December 29, 2009
Abraxas' Year End Retrospective - 2009!
It's not really a retrospective. He's actually giving you some previews on 2010 games. But don't tell anybody.
Well, Monkeys, it's that time of year. You know, the end. 2009 is coming to an end, and 2010 is about to kick off. And, I know what you're thinking, "Abraxas, in your Un-Humble OpinionŠ, what were the best games of the year? What is your retrospective?"
Which is a mostly valid question, and one that is often addressed at this time of the year. What, in my keen mind, discerning taste, and sharp wit stood out as the best of the best? If you'd been reading all my reviews this past year, and I know you have, you already know the answer to those questions. So, I'm not going to rehash the past for two reasons: I already told you, and Cybermonkey's don't look back. We're not cutting edge, we're cutting the edge.
In that spirit of the Cybermonkey credo, I am going to tell you about 5 up-coming games you'll want to be playing in 2010.
Mass Effect 2: The first Mass Effect is easily in my top 5 RPG's of all time list. It was the ultimate expression of novel as video game. You may remember this game from the political correctness dust-up it generated by offering a same-sex relationship for the player to explore. Bioware, the makers of Mass Effect, have long since mastered the concept of telling its audience a compelling and engaging story that is accessible. I expect this follow up game to be most excellent.
Dark Void: Ever wonder what happens to the people who disappear in the Bermuda Triangle? Well, they get to fight aliens to save the Earth, that's what. Oh, and they get to wear jet packs while doing it. This will be one of the first FPS games to offer "true" vertical and horizontal combat and cover. This sounds like a basket a fun with a side of fries.
Diablo 3: This third in the series will take place in Sanctuary, the same fantasy world from the previous two games. And, much like the first two installments, the heroes will strive to keep their sanity as they battle a fresh wave of demonic world destroyers. Blizzard, the maker of the game, has announced new classes that don't have gender restrictions, new powers and abilities, randomly generated mission maps to provide variety for replay value, but most importantly each creature in the game has 35 unique death animations. Oh, did I mention destructible 3D environments? Let the carnage begin!
Starcraft 2: For those of you not in the know about Starcraft, let me give you a bit of history lesson. The first Starcraft was announced by Blizzard in 1995, and debuted as an early build at E3 in 96. It was promptly laughed out of the convention as"Warcraft in space." Blizzard when back to the drawing board for the next 2 years. In 1998 the game launched to a smashing success, and easily occupies my top spot as Best RTS Games. It's been 11 years since that release, and 2010 is the year Blizzard is ready to release the first part of a game so huge they had to split it into 3 chapters. Expect great things.
Alan Wake. Alan Wake is on this list for a few different reasons. One, it's survival horror. I am eternally hopeful that someone will get this genre right, and not make an excruciatingly boring game. It's about a best-selling horror novelist that has to find is wife in a Pacific Northwest town he's only just come to visit. And you're weapon to fend off the minions of evil out to eat your face? A flashlight. But, it is said to draw strongly from the works of Stephen King, the TV show Twin Peaks, and Lost. It's being put out by the team that launched Max Payne (not that crap-tastic movie, but the game), Remedy. I have low hopes for this one, but I will be checking it out.
And, that Monklets, is what is you should be keeping your eye on in the coming months. In fact, one of those games is due to drop in the next few weeks. So, get your engines revved, your banana's peeled, and your sticks loose, because this is gonna be a great year in gaming.
And, if it sucks....well...this ain't gonna be pretty.
Which is a mostly valid question, and one that is often addressed at this time of the year. What, in my keen mind, discerning taste, and sharp wit stood out as the best of the best? If you'd been reading all my reviews this past year, and I know you have, you already know the answer to those questions. So, I'm not going to rehash the past for two reasons: I already told you, and Cybermonkey's don't look back. We're not cutting edge, we're cutting the edge.
In that spirit of the Cybermonkey credo, I am going to tell you about 5 up-coming games you'll want to be playing in 2010.
Mass Effect 2: The first Mass Effect is easily in my top 5 RPG's of all time list. It was the ultimate expression of novel as video game. You may remember this game from the political correctness dust-up it generated by offering a same-sex relationship for the player to explore. Bioware, the makers of Mass Effect, have long since mastered the concept of telling its audience a compelling and engaging story that is accessible. I expect this follow up game to be most excellent.
Dark Void: Ever wonder what happens to the people who disappear in the Bermuda Triangle? Well, they get to fight aliens to save the Earth, that's what. Oh, and they get to wear jet packs while doing it. This will be one of the first FPS games to offer "true" vertical and horizontal combat and cover. This sounds like a basket a fun with a side of fries. Diablo 3: This third in the series will take place in Sanctuary, the same fantasy world from the previous two games. And, much like the first two installments, the heroes will strive to keep their sanity as they battle a fresh wave of demonic world destroyers. Blizzard, the maker of the game, has announced new classes that don't have gender restrictions, new powers and abilities, randomly generated mission maps to provide variety for replay value, but most importantly each creature in the game has 35 unique death animations. Oh, did I mention destructible 3D environments? Let the carnage begin!
Starcraft 2: For those of you not in the know about Starcraft, let me give you a bit of history lesson. The first Starcraft was announced by Blizzard in 1995, and debuted as an early build at E3 in 96. It was promptly laughed out of the convention as"Warcraft in space." Blizzard when back to the drawing board for the next 2 years. In 1998 the game launched to a smashing success, and easily occupies my top spot as Best RTS Games. It's been 11 years since that release, and 2010 is the year Blizzard is ready to release the first part of a game so huge they had to split it into 3 chapters. Expect great things.
Alan Wake. Alan Wake is on this list for a few different reasons. One, it's survival horror. I am eternally hopeful that someone will get this genre right, and not make an excruciatingly boring game. It's about a best-selling horror novelist that has to find is wife in a Pacific Northwest town he's only just come to visit. And you're weapon to fend off the minions of evil out to eat your face? A flashlight. But, it is said to draw strongly from the works of Stephen King, the TV show Twin Peaks, and Lost. It's being put out by the team that launched Max Payne (not that crap-tastic movie, but the game), Remedy. I have low hopes for this one, but I will be checking it out. And, that Monklets, is what is you should be keeping your eye on in the coming months. In fact, one of those games is due to drop in the next few weeks. So, get your engines revved, your banana's peeled, and your sticks loose, because this is gonna be a great year in gaming.
And, if it sucks....well...this ain't gonna be pretty.