Game Watch

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about a couple of games to which I am looking forward. These are definitely my most anticipated. However, there are a few other titles that I think also deserve mention.

True Crime: Streets of L.A.: Yet another game that is trying to grab some of the Grand Theft Auto audience. This review isn't exactly glowing, but I've read others that were more positive. Overall, it seems like it could be a lot of fun, if not exactly on the same level of GTA. (Note: this is already out, and I saw a couple of commercials for it tonight.)

Manhunt: Does Rockstar have another hit on its hands? If you're talking about the gaming community at large, the answer is probably yes. If you're asking casual gamers, the answer is probably no. Naturally, it will pull in some casual gamers based on the Rockstar name alone. But I gotta tell ya, most of the people who like the free-wheeling, smash 'em up, shoot 'em up nature of GTA, or the adrenaline rush of street racing of Midnight Club, aren't going to cotton to sneaking about in the shadows and relying on stealth to survive. I can only imagine the frustration rising, the brows furrowing, as the Doom generation gamers try to blast everything in sight and fail miserably. Let's face it, casual gamers don't care much about story lines; the gameplay ultimately pulls them in. And while that's the way it should be (gameplay should always be paramount in the design), casual players are going to be more attracted to action packed titles than they are to subtler fare. Anyway, this looks like it could be a game of the year candidate, depending on how balanced the gameplay is. It's one thing to make a game rely on stealth to be successful; it's quite another to make the game so difficult that your every move has to be perfect in order to advance.

Final Fantasy X-2: Yeah, I'm still a FF mark. Final Fantasy X, for which this game is a direct sequel (the first time this has happened in the FF universe), took a while for me to get into, but when it was all over, it turned out to be a very fun and satisfying gaming experience. However, it did not leave me looking forward to the next installment as much as previous installments had. In a way, it was like Final Fantasy VIII, with its very realistic characters, deep sidequests, and saving existence storyline (though, that last part is really in all the games). I liked that game as well, but it did not leave me expecting much more from the next in the series. Luckily, Final Fantasy IX furned out to be a great game, with an incredible story and the usual solid gameplay. Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, I am certainly looking forward to picking this one up, but hope that the story is immediately more engaging than its predecessor.

Others on the horizon are Secret Weapons Over Normandy (from LucasArts/Totally Games), Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Konami, due out November 2004 I believe), and Mafia (Take 2 Interactive/Illusion Softworks, due out January 2004). If you're a console gamer, try to check these out.