September is a time for all of us here at Bowdoin to get back into the groove. We have spent our summers working hard and/or taking needed vacations, but regardless of our pasts, we have all congregated at Bowdoin to continue (or, for first years, begin) our educations. With all the bustle and confusion of moving in, choosing classes, and getting in touch with friends, it is easy to temporarily forget the world outside the Bowdoin bubble. For video game fans, this could mean missing out on major upcoming releases.
Fortunately, this article is a primer on the major releases for the three home consoles?Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii?slated to come out this season. Each system is represented by one "killer game." Following that motif, each of the games previewed here is appropriately of the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.
Unreal Tournament 3, Playstation 3. Release date: 11/12/07. The original Unreal Tournament had superbly executed bot artificial intelligence and a legendary multi-player experience, and this game looks to expand on that formula. Developer Epic Games has revealed that UT3, unlike its predecessors, will have an involved one-player experience with an actual storyline. This is fine, but everyone who gets this game is certainly not buying it for an engrossing story. UT has always been primarily about online multi-player, and this game, despite attempts to broaden the horizons, will be embraced as much of the same.
Halo 3, Xbox 360. Release date: 9/25/07. This one is a no-brainer. Nintendo's Wii has reportedly passed the 360 in total systems sold, but Halo 3 will make that battle a lot more interesting. Halo hype was a system seller a year ago; as we approach the new release, even more people will be buying the 360. Halo 3, unlike UT3, concludes the current Halo trilogy by ending the current story arc.
Despite that difference, the Halo series does resemble UT3 in its focus on multi-player experience. Players will take up the role of Master Chief for the third time, but something tells me that is not as important as the pure fun that comes out of gunning down one of your friends.
Beyond that, the series also gains points for its ability to induce teamwork and communication between those playing together. For these reasons, Halo is firmly planted in the upper echelon of multiplayer games, and Halo 3 will do nothing to hurt that reputation.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii. Release date: 8/27/07. On the surface, this game bears resemblance to the other shooters in this preview. In pure Nintendo style, however, it veers off the beaten path and goes for a more unique experience.
Fans of the Prime series are adamant in their claim that these games are not FPSs, but first-person adventures, meaning the games emphasize exploration over pure combat. The stories typically unravel via scanning monitors and logs that are scattered across the landscape; how much the player gets out of the plot depends upon a willingness to discover and piece together the scraps left behind.
Wii motion controls make for a more interactive experience, though the motion-controlled cursor supposedly makes hitting your targets easier. On the plus side, Corruption is already out in stores and has an average critic review of 92.2 percent on GameRankings.com. On the downside, there is no multi-player, so if that is what you want, look to the games above.
Three great games, three different systems. There is no excuse for you to not have at least one of these games.