Grizzly Gaming's Most Anticipated Games of 2012

This is the second part of part one of a series on the games I’m most looking forward to this year. I figured I’ve kept you waiting long enough for this part so let’s get on with it already! My Most Anticipated Games of 2012! (Part 2)

Max Payne 3

Slated release: May 15 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, May 29 for PC

It’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen the gruff, depressed, possibly addicted to pills cop Max Payne – almost a decade in fact. (Oh and revenge, he’s definitely addicted to that.) What has Max been doing since we last saw him in “Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne,” released all the way back in 2003? Well, hopefully, Rockstar’s upcoming “Max Payne 3” gives us some answers.

Though I’ve seen a few details about what Max has been doing with his life, none of them are particularly happy. After some hard times in New York (you know, after, pretty much everyone Max has ever cared about has been killed in some way or another), Max finds himself working protection for a wealthy family in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Set eight years after the second game, Max is older, wearier and more cynical than ever. Despite all this, trouble continues to follow the troubled former NYC cop as he investigates the kidnapping of his employer’s wife.

Max Payne was one of my favorite series’ back when the first two games came out. The first entry’s dark, noir-ish trappings, not to mention the comic/storyboarded style of story presentation gave the game a look and feel that few games before it had managed to pull off. Couple those narrative elements with its intense action and innovative (for the time) use of bullet-time made Max Payne a must-play third-person action title. Thought I doubt Rockstar will be winning any awards for the story or presentation of “Max Payne 3,” the series known for its action-packed firefights will be getting a considerable amount of help from Rockstar’s Euphoria engine.

"Max Payne 3" will allegedly take place mainly in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Euphoria, seen in games like “GTA IV” and “Red Dead Redemption,” is able to render digital movement in life-like ways never seen or duplicated by any other game. And its power and ability has only been boosted and refined for “Max Payne 3,” which should make for some wonderfully violent firefights. The Max Payne series has always been known for its ridiculously violent, action movie-esque firefights and allowing characters to move and react to gunshot wounds and explosions more realistically could make “Max Payne 3” one of the most visually stunning games of the year. Rockstar is even alleging that shots fired in bullet-time will each be rendered in real time and you’ll actually be able to see the damage you’re doing on an enemy’s character model.

Max undergoes some visible changes in "Max Payne 3"

I’ll be interested to see how Rockstar approaches multiplayer and whether they craft creative multiplayer modes around Max or just go with well-tread game types like deathmatch and capture-the-flag. Max Payne 1 and 2 were both of generations (on the console) that didn’t/couldn’t take much advantage of online gaming as opposed to today where developers try to squeeze multiplayer into any game they can. Obviously, “Max Payne 3” seem tailor made for multiplayer and only time will tell how much of an effort Rockstar puts into its multiplayer.

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Mass Effect 3

Slated release: March 6 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC

An ancient, unknowable alien menace threatens not only the human race but the survival of the universe itself and only one group of heroes led by an elite human soldier can save the day. Sound familiar? Well, yeah, of course it does – that basically the premise for every other game these days. It’s also, basically, the plot of the entire Mass Effect series, but more specifically, “Mass Effect 3.” So why, I can hear you asking, is a game with such a generic plot one of my most anticipated games of the year? Though the territory the story covers is well-tread, the game crafted around that story is one of the most solid, fun and engaging found on any platform.

Despite the over-arching story of Mass Effect being somewhat over-done – an alien race returns from unknown space to reclaim control of the universe – the draw of said story is how Commander Shepard, humanity’s greatest soldier, creates and leads his own team of heroes on a quest to save the universe from destruction by the Reapers. Though the story of Mass Effect 1 saw Shepard uncovering the Reaper’s plot, the story and character progression aspects of the series really came into their own in Mass Effect 2. In both games, and one would assume in “Mass Effect 3” as well, forming relationships with your teammates will not only net you XP, but also their respect which translates into battlefield efficiency and willingness to put their trust in your decisions.

Earth comes under direct attack from

the Reapers in "Mass Effect 3"

The plot of “Mass Effect 3” picks up directly following the events of Mass Effect 2 DLC, “Arrival,” in which Shepard’s actions have delayed the return of the Reapers but also cost hundreds of thousands of innocents their lives. In fact, “Mass Effect 3” opens during Shepard’s trial for his actions in Arrival and during the trial, Reapers invade the planet forcing Shepard and crew to eventually flee and seek help from the main alien races of the series such as the turians, asari and quarians. As before, save data from the previous two games will be imported into “Mass Effect 3” which can manifest in numerous ways – from a minor NPC’s opinion of Shepard to whether members of your crew are still alive or not. Also, in regards to the story, I’ve read two fairly interesting tidbits. First, and this may be fairly obvious, but “ME3” will be Shepard’s final appearance as the main character of the series. The next is that unlike the past two games, it will be possible to make the wrong decisions over the course of the game and ultimately fail to stop the Reapers.

Familiar faces such as (from left) Thane, Miranda, Grunt and

Mordin return...if they survived the last game.

It’s hard to say exactly why “ME3” is on my Most Anticipated list, for a few reasons. For one, “ME2” was very different from “ME1.” The first game of the series followed the conventions of an RPG much more closely than its follow up. Character creation/progression, large, random areas to explore and a multitude of items to find/buy/sell were all large parts of the first game’s formula were largely changed or straight up cut in the sequel. In “ME2,” planetary exploration (by way of the Mako) was cut entirely while character progression was condensed considerably and there was no item economy to speak of. In short, BioWare severely toned down the more “hardcore” RPG elements of the series in favor of strengthening the narrative and combat. Granted the combat is greatly improved in “ME2” and the narrative is a little stronger, many fans, as well as myself, lamented the loss of many parts of the RPG formula in the Mass Effect series. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call “ME2” “dumbed down” when compared to the original game, the differences between the two are immediately obvious to any RPG fan.

Well BioWare heard these complaints and made an effort to rectify them by offering different ways to experience “Mass Effect 3.” For the final installment of the trilogy, players will be able to pick from three different modes – Action, Story and RPG. In “Action Mode,” combat sequences are of a normal difficulty while speech options are chosen automatically. This is intended for players who aren’t as interested in carefully selecting their dialogue choices as they are blowing away enemies (who I can only assume are the Geth and Cerberus). “Story Mode” will be just the opposite where players manually pick their dialogue responses and the difficult of combat will be lesser while “RPG Mode” is the “true” Mass Effect experience with players picking their own dialogue options and the combat is of normal difficulty. It remains to be seen whether “Mass Effect 3” more closely resembles the first or second game in the series but BioWare has stated that Mako/Hammerhead missions will return in “ME3,” weapons are now customizable and skill trees have a little more depth – all things I’m sure hardcore RPG fans are glad to hear.

Players can also make use of a powerful

new melee attack in "Mass Effect 3"

I’ll also be very interested to see just how BioWare implements multiplayer into the Mass Effect recipe. Though I’m pretty certain that there is no competitive multiplayer modes, players will be able to team up co-operatively in the aptly named “Galaxy at War” mode. The mode, which has been described as “horde-esque,” tasks a group of players with taking over enemy strongholds and fighting against waves of enemies. It’s also said that competition of these specially designed multiplayer levels/areas will have a positive effect on the outcome of your single player game but aren’t necessary to complete the game. No story heroes, such as Shepard, Garrus or Liara will be playable in multiplayer but players can pick from various races such as humans, asari, turian and salarian.

Speaking of the multiplayer, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that multiplayer demo will be available on Xbox Live and the PSN on February 14. Which reminds me – if you purchased Battlefield 3 new and redeemed your online pass, you get early access to the “ME3” demo. I should probably go and do that.

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Slated release: Fall 2012 for Xbox 360, PC and Playstation 3

If you follow the gaming industry, you may have heard that 2K Marin has been planning/working on a new XCOM game for some time now. This title is a departure from the original series in that it tones down the strategic element of the game somewhat and also adds first-person shooting into the mix as well. While some fans (like myself) are very interested to see just how well those changes can be implemented, others are not as hopeful. And being that it has been pushed back to 2013 (at the earliest) it will probably be some time before we see this new XCOM title.

But look on the bright side, XCOM fans, there is hope. How excited would you be if Firaxis Studios, the development house created by strategy mastermind Sid Meier, was taking the reigns on creating an entirely new XCOM experience – one that perfectly captures everything that made the original a hit among fans and critics alike while also updating the package with a more modern feel and look? So excited you’d probably need to change your pants? That’s what I thought.

Sectoids (above) aren't dangerous one-on-one but deadly in groups

Earth in under siege by all manner of strange inter-stellar aliens. Humans are being abducted, towns are under attack – the planet and all of its inhabitants are at the mercy of these strange beings whose motives are wholly unknown. As a species our only options are to concede or fight back and in “XCOM: Enemy Unknown,” you lead the charge against these hostile aliens by establishing a planetary defense network, researching and developing new technology and most importantly, retaliating on the ground. But, how you accomplish these tasks is entirely up to you.

“X: EU” takes place, in terms of the story, after the events of the original game where the player, taking on the role of the commander of XCOM, must respond to a full-scale alien invasion in a battle against seemingly hopeless odds. The aliens humanity faces utilize far superior technology and employ units and tactics unknown to humans. Though the circumstances may seem overwhelming, fear not. All of XCOM’s resources are at your disposal and you’ll be tasked with creating/expanding the agency’s satellite coverage of the planet, reverse engineering alien technology for use against them and getting boots on the ground to meet the alien menace head-to-distended, oddly-colored head.

A heavy weapons soldier trains his sights on a hulking Muton.

However, this is a turn-based game, one where the player will not be able to accomplish every task presented. The player must make choices when it comes to using time and resources for research, aiding other countries with alien infestations, and fighting aliens on the ground. However, XCOM isn’t an independent agency – it depends on resources and money provided by the shadowy Funding Council. Made up of sixteen various countries around the world, the player must rely on the Council to provide them with resources. But they must also keep in mind that each country has their own evaluation of XCOM’s abilities/performance and, should circumstances become dire enough, withdraw their support of XCOM – resources and all.

When it comes time to meet the aliens on the ground, you’ll lead a team of XCOM soldiers into battle, each of whom have different abilities such as heavy weapons or sniping. Combat is turn-based and makes heavy use of the concepts of cover and line of sight. What will add another layer of depth to the combat is that your XCOM soldiers aren’t interchangeable, nameless grunts. Each soldier can earn experience, upgrades and learn new abilities and players would do well to make use of cover because if a soldier dies in combat, they’re lost forever.

Combat "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" is turn-based with great

emphasis placed on cover and lines of sight

It’s been a long time since a strategy game has captured my attention so much – probably because I’m one of those pretentious video game fans who turns his nose up at strategy games on the console. However, this title seems too good to pass on. From everything I’ve read so far, “X: EU” isn’t just a reboot but a complete overhaul to bring the classic game to a modern audience. I can already tell it’s going to be a title I’m going to agonize over. Do I send aid to a foreign country? Spend money launching another satellite to give me a better idea of the alien threat? Or do I use my research to create new weapons or upgrade my home base? And don’t even get me started on combat. I’ll probably have some sort of guilty, nervous breakdown the first time I lose a soldier who’s served me well. And I can’t friggin’ wait.