Hype is a cruel mistress. It can make your game sell better than doughnuts at fat camp, or it can set you up for a major embarrassment (see Daikatana). However, every year invariably has games that are highly anticipated, but ultimately provide a brief thrill, or are just plain disappointing. Here’s my list of 2011 releases that are going to be not much more than a flash in the pan at best.
Dragon Age 2
Don’t get me wrong, Dragon Age: Origins was certainly a good game, and its compelling story manages to hold your attention throughout. However, the lack of multiplayer really hurts its longevity past one or two playthroughs. I have no doubt Dragon Age 2 will be a good game, but it could suffer from a case of ‘same game, different year.’ A lack of multiplayer may also leave it will leave it cowering in the shadow of RPG gargantuan Diablo 3, which is dubiously rumoured for release in 2011.
Silent Hill 8
I feel like the Silent Hill series is a bit like M. Night Shyamalan’s movie career. People will continue to watch an endless stream of his mediocre films, convinced they’re going to have their minds blown. “But… but don’t you remember when Bruce Willis was DEAD ALL ALONG? OMG!” No. His next film will be as lackluster as his last, and Silent Hill 8 will be as mediocre as its recent predecessors.
Deus Ex 3
I’m excited as hell for this. I hope that I’m wrong about this one – but any die-hard fan of the original was surely disappointed by the second installment. The magic was simply not there; the developers tried too hard to cram in cleverness and detail, while core gameplay aspects suffered, noticeable in problems such as clumsy AI and jumping that felt like you were on a fast-deflating bouncy castle. In short, the game spread itself too thin, and with Deus Ex 3 featuring “3 different ways to play the game” I fear it may suffer the same fate. This is something we’ve seen from developer Ion Storm in the past with, you guessed it, Daikatana.
Metal Gear Solid Rising
“Lightning Bolt Action!” That is the new tagline for this installment, replacing “Tactical Espionage Action” and that alone should be enough to know MGS fans are in for a let-down. Metal Gear Solid is about stealth, espionage and being cool as hell. This installment, however, is about lightning bolts, sword-play and cutting pieces out of cyborgs. It’s like the difference between Counter-Strike and Quake: Live. “But, but… it’s Hideo Kojima!” Actually, Kojima himself has said he is having very little to do with the game, and leaving it entirely up to “the youngsters.” He’s simply putting his name on it so it sells, like George Foreman and grilling appliances. Except the George Foreman Grill awesome and this game won’t be. Play Ninja Gaiden instead.
Max Payne 3
I’m a huge Max Payne fan, but the greatest thing about Max Payne, the biggest draw card for me, has always been the story. The dialogue was clever, crisp and entertaining, and as you moved through the game, you felt not like you were just killing baddies in bullet time, you felt like you were becoming a part of the story, uncovering mysteries, heading deeper into the dark underbelly of the game world. Max Payne 2 provided the same experience, and both games take top spots on my list of memorable single player experiences.
Remedy Entertainment handed the franchise over to Rockstar for the third installment, thus losing the writer of the first two games (and of Alan Wake), Sam Lake. Rockstar say that the new Max Payne has “drifted from bad to worse” and is “more cynical than ever.” This statement further exacerbates my concerns that Max Payne 3 will be about ultra-violence and creative, emotionless killing. The excision of emotion and compelling story will suck the very essence out of the series, and I fear that a lot of fans are going to be left with a game that is technically excellent, yet disappointing.
Do you think these games will actually be awesome? Which are you looking forward to? Do you like Max Payne with no hair and a beer belly? Have your say in the MyGaming forums.
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