It’s been a while since we’ve had our ‘5 cool games’ feature, largely because there has been a bit of a gaming drought of late. Thankfully, things are starting to pick up again with some interesting games coming over the next month.
From Dust (27 July 2011 – XBLA; 14 August 2011 – PC; Mid 2011 – PSN)
From Dust is a sandbox god game being described by developer and publisher Ubisoft as the spiritual successor to Populous, a 1989 game developed by Peter Molyneux at the helm of Bullfrog. From Dust was designed by Eric Chahi, who is probably best known for the games Another World/Out of this World and Heart of Darkness. Chahi has stated his influence by Black & White, another Molyneux endeavour.
From Dust puts the player into a first person perspective in an archipelago environment, and charges them with saving and enlightening a nomadic tribe. Physics and environment simulation are a core element to the gameplay and players will manipulate matter such as lava, soil and water to meet objectives and save the tribe from natural disasters.
The game launches today on XBLA, but PC gamers will have to wait until 14 August, and PSN gamers have no set date at this point. Read MyGaming’s review of From Dust.
Pirates of Black Cove (2 August 2011 – PC)
Pirates of Black Cove is a mix of strategy and RPG and promises plenty of action and adventure. Players will choose from several different pirate captains and then set off to unite three pirate factions; the Pirates, the Corsairs, and the Buccaneers. With this pirate army united and behind them, players will take on the dreaded Pirates of Black Cove.
The game promises plenty of wacky nautical and land-based weaponry with which players will wage battle against enemy fleets and strongholds.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (26 August 2011 – PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution will have many hopes riding on it. The first Deus Ex title went on to be awarded numerous ‘game of the year’ accolades in 2000 and has developed a cult following. The sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War was rather divisive among fans, with many feeling it was okay, and many others feeling it was a load of rubbish.
Enter Deus Ex: Human Revolution – the development of which is in the hands of Eidos Montreal, Mixxes Software, and Crystal Dynamics. Can Human Revolution recapture the magic Ion Storm delivered way back in 2000?
The Cursed Crusade (26 August 2011 – PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The Cursed Crusade plonks players into medieval Europe circa 12th century AD, but because the wholesale slaughter of thousands of religious zealots isn’t exciting enough, we’ve got some supernatural twists mixed in for the sake of fun.
The game is a dark fantasy adventure centred on a pair of cursed warriors fighting to save their souls. Denz, a holy Templar, and Esteban, a roguish mercenary, will quest across a Western Europe ablaze with the turmoil of a newly begun Fourth Crusade. The 3rd-person combat engine features over 90 combos, 130+ weapons and a timing-based counter system. The game also features two player co-op (online and local split-screen).
Let’s hope it’s better than that other dark fantasy, co-op action-adventure that launched recently *cough*Hunted: The Demon’s Forge*cough*.
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad (30 August 2011 – PC)
Personally, I’m looking forward to this game the most. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a decent WWII FPS, and Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad will hopefully deliver on many levels, both in single- and multi-player.
Red Orchestra 2 promises “unique and innovative gameplay” including first person cover, first person tank warfare, all new multiplayer gametypes including the multiplayer campaign mode, and weaponry systems with features such as full ballistics and suppression of enemies.
Red Orchestra 2 also gives players the opportunity to fight through both the German attacks into the Russian city of Stalingrad and the Red Army’s crushing reply in single player.
Honourable mention: Torchlight II (2011)
Rumour has it that Torchlight II will be released in August 2011, but there is absolutely no concrete evidence to back this up. Still, a greenhorned Railman can dream…
5 games to look forward to (27 July 2011) << Comments and views
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