Gran Turismo 5 Delayed... no surprise!

After being delayed for years, Gran  Turismo 5 was set to have an official release date that was promised to be real, on the 2nd of November 2010.

In a (not) surprising twist of events, Polyphony Digital announced that the game needs more work and that it's being delayed, but reassured the fans that it will still be released in 2010.

"Creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience, and we are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches." is all what they had to report.

On a personal note, I never was interested in this game. After all the delays, it sort of slipped under the "hyped" radar, and while they do promise the "best racing experience", but just like in politics, a promise remains a promise.

After all these delays that just won't end, this game better be the messiah of racing games, or else it will fail miserably. The more it gets delayed, the more it is being built up and hyped up.

Slowly, this is becoming "The Dark Knight" of video games in terms of anticipations and expectations, and one could argue that it will only hurt the game once it actually comes out. The critics will crucify it for the smallest mistakes, and the fans will be expecting entertainment for months, only to be disappointed. 

As we all know, no video game could ever live up to this kind of hype, which is why I fear that Gran Turismo 5 will have an amazing launch, but word of mouth and bad reviews will bury the game within two years.

I certainly would hope that I am wrong and that GT5 does live up to the hype, but I fear in the age we are living in, people will be looking more towards what makes this game bad and compare it to the lengthy amount of delays it got.

Ride With The Undead

What's worse than a pack of cougars? You guest it! A pack of Undead Cougars! 

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is set to be released as a DLC (Downloadable Content) for the PSN and Xbox LIVE sometime in 2010 (though a Halloween release would have been perfect if you ask me). 

This extreme DLC released by the highly acclaimed R* studios is set to shake up the world of Red Dead Redemption, and takes place with John Martson, the protagonist of the video game giant, Red Dead Redemption. 

For 9.99$ (or 800 points from XBL) you will download a brand new single-player adventure, new challenges and quests, you will see new breeds of animals unleashed to the world, as well as extra multiplayer content.

"Set 'em on fire" is the new motto of Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, whose Undead Zombies are not the slow walking brain dead (pun intended) you would normally see in horror movies. They are fast, agile, and definitely smart.

Isn't it obvious? 2 words: Undead & Nightmare!

Anyone who played Red Dead Redemption knows that R* nailed the western genre and presented a game that far exceeded anyone's expectations. The game promised and it delivered.

Imagine how hard it is to make an empty land very interesting. I, for one, only skipped my trip about five or six times. The rest of the times, I would just take my horse (who I lovingly dubbed Argo) and just ride him across the plains, towards that sunset that never, ever got old.

Taking out enemy hideouts always felt rewarding, with everything you can pick up from the dead, as far as weapon and money goes. And shooting all the vultures afterward was just the icing on the cake.

And I must admit, though I am an avid video game player, I never even tried to accomplish a 100% completion of any other game. But with Red Dead, I spent nearly 46 hours hunting, riding, shooting and playing poker to get that 100% accomplishment. And man did it feel good when it appeared on my TV screen.

All of this and more prove that R* knew what they were doing with Red Dead Redemption, and this DLC should live up the hype. Everything we saw in the original game just got a little better, a little darker and a bit dead (in a good way).

Now let's see where the game ranks on our Hyp-O-Meter:

....and I'm AWSOOMMEE!!

Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is set to be released on October 28, 2010 on the (count with me), PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PSP, iPhone & iPad. 

Now, is it a good thing that a single game, only one year in development, is being released on such an (impressive) amount of consoles?

If you ask me, I think it's a bit too much and I fear the game might end up being rushed. There is, of course, an amazing deal of new tweaks and updates for this year's release, and the SvR franchise has been around for a long time, ever since 2006, and it's being released on a steady pace every October.

That alone is a sign that the game is doing something right and that it has a big fan base. Personally, I didn't buy a SvR title since 2007. Trying the 2008 version on my friend's console proved that THQ didn't even try to release a new game, and no, changing the superstar on the cover doesn't count!

There is no denying the appeal in playing this franchise, maybe because the storyline of "Road of Wrestlmania" (the WWE version of a single player campaign) is much more interesting than the storyline that we see in the real WWE today, or maybe people just like to get into the virtual ring and kick some digital ass. And yes, the Create A Wrestler feature along with everything that follows it, such as Create a Finisher and Create an Entrance are good and deep enough, but there was something that always felt missing.

What's Good: Free Roam!

One of the biggest and most promising adds that THQ bestowed upon us is backstage free roam. Yes, you read that right. You can actually walk backstage, talk to other wrestlers, even start a fight with them. You are totally free to do whatever you want, and yes, everything can be used as a weapon.

This is a major release because it really puts you in the shoes of your favorite wrestler. After all, WWE has always been more about the storyline that happens outside the ring, the feuds, the backstage brawling... and this is what SvR 2011 is all about. Pick your wrestler (or create your own) and just run free throughout the arena and pick a fight with whoever you want.

How much freedom you really get is not yet known, but just the idea is worth you spending your 60$ on this. I mean, just imagine the possibilities:

You walking around, angry because you just lost a match, and you just take out your frustrations on Hornswoggle. How amazing is that?

Another major reason to be hyped for this game is the new engine that they are using which affects the objects surrounding you. Chairs, Tables, even Ladders don't break into pre-deisgned manners anymore, but they are in free roam as well. You can Chokeslam someone onto the side of a table, and only the corner will break. Fall down from a ladder, and the table will shatter into pieces.

All these elements as well as a superb roster from both Smackdown! and Raw (and some Nexus members) are shaping up to make an amazing SvR installement.


What's Bad: THQ! 

If you bought any game from THQ before, whether it would be a previous SvR game or the relatively new MMA game, UFC Undisputed, you would know that THQ tend to hype up their game while never actually meeting those hypes. UFC Undisputed 2010 was a great package, with an amazing roster and even better presentation. It even had a ground-breaking commentary system that follows your career, your moves in the Octagon, and even the way you choose your opponents.

While that was amazing in theory, players soon realized that it gets old after the very first match. What was over-hyped turned out to be a feature that is very limited, gets old and it failed horribly.

Don't even get me started on the Online feature of the game, which was even more hyped, as far as "training camps" go. We were lucky to even get online in the first place. In an era where online gaming is almost becoming a house-hold name, "errors" coming from the developer's server are not to be forgiven.

With all those mis-shapes in mind, one has to be skeptical when it comes to a video game released by THQ. The folks have really great ideas and their games are A-listers, however, every title they release seems to be rushed towards the end. Its either because they always have a tight deadline, or because they get bored towards the end and just want a finished product.

I am leaning towards the first option, which is the deadline. Every year, THQ must release a new SvR game, and it seems, a UFC Undisputed game. And this is where the product is getting hurt. The first draft is great on paper, but the final product ends up being rushed and not polished enough.

Hopefully, this year will be different and the package will be whole and can stand on it's own, without being felt as a DLC of the previous installment.  The good news is that everything we are seeing and hearing about are good stuff, and the free roam is a great new feature that is sure to get WWE fans hyped. THQ, no more disappointments please!

Now let's see where the game ranks on our Hyp-O-Meter:

The Fallout of New Vegas

 

Fallout: New Vegas is set to be released worldwide on October 19 2010, for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Whether you are an RPG fan or not, whether you are an FPS gamer or not, you have undoubtedly heard of The Game of the Year for 2008: Fallout 3. 

The game takes RPG to its core with an unparalleled experienc, a fully customizable character and over 100 different ways to complete the game. Yes, there was a story that the RPG was headed towards, but the way to get there was kept to the player, who, if he chooses, can complete anything and everything except the main story. 

Although highly praised by the critics and players alike, Fallout 3 had to deal with a lot of negative media from the fans of previous fallout games, Fallout and Fallout 2, who, according to the fans, share nothing in common with Fallout 3. 

However, Fallout: New Vegas is set to change all that and win its old audience back along side their new one. 

2 words: Obsidian & Bethesda!

Many of us know that Fallout: New Vegas is not being published by Bethesda, it is being published by Obsidian. 

 

But SergioFX, who is Obsidian and why should I care? 

I hear you, fellow curious gamer, and to know that, we must take a trip back in time: 

The first two games, Fallout and Fallout 2 were published by a company called Black Isld Studios, who was a subsidiary of InterPlay. But in 2003, InterPlay had to cut costs, and Black Isld Studios was disbanded, and the Fallout franchise was sold to Bethesda.

Some staff members of Black Isld Studios stuck together and formed a new company, called Obsidian Ent.

Come 2007, Obsidian Ent. bought the rights of Fallout from Bethesda, but the deal was set in a way that Obsidian uses Bethesda's engine in Fallout: New Vegas. 

Because of that, we now have the best two parts of the Fallout franchise combine.

We have the amazing story from Fallout and Fallout 2, and we have the amazing engine of Fallout 3. Combined, they would make one hell of a game. It's like all of a sudden, both companies cut out their weaknesses and are using each others' strong points to make one of hell of a video game.

Fallout: New Vegas doesn't pick up where Fallout 3 left off, and apparently, doesn't have anything in common with Fallout 3,  other than the fact that it happens in the same country and in the same time period (post-apocalyptic USA). 

Now let's see where the game ranks on our Hyp-O-Meter:

 

The Assassin Within

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is set to be released worldwide on November 16 2010, and that date cannot come any closer. The game will be available on the Ps3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that this Game of the Year contender is set immediately after the events of the second game, picking up where Ezio left off, and seeing him building a brotherhood of assassins unlike the world had ever seen.

I would consider this game as a 2.5 in the series and not the 3rd installement, because we have the same protagonist as the second game, and it is set in the same time period (the beautiful Renaissance Italy) as ACII.

That is not a bad thing if you ask me, because ACII was one of the best games of 2009, and the giant leap it took from ACI is phenomenal to say the least. It seemed as if ACI was just Ubisoft testing their new engine and seeing how it works in (then)next-gen games. 

2 words: Online Multiplayer! 

Ok, so there is a lenghty single player that is estimated at no less than 20 hrs, and yes, in a world where publishers are getting away with 6 to 8 hours game play time (Yes God of War III, I'm looking at you!) the folks at Ubisoft are being really generous. I mean this is a game released only one year after ACII, a game that needed no less than 30 hours to complete, and yet, it has a lengthy enough game time.

But if that's not enough, they decided to include a stealthy multilpayer that is guaranteed to change the way we play online games. Call of Duty, Killzone and Battlefield Bad Company better take a backseat, because AC: Brotherhood is introducing a whole new type of online gaming.

The game will require you to be the perfect assassin, as you roam Rome (Zing!) and look for your pre-specified target, all the while acting like an NPC, so that other players don't detect your "humanitism". 

I mean, you just can't come up with stuff like this! Imagine the nerve wrecking experience you'll be going through. 

But SergioFX, how would that fit into the overall story of Assassin Creed? 

I hear you, fellow curious gamer, but fear not, for I have cracked the story, and no, the multiplayer inclusion is not just Ubisoft showing off their skills. 

You see, with the story moving towards the present day to finally merge with the Last Assassin, Desmond Miles, Abstergo Industries is looking for a new breed of hired assassins that they can use to eliminate Desmond and co. And this is where YOU come in. Jacking-into Rome in multiplayer mode, you are auditioning for Abstergo to join their party and hunt down the last Pieces of Eden. It's sort of a training ground of everyone today to get into Assassin mode and be ready for when the time is right, in 2012, which is the release date of Assassin's Creed III, definitely relating to the Mayan Prophecy of the end of the world.  

Now let's see where the game ranks on our Hyp-O-Meter: