RAGE

Platform – Playstation 3 and XBOX 360?

Developer ID Software

ID Software was once the king of the first person shooter genre. They started it all with their iconic game Wolfeinstein and later on down the track the Doom series. Rage will be using ID’s new game engine labelled “id Tech 5” and at this stage it will have a mix of the FPS genre along with racing. Not a lot is known about Rage but what we do know so far is that Rage takes place in a post-apocalyptic world similar to the Mad Max movies. Designer Tim Willits revealed that the game takes place in the near future where the earth as we know it has changed due an Armageddon style comet collision. According to Willits; the driving and racing gameplay style has been inspired by titles like Burnout and MotorStorm.

As we understand it ID Software has partnered with EA Games. At this stage EA will be publishing the title and it is rumoured that the XBOX 360 and PC versions will be shipped on to 3 discs whilst the PS3 version will ship on a single Blu-Ray disc.

Will this game be at E3 2009? We hope so. So far Rage looks amazing and if ID software can live up to the trailers and screenshots they have shown off then this game looks set to bring the once renowned ‘kings’ ID Software, back up to the top where they belong.

Assassins Creed II

Platform – XBOX 360, Playstation 3, PSP and Wii

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Assassins Creed II will see you take on the roll of Ezio Auditore de Firenze; a nobleman and assassin of course. Ezio has been captured by Abstergo Industries and he happens to be related to Altair. The game looks like it will take place in Italy in the year 1476. Just like in Assassins Creed, historical figures will feature in the game including Caterina Sforza, Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Lorenzo de’Medici. A few locations have been mentioned so far like Venice, Florence and Rome with iconic land marks being shown. The detailed world in the original title was ‘A’ grade, so I can’t wait to see what Ubisoft Montreal have done with the sequel. According to various sources Assassin’s Creed II will be introducing a variety of new controls and abilities to the main character. Ezio will be able to swim allowing him to use the canals of Venice as hiding spots and a means of getting around the city undetected. Along with Ezio’s new movements there will be a mixed bag of new weapons at your disposal things like spears, axes, hammers and a mace. Two different swords could be added to the weapons list, as a lot of images show the main character duelling with two small arm blades rather than just the one, which looks really cool!

An announcement earlier this year said there will be 16 mission types that the player will be able to engage in. All this sounds really good so let’s hope that Ubisoft Montreal put on a good show.

MAG

Platform - Playstation 3 Exclusive

Developer: Sony Entertainment

This would have to be one of Sony Entertainments biggest releases for the year. Hopefully by now you would have seen the game play footage and if you haven’t then click here to check it out. MAG boasts a 256 online multiplayer mode! The closest effort to that is Frontlines Fuel of War which could host up to 50 players in an online battle. If the trailers and gameplay footage is anything to go by then this could be the new standard for military style games. Don’t get me wrong games like the Call of Duty series are fantastic but in comparison to MAG, well there just isn’t one. I have never played or seen a FPS that can support up 256 real players online, the question is can Sony Entertainment create a game that supports that magnitude of players and still run smoothly online? Maybe they can answer this for us at E3?

Halo ODST

Platform – Microsoft Exclusive

Developer: Budgie

Under extreme tight wraps, Microsoft’s Halo ODST is just waiting to be unveiled. We have been teased and tempted by Bungies newest edition to the Halo franchise, getting a small glimpse of what’s to come via the teaser/trailer available via XBOX Live.

What we do know is that Halo: ODST will play much like the past Halo games. This time though you assume the roll of a UNSC soldier also known as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper eg ODST. Unlike past Halo games there won’t be a super advanced power suit that regenerates your health making you much more vulnerable; forcing players to be more tactful when attacking the enemy. The story will take place during the events of Halo 2 in the city of New Mombasa. We know that Halo ODST follows along a similar timeline to Halo 2, therefore it would be great to see some of those key Master Chief events revisited from the perspective of the marine. I expect Microsoft to make an announcement or maybe show us some new footage during their press conference, so make sure your watching that one Live at G4TV.

Uncharted 2

Platform – Playstation Exclusive

Developer: Naughty Dog

Uncharted: Drakes Fortune one was of the best titles for the Playstation 3 when it was released in ADD IN YEAR. From gameplay to graphics the story pieced together so well. In some ways it almost felt like you were playing through the story of Romance in The Stone; an old school movie from the eighties. Uncharted 2 continues the story which is set a few months later. With what we have seen so far Uncharted 2 should surpass the first title. It features even better graphics, with a stronger story line and my favourite part; online Multiplayer. We are not sure whether the game will feature a co-op campaign but one can hope. What we can confirm is that a death match style multiplayer mode will be included in the game. How this will go who knows? But looking at how it plays it seems to follow a similar style of online gameplay similar to the original Gears of War; which was a smash hit for Microsoft.

Well that is it for our Top 6 games to watch at E3 2009. The list could go on and on as this years’ E3 is set to be one of the best E3 events ever. It’s definitely an exciting time of the year for gamers and you can all expect that during the month of June, the XBOX Live Marketplace and Playstation Store are going to be filled with brand new videos for you to watch and best of all demos to play.

Article by Peter Biu.