The prospect of playing a new video game IP is always an exciting one for any gamer. Yet it is a notion always fraught with some reservations in the mind of the gamer. What if on the release of the game all your hopes and expectations are dashed and the game turned out to be nothing like the product you had begun to adore and anticipate from the years since the game was announced. Or worse still what if the game turned out to be the best thing that was offered to gamers that year but due to criminally low sales it was relegated to the bargain bin and quickly disappeared from the minds of the majority of gamers.
Perhaps the second turnout is far worse than the first. It only means that developers will take fewer risks and continue development only on established franchises. The past year did see the release of some interesting new game IPs like Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge from EA no less. While Dead Space was fairly successful, Mirror’s Edge didn’t quite see the same level of success. Little Big Planet though a critical hit did not quite have the explosive sales Sony might have hoped for. While casual gaming saw plenty some innovative themes in Braid, World of Goo and Audiosurf, none of the AAA level new game IPs managed to be breakout hits. Let’s hope the deserving new IPs of this year and beyond get more recognition.
1. Alan Wake: Alan Wake is being developed by Remedy Entertainment, the company behind the Max Payne series. The game is being billed as a “psychological action thriller”. Usually attributing a term like that to a game might be met with some skepticism. However, considering Remedy’s pedigree, so far they are certainly the only developers I would put my money on to be able to pull something like that off. The 2 Max Payne games were top notch action games, while managing to be both moody and atmospheric at the same time. They had central characters we became deeply involved with. The main protagonist of the this game, namely Alan Wake is a bestselling writer who’s fiancée has gone missing. He begins to suffer insomnia for which he comes to the town of Bright Falls to seek treatment at a clinic located there. This is where all the action in the game takes place. Gameplay promises to an interesting combination of tense combat, adventure and exploration. Light will play a major role in the combat as will driving sequences. Though we haven’t seen much in terms of gameplay media over the 3 years since its announcement, we can expect a great action adventure, a compelling storyline and an intensely cinematic experience from Alan Wake.
2. Prototype: Prototype is an upcoming sandbox style action game under development by Radical Entertainment. One of the key concepts of the game, as described by the developer, is the disguise and destroy ability that Alex Mercer, the games main protagonist, can wield. Once he has killed an enemy he can consume their bodies. Besides being able morph into their physical forms, he can also access their memories and experiences. He is also able to gain all the abilities of the character that he consumed. Alex’s ability to shape shift also enables him to have different powers. It also manifests itself in different ways in the various forms of gameplay like Attack, Defense, Sensory and Movement. Alex possesses superhuman strength and also some extreme agility. As early videos indicate this lends itself to some glorious and gory attack moves and some rather extreme interactions with the environment. Alex’s movement is inspired by parkour and his traversal through the environment is expected to be handled without the hassle of timed button pressing. So Alex can perform those incredible moves while keeping that super kinetic pace that the game play aims to generate. You can think of it as Crackdown on steroids with a lot more gore, a more depressing world and some elements of Assassin’s Creed thrown in for good measure.
3. Dragon Age Origins: Dragon Age: Origins is a role-playing game under development by BioWare. It is described as a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate series. Set to debut on the PC first, BioWare is calling Dragon Age as a return to the roots for them, a dark fantasy game that combines original storytelling with classic role-playing. The Origin stories that all the races in the game will feature are expected be a major part of the Dragon Age experience. Playing through Origin phases of the game will enable players to define their character and motivations and gain knowledge about the world of Ferelden, where Dragon Age is set, from their own distinctive perspectives. The choice that the player makes with regards to his origins will affect how the world reacts to the player later on in the main stories. Expect situations, storylines and conversations to change, sometimes drastically depending on the choices you make. The game will feature real-time combat and also let the player control a party of 4 characters including the player. BioWare has also promised to release a toolset for the game that will let players easily craft their own adventures. Expect a deep RPG and a great story driven experience when Dragon Age: Origins releases later this year.
4. Borderlands: Borderlands is an upcoming sci-fi / action RPG from developers Gearbox. It’s not just your regular genre game though. It’s a hugely ambitious game that aims to combine top notch FPS action, deep player customization and some intense vehicular combat. One of the games distinct features is its random content generation system capable of generating an arsenal of almost 500000 different weapons. Expect some truly varied, twisted and spectacular tools of destruction to emerge from the system. This system also extends to the landscape of Borderlands. While the basic towns and layouts will remain the same in each play through the system will place random objects and NPCs over the surrounding landscape, so that no two mission attempts will be exactly the same. All this Gearbox plan to do without the intrusion of a loading screen. The game also features drop in drop out online co-op and an RPG like leveling system. Inspired by the Mad Max films and the RPG elements of Diablo, Borderlands is a game that truly aims to break out of its genre with the kind of technical and game play innovation it is attempting.
5. Brutal Legend: Brutal Legend is an action adventure game under development by Double Fine Productions. They are the studio behind the uniformly awesome yet criminally unappreciated Psychonauts game. Psychonauts was funny, intriguing and a genuinely fun game based on a weird premise. It is the kind of game we rarely see these days. Unfortunately it was a game that slipped of most people’s radar at the time. Brutal Legend was looking to suffer an even more difficult future as the game was dropped off Activision’s portofolio as part of their merger with Blizzard. A few months later fortunately EA decided to pick the title up for publishing. The totally crazy premise of the game as described by the developer, ”Brutal Legend tells the tale of Eddie Riggs, played by Jack Black, who is drawn back through time to a mythical world immersed in Rock and Roll folklore, where great Metal titans once ruled and power chords rang from the countryside for all to hear. When oppressed people request Eddie’s knowledge of modern warfare, he pulls from his own experience in the only occupation he’s ever had, a roadie for a heavy metal band. From this springs the most hellacious army man has ever seen, and thus brings this ancient world into the Age of Metal.” If any game creator can pull of something like that, it’s Tim Schafer, the man behind Psychonauts.
6. Alpha Protocol: Alpha Protocol is a third person action adventure RPG being developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Neverwinter Nights 2. Unlike most other RPGs the games action doesn’t take place in a fantasy or sci-fi setting. The game is set entirely in modern times. You play a secret agent named Michael Thornton in this ‘espionage’ RPG. As agent Thorton, you accept missions, engage in branching dialogs and employ different classes of skills as you uncover the conspiracy element of the game. Conversations proceed differently depending on the stance that you may choose to take when engaging in it. Sometimes you will also be able to end and steer conversations abruptly by performing some physical action like pointing a gun at someone’s face mid-conversation. As far as player customization is concerned instead of focusing on the physical aspects like body, facial features etc., emphasis is placed on attire and accessories. The perceived personality of the player by people around you depends on this. Every action performed by the player will have its repercussions on every aspect of the world around him. The game will also have multiple endings. Safe houses act as weapon repositories as well a place where the player can equip, stealth, combat and tech types of armor for different styles of play.
7. Dark Void: Dark Void is an action title under development by Airtight Games and to be published by Capcom. Described as a groundbreaking game (literally) it features a combination of fast-paced vertical combat, mid-air and on foot action. The game’s action starts off when ‘Will’ the hero of the game, a cargo pilot accidently crashes his plane into the Bermuda triangle. From here, he gets warped to a parallel alien dimension. He finds that an alien race called the Watchers is present there with nefarious plans in the making. He soon discovers a band of human survivors decides to team up with to vanquish the alien’s plans. The main play types of Dark Void are the standard third person action shooter style most similar to Gears of War. The player is moving around on the ground and can wield the standard arsenal of weapons. The controls here are similar to any other shooter. the player also possess a jetpack which lets him thrust in any direction that the reticule might point which will lead to some exciting mid-air dogfights. Also the game will have vertical shooting sections. They will have the player moving upwards across a series of platforms while shooting and taking cover but all viewed from the regular perspective behind the back of the player. We are expecting great things from this vertiginous shooter when it releases.
8. L.A. Noire: L.A. Noire is an upcoming adventure game being developed by Australian studio Team Bondi. Precious little information about the game has been let out so far besides 2 trailers for the game. They do at least indicate to us the kind of tone the game is going to maintain. From the press release, L.A. Noire is an interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940’s. L.A. Noire blends action, detection and complex storytelling and draws players into an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders. Set in a perfectly recreated Los Angeles before freeways, with a post-war backdrop of corruption, drugs and jazz, L.A. Noire will truly blend cinema and gaming. The other noteworthy things not mentioned in the press release are the use of Lightsprint’s global illumination technology for real time dynamic lighting effects. Also, the game is supposed to be of the highest budgeted game titles under current development. Let’s hope its turns out be money well spent when the game releases, hopefully, by the end of the year.
9. Heavy Rain: Heavy Rain is a cinematic thriller under development by Quantic Dream. The game is being described as a cinematic thriller in the vein of the studio’s previous game, Indigo Prophecy / Fahrenheit. The game will explore some mature themes through a sophisticated and flexible plot. The choices you make will determine the direction that the story will take. These aren’t just simple choices but ones that will present the player with moral conundrums at every stage. Heavy Rain is built on a prototype 3D engine developed in-house by Quantic to demonstrate the real time processing capabilities of the PS3. The game, as evinced by the trailers, aims to set a new benchmark in visual fidelity. It will also use full body and motion capture and several other bells and whistles in the physics and rendering departments to create a truly cinematic experience. The game will also feature the Quick Time Events that were present in Fahrenheit to enhance the tension in the game. Games like this with simplified game mechanics are few and far between, and as Quantic proved with their previous game, it can be something both critics and gamers can appreciate and enjoy.
10. APB: APB (All Points Bulletin) is an upcoming massively multiplayer game under development by Realtime Worlds. The game takes place in a modern day Metropolis and gameplay revolves around the conflict between 2 factions, Enforcers and Criminals. The game differs from the traditional massively multiplayer online game by only having players interacting with a limited group of players online at the same time. As opposed to other traditional online games leveling the character is dependent on a player’s skills rather than the time investment required for leveling up in other games. This will help bypass the grinding phase that players have to go through in other games. Battles in the gameplay put in the traditional good versus evil side with players able to choose either side to play in. As a criminal, you carry out your activities while trying to gain control of various territories in the city. As a law enforcer, it is your duty to thwart crime and free areas of the city from criminal control. The game is one of the most ambitious under development by an independent studio as Realtime Worlds. They will also be the sole distributors of the game in all territories. APB looks like one of the first great multiplayer online games that will successfully breakaway from the fantasy theme prevalent among most of the other successful games in the genre.
- By Shantesh Patil