HNY!

I know its early...but we're not gonna be around!

-GAME HARD-

2009: Another Year For Sequels and Continuations

This past year was all about the sequels. Resistance 2, Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, COD 5, MGS 4, GTA IV all the down to Rock Band 2. Some may claim the market was bloated, however these titles not only boosted the industry into the 13.5 billion dollar range (NPD Figures) they also set the aggregated video game world on fire. Combined scores (meta) between the "big guns" were in the mid 9.0 range and multiple awards were handed to many of the developers; can't ask for much better than that. The bar has been set high, real high. Can 2009 even come close to "doing it again?" Here are just a few of the upcoming 2009 titles that might just do so.

Remember the first time you played a seriously good game? Perhaps it was Mario 3 or MGS 2. Or better yet it could have been something like Mortal Kombat II or Street Fighter II; doesn't matter really. Just remember the feel you got when playing it for the first time; that, "Holy sh*t" moment perhaps is a better way to put it. For me, I had that moment within the first five minutes of Bioshock back in 2007. The moment I arrived at Rapture for the first time I knew I was in for one hell of a ride. Lush graphics, extremely intuitive control scheme as well as user interface, moral choices to make and a great premise/plot and a super twist at the end netted this game 2007's Game of the Year Award by just about every 'gaming' outlet in the world (hats off to developers 2K Boston).

Skip to Q4 of 2008. Enter: Brand new trailer for Bioshock 2 leaked on the Internet and downloaded/streamed over a million and a half times within the first twenty-four hours. Hind sight is 20/20, so when I see a million and a half hits in less than twenty-four hours I would suffice to say Bioshock 2 may just be the biggest game to hit the shelves come 2009. Same development team, same art director and of course backed by Ken Levine (creator) make Bioshock a sure fire contender to make a big splash. Check out the trailer:



Sometimes games that are extremely original and ground breaking come out and no one really notices. They kind of fly under the radar, taking months if not years to hit gamers unforeseen eyes. Physconaughts anyone? Well, with Mass Effect...this wasn't the case at all (see what I did there). Mass Effect perhaps was one of the biggest names of 2007. In fact with a meta score of 9.4, M.E. perhaps was the overall fan favorite amongst gamers all over the world.

This science fiction opera of a game has spanned a supposed movie script, multiple books as well as animated shorts on the Internet. Suffice to say, Mass Effect had its own massive effect on the gaming world (wow that was corny). Technically, Mass Effect was solid. The game supported a full character creation section, real time combat with the option of turn based commands, excellent graphics, branching dialogue trees that effected the outcome of the game and had one of the best scores I've heard since Eternal Sonata. Mass Effect spanned multiple awards in 2007 and teased players with the announcement of a sequel come late 2009. In all retrospect, Mass Effect made my officially "favorite games of all time list" and that's no easy feat. 100+ hours dumped into the campaign as well as DLC makes for a hefty entry into the already cluttered world of RPG's.

Rumors ran ramped of a late 2009 sequel make Mass Effect 2 an extremely huge game to hit store shelves. No real solid information has been given to the public as of yet; however it's more than likely developer Bioware (my 3rd favorite developer) will drop a few "news bombshells" in the upcoming months. Here's to hoping they keep everything the same...except for the driving parts!

2009 is looking up. In fact, I would be more than pleased with just the two listed games above coming out. But as we all know (and love) there will definitely be some sleeper games that sneak into the fray and make just as big of an impact as Bioshock and Mass Effect once did. The winners in all of this? Us, the gamer and in all reality would you want it any other way?

Until another year f sequels and follow ups comes around............

-GAME HARD-

And The Award Goes To...

Cue the music, cut the long speeches and squash the cheesy intro skits. It's time to unveil the winners of this years Warp 9 Gaming's Video Game Awards! Your host will be non other than me, OverlordStrider with guest appearances from...no one. So without further adieu, let the award ceremony begin.

BEST XBLA GAME
...and the winner is: REZ HD













BEST RPG
...and the winner is: FALLOUT III











BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
...and the winner is: NO MORE HEROES (Wii)
















BEST FIGHTING GAME
...and the winner is: STREET FIGHTER IV (ARCADE VERSION)














BEST SHOOTER
...and the winner is: GEARS OF WAR 2















GAME OF THE YEAR
...and the winner is: GEARS OF WAR 2



















And there you have it, Overlord's GOTY goes to non other than Gears of War 2. No speeches here folks, just a nod to Epic Games; developers of perhaps one of the greatest games made in decades. A round of applause for all the nominated titles and all other winners...it was a great year for gaming, lets hope 2009 can top it. Here's to high hopes!

-GAME HARD-

And The Nominees Are!

It's that time of the year; a time where you give thanks, eat to much, drink to much, watch a lot of movies, visit with family and of course play a crap-ton of games. Yet in that celebrated time I allotted myself a moments rest to go over with you (the readers) MY Games of the Year Nominations. Winners will be named on December 26th, 2008 in an epic, all out end of the year extravaganza post right here at Warp 9[dot com]. They are mainly all 360 games, however, some DS and Nintendo Wii titles made the lists. Go on...check them out already!

BEST XBLA GAME

1. Age of Booty
2. REZ HD
3. Geometry Wars 2
4. Braid
5. Castle Crashers (patch included)

BEST RPG

1. Culdcept Saga
   
2. Tales of Vesperia
3. Chrono Trigger
   
4. Fallout III
   
5. Fable II

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME

1. No More Heroes (Wii)
2. Dead Space (360)
   
3. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS)
   
4. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (DS)

BEST FIGHTING GAME

1. Mortal Kombat vs DC
2. Soul Caliber IV
3. Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
4. Street Fighter IV (Arcade)

BEST SHOOTER

1. Far Cry 2
2. Gears of War 2
3. Left For Dead
4. 007: Quantum of Solace
5. Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

GAME OF THE YEAR

1. Dead Space
2. Gears of War 2
3. Far Cry 2
4. Street Fighter IV
5. Tales of Vesperia
6. Fallout III
7. Left for Dead
8. No More Heroes
9. Chrono Trigger
10. Culdcept Saga
    

As stated above, winners will be posted December 26th, 2008. It's going to be hard for me to narrow each list down to one winner (especially that daunting Game of the Year List) but I'll do my best to pick the ones that I feel had the attributes to be winners. "To each his own"...right?

-GAME HARD-

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Before I go on with this post, let me remind the readers that I am a huge World of Warcraft fan. I bought the original game the day it came out, and have been playing monthly since. This game sits on top of my greatest game ever chart, and I do not see any game in the near future even coming close to pushing the position. Furthermore, I just love this game...

... but I am slowly starting to hate it. The release of Wrath of the Lich King was not even over hyped, I think we all new it was gonna be the same thrill that Burning Crusade was. Maybe some of us were hoping Blizzard would find a way to mix things up, but the speedy release proved that not much was going to change. Blizzard basically adds another continent to the map, uses old dungeon layouts and graphics (slightly tweaked to look different), and of course lots of new gear. Even the bosses are rip offs of older foes.

The gameplay never changes, and never will, because it is great. But anything you do for three years straight gets boring, anything. Blizzard makes a laughable and horribly failing attempt to create any new hope for this game. Forum posts have a guild actually leveling to 80 (top level in expansion) and beating ALL the new content in six days from release. Wow. That's just horrible. I don't know what they are trying to do, maybe make the game easy so rookie gamers have a chance to do end game? Whatever it is, any pro WoW gamer has to be almost ready to cancel, because they don't play for the gear, they play for the challenge. And the challenge in this expansion does not exist. Its like playing Halo on easy mode, beating the life out of it in a day, then finding out there is no higher difficulty level. Kinda just gotta pray that you rented instead of bought.

Wrath of the Lich King offers a modest story line, I will give it that. The death knight class that was so hyped came through to be pretty fun. Besides that, nothing impressive, not even close. I actually canceled my account, then reopened it to play with a friend who has since quit, somehow "told you so" isn't a strong enough feeling to have. So I again have to decide what to do with my gaming time. My guild, Blood Brothers, on Jaedanaer (Horde) has progressed through end game fairly quickly, and sadly I am only level 75 (level 80 needed for endgame). Quick grats to Rubidus, keep doing your thing man. Blood Brothers for life.

As for me, I have to find a new game. WoW is the best game I have ever played, period. I am anxious to see what will challenge its spot. Too bad Diablo III isnt near release, I am looking forward to giving that a solid run. If anyone has any ideas, I would be looking to get into a MMORPG, preferably free to play. As for Wrath of the Lich King and World of Warcraft, my advice is simple, end it. Make something completely new, with the same gameplay, but all new characters and abilities. Hurry, before you lose everyone who loves this game so much. I know I did.

-GAME HARD-

More Trailers From The VGA's

Take a gander at three of the bigger game announcements/videos from this years Spike VGA's. In all reality (or retrospect for that matter) there isn't a person in or out of the gaming industry that couldn't have predicted these titles. Two of them are PS3 and one of them is downloadable content for the xbox360 (I'll let you figure which one is which).




-GAME HARD-

A Minor Plethora of New Trailers

While watching this years VGA's (Video Game Awards Show on Spike TV) you may have thought to yourself, "where the hell are all the awards?" This years pantheon of award recipients where plentiful...however, only a third of them got actual air time. Basically the show boiled down to this schematic formula:

1. Open the show with big fancy skit with Jack Black
2. Brand New Game trailer
3. Award
4. Brand New Game Trailer
5. Brand New Game Trailer
6. Jack Black Skit
7. Musical Guest
8. Brand New Trailer
9. Award
10. Brand New Trailer

Do you see a pattern there? The show was basically a foreground for big time companies to show case their upcoming products. Am I complaining? Absolutely not. I feel as though perhaps you should make the show two hours (let me explain). The first hour should be straight viral style marketing. Have the awards part of the show online viewable on the internet. Then broadcast the second half of the show on national TV debuting all the upcoming titles big companies have in stock for us. I'll step down from my soap box now.

Enough of the rambling. This years VGA's did manage to pull of an epic line up of game announcements. Everything from Darksiders right down to God of War 3! Big names, big guns and a helluva amount of glitz and flare, here are just two of the the big trailers shown at Spike's Vide Game Award Show (more to come this afternoon):





-GAME HARD-

25K Club

25,181 Gamer Score Points
Achievement Unlocked: 12.16.08 12:15am
Game Played: Gears of War 2 (Co-Op Campaign on Insane)
User Name: OverlordStrider
"I would like to thank Cpt. Spock for assisting in this great feat. I would also like to thank Sampson Simpson."

-GAME HARD-

New Gears 2 Multiplayer Maps

There are always two sides to every story and the release of the new Combustible Map Pack for Gears of War 2 comes with its praise and controversy. Lets start with the controversy since it is always easier for people to pick on the negatives and that is what everyone seems to do. If you read any of the forums you notice that people are not happy. The reason? The new maps, costing 800 MS points, were released shortly after the initial game release, albeit, with a map from the PC version of Gears 1 (Gold Rush). Basically the complaint is that these maps should be free. Even more complain that the Mutliplayer is broken i.e. matchmaking, minor glitches, lag, etc, and that should have been addressed before new maps were released. Basically I am here writing this to combat the negativity that comes from all you noobs out there running around with your chainsaws, all you pre pubescent boys whose mommies went out and bought you Gears 2 so she could continue to ignore you while you are glued to your 360, and to those who just jump on the complaining bandwagon just so you can feel like your opinion matters and to prove to others that you actually play the game so that you can fit in with the cool crowd! Get over yourself and how good you think you are, you suck and its not the games fault. With that said, I do hate how you can no longer stun someone running at you with the chainsaw so I guess I am a bit guilty too. Big ol' Ewwwwwww Fa to the haters.

I am happy they put out some new maps. Frankly, as someone who plays multiplayer at least 3 hours every night I was just glad to have some new content to mix it up. As for the money thing, get used to it. The majority of companies are putting out DLC for a price. If you don't want them now, just wait a while for history to repeat itself, and they will probably become free in a few months once they release a major set of maps with new achievements (my prediction!). As for multiplayer being broken? I'll admit I wish there could be a few tweaks to the matchmaking system, but it certainly is not broken. If you having problems getting into a match, go make some friends on Live, party up 3-5 people, and you'll be waiting less than 30 seconds to get into a room. The glitches are minor and don't really provide any real advantage. Well except for the one walking through closed doors on Pavilion...which is fun by the way. Seriously though, these glitches pale in comparison to the ones on Gears 1. I'd say that 1 out of every 40 games I play will have bad lag. Thank you Epic for providing the real players some new content. Educated people can understand why you can't just flip a switch to fix these minor issues overnight.

Sorry about that, just had to get that off my chest. Let talk about the new maps. The above picture is of Chap's gas station. The map is officially called Fuel Station...not to be confused with fuel depot. This level has its share of power weapons, exploding gas pumps and fuel trucks, and multiple levels that you can even access with an elevator if your feeling lazy. The level provided plenty of cover both indoor and outdoors, just make sure to watch out for planted frags when flanking up the back steps. This is a smaller map so look for quick encounters after starting, especially on Wingman.

Next up is Flood. This is pretty unique and just like Avalanche it comes alive through the round. You start on a narrow path and head for the main section of the map. You hear the rumbling in the pits below and feel your controller vibrate as the emulsion begins to rise and areas of the map become submerged. Don't get caught in it, you won't last long. Grab some power weapons and head for high ground because with a shrinking level your gonna have a seriously close battle on your hands when there is no where to go. If your feeling fast, you can run and flank around the ground level just in time to see the emulsion cut off the path your were just on. This is kill or be killed territory i.e. there is no hiding out here and waiting for that stalemate. The emulsion only rises during elimination games for obvious reasons.

My current favorite has to be Gold Rush. This map has 3 floors of power weapon fun. If your a fan of larger style maps, then this one is for you. Grab the boomshoot from down below and go nuts, or go for the sniper up top and start poppin' heads. Better yet, grab the mortar and start taking out the whole team in a matter of minutes. Getting these weapons is no easy task unless the opposing team only focuses on one of them. The level offers plenty of cover, but be sure to look out for planted frags on the stairs, and look out for the two piece when going around corners.

And on an ending note...if you can't find the last guy while playing the River map. Throw a frag or an ink grenade behind the tank under the stairs in the house. If you want to know how to get back there send us an email, but beware, you can't get out and if people figure it out, your an easy kill.

-GAME HARD-

This Week "In The Box"

As we trudge through the last half of the "pre" Holiday season, we find ourselves searching for that one game to help keep us preoccupied until the bulk shipment arrives on Xmas day. Myself? Well, I got gems like Fallout 3 and MK vs DC on the list as well as a new DS Lite...but those don't arrive until the 25th, almost a week in a half away. So, Blockbuster here I come and you better have something good in! If your looking for a heavy load of releases this week, or next week for that matter, your pretty much SOL. Yet, there are a few titles to be noticed (emphasis on "few") and should take up a few days time, which will get you closer to the big day. Here we go for the week of December 15th - 21st 2008!

RISE OF THE ARGONAUTS

• Developer: Codemasters
• Genre: Action Role Playing
• Release Date: 12/16/08
• Retails For: $59.99
• ESRB: Mature
  
• Warp Says: Meta Score is at 5.7 right now...Ouch! We here at Warp do love a good Action RPG, but we prefer ours in the form of Diablo clones.
  

DASH OF DESTRUCTION (XBLA Title)

• Developer: Microsoft/Ninja Bee
• Genre: Racing
• Release Date: 12/18/08
• ESRB: Everyone
• Warp Says: It's a racing game with dragons. 'Nuff said.
  

Told you it was a short stack this week. I predict next weeks onslaught will be even shorter. Until the spring comes along with an all new assortment of goodies to play......

-GAME HARD-

The Joy of Joysticks

Fighting games have been around pretty much since the inception of arcades and lets face it, they have most certainly stood the test of time. To this very day national tournaments are held for titles such as Mortal Kombat, Soul Caliber, Tekken, 3rd Strike and even Virtual Fighter. However, the creme da la creme of fighting games that helped pave the way for all "fighters" is still played on a national level of competition all over the world. This series has been regarded as perhaps the greatest game ever made and has influenced developers throughout the world. I'm talking about non other than Street Fighter! Created in the early 90's the SF series has come a very long way; in fact Capcom is on their 4th installment which is due out this coming February, simply titled Street Fighter IV.

Having had the honor of playing a $50,000 imported arcade cabinet of SFIV, I can honestly say this: Street Fighter IV is possibly the best fighting game I have ever played (emphasis on I). Mechanically sound, technically flawless and awfully pretty to look at, SFIV is certainly no slouch. This, however, is where gripes are made and dreams are shattered for console owners around the world. Not everyone has the privilege of importing a 50k arcade cabinet from Japan and simply put, home console controllers just don't cut it when trying to play competitively online (and even offline).

Rejoice Street Fighter fans! Capcom has come to the rescue for all us hardcore fighting fans and Warp 9 is here to bring you all the information. Capcom has licensed Hori (a company dedicated to making Joysticks) to create the official Street Fighter IV joysticks. The PS3 version will set you back 9,800 yen (about $98 in United States dollars), and the XBox 360 is going for 7,980 yen XBox (about $79 in United States dollars). These are Hori made sticks which is a company considered by many to be the best stick makers around. According to the Japanese SF4 site, these will be released at the same time as the console versions of the game.

For those of you wondering if Hori will be the only SFIV stick developers the answer is an astounding "No." Madcatz, another company dedicated to making controllers and sticks is also developing Street Fighter IV joysticks. Madcatz is usually the cheaper of the bunch but they do make quality controllers. How they fare with this daunting task only time will tell.

Rumors have also surfaced that SFIV will have a "Champions Edition" that will have the Hori joystick bundled with it. No set price has been announced but you can bank on it being around the one-hundred dollar mark. Count me in!

-Game Hard-

The Zombies Ate My Homework!

Developer: Valve
Publisher: Valve Corp.
Release Date: 11/18/08
Genre: Zombie Apocalypse FPS
Pros: Extremely Smart A.I., endless replay value, multiplayer is a blast
Cons: Story could be flushed out more, needs more weapons

OK, so Left for Dead has been out for nearly two weeks now and it has taken this long to put the official review up. In my defense (and in all honesty) I didn't just play this game's campaign mode once through nor did I only play five or six online matches; I 'sunk' 40+ hours into the campaign and gutted fools in hundreds of multiplayer matches. The game is that good. The sheer ferocity of each campaign level is astounding, the co-op play is as good as it gets, the level design fits the bleak outlook that the games back story represents perfectly and the multiplayer is to die for (no pun intended zombies). Just make sure to leave the light on when playing if you have a faint heart when it comes to horrific hordes of zombies running at you full sprint, wanting one thing and one thing only...Brains!

Ever seen Night of the Living Dead? Remember how slow the zombies where when approaching people? Sure there's power in numbers but when you move like an eighty year old with emphysema just about anyone can get away. You will find non of those types of zombies in Left For Dead (LFD). In fact, the zombies here not only run at you full sprint; they'll jump from a distance, pounce on you, straight jack your face and then move onto another character close by. These are not your typical stereotyped zombies; they think intelligently, move fast and kill even faster. Their basically zombies on steroids. Here's a quick list of the different types of zombies you'll come across (and even play as in multiplayer):

1. The Boomer: A morbidly obese boss that vomits a bile that attracts ordinary Infected to the targeted player(s).
2. The Hunter: A type of boss, Hunters are much faster than average Infected. They can jump large distances and close in on survivors with extreme speed.
3. The Smoker: A special type of Infected, the Smoker possesses a long tongue he can use to strangle survivors
4. The Tank: A special type of Infected, the Tank uses his inhuman strength to pummel survivors and throw heavy objects.
5. The Witch: A special class of Infected, the Witch lays dormant and only attacks when alerted to the presence of survivors (most powerful in game).

Suffice to say: the A.I. is damn near close to perfect. Don't stand still for to long...they'll find you no problem.

LFD also sports great multiplayer settings that combine wits, a little bit of planning, a lot of screaming and a ton of running and gunning! You can have up to three of your best buddies playing along side you throughout the single player campaign. Ideally, each individual will sport a different character and weapon in order to vary the "zombie slaying" properly. There's four characters to choose from: Francis (voiced by Vince Valenzuela), a tattoo-covered biker; Zoey (voiced by Jen Taylor), a college student and horror movie enthusiast; Louis (voiced by Earl Alexander), a Junior Systems Analyst in his company's IT department; and Bill (voiced by Jim French), a former Green Beret and a Vietnam veteran. The player can also choose to play as one of the infected zombies in multiplayer matches/skirmishes. This is extremely satisfying seeing as though you can choose between any of the zombies listed above; (my favorite was the Tank of course) and play against the survivors in a multitude of online instances.

Story wise, LFD is a little hazy and can come off a little lack luster...that's if your not looking in the right places though. There is basically no story cue's throughout the game, no cut-scenes explaining as to why zombies plague the Earth and especially no dialogue (shh, you don't want to startle the Witch). It's basically, run, run, run...shoot, shoot, shoot, ask questions later. However, in each safe house there are writings on the wall, little "tid-bits" written by past survivors that vaguely describe what went down in that particular sub section of the city. Kind of like little glyphs of what people were thinking, or planning. This type of viral story telling leaves you chilled to the bone. Some passages say things like: "The worlds F'ed...Nuke us all." Or things like: "The Subway was the first to go, stay way clear of that place." There was even one safe house that had the following message transcribed on the wall: "I miss the Internet." I thought that was pretty funny.

Graphically, LFD looks pretty good. It's not going to rock your socks off but it does its' job unequivocally well. It creates an atmosphere that is bleak, dark and extremely scary; what more can you ask for from a zombie shooter? Lighting textures are just right, there's virtually no texture pop ins and not once did I see any frame rate lagging. This is extremely impressive seeing as though there are times when there will be hundreds of zombies running at you all at once all wanting to eat your brains.

Left For Dead makes a strong entrance into the overly bloated world of First Person Shooters. Schematically sound, technically savvy and just plain old fashioned fun make this game a must have not only for horror fans but shooter fans alike. Just do me one favor, don't be mad at me when I toss a Toyota Sedan via fast ball special at you while playing as the Tank. Just a heads up.

Left For Dead Gets a bloody:
9.0 out of 10

-GAME HARD-

Major Nelson Demands Crackdown 2!

Larry Hryb AKA Major Nelson has pretty much been the voice for the XBox Community for nearly four years now. In all actuality, he is Live's Director of Programming and when he speaks up people tend to listen...and rightfully so. That's why when a "higher-up" mentions, no demands, a sequel to a certain game in which I dumped over sixty plus hours into, I tend salivate and take heed.

"I'm here to tell you on behalf of the community, I want — we need — another Crackdown... That’s all I'm going to say, so you don’t have to confirm or deny anything. I'm just saying we want it." Those where Hyrbs exact words on his latest podcast episode, plain and simple. 2007's hit sandbox game Crackdown was as solid of a game as they come. Lush comic-book-esque graphics, huge open world game play mixed in with some "dumbed" down rpg elements and real time environment/character development made for one hell of good time. The game also sold over 1.5 million copies and garnered some pretty good scores around the inter-webs.

As mentioned beforehand, when Hyrb speaks not only do gamers usually tilt their head and listen astutely but Microsoft Execs on an average do the exact same thing. After speaking his mind on a potential sequel, Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer replied "Yes, Crackdown's one of my favorites. I'll leave it at that.” Hm, typical short answer. Yet, we can asses that seeing as though one of Microsoft's higher-ups has taken notice that the demand is there and if a glowing endorsement from Major Nelson is there we can pretty much settle on the fact that a sequel is in sight!

Lofty ambitions usually lead to good things and seeing as though the first Crackdown installment sold so well we can pretty much ascertain the fact that a sequel is surely (and rightfully so) in the works over at Microsoft Game Studios. In fact, looking through today's news glyphs there are already rumors going around that a Crackdown 2 trailer will be present at next years E3 event. Unfortunately, that's a little far off! So hold your breath, go play some Crackdown, throw some dudes off sky scrappers and of course.............

-GAME HARD-

This Week On Warp!

Get excited people, get real excited. For the first time in Warp's history we will be bringing you our very first video review airing this Wednesday at 9pm eastern time. I won't be mentioning the game that will be reviewed however I can tell you that it is a high profile game in contention for "Game of the Year" at this years 2008 Warp 9 Gaming Awards Show.


OTHER STUFF TO SINK YOUR MEAT HOOKS INTO:

1. Full Review of Left For Dead
2. This Weeks 'Minor Plethora'
3. All the latest and greatest gaming news from this weeks happenings!

-GAME HARD-

The Witcher 360/PS3 Bound!

Do you like action hack and slash role playing games like Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norath? Ever wonder what these games would be like if the were in the 3rd person perspective, even more brutally violent, filled to the brim with treasure/loot hording and longer? Then feast your eyes on The Witcher, a PC title that hit shelves (and flew under just about everyone's radar's) earlier this year and made quite the tidal wave. Countless awards and high critic scores made this game a sleeper hit from the get go and has since sold extremely well...except console gamers were left teary eyed and depraved of this video game gem. Enter: The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf!

Credit XBox 360 Fanboy for this one folks:
"Developer CD Projekt has informed Joystiq that a console version of its action-RPG The Witcher is currently in development for the Xbox 360. The console version -- now subtitled Rise of the White Wolf -- will feature reworked and streamlined controls, while the games story elements are apparently unchanged. The game will use a new engine, which will include new character models, animations, and a more dynamic combat system. The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is scheduled to arrive in Fall 2009.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it was generally well received by critics when it was released last year. See a video detailing the console version after the break."

HERE'S A LITTLE TASTE OF THINGS TO COME

Personally, The Witcher was one of those games I was so disappointed in myself for never playing. Having heard things like, "This game is perhaps one of the greatest action RPG's ever created" and not being able to get my meat hooks was just...horrible. This will not be the case come Q4 of next year and maybe, just maybe The Witcher:Rise of the White Wolf will be one of the very few selected to make my "Most Anticipated Games of '09" list!

Until Then...
-Game Hard-

A Minor Plethora: X-Mas Edition Vol. 2

And so the list of XMas gifts grows! Well, sort of. Only 3 items left to list out and only twenty two more days to go until "Old Saint Nick" visits my chimney and supports my video game habit! Until then, enjoy the remainder of....THE LIST!

The number four slot goes to a video game that's been on pretty much all my friend's (who play games) list: Left For Dead! Ever wonder what it would be like if Zombies plagued the Earth one day? Ever wonder what brains taste like? Play Left For Dead and you can have both of those burning questions answered! You can play as one of four survivors of the zombie apocalypse in the single player campaign or play with up to three other friends in the multiplayer campaign mode. Not satisfied? Get your zombie fix by actually playing as one of the many different zombie types that you encounter through out the game when playing competitively in the new 8v8 mode. Play as:

1. The Boomer: A morbidly obese boss that vomits a bile that attracts ordinary Infected to the targeted player(s).
2. The Hunter: A type of boss, Hunters are much faster than average Infected. They can jump large distances and close in on survivors with extreme speed.
3. The Smoker: A special type of Infected, the Smoker possesses a long tongue he can use to strangle survivors
4. The Tank: A special type of Infected, the Tank uses his inhuman strength to pummel survivors and throw heavy objects.
5. The Witch: A special class of Infected, the Witch lays dormant and only attacks when alerted to the presence of survivors (most powerful in game).

All in all, LFD is one hell of a good time. Having played through the campaign almost twice and still wanting it for Christmas speaks for itself. Graphics are nice, game play is solid, the zombies are fast and frantic and the momentum of the game is simply brilliant; you'll know exactly what I mean within the first five seconds of the first mission. Left for Dead is a 'no brainer' (see what I did there) and a great pick up for any one with an itchy trigger finger.

Rolling in at the number five spot on my list is The Wii Zapper bundled with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Ok Ok, I know its two things in one but the Zapper's only nineteen bucks and the Umbrella Chronicles is only twenty-nine doll-hairs. But, when was the last time you played an on rails shooter with a gun peripheral at home that was actually good? Did you happen to say, "since Duck Hunt?" Umbrella Chronicles has garnered an astounding 8.5 Meta Critic review as well as an 8.7 user generated review and for a light gun shooter...That's frigging amazing! I can remember having an absolute blast putting in hours at the arcade playing House of the Dead and Time Crisis and all the other assorted light gun shooters that were stock piled back in the late 90's, those were the days! It's been a while since I've played a Resident Evil game and what better way to get amped up for Resident Evil 5 (on the XB360 due out march 5th of next year) than to go back and play this one?

[wiki]Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, known in Japan as Biohazard: Umbrella Chronicles (バイオハザード アンブレラ・クロニクルズ, Baiohazādo Anburera Kuronikuruzu?), is an on-rails shooting game and the seventh main installment in Capcom's Resident Evil series. The game exposes the Umbrella Corporation's meddling throughout the Resident Evil series through narration from Albert Wesker, a former Umbrella Corporation scientist, and hidden documents pertaining to the organization's secret motives and actions. The game is composed of five scenarios that recapitulate the events of Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, as well as new material pertaining to the Umbrella Corporation's downfall. The game features many characters from previous Resident Evil games.

Last but certainly not least is yet again another XBox 360 title. It took me a while to narrow down my game choices that I would be asking Santa for, but it was all worth while! The pivotal sixth spot goes to: Prince of Persia. Having just been released, Prince of Persia has turned some peoples heads, including mine. Having only played the old PC versions of this series as well as The Sands of Time for the XBox360 my knowledge of the series and where it's at right now is a little fuzzy. However, developer Ubisoft (which happens to be my second favorite developer) has promised an all new story arch as well as visual style that will surely separate this installment from previous ones.

[wiki] Prince of Persia is an action-adventure and platforming video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on December 2, 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Microsoft Windows version will be released on December 9, 2008. Prince of Persia is a completely new chapter in the series, with a different story than the previous installments, as well as a new graphic style and game play elements.

The player assumes the role of the Prince, who, despite his name, is not royalty. The Prince is accompanied by a girl named Elika, whom he met after a large sandstorm diverted him from his course, and he ended up in a mysterious land. Players traverse many different environments, using the Prince's acrobatic abilities to scale walls, and even crawl on the ceilings. Throughout the journey, players combat various different enemies as they attempt to clean the land of corruption.

This holiday season has the makings to be one of the most epic in gaming history. So many titles to choose from and so much hardware to indulge in. I know my list will leave me gaming for quite some time and in no way leave me unsatisfied. Hell, Fallout III will give me something to do for the following sixth months after XMas alone! To all you gamers out there, be mindful and thankful for what you have, for what you get and most of all for what you give. Enjoy the Holidays and always................

-GAME HARD-