THERE was a time not too long ago when creative ambition and commercial success seemed mutually exclusive in the video-game industry. Every year the same doleful procession of seen-that-before sports games and churn-'em-out Pokemon sequels dominated sales charts. And every year scattered motes of inspiration languished without sufficient support from publishers too myopic to see that games can appeal to everyone, not just some mythological slacker.
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VideoTrailer: Gears of War 2
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Video Game Review: Playing God, the Home Game (September 5, 2008)
Not now, though. Propelled by growing mainstream acceptance and by the maturing of both the audience (the average age of today's gamer is in the early 30s) and that audience's tastes, games are enjoying a moment of creative possibility not seen since the early 1980s.
It will all be on display this fall. Even though some of 2008's top games, like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, have already been on shelves for months, the fall lineup appears both deep and broad. Here are some products to watch.
FALLOUT 3 It may not be everyone's cup of radioactive pekoe, but old-school gamers may savor Fallout 3 more than any other game this fall. The Fallout franchise, set in the wasteland of an America ruined by nuclear war, is one of the most illustrious, beloved role-playing series still in production. Bethesda Softworks, the series's new owner, is one of the few American developers still making single-player role-playing games. Put together, Bethesda and Fallout should be a fine combination. If they fall short, there will be howls of disappointment. To be released in October for PC, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
GEARS OF WAR 2 AND RESISTANCE 2 The first Gears of War was the high-octane science-fiction shooter Microsoft needed to provide an early tent pole for the Xbox 360. The first Resistance was the high-octane science-fiction shooter that Sony needed to provide an early tent pole for the PlayStation 3. Both games delivered, and the two games are more similar than either of their developers would care to admit. Much the same can probably be said of their coming sequels. As befit their roles as champions for their respective systems, they fill the same niche in the marketplace. Expect excellence but little risk-taking in their design. Publishers: Microsoft (Gears of War 2), for 360; Sony (Resistance 2), for PS3. Both to be released in November.
GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR AND ROCK BAND 2 The battle of the bands continues in the genre perhaps more responsible than any other for enticing baby boomers and young professionals back into gaming: the rock %26lsquo;n' roll simulator. By now the concept is familiar: press buttons on a plastic guitar or tap a plastic drum kit in time with the riffs and snares in famous rock songs. Rock Band's big draw this year is an expansive menu of downloadable tracks, while the new Guitar Hero will include powerful tools to let players record and share their own creations. Most of those creations will be unlistenable. But rest assured that a few genuine YouTube stars will emerge. Publishers: Activision Blizzard (Guitar Hero World Tour), for 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii; MTV Games (Rock Band 2), for PS3, PS2 and Wii. Guitar Hero World Tour to be released in October. Rock Band 2 to be released this month for 360 and later this year for PS and Wii.
LEFT 4 DEAD Zombies are in this year, and it doesn't look as if any game will deliver the satisfyingly putrid stench of the undead better than Left 4 Dead. Valve is best-known for Half-Life, perhaps the premier single-player first-person shooter franchise. With L4D, Valve is trying to meld some Half-Life-style characterization with lessons gleaned from the popular multiplayer Counter-Strike and Team Fortress projects. That means that as you battle the ravenous zombie hordes, the game play will boil down to one concept: teamwork. Publisher: Electronic Arts, Valve Software, for PC and 360. To be released in November.
LITTLEBIGPLANET Thinking broadly, LittleBigPlanet is a bit akin to Spore (below) in that both games focus on allowing players to invent their own virtual creatures and share them with others. Granted, Spore tries to cover eons of evolutionary biology while LittleBigPlanet is about madcap animated beanbags, but you get the idea. As a sheer creativity engine, LBP may in some ways actually prove more robust because it allows users to make and share entire levels with other players. And unlike Spore, LittleBigPlanet includes a real-time multiplayer mode, so you can tackle challenges with friends. Publisher: Sony, for PS3. To be released in October.
SPORE Absent some hysterical sex or violence controversy, never has a game attracted as much prerelease mainstream hype as Spore, the latest creation from Will Wright. In this case it's warranted. Mr. Wright could have retired years ago, and his seminal franchises, SimCity and the Sims, would already have landed his face onto gaming's Mount Rushmore. In carrying out the journey of your own unique species from primordial soup-swimmer to interstellar hegemony, Spore really does have something for just about everyone. Publisher: Electronic Arts, for PC and Mac. Released Sunday.
WARHAMMER ONLINE Give Electronic Arts and Mythic Entertainment, Warhammer's developer, a lot of points for moxie. It takes a fair bit of gumption to go up against World of Warcraft these days in the massively multiplayer segment. But then to do so with a game that at least superficially resembles Warcraft in so many ways (high fantasy setting complete with orcs and dwarves, cartoony art style, similar server size, similar basic game mechanics) must be a supreme act of either lunacy or confidence. I hope the finished product bears out the confidence. To be released this month, for PCs.
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WRATH OF THE LICH KING All right, so Activision Blizzard has not said that Wrath of the Lich King, the second major expansion pack for World of Warcraft, is definitely being released this year. The last expansion was released in January 2007, and that worked out fine, so it is quite possible that Wrath could slip past New Year's as well. No matter. Closing in on its fourth birthday, World of Warcraft remains the leviathan of the massively multiplayer realm, with more than 10 million subscribers. Almost all of them will buy the new expansion, no matter when it arrives. The big question is whether Wrath can attract a cadre of new fans and seduce the few ex-players who have conquered their Warcraft addictions (for now). To be released when Activision Blizzard feels like it, for PCs and Macs.