Fall is coming and even though there were quite a few very cool indie games this year (see my review of Limbo for example), the big blockbusters are still to come! Sure there has been Blink and Homefront out already, but although being hyped a lot, i somehow never got myself to show any interest in them. Instead, here is a short introduction into my most anticipated ones:
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Why I like it: It became number one on my waiting list after I was watching the clip from Game Director Todd Howard at the E3 (see below). The gameplay atmosphere was just breathtaking, the level of detail awesome and the dragons… oh maw gawd, the dragons! So even though I was playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 since its release up to now, I must confess I am more excited about the new sequel in The Elder Scrolls series than Battlefield 3. Not to mention the awesome dynamic soundtrack they showed in this trailer. This all I imagine perfectly contributes to the long winter days of playing alone in this fantasy world – oh, and the menus look very slick and clean too so even non RPG geeks might be able to handle it this time.
What I am hoping for: I am expecting it to be a lot of entertainment and discussion material for me and my buddies. I just hope it will not destroy the fun by being too hard on my mistakes when skilling my character into the wrong direction, like Oblivion did. I basically only stopped playing it because i realized i would not be able to finish the game the way i skilled. That was quite a bummer. The problem was that with every level up you get, all enemies are getting stronger as well. Why? I just cannot tell… but if there is an enemy that took 2 slashes with my sword when i was level 1, why does it take 2 slashes when i am level 30? I am confident that they did not make the same mistake twice. Also, I have read rumors about how they found a perfect balance in the complexity this time from people who probably have seen a bit more than i did…
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
2. Battlefield 3
Why I like it: If you followed my blog for more than a month you will probably know that i am looking forward to Battlefield 3 (see my previous posts with all trailers). If it is only as good as Bad Company 2 i will have a lot of fun. At least whenever i am not in the mood to go solo in Skyrim. I am especially impressed by the game engine’s effects (a very strong side of BC2 already as well). Have you seen the destructible environment and the ambient sounds? Go see the other trailers as well to see what I am talking about – i don’t want to repeat myself here… and start drooling over the keyboard!
What I am hoping for: the biggest fear i have is that it will come too close to a Modern Warfare type of game. Don’t get me wrong, the Call of Duty franchise was amazing in terms of playing the campaign. But when going online, the pace so heavily increased beyond any possibility to have any form of teamplay plus the average age dropped below the point where people are not even able to articulate themselves other than ‘omg nobb lol gg’. I am almost hoping that MW3 is becoming a great success to keep those kids away from Battlefield 3.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
3. Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Why I like it: Not as excited as for the other two above, but still curious about how the story and Altair’s skills develop in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. The clip shows what has been seen at the E3: A short passage of the story line, cut scenes and gameplay where even a few new moves are revealed. However, I must say i do not see any amazing improvements towards the former Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, but i always liked the atmosphere and the sandbox game style. Sometimes I just put on my headphones and dive into the world of the middle ages, to walk the streets or run over roof tops to absorb the feeling instead of progressing in the story line – and it was fun to do so to just forget the daily grind!
What I am hoping for: They increase the freedom and possible interactions with civilians even more in this part as well as making the story line not always about finding routes plus killing anyone on your way, but instead having to kill in a more sneaky manner. In fact, I always felt that Altair was not enough part of the world around him – even though the gliding through crowds was their strong point in the beginning – they somehow stopped evolving this aspect of the game. I could imagine a lot more feedback from the crowd depending on what he wears, what he did before, if he is good or bad or just an unknown shadow. What I also did not like was that buying property (buildings) in Brotherhood was not changing the face of the city nor the gameplay at all. Please do that or leave the option to buy stuff out if it does not matter anyway…
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