Looking Ahead to 2008
ActionOne genre with its roots in consoles is starting to get a little love on the PC from publishers and developers. Third-person action-combat games have long favored the button-mashing set on consoles, but with development costs rising to the stratosphere and with the console-PC technology gap closing, publishers are quick to put action games on the PC as well. It's not exactly a crowded field, but some notable action games will make an appearance on the PC in 2008. First out of the gates is Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. Initially slated for release in the fall in concurrence with the game's console releases, the PC version was pushed to early 2008. Commercially, the stealth action game with a technological twist is a bona fide success. Reviews, however, have ranged from mediocre to great; rarely is a game so polarizing. At the very least, the game is worth a go-round if you haven't played one of the console versions. Know this, however: easy-on-the-eyes Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond isn't actually in the game.
Capcom's Devil May Cry series is a combat-heavy action game with flair, and it's gained a cult following on consoles. Though the prequel Devil May Cry 3 was ported to the PC, Devil May Cry 4 will be the first game in the series to see a simultaneous release on the PC and console. Set to hit North America on February 5 (and Europe three days later), Devil May Cry 4 features new lead character Nero and another love-it-or-hate-it Devil May Cry storyline. Even if you're not a fan of the narrative, the series has always delivered on action, and previews show that Devil May Cry 4 is unlikely to disappoint in this regard.
Scarface: The World is Yours developer Radical Entertainment is getting into the new-IP business with Prototype, a Sierra-published sandbox action game set in New York City. Pegged for a summer release, Prototype is the story of Alex Mercer, who wakes on an operating table with no memory of his past. Steeped in conspiracy lore, Mercer has augmented abilities, and the game follows his quest to discover his past. Of course, government agencies are looking to stop him, so he'll have to battle the Black Watch Special Forces to get to the bottom of things. Prototype's open world environment and interesting Shapeshifting mechanic may be worth checking out.
There's no easy way to put this: for years, I've been mouthing the lyrics to the Ghostbusters Rap in the shower, secretly wishing for another movie in the series that I loved as a kid. While a third movie has been all but submarined by comedian-turned-serious-actor Bill Murray, developer Terminal Reality and publisher Sierra have managed to secure the rights to a Ghostbusters video game. Now being positioned by Dan Akroyd as the third Ghostbusters movie, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will feature the voice acting talents of the complete original cast. The script, penned by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, is a continuation of the Ghostbusters story as it left off after the second film. If you've ever wanted to try your hand at investigating paranormal activity and battling giant marshmallow men, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be your ticket come fall. Racing TitlesRacing games are few and far between on the PC these days, and most high-end racing titles are console exclusives (or at least making their way to one or more consoles, as SimBin’s GTR 2 will do in 2008). Codemasters, long a player in the racing game arena, is in the process of rebranding their automobile racers.
A la the branding change of Colin McRae: DIRT (simply DIRT in North America), Race Driver: GRID is the latest incarnation of the successful TOCA Race Driver series. If you’re counting, Race Driver: GRID is the fourth release in the TOCA series. There’s not much information beyond an initial press release and screenshots, but a wide array of events - from road courses to drifting -and region-based car selection will provide variety. Race Driver: GRID is headed to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as well as the PC, so there is reason to worry that Codemasters may tweak the handling model to better suit casual gamers (as happened with Colin McRae: DIRT, with negative results). At the very least, Race Driver: GRID will be a great-looking arcade-style racer, and there’s clearly a market for such a title.
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