Rocktober and other Fall Previews
Luke Earhart
October 27, 2009
Filed under A & E
Based on the title, you’re probably assuming this article is about music. Well, you’re (mostly) wrong. This is a preview for recent October games and anticipated November games. I call this Rocktober because there are many hit or miss games that have been released. This includes Brütal Legend, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Borderlands, and Modern Warfare 2 (recently changed to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.)
(10/13/09) First up is Brütal Legend, the new Tim Schafer game (Schafer also created cult classics such as Psychonauts, or Grim Fandango.) This game takes place in a Heavy Metal universe, meaning that things are very rock oriented like playing a guitar causing lightning to come down. As you can probably tell, this game is very tongue-in-cheek with many references to real life rock music. It even has the voice acting of Jack Black as the main character, and Ozzy Osbourne as a guy who gives you upgrades. From playing the demo, this game has the potential to be very fun, but the real-time strategy (RTS) feature for some parts of the game and the entire online multiplayer being and RTS, is questionable in regards to fun-ness.
(10/13/09) Second is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the follow up to 2007’s Uncharted, an early launch game for the PS3. This game is a medley of a few genres. It takes from Tomb Raider’s platforming, Gears of War-like shooting, and various other third-person action games. It isn’t a copycat though; Uncharted 2 learned from all of the mistakes from those games and improved them seamlessly. The story of the game is reminiscent of an Indiana Jones story or National Treasure. My experience from already playing this game allows me to tell you that this is by far the best PS3 game I have played so far. If you own a PS3, this game is a must, or else you’ll miss out on a perfect gaming experience.
(10/20/09) Third is a game I have previewed already, and I admit, filled with doubt if the role-playing will mix well with the first-person shooter aspect. Thankfully, Borderlands doesn’t disappoint. This “hand-drawn” game, which looks more like cell-shaded in my opinion, is loaded with hours of entertaining gameplay. You can choose from four characters, Roland the Soldier, Lilith the Siren, Mordecai the Hunter, and Brick “as himself,” but usually referred to as the Berserker. Each of these characters has a past and a reason of why they are traveling through Pandora, a planet that may or may not contain an alien vault, aptly named “The Vault.” Guns are always an important part of a shooter, and Borderlands has about 17.5+ Million. This is done through a program of chance a lot like from Diablo 2. Talents trees make an appearance to add to the RPG aspect of the game and they work a lot like World of Warcraft talent trees, all giving viable upgrades.
(11/10/09) Probably one of the most anticipated games of all time, Modern Warfare 2 has stayed at number one on Gametrailers.com for about four months, easily outweighing any other games I have seen. But this eagerness is not without reason. Ever since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, people have been hyped for a sequel and the folks at Infinity Ward are presumably giving us everything we’ve asked for. Vehicle sequences, new guns, loads of new perks, and even more prestiges than the last game. Basically, if you have not pre-ordered this game yet, you might be left out for the first few days. Recently, Activision realized its mistake and joined with Infinity Ward again, so the name is now officially Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Fall is a great time to think of presents for family or friends, or yourself. On a side note, the first quarter of next year is also jam-packed with pushed back Christmas games. But with all these great releases, there is a price, and I mean literally, you will need a job or a large savings account to experience all of these. The best thing to do with games you are not so sure about is to simply rent them, it’s cheaper, you can see if you like it and if it has any replay value. Nonetheless, the end of this year and next should be a great time for any gamer.
