Since the last decade or so, the world of gaming has evolved in leaps and bounds, so much so that it has now turned into one of the most vital economic factors amounting to billions in revenues. Long gone are those days, when the 8bit and 16bit games were the calling of the day and players seemed to be content with games such as Super Mario, Contra, Pac-Man etc. Nowadays, with the immense advancements made in the field of technology and computing, console video games have closer to reality than ever before. With sports cars driving at breakneck speeds and fighter jets soaring to the skies with real sound effects, video games have taken a definitive new form.
At the vanguard of this gaming revolution stands the globally cherished, Microsoft Xbox 360 that offers the gamers with eye popping graphics and unmatched processing power to immerse them in a whole new world. Since the launch of this magnificent gaming console, the Windows Marketplace along with physical retailers have been flooded with an immensely long list of gaming titles from numerous and highly established game developers such as Activision Electronic Arts etc. Now, as the year 2011 crossed the half-year mark, we found it prudent to apprise our readers of some of the most scintillating and heart pumping gaming titles for the Xbox 360. These games have either been launched this year or are just a couple of months away of hitting the markets with a renewed fervor.
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Publisher: Activision
Price: $60 (Pre-Order)
Continuing the legendary Call of Duty series that began in the year 2003 on PC, the upcoming and highly anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) is the eight title in the franchise. To be published by Activision, MW3 is a first-person shooter (FPS) game that brings to light the events post the MW2. The game storyline picks up from its predecessor and puts the player in the shoes of several special forces operators from U.S, U.K and Russia, conducting mission across a variety of locations including Somalia, Sierra Leone, Moscow and Dubai. The players will be able to take on the roles of elements from the U.S Delta Force, U.K SAS and a Russian federal security agent, in an effort to capture the game’s main antagonist, Vladimir Makarov. COD: MW3 will present gamers with a vivid selection of advanced weapons and playable vehicles, while Activision has stated that it has completely overhauled the multiplayer mode of the game, claiming it to be refreshing change. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will bring its enormous impact on November 8th, 2011.
2. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon:
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Price: $81 (Pre-Order)
Ace Combat franchise that launched itself in spotlight with release of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies on Sony PS2 platform in the year 2001 is now continuing its legacy with the all new Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Designed and developed especially for Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 gaming consoles, this latest title packs a powerful punch and will propel the gamers in a high paced, fast flying world of aerial engagements. The storyline for this over the top game has been written by New York Times bestselling author Jim DeFelice and leads the players in to a world plunged into chaos. Deviating from its traditional manner of fictitious country names, Namco has for Assault Horizon picked the U.S, NATO and Russia as the warring nations. The player assumes the role of Lt. Col. William Bishop who leads the Warwolf Squadron, as part of 108th Task Force. The game revolves around a super weapon called ‘Trinity’ and the involvement of Russian ace pilot, Colonel Andrei “Akula” Markov who is also the primary antagonist in the game. The game takes place in a variety of locations including Miami, Dubai, East Africa, the Middle East, and Russia and has been incorporated with playable Black Hawk helicopters as well as gunners of AC-130 gunships. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon will brings its vast line up of screaming fighters including F-22 Raptor, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-35B Lightning II etc. and monstrous bombers such as the B-2 Spirit and B1-B Lancer on October 11th, 2011
3. Alan Wake
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Price: $20
One of the most astounding games for the year 2011, Alan Wake, takes the players on a dark journey through fear and tension as the game has been described as survival horror/action game. Alan Wake is set in the fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington and the game creates an intricate balance between light and darkness. The primary enemies of Alan Wake are called ‘The Taken’ possessed human beings that the player has to kill by shining light on them and then shoot. This intense console game lays emphasis on the use of various sources of light such as lanterns, flashlights etc. The story revolves around the a bestselling thriller writer Alan Wake, who is thrust into the world of supernatural in an effort to find his wife who has mysteriously disappeared. This phenomenal game has even spawned a related web series called, Bright Falls, as well as numerous related books. Further glorifying the game title is the presence of Finnish rock band ‘Poets of The Fall’, that has not only contributed to the soundtrack of the game, but is also featured in the game itself as an in-game band titled, ‘Old Gods of Asgard’. Due to the immense popularity of Alan Wake, two new special feature episodes have also been made available on Xbox Live as downloadable content that cost 560 Microsoft Points.
4. Crysis 2
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Price: $60
Published by Electronic Arts (EA) Crysis 2 is the sequel to the bestselling video game Crysis and Crysis Warhead. This magnificent FPS game takes place in the year 2023, a time when New York City is destroyed due an alien invasion. The player takes upon the role of Alcatraz, a Force Recon Marine who is equipped with the cutting edge Nanosuit 2.0 issued by U.S Delta Force and the game even enables the players to customize their suit and the weapons. The Nanosuit has been thoroughly redesigned to allow the players the freedom to use multiple modes as and when required. Crysis 2 has been designed and developed on CryEngine 3 and as per Crytek, the game is even capable of being rendered in true stereoscopic 3D. During the development of the game, the focus was kept on enhancing graphics performance while keeping the system requirements to the same level of the original Crysis. Just months after the release of Crysis 2, Xbox Live presented the gamers with downloadable content, which carries four new multiplayer maps namely Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound. This downloadable pack was called, Crysis 2: Retaliation and comes with a price tag of $9.99
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Price: $33.21
After the satisfactory success of Need For Speed: Shift, Electronic Arts came out with the all new Shift 2: Unleashed a high speed racing video game title that continued with the Shift legacy. Designed and developed to test the players’ driving skills to the limit, Shift 2: Unleashed features some 145 world renowned high performance sports cars and the game itself comes with 36 different tracks. The game is primarily composed of a ‘Career Mode’ wherein the players begins with casual races and steadily moves to the top of the charts. Shift 2: Unleashed has been developed on the state of the art The Madness Engine and the game has retained its predecessor’s Autolog feature in the form Need for Speed DNA. The entire game is comprised of some 60 playable cars that are segregated in to four categories. Tier 1 represents the average vehicles, Tier 2 consists of performance cars, Tier 3 is comprised of supercars such as the likes of Lamborghini Gallardo and Tier 4 comes with super cars including Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra. Furthermore, Shift 2: Unleashed takes 40 locations inspired from the real world, including Bathurst, Spa-Francorchamps and Suzuka.
6. Dead Space 2
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Price: $35.49
Categorized as a survival horror third-person shooter, Dead Space carries forward the horrific tale of an alien infestation as was depicted in the games sequel, Dead Space. The game revolves around Isaac Clarke, who has just woken up from coma to find a human colony on Titan, one of Saturn’s moon is complete disarray due to the infestation. The antagonists of the game just as in the prequel turn the mutate the humans into ‘Necromorphs’. As the game is in third perspective mode, that player can view their surroundings as well as the character and vital information such messages and ammunition count, along with health status are shown as holograms. Apart from the guns the players are also provided with two new abilities, ‘stasis’ and ‘kinesis’ through which players can slow down the enemies and objects as well as move them with their telekinetic powers. There has also been launched various game packs as downloadable content through which users can attain new suits and new weapons.
7. Portal 2
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Price: $40
Designed and developed by the Valve Corporation, Postal 2 has been launched for those players who prefer to more of their brains into a game rather than simply shooting and blowing stuff up. The game has been categorized as a first person puzzle game that presents unique physics based challenges for the players to achieve in order to proceed. The player takes upon the role of Chell, the protagonist from the original Portal game and must navigate through the rapidly rebuilding Aperture Science Enrichment Center, which is controlled by GLaDOS, an artificially intelligence (AI) that was also the protagonist of the game’s predecessor. The player will be equipped with a portal gun that can be used to create inter-spatial portals that Chell must use to teleport from location to location and solve the intricately designed challenges. Valve Corporation has also announced that the company will soon be releasing downloadable content for Portal 2 which be inclusive of new test chambers and a ‘challenge mode’. These game packs will be available free of cost across all platforms and the challenge mode will be compatible with both single player and co-operative player modes.
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Price: $60 (Pre-Order)
Keeping the storyline from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 invigorated and extremely captivating, Electronic Arts (EA) is now gearing up for the launch of one of the most anticipated games, Mass Effect 3. This game title will be launched on March 6, 2012 and will take the player across the galaxy as well as on Earth and Mars. Mass Effect 3 will feature a plethora of new weapons, location and more importantly a new and improved AI. The player will assume the role of Commander Shepard who must fight a horde of Reapers that have attacked Earth. In his quest to liberate the planet, Shepard has to flee the planet and enlist the help of other alien civilizations that will fight with him. Keeping the mystery alight, Mass Effect has been given two new love interests that and the entire love triangle is set to be unraveled towards the end of the game. Mass Effect 3 will also witness the reprisal of many known characters from its predecessors such as the Illusive Man, Garrus Vakarian, Liara T’Soni, Kaidan Alenko etc.
9. Battlefield 3:
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Price: $60 (Pre-Order)
Being hailed as one of the most anticipated of all FPS games for 2011, Battlefield is all set for a launch on October 25th, 2011 across the U.S and the game will bring back to life the Battlefield series. Continuing the global conflict from its predecessor, Battlefield 3 will provide the players with a plethora of weapons as well as vehicle both ground based and airborne to commandeer and strike at the heart of the enemy in raging pitched battles. This remarkable game from Electronic Arts will bring forth single, cooperative and multiplayer modes, while EA has is also due to introduce an iOS variant too. Battlefield 3 will revive some of the most requested element such as fighter jets, prone position etc. Battlefield 3 will take the players across a variety of locations across the globe covering Paris, Tehran, Sarajevo, Sulaymaniyah, New York, Wake Island and Oman. The storyline of the game will be centered around the Iraq-Iran border, that is the scene of a conflict between U.S forces and the PLR. The player will take on the role of Staff Sergeant Henry ‘Black’ Blackburn of USMC as well as that of Corporal Jonathan “Jono” Miller, a tank operator. The game has been developed on a newly developed Frostbite 2 engine that will provide the game with enhanced graphics, sound and will render gunfire, explosions etc. in startling reality.
Publisher: Square Enix
Price: $60 (Pre Order)
Published by Square Enix, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is said to be the prequel to the very first Deus Ex game title, as the game takes the players on a journey into the events that led to the first game of the Deus Ex franchise. The game revolves around the principal character of Deus Ex, Adam Jensen who is depicted as a private security office working for Sarif Industries and has to undergo human augmentation, after being critically injured in an attack. Deus Ex: Human Revolution will be officially launched on August 23rd, 2011 across the U.S and will bring to the players a series of skill sets including Combat, Stealth, Hacking etc. thereby enabling the users to create fine balance between all three to achieve their objects. The players will be able to customize their weapons, while using custom ammo, along with regenerative health abilities.
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