We've now reached the heavy hitters in Game Hunters publisher previews ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The following four are responsible for a few of the big titles arriving this year and beyond. With that in mind, let's get right to the tales of the tape.
ALSO: Previews of Bethesda, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix
ALSO: Previews of 2K, Disney, Konami, Warner Bros.
ALSO: Previews of Eidos, LucasArts, MTV Games
Publisher: Activision
Best known for:Call of Duty, Guitar Hero
Two games to watch:
Modern Warfare 2: No surprise here. Expectations are riding high for Infinity Ward's follow up to arguably the best first-person shooter of this console generation. Modern Warfare 2 also marks the debut of cooperative play in the form of Special Forces mode.
Tony Hawk: Ride: The long-running skateboarding series -- now competing with Electronic Arts series Skate -- returns with a brand new peripheral. Wonder how much that will cost consumers.
Wild card:
Guitar Hero is everywhere, between Aerosmith, Metallica, World Tour and the upcoming Guitar Hero 5 and separate Van Halen game. Will consumers reach Hero overload?
Publisher: Capcom
Best known for: Resident Evil, Street Fighter
Two games to watch:
Dark Void: Sci-fi action game features a jet-packing, futuristic version of The Rocketeer. Beyond standard run-and-gun style action, players engage in vertical combat, including the ablility to hijack flying ships.
Lost Planet 2: Third-person shooter pits a group of heroes against aliens called the Akrid. The highlight of its predecessor was punishing enemies with mechanized assault vehicles called Vital Suits. Hopefully, combat outside the Vital Suit is more engaging.
Wild card:
Capcom has had an impressive year thus far with follow-ups for known commodities such as Resident Evil and Street Fighter. Will brand new franchise Dark Void exhibit enough personality to break through as their next big series?
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Best known for: Madden NFL, Burnout, Battlefield
Two games to watch:
Brutal Legend: Tim Schafer, the man behind Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, returns with the tale of a heavy metal roadie sucked into an alternate universe. Hero Eddie Riggs, voiced by actor Jack Black, uses guitar riffs to thrash enemies and command a growing army.
Mass Effect 2: The role-playing game known for its robust story and players' ability to dictate the dialogue returned with an incredible teaser in February. The big question will be whether studio BioWare has fixed the combat for the sequel.
Wild card:
Players have seen games based on movies and television shows. But how about one inspired by literature from the 14th century? That’s what EA has created in Dante's Inferno, a game based on the Divine Comedy. So just how does a game like this play?
Publisher: Ubisoft
Best known for: Tom Clancy franchise (Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell)
Two games to watch:
Assassin's Creed II: The third-person action game shifts gears from Jerusalem during the era of the Crusades to the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo Da Vinci's flying machine is among many of the new items at the disposal of assassin Ezio.
Red Steel 2: Some critics slammed the first Red Steel, a Nintendo Wii launch title, for rough motion controls. But that may improve for the sequel with the introduction of Wii MotionPlus.
Wild card:
It's been a while since we've heard from one of the flagship Tom Clancy franchises, particularly Splinter Cell. Ubisoft's CEO recently hinted the stealth series would return this holiday. Will Sam Fisher make a comeback at E3?
Readers, what games off this list are you most excited for?
By Brett Molina
Photos (from top): Tony Hawk: Ride (Activsion); Dark Void (Capcom); Brutal Legend (EA); Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft)
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