Blog Entry #1
Hello everyone.
I’m Naveen, the Canadian gamer, and Nathan has asked me to share my thoughts on the video game industry in blog form. Given the time of year, I thought it would be appropriate to look ahead at the games I am most excited about in 2007.
Mass Effect (X360) – I am mainly excited about this game because of its pedigree. Knights of the Old Republic was easily the best game I had played in the last generation of consoles and Jade Empire was a definite top 5 pick. Additionally, the game looks outstanding as it pushes the Xbox 360 farther than even Gears of War did. Hopefully Mass Effect will live up to the hype and deliver a "game of the year" worthy experience.
Bioshock (X360) – A lot of System Shock veterans are really gearing up for this one. I haven’t played any of the System Shock games, but this game certainly stands out on its own merit. The game features an integrated storyline, similar to Half-Life or Deus Ex, which always keeps you in control of the action and allows your choices to affect the world. I have consistently been disappointed with games like these before (e.g. Fable, Deus Ex: Invisible War) as they never truly produced a living world, but Bioshock has got my hopes up yet again.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) – I must be the only person to prefer the graphical style of Wind Waker over Twilight Princess, so I am very glad to see that Nintendo has not completely abandoned it. Phantom Hourglass appears to be a direct sequel to Wind Waker, and seems to really push the DS hardware to the limit. The game looks stunning, and the touch screen mechanics are very well thought out. I also can’t wait to give the multiplayer modes a try.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) – The Smash Bros. series has got to be the only reason why I continue to tolerate single system multiplayer. The madness of having four people whale on each other in Nintendo themed levels is sublime. Even if this game was a mere roster update, I would still be excited about it. My only disappointment is that online multiplayer will be hobbled by Nintendo’s joke of an online service. Friend codes suck!
Grand Theft Auto IV (X360, PS3) – I don’t think anyone will disagree that the Grand Theft Auto series is beginning to stagnate. While San Andreas was a great game in its own right, it gave off a ‘been there, done that’ vibe to veterans of the series. That said, I am still excited about this game despite the almost total secrecy surrounding its development. Rockstar is well aware that the series needs revitalization and I am very confident that they’ll deliver a top notch GTA this October.
Honorable mentions also go out to Halo 3, a game that doesn’t need to be explained, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which loses points for being on the one system that I’m not getting: Playstation 3.