Now that another school year is upon us, hallways are clogged, lines in the SUB are long and everywhere a bicyclist goes, nervous-looking freshmen are freezing in place and causing collisions.
In the interest of easing congestion, this latest edition of Console Wars is dedicated to the forthcoming games of the fall - after all, the more freshmen there are playing these games, the less people there will be clogging up campus when spring comes around.
August
In the last week of August a couple notable games will hit store shelves. First, "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09" is shipping today, as is the game that sold out the Xbox 360 in Japan, "Tales of Vesperia."
"Tiger Woods" is just that: Tiger Woods. It's a golf game, one of EA's annual release stable. Nothing particularly impressive here. "Tales of Vesperia" on the other hand - that's something else entirely. It's the game that single-handedly reversed the fortunes of Microsoft's abysmal failure in Japan. For that reason alone, it's worth a look. It's also supposed to be a pretty solid J-RPG.
On the portable side of things, the incredibly difficult ninja platformer "N+" has been transformed into portable form and should be aggravating the hell out of PSP and Nintendo DS owners everywhere for the next couple of months.
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To round out the month, there is really only one game worth noting. "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky" - a prequel to Ukranian developer GSC Game World's 2007 hit, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl." Think "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." but with better graphics. Should be worth a play or two.
September
This should be a pretty good month for gaming. Will Wright's long-awaited evolution simulation, god game and RTS - "Spore" - will hit the street on the 7th. This game is destined to be the worst thing for human productivity since "World of Warcraft."
Another incredible time waster will be released on the 14th in the form of EA's "Rock Band 2." The rhythm game war is heating up, as "Guitar Hero World Tour" and new entry "Rock Revolution" are nearing release as well.
On the 16th, long-awaited LucasArts game "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" will enter retail, allowing gamers to play as Darth Vader's "secret" apprentice. The game focuses heavily on the use of environmental physics when the player uses The Force to interact with objects and enemies. Also on the 16th, Mythic Entertainment is finally releasing the oft-delayed and highly anticipated MMO "Warhammer Online" to the eager hands of PvP afficionados. One more big game is coming out that day in the form of Crytek's sequel to 2007's "Crysis" - "Crysis Warhead."
Finally for September, the newest entry in the action-horror series "Silent Hill" will be released on the 30th. This time players will control someone with some actual combat experience, and hopefully that means he'll be able to hit old Pyramid Head when he shoots at him. "Silent Hill: Homecoming" is also returning to its PC roots - it's being released for the PC in addition to the usual Xbox 360 and PS3 releases.
October
The aforementioned "Rock Revolution" will be available on the 14th, and it should be interesting to finally see a Japanese take on the band game being released in the United States. Konami is well known in Japan for its arcade games "GuitarFreaks" and "DrumMania," so they aren't newcomers to the genre.
"Grand Theft Auto" clone "Saints Row 2" is being released the same day, and if you're the type of player who enjoyed the repetitive territory-holding element to "San Andreas," you'll probably enjoy "Saints Row 2."
The 14th is a busy day. PS3 shooter "SOCOM: Confrontation" will be available, and, much like the original "SOCOM," you can get it with a headset for voice command and communication. This time around it's a Bluetooth headset and can be used with most modern cell phones - at least, if you're the type of person who likes to display exactly how much of a geek you are.
Sci-Fi horror game "Dead Space" arrives on the 20th. Think "Resident Evil" in space, with vastly improved controls. This one should rock everyone's socks off.
"Fable 2" comes out on the 21st, and hopefully it will make up for the disappointment that the first game delivered. No one should be holding their breath - this is Lionhead Studios we're talking about here. They're well known for failing to deliver on their promises. Case in point: "Black & White 2."
Finally, on the 28th comes what is probably the single most anticipated RPG of the 21st century. "Fallout 3" will be sending players back to the post-apocalyptic future that they've been longing for since 1999. Given that Bethesda made the very wise decision to keep the original game's leveling system, it seems likely that, for once, a game will live up to all the hype that it has generated.
Next week: Console Wars goes to the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, and a preview of games coming in November, December and the upcoming year.
