return of the highly acclaimed “Bullet time” which games like Stranglehold got influences to slow time down and use your senses to make vital shots. Anything Rockstar seem to touch these days sell extremely well and with Grand Theft Auto 5 announced recently, the public will be eager to see how Max Payne has evolved into this generation.

 The game sees Max travel to Brazil and he begins a new life protecting a family in Sao Paulo when he is forced to clear his name and he has to fight his way through the underground of Sao Paulo to do so.

 Rockstar will have been working long and hard on this game to bring it to this generation. It looks as though Max has changed a lot since we last seen him but hopefully the anger he distributes still rages on in this title.

 The game will be released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Prototype 2

 The first Prototype game was built up to be a huge success but game flaws plagued a promising title. I bought the game day one and was looking to cause destruction to New York and battle through enemies with my ever changing arm. This was great to start with but once I got about half way through it, the controls were unbearable. This is just my personal experience but I did not enjoy it. Hopefully the sequel lives up to expectations this time round. Prototype 2 is released 30^th March and the game sees you playing as James Heller and the main aim of the game is to destroy Alex Mercer, the main character in the first Prototype title.

  Activision has said that a new dodging system will be introduced as well as improved AI.

 The game sees you having the same tricks as the first game but with added weapons, ways to move around and able to morph into certain characters and stealing their identities.

How this game will unfold, I don’t know. But it does look promising like the first game. Hopefully this lives up to expectations and is not flawed and is the game it deserves to be.

Prototype will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

Aliens: Colonial Marines

 With the thoughts of Aliens vs Predator almost extinguished from our thoughts, having been released early 2010. Sega has now returned with Aliens: Colonial Marines and will be released 30^th March. This title has been in development for some time but looks impressive each time I see a trailer or gameplay, which I viewed via Inside Xbox.

  The description for the game has been said to be a “Tactical squad based shooter”. Weapons include a flamethrower, pulse rifle, pistol, smartgun, RPG and a variety of grenades. The player can switch to another soldier in the squad at any time. It may be necessary to fend off Aliens by using turrets or mounted machine guns if the Aliens attack in numbers.

 For the Aliens themselves, they are the original Aliens who attack in numbers and use their stealth and speed to have you on your toes round every corner. Quick time events will also be triggered when a player is confronted with a face hugger… Nice.

 Multiplayer has been revealed for the game. Two players can play online or split screen co-op, 4 players can also play through the campaign mode and there will be competitive online multiplayer. Although Sega haven’t revealed much but it has been rumoured that the multiplayer will take on the format of the “Gloom” mod in Quake 2.

 However this game turns out, I’m sure both Aliens fans and gamers alike would wish finally for an excellent Aliens game. It is such a great platform to build an excellent game. Just need to hope that Sega have used the experience of AVP wisely and improved the game but what I have seen of the game so far, it looks promising.

That’s all for the first quarter of 2012. Hopefully as the year develops, we will have a chance to see what games are in development in Fall of 2012 as we don’t have many yet confirmed. All I know so far is that it will be a busy first 3 months to 2012!

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

 It has been little over 10 years since the genre defining Halo: Combat Evolved was released. In that time since its release, the Halo collection has expanded from the original trilogy onto sequels, prequels and a strategy game, Halo Wars. At E3 this year, 343 Industries, who are taking over from Bungie, revealed that another Halo trilogy would be released from themselves. Starting with Halo 4 next year. As well as revealing Halo 4, 343 Industries also revealed that a HD version of Halo: Combat Evolved would be released on its 10th anniversary. Hence the title, Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary. I have played the game, almost exactly as I did 10 years ago and it brings back many good memories. So lets see if Master Chief has aged like a fine wine or merely out of date like flares in the modern age.

From the start, even before you buy the game, you can tell that this is not going to be a total revamp of the classic game. The game is RRP at £29.99 (in Britain at least) whereas new retail games RRP at £49.99. When the campaign begins, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up as I was reunited with the moment when the Chief is released from the cryogenic chamber. I still get this feeling of excitement, even 10 years on.

 The only criticism I have of the game early on is that to begin with there are no tutorials like you have with so many other games. Like "Press A to jump," or "RT to shoot," etc. A lot of other games do it to begin with so you are comfortable with the controls. Unless you know the game, I can imagine that it will take some time to master the controls.

 Of course the graphics are the main, and only, update that 343 had made to the game. The same enemy spawns, the same difficulty and the same level designs. All the same. It's like putting on an old pair of gloves on a winters day. Fits perfectly! You can press the back button at any time (apart from during cut scenes) and see the difference between todays updated HD graphics and the graphics from 10 years ago. The difference is amazing.  It looks like night and day compared to the classic graphics, which 343 were aiming for.

As I have mentioned, the start of the campaign has not lost its edge and this epic campaign has not lost its touch. Personally, I was playing the game on Heroic, which I don't think I played it on that difficulty when I was younger, and it is quite challenging at times. If you die sometimes, you have to take another route to get past certain enemies. I welcome the challenge though as not enough games these days create such a real challenge. Aside from the likes of Dark Souls. From the normal Covenant enemies to the Flood, they all pose as definite threats and the Grunts are as cute as ever. The Flood, not so much.

 As developments in the campaign go, 4 player Co-op has been added and adds great teamwork into the game, which makes Legendary difficulty manageable. The element of Co-op makes the appeal to team based players all that bit more tempting. Single player is still as great as ever.

 I, like many others, feel let down by the games multiplayer. Halo began the multiplayer revolution on Consoles but this has not impressed me at all. I remember Halo: ODST merely used Halo 3's multiplayer and it was just like playing Halo 3 online, instead of a new experience. Halo: CEA however, has used Halo Reach's multiplayer format and you can play the Anniversary maps with Reach players who have purchased the Anniversary Map Packs. Reach's multiplayer was okay, but nothing revolutionary. I just wish that they had stuck to the same format which made Halo: CE such a hit. 

Right to the Verdict...

This new look Halo has certainly delivered what it intended to do. 343 Industries has given the classic game a new look which updates a great game for the modern era. None of the gameplay in the campaign has really changed and is as challenging as ever. Personally, I would say that this game has aged well as it does not feel out-dated with all the shooters who have made their name since 2001. The only let-down I feel is in the players competitive multiplayer option. Co-op is great, no questions asked. But competitive multiplayer is lack-lusture and doesn't WOW me enough to be a success.

8/10

Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary available now on Xbox 360