Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Best Upcoming Games of 2011 - (Xbox 360, XBLA PS3, PC) Part 1

It’s absurd the amount of amazing games at the forefront of our fingertips.  Just when I thought last year was an awesome year for gaming, looks like this one may just top it.  Wait until Fall, it's brutal.  Check out the first batch of the "Best Upcoming Games of 2011" below:

Warning: Shadows of the Damned and Deus Ex trailers not intended for youngsters.
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Dungeon Siege 3  360, PS3, PC
Genre: Action RPG
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Obsidian
Release: June 21 (Out Today)

For good graciousness, Blizzard, pull the trigger on Diablo 3 already so I don’t have to find a dungeon crawler that will never add up to it!  While we wait for infinity to come, I recently played the demo of Dungeon Siege 3 on xbox 360, to satisfy my loot, kill, repeat urges.  This game is out today and I am planning on hitting the books with it.  I have been hankering to slay endless hordes of all-things-evil to get some new piece of stat molested armor. What is it about leveling up that is so addicting?!  Anyways, when I took the demo online for a spin with a buddy, I must say, I had fun.  The art does seem a tad generic and selecting enemies was spotty, but overall I am pretty excited to see if this can deliver a fix until Diablo 3.  I do at least think the characters are nifty and the graphics, pretty for the genre.  I liked the dash of Mass Effect-esque dialogue options, the inventory system was...manageable and the talent trees look fun to tool around with.  Whether or not the end product will be polished enough is the question.  Let’s see what you can do Obsidian. Gulp. <--(For those who know Obsidian.)

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Shadows of the Damned  360, PS3
Genre: Third-Person Action
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Release: June 21 (Out Today)

It’s Shake’n’Bake, and I helped?!  Talk about random, over-the-top crazy gaming.  When I first saw Shadows of the Damned, I said sneeringly under a crimson sun: “TARANTINO & RODRIGUEZ”.  Yes, this has you going to Hell to save your girlfriend, but this time you aren’t Dante.  Instead, you are who semi-appears to be John Stamos, or the likes of him, looking to unleash unholy havoc to get your woman back.  But you can’t go to the gates of Hell unsuited and outwitted.  First, you need a torch.  Make that a torch with a flaming skull who speaks to you in an English accent, morphing into new weapons at your whim, all whilst making crass jokes.  Sound ridiculous enough?  Add buckets of bizarre creatures, funky encounters and gobs of gore.  Bingo.  Suda 51 (No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) team up to bring you this mesh of mayhem.  Really not my cup of tea.  It's a bit too bonkers and crude for me, but this level of zanyness will definitely appeal to the hardcore.


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Bastion   XBLA, PC
Genre: Action RPG
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Supergiant Games
Release: July 20

I am a complete sucker for fantasy art and this game has done nothing but make me drool.  I am captivated by it’s purdyness.  Bastion is an Action RPG that brings some cool ideas to the table.  One of those being a narrator that carries you through, voicing what is being penned as you play.  Take a look at the trailer and see what I am talking about.  I am digging these quality XBLA games!

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Max Payne 3   360, PS3, PC
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
Release: August 1

Max Payne 3 has had delays along with the silent treatment from Rockstar.  Originally, it was suppose to see the light of day the winter of 2009, then pushed back again. It's now 2011, but don’t lose faith.  Pictures have been surfacing and it’s looking pretty promising.  At least promising that it still exists.  Maybe they had to scrap parts so they could use the same tech that's in L.A. Noire, who knows?  If that is the case, I’d be super excited!  Max Payne has always had a noir flair to it.  Judging by the pictures, it looks to be very gritty and dark.  Here's hoping to it being good.  Definitely back on the radar!

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Deus Ex: Human Revolution  360, PS3, PC
Genre: First Person Shooter/RPG
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Release: August 23

The first Deus Ex: Brilliant.  Highly acclaimed for it’s open-ended form (for it's time especially) and engaging story, Deus Ex: Human Revolution looks to adopt conceptually and outdo it’s predecessor.  From what E3 footage I have seen recently, I am getting more amped for it’s release.  It’s actually a prequel, putting you in the shoes of Adam Jensen, a security official for Sariff Industries.  The world is torn between trans-human augmentation and after a tiff, your injuries give you no other choice but to incorporate them so you can live.  The story looks very engaging and the gameplay seems spectacular.  Players really get a ton of customization not only in abilities, powers and the like, but also in approaching how you play.  Stealth it up, snapping necks like no one knows you’re there, or say “Screw that, chew on these guns blazing!”  Plus, how can you not like the melange stylings of The Matrix-meets-Blade Runner-meets-Terminator-meets-Bicentennial Man?  (Just kidding on that last one.)
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There are so many rad games coming out, that I am going to divide this "Best Upcoming Games of 2011" list up into multiple parts.  Let me know if there are any games you want reviewed, previewed or discussed and be looking for the next parts to this madness soon! ~ Joshua
---> BEST UPCOMING GAMES OF 2011 PART 2 HERE
---> BEST UPCOMING GAMES OF 2011 PART 3 HERE


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