5 Upcoming Games Worth Knowing About

BioShock: Infinite, Halo 4, Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil 6 to name but a few; these are the games we know, we’re excited for and that makes each day of varsity, school or work worth drudging through. That being the case, there are always other interesting or worth-knowing-about games that (for one reason or another) seem to go mostly unnoticed until someone makes a little list like… well a list this. One game is almost certainly due in 2013 and another is more a truly amazing indie game than a AAA title, but all are worth knowing about.

 
 

Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops: The Line (or ‘The Line’ for the sake of convenience) is a primarily third-person shooter with emphasis on squad-based tactics. You, as the player, control one Captain Martin Walker (no relation to our favourite Texan Ranger I’m afraid) who is accompanied by a Delta Force team assigned to rescue an Army Colonel who remained behind in Dubai during some incident.

The Line makes use of a rather interesting and relatively unique dynamic terrain, that being the natural sandstorms of Dubai, in order to provide a dynamic terrain that changes and reacts during gameplay. The game also promises random sandstorm occurrences at varying levels of intensity. I know I’m looking forward to seeing more from this sandy tactical shooter.

 
 

Quantum Conundrum

Everyone knows the lyrics to the original Portal’s outro song; every gamer takes every opportunity to say the “cake is a lie” at any baking goods reference; and all nerds alike go nuts for anything Portal like. What I find strange then is how little hype or fanfare there is around Quantum Conundrum. It’s probably because there are no Valve logos to be seen, which makes sense I suppose.

What Quantum Conundrum is, is Kim Swift’s (one of the key brains behind Portal who did not remain at Valve) take on alternate dimensions and puzzle goodness. And as for the important similarities between Quantum Conundrum and Portal, well there are also as many key differences; there is much more character and narrative for one. Quantum Conundrum places you in the role of a nephew looking for his eccentric uncle and inventor extraordinaire named Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. It’s an FPS centric Portal-like puzzle game that makes use of different dimensions, each with their own unique matter and physics properties; dimensions you need to make use of. It’s got a fluffy dimension, how could you not want to play it?

 
 

Hawken

Hawken is quite simply the best looking, most awesome mech game I have seen in my life; which is a surprise when you consider how relatively small the development team behind this indie title is. It’s high octane; adheres to a fast pace though realistic feel; and maintains both action and strategic elements alike. Take that and wrap it up in the gorgeous visuals it packs and you have an insane multiplayer mech shooter worth your interest.

 
 

Command & Conquer: Generals 2

BioWare are trying something completely new here, something completely alien to them (see the word play). I know I for one am excited at the prospect of a new Generals game. So when one of the best design and development studios around takes an RTS epic like the Command and Conquer series and uses the monster Frostbite 2 engine to power the beast; well I get a little giggly.

It promises a return to the Command and Conquer staples; a dark and gritty story that takes place after the events of the original C&C Generals; and one new unnamed faction (it’ll probably be the Reapers). Let’s just hope it restores the faith in the franchise that so many fans lost after Red Alert 3 and Command and Conquer 4.

 
 

Sins Of A Solar Empire Rebellion

As far as I’m concerned, Sins of a Solar is the interstellar strategic king. It’s got immense depth, variety and strategic nuance but is relatively easy to learn and challenging to master. There is a lot to learn and with the new standalone expansion ‘Rebellion’, there are two unique factions (loyal and rebellious) and all the associated layers strategy introduced for each race.

So with effectively 6 factions and all the new content introduced through previous expansions, like the starbases, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion aims to push the strategic boundaries even further. This in addition to the visual tweaks, upgrades and an emphasis on using Steam makes Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion the de facto standard sci-fi RTS.

 
 

In Conclusion:

All of these games have definite promise; one or two show the potential for greatness even. The point is, these are the games I’m looking forward to, I’m awaiting with starry eyes and anticipation; so I share these with you, go forth and spread the message of their existence.