The Most Anticipated PC Titles of 2005

Battlefield 2
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Digital Illusions
Genre: Action
Release Date: Q1 2005

Star Wars RPG saga continues. Praise Jesus!

We'll get GTA: San Andreas too!

Battlefield 2 is (obviously) the newest installment in the Battlefield franchise. A sequel to Battlefield 1942, this game takes us to near future where we will be able to engage in a conflict between three superpowers, namely the US, China and the Middle-East Coalition. The last (MEC) is the coalition of several Arab states which is well armed and very motivated. (By "motivated" we mean, "excited by the prospect of impaling your head upon a long and sharpened stick, as well as hiding your intestines under their bed." At least that's the idea I got.)

The game takes place in the Middle East and China, and as this is a modern warfare game, it features modern weapons, such as wire-guided antitank missiles or laser-guided bombs. Still, their lethal power won't be very useful unless you learn how to use it right, so using a weapon now requires more skill than before. Well, that's how it goes with fancy modern weapons, kids.

As its predecessors, Battlefield 2 struggles to maintain the well-known principles of the series, such as obtaining good balance in every aspect of the game and never taking anyone's side. DICE didn't fail to notice "rock-paper-scissors" represents an important principle to them. Still, this title introduces a number of new features: take the support for 100 players for example. Add the fact that the maps will be scalable - they will be adjusted according to the number of players on the server, and you have an interesting foundation for a kick-ass multiplayer match. There are also two new character classes - the heavy weapons support class and the Special Forces class.

In Battlefield 2 teamwork is still an integral part of winning, but that doesn't mean that you cannot look for other winning ways that don't involve your teammates. As it is possible to play this game with squads and commanders, a set of advanced tools will help them play better.

Battlefield 2 features a new graphics engine, which allows creation of more detailed environments, characters and vehicles, new special effects, dynamic shadows, normal mapping, as well as more environmental destruction. Thanks to the new 3D engine, not only will the environment be destructible but we'll also get to see a new physics engine, with rag doll physics and material penetration failure. (As for this last feature, it's DICE that's talking dirty, not me.) The sound goes hand in hand with graphics, with some varied and very impressive sound effects realized with the help of the new audio engine. This game gets as close to the real thing without the fear of not being fun or playable enough.

Black & White 2
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Genre: Strategy
Release Date: 2005

OK, let's admit it: we all wanted to play God in certain moments in our lives. Maybe it was when we got fired from our job, so we wanted to show our former employer the meaning of the word "revenge," or maybe when we put our monthly salary on some schmuck of a horse so we decided he really needed something to give him wings... Or maybe even when... Well, whatever you've been doing, you obviously needed some godlike abilities once in a while. When the original Black & White appeared, it didn't only teach us how to play God - it taught us to play with style.

If you thought being a God was easy, you obviously didn't know anything about small islands, local tribes and their customs and Gods. Lionhead once again lets the player take care of their tribe, helping it prosper in everyday life but also trying to end the terrible war that is raging at the beginning of the game. Moral questions will be very important in the sequel, and again it's up to you to choose if you're going to be a benevolent or a brutal God. Still, the matter of moral issues is somewhat complex, so being good or bad this time includes some actions you could not label as either good or evil - at least, not if you were judging them taken out of the context. (If you didn't grasp the last sentence, ask yourselves this: "Is giving a blowjob a good or a bad thing?")

This time the number of creatures is going to be significantly smaller, as the developer noticed many players refused to swap their creatures later in the game. The principle is simple - less creatures, more morph stages, so the changes you perform on the creatures will be unbelievably varied. Apart from teaching them simple things you were able to do in the original, Molyneux says this time you will be able to teach them some "proper things," including some more complex strategies.

This inevitably brings some changes in the combat system, which is now more complex but also more intuitive. Battles are more important in the sequel than in the original. This required introduction of an intelligent battle system with some advanced options and commands. This is done with great detail, so every creature in the army will have their own stats and massive battles will consist of many individual ones.

The main premise, has however, stayed the same, so changes like the inclusion of new resources such as ore, or decrease in the number of magic spells do not seem to be too much. While these changes may not be drastic, they will certainly affect the gameplay more or less. Although the number of spells has been decreased, they should now look more spectacular and even "epic," which could possibly mean they would be more powerful.

Sadly, nothing is yet known about the storyline, but we do know a thing or two about the visuals. The sequel runs on an enhanced version of the engine used for the original Black & White, which resulted in better-looking graphics with a more realistic feel and a lot more detail, as well as a new and improved interface. It may have its downsides, but it's good to be a God. Hell yes.

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Genre: RPG
Release Date: 2005

*Cries* I hate you, Bethesda, you make such great games! *Runs into the night screaming*

While the gaming community is still wondering whether or not Fallout 3 will be released in 2005, we are hoping, and are in fact quite enthusiastic it will be. After the closure of the Black Isle Studios and the cancellation of the game, Bethesda has obtained the rights to both develop and publish the sequel to one of the most appraised RPG series of all times. Due to the turbulent history of the title, it is not surprising only scarce details are known about Fallout 3. In any case, the Bethesda team is, as they put it, overjoyed for getting the chance to work on Fallout 3, which they will develop simultaneously with their new Elder Scrolls title, Oblivion. They have promised us a "visually stunning and original game" with "player choice, engaging story, and non-linearity." We have to believe. Just as we have to believe in that 2005 release date. Keeping in mind Bethesda is behind the project, however, we must admit we still have a shadow of doubt in our hearts.

Apart from obtaining the rights to Fallout 3, Bethesda has also acquired the rights to any Fallout titles that may come in the future. This is indeed great news, and I can bear to live with doubt.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Publisher: THQ
Developer: GSC Game World
Genre: Action
Release Date: May 2005

If you happened to read 'The Roadside Picnic' or worked at Chernobyl after the accident that happened back in 1986, you're the perfect man to work on the game that dwells on the topic of this (in)famous nuclear meltdown. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. takes the Chernobyl disaster as its topic, but more so as an inspiration than in an effort to retell the actual events.

This first-person shooter, which can boast with some incorporated RPG elements, puts you in the role of a stalker, a scavenger who is seeking the precious artifacts that capture anomalous energy in the desolate, radiated Zone. However, you are not the only one to roam the site of the nuclear disaster. You will get to meet other stalkers, and while you may be able to trade or team up with them not all stalkers would get to be so friendly. "Friendliness" is definitely not the word that could be applied to various monsters and radiated creatures that you'll get a chance to know better in the game. In order to survive, you will sometimes have to be really clever - that's so because the blokes at GSC claim their game will feature superb AI and an interactive environment that will allow for some cunning strategies by the enemy AI. However, don't expect to see some gifted mutants make footballs out of shoe soles. I think that goes well beyond GSC's definition of superb AI.

This game also features very non-linear gameplay, meaning that, apart from your main goals, you will also be granted with a number of various side quests that will require a certain approach. You will have to show how imaginative you are and if you are capable of performing a certain task in an unorthodox way. All that happens in the game depends upon your actions (and reactions), so that another way of playing will always bring changes in the gameplay.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. lets you explore a rather large world inhabited with "emotional" and very intelligent monsters (Like Oprah -Ed). GSC claims the monsters in the game are governed not only by their AI, but also by their instincts and emotions, such as fear or panic. And all that in a 3D environment that should look really impressive - all characters, monsters and buildings are rendered with a lot of realism and devotion to detail. The development team is also very proud of the multiplayer, which combines great map design with some new multiplayer modes. Well, as I always used to say, "One can never pass the opportunity to free-roam a desolate world after a nuclear disaster and test the effect of various weapons on abominations of nature." Maybe I didn't quite put it that way, but anyway that was what I meant. I guess.