Ben-DutkaAll kinds of big-name games in the news this past week – and I'm intrigued by most of 'em – so let's get right to it.
God of War III will kick ass…probably
I never like to see top development teams break up, and I hate to see lesser quality teams attempt to pick up where the previous team left off. Remember when 989 Studios absolutely wrecked the Twisted Metal games after Singletrac made the first two awesome (especially TM2)? Well, David Jaffe and Cory Barlog have jumped ship at Sony, which means the next installment in the God of War franchise will be without those two leaders. Jaffe has complete confidence in the team he left behind – which isn't exactly surprising – and I hate to question…but I have to. History isn't necessarily on their side; great dev teams splinter, and future product results aren't anywhere near as stellar. At the same time, we have to admit they already have the formula for success down pat, right? The first two GoWs were downright incredible, so all we really need is a graphical overhaul and a new story for God of War III .
Yes, I'm sure it's more involved than that, but you get my meaning. No matter which way you slice it, they're gonna miss someone like Jaffe, and I'm just hoping we gamers don't feel the same way after GoWIII arrives. I seriously doubt it, but I'm being all nervous.
That's quite a change of heart, Take-Two
You may recall when Grand Theft Auto IV had a release date of October 16. Yeah, that's right, it wasn't too long ago. They even released a couple teaser trailers with that date plastered all over both of them. But the euphoria didn't last very long, as Take-Two announced the delay not long after, and now GTAIV won't arrive until some time during the first quarter of 2008 (we think). Bottom line? They were very quick to assign that 10/16/07 date. But the latest news from the Rockstar/Take-Two camp says they won't commit to any new release date until they're 100% certain. Wow, that's a complete 180, isn't it? Maybe the backlash from that failed October 16 date was even bigger than we thought, because it seems painfully obvious that Take-Two doesn't want to make that mistake again. There are some people who take these release date announcements awfully seriously (I'm not one of them), and I imagine they were a little ticked when they heard about that significant delay.
Therefore, these guys are taking no more risks. No more trumpeting a release date only to miss it by many months. I do applaud this move, but did they really believe they'd hit the 10/16 date in the first place? Maybe it's just a lesson learned for the GTAIV crew.
Personal gaming update
Okay, I've gone through and beaten Halo 3 , which was great (of course). The single-player campaign wasn't anywhere near long enough, though, and to be honest, I almost liked Halo 2 better. I know, I know; it's borderline sacrilege to say, but I just remember being more involved in the second title. Anyway, that's done, and I continue to play Warhawk , which I've logged over 30 hours in now. But next week is a big one; the biggest week of the year for me- both Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect release on the same day! Once games like Grand Theft Auto IV , Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots and Devil May Cry 4 got pushed into 2008, those two upcoming titles vaulted to the top of my "most-wanted" list for 2007. I've been looking forward to Creed all year, so don't let me down, damnit! I'll be trying to get the review up ASAP, by the way.
Mass Effect will have to wait until I'm done with Creed , but I fully expect the hugely anticipated RPG to take up the remainder of my time before Christmas. It's gonna be huge, and I think I might love it. I'm hoping to get Unreal Tournament 3 (it's coming out this year, I say!), The Orange Box , Haze , and maybe Uncharted: Drake's Fortune , too; maybe as Christmas gifts. Lots of games. 🙂
