Another busy gaming year has gone by. But before we reflect on the many events and titles that have gone by, we've decided to take this opportunity and show you what's in store for 2007. So, while you're stocking up your favorite games for the long and cold winter ahead, you might enjoy a foretaste of various promising projects that are on the horizon. There's plenty to look forward to, both for PC and console gamers. Bearing in mind the surge of MMO games, we were thrilled to see that most developers and publishers are also willing to work hard to improve classic game genres. Persistent efforts by creative designers and hard-working programmers, perpetually breathe life into the RTS, single-player CRPG and other traditional game genres. As 2007 draws closer, gamers will surely keep watch for any Vista-ready games that were promised by Microsoft and several talented and well-known development teams.
The Master Chief comes to his feet. Covenant scum, take heed!
Hm, that’s not quite how I pictured my avatar.
We'll kick off by taking a peek at the future strategy projects. Throughout the year we've managed to catch a glimpse of various upcoming real-time strategies, but for the time being we'd like to single out Supreme Commander and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. EA is taking their time with this one, patiently ironing out the details and adding a few important changes to the renowned C&C series. Apart from that, programmers are tweaking the AI, allowing users to set opponent behavior according to their own skills. EA's also developing an Xbox 360 version, as part of their ambitious campaign to bring the RTS genre closer to console gamers.
As for Supreme Commander, there's a lot to expect from a variety of features revealed by THQ and diligent developer Gas Powered Games. Every time we've seen this RTS on various events, it appears that a lot of work is going into making the game as epic as possible and at the same time, using some elements from Chris Taylor's RTS oldie, Total Annihilation, certainly paid off. GPG spent more than a year designing and programming the game and now we're finally close to its release (Q1 2007).
The year 2007 carries other potential franchises such as SPORE (PC) and the Xbox 360 exclusive, Halo Wars. Halo Wars is set some time before the original Halo and conveys UNSC's first massive encounters with the Covenant. Bungie and MS boldly handed the license over to Age of Empire creator Ensemble Studios, and we are impenitent to see the results. Unfortunately, aside from official FAQs, a teaser trailer and a few ongoing rumors, details on Halo Wars remain scarce. We, therefore, shift our gaze to Will Wright's newest attempt to rattle things in the industry - SPORE. After seeing SPORE in action, we were pleased with what Will and the gang at Maxis have come up with. Although it's been generally hailed as a soft of management/creation game, it also brings other genres into play, such as strategy. The game's largely about fashioning different types of species and watching them evolve from scratch. Later on, you get to manipulate entire civilizations, eventually making your way to the space age and using your UFO units to discover many new worlds and even abduct diverse life-forms different planets. The scope of the game is remarkable. Let's hope they see it through to the end. We expect it to show up some time during Q3 2007.
We're also keeping a close eye on games that are about to reinvigorate certain renowned strategy franchises. Coming our way, are three new installments, each of which aims to enhance well-established gameplay concepts of their predecessors. Ladies and gamers, come 2007 we want you to welcome Settlers VI, Disciples III: Renaissance and Europa Universalis 3. Albeit the last two are pretty much under wraps, the third game seems to be well on its way - the lads at Paradox Interactive are confident about the success of their upcoming new addition to the popular world-conquering strategy series. One of the key aspects in EU 3 is the inclusion of a gradual learning curve that may allow inexperienced users to find their way through a majority of features and options (which would otherwise appear too complicated).
On the console front, things are a bit raw for PS3 and Wii owners. Both Sony and Nintendo appear to have went ahead of themselves by launching two next-generation console platforms without any, well, "next-generation" titles. Next year, however, numerous endeavors are bound to enrich the PS3 scene with approaching games like Grand Turismo HD, MotorStorm, Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 6 and MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots. From what we've seen so far, PS3 racers such as Grand Turismo HD and MotorStorm are definitely looking to prove just how much power is stored inside Sony's latest "toy." The really interesting thing about Grand Turismo HD, in case you didn't know, is that the developers have divided the game into two portions, identified as Gran Turismo HD Premium and Gran Turismo HD Classic. Apparently, Gran Turismo HD Premium will feature 30 cars and two tracks that were modeled with extra care. Also, in the HD Premium version, believe it or not, the developers have invested six months into modeling the cars, which consist of tens of thousands of polys; contrary to the thousands featured in GT HD Classic. Regarding MotoStorm, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that it sports some of the most impressive damage models we've ever seen in a racing game. Coming from SCEE and Evolution Studios, we expect it to hit stores during the beginning of 2007. The release date for GT HD has yet to be unveiled.
Console owners will also get their fair share of top-franchise action games. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are the definite priorities for the PS3 and Wii. Of course, Xbox 360 owners are already basking in the first genuine next-generation console shooter, Gears of War. At any rate, the long-awaited continuation of the famous MGS series, depicts the latest adventures of prominent game character Snake. MGS 4 most certainly promises to be the best edition in Kojima Productions' long-running license. Konami keeps flinging rather catching slogans our way like, "This is not FPS, this is MGS," highlighting unique aspects of gameplay for which the series is recognized for, and "An old man exhausted of battle," hinting a whole new image of the game's main character. Game footage has been limited so far, but there were some pretty impressive scenes shown during this year's TGS (Tokyo Games Show). This game is obviously the main reason why most gamers will be wanting to get their hands on the PS3 in the days to come. And that's not all. We mustn't overlook two other potential PS3 franchises - Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4, both of which are projected for a TBA 2007 release and are currently being made by the crew at Capcom. Sadly, save for a few preliminary teasers, early images and a few impressions from the TGS 2006, there isn't much we know about these games. Regardless, we can assure you they are in development and are likely to make an appearance next year.
Action-oriented games are, as always, the bread and butter of modern-day gaming. Both PC and console gamers can expect a variety of action games coming their way. So, all things considered, when we look at the games to come, there's quite enough to be excited about. Check it out: Bioshock, Halo 3, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Crysis, Halo 2 (PC), Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Rouge Warrior, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, The Darkness, Dark Sector and more. For the time being, we won't be getting into each and every one of these, but suffice it to say, the PC and Xbox 360 scenes are going to be packed with a wide variety of action titles. Ubisoft vouched that they are intently working on adding many visual improvements to Ghost Recon: AW 2, as well as making numerous AI enhancements. Well, let's hope they do a better job this time around. They mean to launch the game on the PS3, Xbox 360, PSP and PC.
The big question for Xbox 360 owners is whether 2007 will open the doorway to Halo 3 or Halo Wars. The development process of Halo 3 is, as the whole world knows by now, in relatively early stages. Recent updates from Bungie clarified that the Halo race, Brutes, won't be a playable race in Halo 3. Time and again, Bungie guaranteed to incorporate some nifty changes to the Halo multiplayer, in addition to fitting a few new weapons in the game. For instance, they're including a new type of grenade (called the Spike Grenade), capable of dealing out directional damage, which is, supposedly, far more powerful than damage coming from ordinary grenades.
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