It's official folks, there is now an International Saimoe League... and Voting opened today for it.
For those not in the know, Saimoe is THE competitive popularity contest. A competitition, oddly enough, for the most Moe character. If you're feeling guff enough for some hardcore radio button selection, head over to http://http://www.internationalsaimoe.com and put down some votes. Admittedly, the international flavour one has been streamlined down a shit tonne from all the varius regional and .jp ones, but it really keeps it sweet. Currently on round three is Konata Izumi vs Tomoyo Sakagami and C.C. and Kotomi Ichinose. I urge people to vote AWAY from the Clannad towards the others (they don't call it CLANNAIDS for a reason, though apparently After Story isn't 1/2 bad).
With that little poke over, let's get onto some real meat and cookies business. Yes, meat and cookies. Because I said so, no YOU SHUT UP.
October delivers quite a lot of things anually. For me, it's hayfever. For stores, Christmas season preparations. For game publishers, it's release fever. This year, it's at pitch with quite literally a few truckloads of titles rolling out the door in the next 6 weeks. Key ones I'm eagerly anticipating listed and categorised below -
Quantum of Solace (007) (actually released now) - it has been a long time since there has been a good bond game. Really, most of them since The World is not Enough for N64 have been really poor attempts to cash-into the franchise. This, combined with the reinvented Bond in with the face of Daniel Craig at the head and Treyarch developing the game itself on the COD4 engine, it really does seem to be quite promising. Oh and a Bond vs everyone else multiplayer mode, looks fun.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41480.html
FarCry 2- NOT made by Crytek, DOESN'T involve islands or tunnel maze bases within, all sorts of Sandbox-y type stuff and AFRICA to enjoy... Built-in/ingame map maker/editor, propogated fire, actual damage and shit. What is NOT to like about this game? Nothing. It should be pretty fricking awesome. Enough to make me want to switch to modding the shit out of it? maybe, if there's an SDK after release.. I may consider it.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41569.html
Halo Wars - Alright, I don't own a 360, but I love the world Bungie made for it's franchise, and this RTS looks to stick pretty happily to it. Looks like it plays like Age of Mythology on console with Halo stuff. MAC strikes and shit ftw.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/40830.html
COD World at War - Co-op, COD4-like stuff going on,Iwo Jima, NO Normandy crap, Treyarch's decent eye for detail and awesome shit.. and instead of Helicopters, you get ATTACK DOGS. ATTACK DOGS. Bayonets in the same way the COD4 had Grenade Launchers. Rifle Grenades. Gas and Gas Masks. This has got it GOING ON.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36249.html
Mirrors Edge - Before they were even showing off the gameplay I was already loving this game. First thing I saw- they threw out alot of the First Person Shooter's archetyping in both art style, design and story. A clean and bright world with a sinister edge, a hero that's forced to live on the fringe, and more imprtantly ,a female lead who doesn't have a body that doesn't scream "I am a supermodel. OHOHOHOHO WHY NOT WHORE OURSELVES". It was almost felt eastern in intent and theme (avoiding using the phrase anime-like, because it's a bad descriptor and not strictly accurate.) Gameplay footage started coming out and it just kept going on that trend-bucking crap, and now it's loooking quite impressive from both an art and deisng angle, a conceptual angle and an overal game package. This should be a must get because it's pretty fresh and out there, enough so that it's really turning heads in a good way.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36249.html
Tom Clancy's EndWar - Not a big fan of some of the newer Tom Clancy spinoff franchises ( Hawx and the later Splinter Cell games notably), However, despite the deavy stylising, End War looks pretty interesting. I'm always a bit tenuous about "red dawn" style RTSes (mainly because the CnC games pretty much shat on THAT), but it looks pretty nice, perhaps like Word in Conflict, without the 1980s.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/34525.html
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva - Had I a PSP to import games for onto... english breaking down... THis game would be on my import list? Why? 1)Hatsune Miku , 2) Rhythm games, great for handhelds (unlike FPSes) 3) excellent and FAAABULOUS graphics.
Video trailer link - http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41457.html
Oh and Left4Dead. I forgot about that. No trailers needed, it's zombie coop by Turtle Rock and Valve.
I predict that I'll probably only be geting maybe one or two of these games on release though, thankyou very much financial crisises killing the AUD's value again. The rest, well we'll see, probably trail purchases over the "holiday season".
Oh while I'm here soaboxing again, I feel it's time to announce to all those not in my "loop"
I will be moving to Montreal, Canada (pronounced Konata for some lollery) next year as part of a ... thing. I can't say much now, I'm pretty bound by the NDA that I verbally agreed to. What I can tell you though is it's full of win. I will be part of making WIN. and you will rejoice at said winning. So yeah, that shit is bananas.
On a side not, having flu-aids sucks, 'cause immediately after I got over last weekend's misery and depression, bam, straight into a nasty 3-phaser of a flu. Currently on the 3rd stage now. ON the plus side, all upper registers of my voice get shot everytime I get one of these bloody things, so I'm forced to speak in low, growly tones, and I usually throwin some accent for effect. Fun times, I can tune my voice a bit more.
