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3. 'Kingdom Hearts II' (PS2)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Square-Enix
Developer: Square-Enix
Release Date: TBA

Alicia Ashby: o/` It's Tron! It's Tron! It's Trooooooon! o/`

Kingdom Hearts is the poster child for games that are much better than they have any right to be, and the sequel looks like it'll be everything the first game was and then some. The interface is streamlined, special cooperative moves with all of the guest characters have been implemented, and new context-sensitive moves let Sora perform amazing stunts during boss fights and special battles. Best of all is the new roster of series and guest characters: Jack Sparrow, Auron from

'Precursors' - Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2006 May 12th

The story of the game starts millions of years in the past, yet it describes the cultures and races far beyond our own in all technical aspects. The exploration of space, the adventures on faraway planets, merciless wars between rival galactic empires – everything is in there. But the plot itself can offer more than that…

What if the Human race is not alone in the galaxy? What if there were 10 planets revolving around the Sun originally, and one of them was destroyed by an Alien race in a quest for technology, which surpassed any wildest imagination? What if mighty

PSP Preview - '50 Cent: Bulletproof'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Action
Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: High Voltage Soft.
Release Date: Q3 2006

And lo, the seas did run red with blood, and the wolf did lie with the ewe, and the oceans did freeze. The seventh seal was undone, and an army of howling spirits was released upon the world entire, to destroy and undo all that man has built.

50 Cent: Bulletproof on PSP doesn’t look all that bad, guys.

Believe me, I’m as shocked as you are. This is in stark contrast to the PS2/Xbox title, which overcame the critical equivalent of mob violence to move something

PSP Preview - 'Miami Vice: The Game'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Action
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games
Developer: Rebellion
Release Date: July 2006

If you're thinking scathingly bright pastel colors, silly '80s fashion, and the cheesiest of all TV music when you hear Miami Vice, then I'm afraid you're on the wrong track. The upcoming Miami Vice: The Game for the PSP is based on the upcoming film starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, not the masterpiece 1984 TV series starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. It was honestly pretty disappointing. Miami Vice: The Game, much like the film it's based on, seems downright serious. This

4. 'Gears of War' (X360)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Epic Games
Release Date: TBA

Mark "RumDragon" Bolin: Gears of War is probably what will convince me to finally buy an Xbox 360. The concentration on teamwork by the developers is impressive, and hopefully, it will play out well. From the trailers I've seen, the world looks immersive, and the A.I. seems rather brutal. The ability to use cover just about anywhere also looks quite interesting. I can't wait to get my hands on this stellar-looking shooter; I need only to find one of my friends with a lot of free time to sit

PS2/Xbox/PC Preview - 'FlatOut 2'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Driving
Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games
Developer: Bugbear
Release Date: July 2006

FlatOut was at best a deeply flawed game, but remarkably, the original developer has come back with a second installment that shows staggering improvement over the original. This time, Bugbear is a bit more serious about trying to deliver an authentically enjoyable racing experience, while still retaining the demented ragdoll driver-flinging wrecks that put the original title on the map. With everything from the production values to the depth of the various mini-games, FlatOut 2 is simply shaping up to be a bigger and better

6. 'Black' (PS2/Xbox)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: FPS
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Studios
Release Date: February 28, 2006

Joe Keiser: Burnout 3 was a revelation in racing games when it came out in 2004, so when a shooting game from the creators of Burnout claims to be "Burnout for shooters," it'd be pretty foolish not to pay attention. Criterion, the game's creators, really knows their stuff – they're the daddy of Renderware, the most popular set of game creation tools in the industry, and they are virtuosos in its use. As a result, Black should be fast, fluid, and exhilarating. But perhaps most excitingly,

7. 'Grandia III' (PS2)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Grandia III is the newest title in Game Arts' role-playing series, using an all-new engine, N3, allowing for larger and more detailed environments.

8. 'Tales of Legendia' (PS2)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Release Date: February 7, 2006

Alicia Ashby: Tales has been the major Japanese RPG series to fare the worst when it comes to entering the American market, but the great success of Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube seems to be changing that. Tales of Legendia hopes to continue the hot streak, offering an amazingly fun fighting-game like active battle system that still lets you manage a party full of characters. The 3D graphics are sharp, incorporating elements from Soul Calibur III's prodigious graphics engine, and it contains about 25 minutes of new

NGC/PS2/Xbox/PC Preview - 'Eragon'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Action-Adventure
Publisher: Vivendi-Universal
Developer: Stormfront Studios
Release Date: Fall 2006

Buoyed by the sudden interest in fantasy fiction that followed in the wake of the Lord of the Rings movies and the monstrous success of Harry Potter, Christopher Paolini's Eragon novels soared to the tops of the bestseller lists despite being written by a fifteen-year-old and being arguably quite derivative. 20th Century Fox promptly snapped up the rights to make an Eragon film, and a veritable deluge of Eragon related media - the film, the final novel of the trilogy, and a video game - are all poised

X360 Preview - 'Chromehounds'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Action
Publisher: Sega
Developer: From Software
Release Date: July 2006

It's time to take smashing each other with giant robots to the next level.

From Software's Chrome Hounds is a next-generation squad-based shooter, the first mech game for the Xbox 360, and offers you the opportunity to go after your friends with huge, customizable robots. It's hard to find anything wrong with this.

In an alternate universe where the Cold War ended in the decimation of the planet, you take on the role of a mercenary participating in a conflict between nations, as a member of one

'Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action' (X360) Announced - Facts & Features

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - E3 2007 - July 12th

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action brings gamers together with friends and family for a casual trivia game. Using the simple and intuitive Big Button Controller, players can challenge their friends to see whose movie knowledge reigns supreme, with real content from their favorite movies and actors.

PC Preview - 'Supreme Commander'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Gas Powered Games
Release Date: Q1 2007

The Strategic Possibilities of Deluded Megalomania

The Gas Powered Games crew, including Chris Taylor of classic real-time strategy game Total Annihilation fame, really know how to get a point across. That title hit PCs in 1997, and a decade's worth of anticipation and expectation awaits the arrival of Supreme Commander, the Taylor-led PC RTS due out early next year. The Supreme Commander show at the THQ pre-E3 summit was a presentation, not a demo. Still, the sense of scale and the-galaxy's-at-stake drama emerged convincingly from

9. 'Neverwinter Nights 2' (PC)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: RPG
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Release Date: Q2 2006

Mark "RumDragon" Bolin: When I picked up the original Neverwinter Nights, I was just looking for more of my Baldur's Gate fix. What it ended up offered me was amazing, and for the sequel, I am most excited about building my own gaming world. The graphics are nothing short of amazing, and the world looks as if it will suck me in for a good long time. One of the greatest assets Obsidian has here are the legions of fans who will ravenously throw themselves at the modding

PC Preview - 'Paraworld'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: RTS
Publisher: TBA
Developer: SEK/Sunflowers
Release Date: TBA

No, it isn't the "Land of the Lost," but the world of Sunflowers' upcoming real-time strategy title, Paraworld, will certainly remind you of it. It's a land of dinosaurs and ancient tribes anachronistically juxtaposed with modern humans with shotguns and smug grins. It's a land that time forgot, but one that Sunflowers hopes you won't.

Paraworld is an example of the action RTS – a game of building a base, collecting resources, creating an army, and crushing your enemy without mercy. Other than the dinosaur theme, there are a

'Dynasty Warriors 6' (PS3/X360) - Screens

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Tokyo Game Show - Tokyo Game Show 2007

10. 'Metroid Prime: Hunters' (NDS)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: FPS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: March 20, 2006

Geson Hatchett: The pack-in cartridge with the Nintendo DS contains a demo of Metroid Prime: Hunters, a glimpse at the future of first-person shooters. On those merits, many people have been waiting for this, myself included. In addition, Metroid's proven itself to be a viable franchise even in 3D, and merely the promise of another installment is reason enough by itself to salivate.

Joe Keiser: Metroid Prime: Hunters seems to be stuck in the nightmare tunnel of a release date that is to be forever pushed back, but all

PS3 Preview - 'Fatal Inertia'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Racing
Publisher: Koei
Developer: Koei
Release Date: November 17, 2006

Of all of the titles slated to ship alongside the launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 console, Koei's Fatal Inertia looks to be one of the standout titles. Set in the 23rd century, Fatal Inertia is based on a sport that involves pilots flying around at incredible speeds and taking each other down, all in the name of honor and glory. At this year's E3, we got to talk with some members of the Koei team to check out their fast-paced racer, which is set to hit

PC Preview - 'Company of Heroes'

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under E3 - Post - E3 2006

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Release Date: September 19, 2006

What Would a 30-Ton Tank Do?

The conventions of World War II-themed games have become so persistent and commonplace that the act of discerning cliché from authenticity is a grand struggle in its own right. Everyman heroes, squadmate drama, clear distinctions between good and evil that let you enjoy the shooting without much regard for the corpses piling up, forever referencing the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan – it's all endlessly recombined to balance the intensity-versus-authenticity equation in new ways that keep gamers

11. 'Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter' (ALL)

by Rainier on Jan. 1, 2006 @ 1:30 a.m. PST | Filed under Misc Events - Most Anticipated Games of 2006

Genre: Tactical FPS
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: March 7, 2006

Chad "Wudi" Crawford: I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of the original Ghost Recon: it seems that within three minutes of starting a map, my team would be all but dead. However, as I played new iterations in the series, it really started to grow on me, to the point where Advanced Warfighter has me foaming at the mouth. Maybe it's the breathtaking graphics, the redesigned HUD with the Cross-Com that lets you see what your soldiers see, or the robust multiplayer with competitive and cooperative