Intellectual Ramblings

So much good news all at once! The announcement that Spore has finally “Gone Gold” and is in production is heartening to all of us die-hard fans. They can’t delay the inevitable any longer! After we get Spore though, we might get forced off of our computers by family members who need it for something other than Spore. Those poor, deluded fools. If this happens, what new, shiny games can we count on to get us through those eternal minutes? Here are some upcoming games to consider in no particular order:

-Fable 2 ( October 21,2008): I can understand if you never played the first one, but if you haven’t heard of this game, you probably live in some sort of media cave… or you just don’t care. Either way, Fable 2 claims to be the first game that makes you experience ‘Love’. Frankly, I couldn’t give a crap about the game’s idea of love, and the dog seems like one long escort mission, but if you’re into that, don’t let me get in your way. The Sims and Nintendogs already cashed in on the family rearing and dog snuggling aspects of gamer society, so I’m not sure why Fable thinks it’s so special. Sure, “the entire playable world is 5.0361 square miles, give or take a centimeter”, according to Senior Designer Iain Wright (notice the name ‘Wright’ appearing a lot in gaming culture), but Oblivion was massive as well, and some people thought it was too empty. From what I’ve seen, there are several different area styles, something Oblivion didn’t have. And guns are always good, so tossing them into a pseudo-medieval game is an obvious plus. The idea of starting as a kid in games always seems to excite me… I’m not sure why. It might just be the fact that you don’t see it very often. Overall, this seems like it will be a good time wasting hack ‘n’ slash at the very least.

-Fallout 3 (October 7, 2008): I never played the original Fallout games, but I must say this new installment looks awesome. “Made by the creators of the Elder Scrolls Series” is enough to get me excited in the first place, and the addition of laser rifles and nuclear missile launchers makes buying this a no-brainer. The words ‘Post-Apocalyptic’ seem to pop up a lot in more recent games, but Fallout’s take on it seems extremely unique to me. This is the only other game I know of (unless you count Spore) where you start as a kid, or a newborn in this case, and slowly grow to adulthood. The sick sense of humor exhibited in things like the “Bloody Mess” perk that causes enemies to explode into tiny, gooey bits when they die or the Rock-it launcher that allows you to fire off junk items at your enemies. In one demo, someone was even pummeled to death with teddy bears. Until I actually obtain this game, I’m giving it a preview 5 stars!

-Diablo 3 (TBA): It’s usually hard for me to get excited about a PC title, since I rarely have a working computer for very long, but I’m genuinely excited about Diablo 3! I’m a WoW fan, and I played hours of Starcraft with my sister when I was younger, so I’m well aware of Blizzard. I didn’t especially like the first 2 Diablo games (mostly because I sucked at them), but this new game looks incredible! The 3d graphics are great for a top-down fighter game. Only 2 classes have been shown off, but the witch doctor’s moves look amazing (I’m a magic person… brute strength never appealed to me). I really don’t have too much information on this title so far, but I’m excited enough as it is!

-Littlebigplanet (October 21, 2008): What, you thought I’d forget about Littlebigplanet, the greatest game soon-to-be-released besides Spore? Not a chance! This game is, by itself, enough to make me want to shell out $500 for a PS3 (refurbished, of course). We’ve been getting more and more info on this game in the months since it was announced, and the inclusion of simple-to-use creation tools and physical representations of things like AI, triggers, and respawn points makes it even more appealing. It falls just short of Spore’s ability to make anything you want in under an hour. The creators themselves admit that if you want to make a truly epic level, it could take days, weeks, or even months. This isn’t too much of a drawback, since other people can make these levels for you, or you could get together with some friends and cut the time in half (or into thirds or quarters). Girls who aren’t gamers by disposition may also like the game due to its (allegedly) simple interface and the ability to dress your sackboys and -girls. Another 5 star preview for this one.

-Overlord 2 (TBA, 2009): Okay, so this one might be a ways off, but I feel it deserves a casual mention. Overlord was one of the funniest games I’d played in a while. Although it lacked a bit in multiplayer, Its single player story was exceptionally well written and the animations of the little minions were hilarious. The meager 2 screens available on gamespy.com are good enough, and this game is still a few months off at the very least. I’ll probably be bringing this one up for a while…

So that’s my list. I hope you enjoyed it, but if you didn’t, go whine to someone who cares. I’ll continue writing rants mixed with game reviews as often as I feel like it, so keep you eyes peeled! Until then, this has been Intellectual Ramblings, I’m Uber-Gam3r, and if you don’t comment, I will hunt you down and force you to. Goodbye!