Bioshock 2 will take place eight years after the events of the original when a new enemy, the Big Sister, a mechanized form like the Big Daddy but much more agile and powerful, turns Rapture into a hunting ground and
kidnaps Little Sisters. In this fighting games , players will take control of a 'rogue' Big Daddy. In addition to free will and superior intelligence compared to other Big Daddies, you will be able to use the famous drill to destroy enemies (it overheats if used too much) and the rivet gun (which has several types of ammo) to riddle through anything that gets in your way. Players will also use plasmids and have upgrade trees to specialize them.
Even cooler is the ability to dual wield plasmids and weapons at the same time, something that wasn't in the original. One of the greater differences is the ability to leave the city and walk onto the ocean floor. Rapture of the first installment from the ocean is a sight to see and it is evident that major aspects of the gameplay will be made possible with this feature. Although there won't be co-operative single player, there will be a multiplayer mode.
Little Sisters can now hop on your shoulder for a ride after you capture them from other Big Daddies and allow you to adopt them (of course, you can instead choose the more evil fate). This lets them harvest ADAM from the corpses you encounter. They also warn you of an impending Big Sister attack, giving you time to lay down traps and prepare for a major battle. Splicers and other fearsome enemies are still around to deal with. Bioshock 2 is slated for release in the first half of 2010.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Release Date: October 13th, 2009 (PS3)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for the PS3 exceeded all expectations and became a major critical success, cited for its high production values, similar to a blockbuster film. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is upcoming for the fall season and is receiving a lot of buzz.
Nathan Drake's adventure continues two years after the events of the first game, revolving around unraveling a historical mystery behind Marco Polo and his doomed voyage home from China in 1292. Drake is now set to explore the exotic environments that Marco Polo had traversed and seeks to recover the legendary Cintamani stone (worth billions of dollars) and to find out whether or not the lost city of Shambhala (otherwise known as Shangri-La) really exists.
There will be new mechanics to the gameplay, such as stealth, enhanced climbing for free movement (similar to Assassin's Creed), and will also have an online multiplayer mode (also co-operative). The upgraded graphics will make the environments more realistic and diverse.
There is a long list of new features to combat, such as Nathan's ability to flip over pieces of furniture to use as cover while engaged in a fire-fight. The game has already received many awards from E3 and others for
its great presentation. The story is expected to be darker and reveal why Nathan Drake lives his life as a thief (watch footage here).
Assassin's Creed II - Release Date: November 17th, 2009 (PC, Xbox 360, and PS3)
Assassin's Creed II is another upcoming highly anticipated sequel late this year and there are many, many things to do this time around. The game world is large, open, and non-linear, like the original, but now you have the ability to swim (and drown enemies as a means to assassinate), drive small boats, and use the canals of Venice city to hide.
The setting takes place in 15th century Italy (during the Renaissance period), about 300 years after the events of the first game. One of the most prominent historical figures in the game is Leonardo da Vinci, who helps you throughout the course of the game with weapons, special contraptions, and much more. One such 'piece of aid' is his famous flying machine, which you can actually use to soar over the city and experience some great visuals (click here to watch some video footage).
In terms of combat, Ezio Auditore di Firenze, the assassin you control, can now kill two enemies at once with his twin blades. There are new tactics to utilize against opponents, cool weapons (such as the poison blade upgrade given by Leonardo da Vinci), and features that actively involve the city, such as removing wanted posters to reduce your infamy, blending with crowds to hide, and using haystacks to conceal yourself. You can even assassinate someone in the midst of several people and get away with it by placing his dead body in a sitting position on a bench. Or you can just drag his corpse into a haystack.
Ezio will make use of "Toys", or gadgets and environmental 'modifiers', to do what an assassin does. The flying machine will get him to places impossible to reach by foot, coins can be thrown into a crowd and
the ensuing chaos can be taken advantage of to escape, and smoke bombs can make capture difficult for the enemy. Poison can kill your targets and drive them insane preceding their deaths, which can also cause useful distractions, especially if you poison an armed guard. Of course, there are a lot more Toys to be obtained throughout the game than those. Ezio also has improved Eagle vision, which can make finding targets much easier.
Assassin's Creed 2 seeks to expand upon the acclaimed premise of the original, improve the gameplay missions (which many cite as repetitive), and offer fans a grander stealth action adventure experience. It is slated for release on November, 17th, 2009.
Halo 3: ODST - Release Date: September 22nd, 2009 (Xbox 360)
Halo 3: ODST is the upcoming stand-alone expansion of Halo 3, featuring a full-length campaign, a new hero, and a new perspective. Players assume the role of "The Rookie," a lone UNSC soldier known as an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper). This time you don't have the benefits of armor, cybernetic reflexes, and superhuman strength like Master Chief had. You are more vulnerable to fire so the gameplay will force players to be more cautious and decisive with their actions, although your new HUD (called the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance; VISR) differentiates friend from foe and guides you to important items (colored yellow) and offers a compass. There is no radar.
The game is in 1st person and has the same winning formula of the Halo series. The campaign focuses on searching through the ruins of New Mombasa and discovering your missing teammates. Unlike the other Halo games, you get to choose the order of levels you want to play in campaign mode (the length is similar to the other free games as well). The multiplayer mode is identical to Halo 3's, and comes with 24 maps (including the original eleven maps from Halo 3). Firefly fans should be happy knowing Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk will voice the non-player controlled ODST troopers of the four man squad.
The game will release as a two-disc set. The first disc consists of the campaign mode and the newly unveiled Firefight co-op mode, in which players can engage waves of increasingly tougher enemies with a set number of lives. No limit to rounds, time, or kills. The mode ends when your lives are depleted. Skulls can be used to make it even more varied and challenging, and players can earn new medals for their achievements. Up to 4 players can engage in co-op Firefight mode, over Xbox Live or system link.
Best Video Games of 2010-2011 - Diablo III; God of War 3; Star Wars: TOR; Final Fantasy XIII; Starcraft 2
