The run-up to Christmas!

[JJ]

Personally, I think this year has been absolutely phenomenal for the world of games, and a lot of the best is due in the next few months. This thread is dedicated to the games YOU are most looking forward to in the run-up to Christmas. So far we've had the likes of Burnout 3, Doom 3, The Sims 2, Animal Crossing, Second Sight and Psi-Ops, and it's only gonna get better.

Some people are calling it the Year of the First-Person Shooter, what with Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Metroid Prime 2 and Killzone all going head to head for sales. Killzone is pretty much the underdog there, but it's the one I'll be buying.

San Andreas is set to be the BIG one in terms of sales, and is my most anticipated game this year.




Unfortunately, it looks like Metal Gear Solid 3, Devil May Cry 3 and Resident Evil 4 won't hit this country until next year.


So, here's pretty much the full release schedule for the future, copied and pasted from GameFAQs. What's hot and what's not?


GAMECUBE:

10/01 Def Jam: Fight for NY
Shark Tale

10/08 FIFA Football 2005
NHL 2005
Pikmin 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2

10/15 Donkey Konga

10/22 Animaniacs
Future Tactics: The Uprising

10/29 NBA Live 2005

11/05 Mortal Kombat: Deception
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue

11/12 Paper Mario 2
The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age
The Urbz: Sims in the City

11/19 Mega Man X: Command Mission
Need for Speed Underground 2
Tales of Symphonia

11/26 Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

12/03 GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

PLAYSTATION 2:

10/01 Crescent Suzuki Racing: Superbikes & Super Sidecars
Def Jam: Fight for NY
Jackie Chan Adventures
Obscure <----Might be a good little survival horror
Pacific Warriors II: Dogfight
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Rocky Legends
Scaler
Shark Tale
Spy Fiction
Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time
The Mummy: The Animated Series
This is Football 2005
Viewtiful Joe <-----Only £20 in the UK

10/08 Crash Twinsanity
FIFA Football 2005
Gradius V
NHL 2005
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
X-Men Legends

10/15 Club Football 2005
McFarlane's Evil Prophecy
Metal Slug 3
NBA Ballers
Powerdrome
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee
TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator
Trivial Pursuit Unhinged
U Move Super Sports

10/22 Junior Sports Basketball
LMA Manager 2005
Manchester United FC Manager
Sega SuperStars
Sega SuperStars (w/EyeToy)
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction
Under the Skin
Vietcong: Purple Haze

10/29 Animaniacs
Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood
Crash 'N' Burn
Dancing Stage Fusion
Euro Rally Champion
Ford Racing 3
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas <----come to daddy
Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge
Lamborghini FX
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
NBA Live 2005
Premier Manager 2004/2005
Project Minerva Professional
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Total Club Manager 2005
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue

11/05 Crimson Tears
EyeToy: Play 2
FlatOut
Football Generation
Project Minerva
The Incredibles
The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age
Worms Forts: Under Siege!

11/12 Playboy: The Mansion
Ratchet & Clank III <------might get this
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
SingStar Party
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
The Urbz: Sims in the City

11/19 Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Killzone
Mega Man X: Command Mission
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Need for Speed Underground 2
The Getaway: Black Monday <------I liked the original. could be worth it
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw

11/26 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within <-----still haven't played the first one yet
The Polar Express

11/29 World Rally Championship 4

12/05 GoldenEye: Rogue Agent
Gran Turismo 4 <------can it still cut it in a world ruled by Burnout 3?

1/28 Blood Will Tell

2/04 Sonic Mega Collection Plus

XBOX:

10/01 Def Jam: Fight for NY
Obscure
OutRun2
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Rocky Legends
Shark Tale

10/08 Club Football 2005
Crash Twinsanity
Fable
FIFA Football 2005
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Trivial Pursuit Unhinged
Worms Forts: Under Siege!

10/15 Digimon Rumble Arena 2
Powerdrome
Project Zero 2

10/22 Future Tactics: The Uprising
Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge
LMA Manager 2005
Manchester United FC Manager
Vietcong: Purple Haze

10/29 Ford Racing 3
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
Men of Valor
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
NBA Live 2005
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Total Club Manager 2005
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue

11/05 FlatOut
Playboy: The Mansion
The Incredibles
The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age

11/11 Halo 2
Halo 2 (Limited Collector's Edition)

11/12 Pool Shark 2
Spyro: A Hero's Tail
The Urbz: Sims in the City

11/19 Mortal Kombat: Deception
Need for Speed Underground 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 4

11/26 Miami Vice
Still Life

12/03 Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space
Fight Club
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

1/26 The Punisher

2/08 Constantine

3/01 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

PC:

10/01 Codename: Panzers
Evil Genius
Full Spectrum Warrior
IL-2 Sturmovik: Fall Blau
Knights of Honor
Myst IV Revelation
Myst IV Revelation (Limited Edition Collectors Edition)
Obscure
Rome: Total War
Shade: Wrath of Angels
Shadow Ops: Red Mercury
Shark Tale
Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition

10/08 Arena Wars
Dark Fall 2
FIFA Football 2005
Seal of Evil
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Trivial Pursuit Unhinged

10/15 Atlantis Evolution
Pacific Fighters
Sacred Plus
SAS: Against All Odds
Scrabble 2005
Sudden Strike: Resource War
Totally Board Games

10/22 Airborne Troops
I of the Enemy
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
LMA Professional Manager 2005
Total Club Manager 2005

10/29 Ford Racing 3
Men of Valor: Vietnam
NBA Live 2005
Premier Manager 2004/2005
Second Sight

11/05 Axis & Allies: RTS
Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder
FlatOut
Football Manager 2005
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
The Moment of Silence
Worms Forts: Under Siege!

11/12 Armies of Exigo
Medal of Honor Pacific Assault
Playboy: The Mansion
SuperPower 2

11/19 Dungeon Lords
ER <------what? I love that show!
EverQuest II
Law & Order: Justice Is Served
Need for Speed Underground 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Sid Meier's Pirates!

11/26 Alexander
CSI: Miami
Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Miami Vice
Painkiller Expansion Pack: Battle out of Hell
Prince of Persia 2
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Sonic Heroes
Zoo Tycoon 2

12/03 The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth

12/10 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

2/18 Hearts of Iron 2

3/01 Mortyr 2

[madhair60]

PLAYSTATION 2:
Viewtiful Joe
Crash Twinsanity
Gradius V
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Metal Slug 3
Trivial Pursuit Unhinged
Sega SuperStars (w/EyeToy)
Under the Skin
Animaniacs
Dancing Stage Fusion
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Ratchet & Clank III
Singstar Party
Mega Man X: Command Mission
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Sonic Mega Collection Plus

I only care about the above games. I already own Viewtiful Joe ^^

[Sin]

Okay, I am now gonna list all the PS2 games I am probably gonna get. I will give each game a status to show how excited about it I am.

Uber 1337 = I want this game more then almost anything. God can move the heavens and the earth and it will not stop me getting my hands on this game. I am counting down the days.

GG = Gonna Get (or Good Game), this game I am probably gonna get but the only reason it doesn’t get a Uber 1337 is that I will be a bit more relaxed about its release date. I have about 95% chance of getting this game.

VI = Very Interested, I am interested in this game and will be reading a couple of reviews to see if it is any good. About 70% chance of entering my game collection.

MI= Mildly Interested, I am semi interested in this game and will keep an eye on it to see if it turns out to be good. About 50% chance of a purchase.

BTW, I would have Viewtiful Joe and Star Ocean on my list, but I got them both on Friday (and they rock.)

Obscure = VI
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy = MI
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 = GG
X-Men Legends = VI
Metal Slug 3 = VI
Sega SuperStars (w/EyeToy) = MI
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas = Uber 1337
Sly 2: Band of Thieves = MI
The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age = VI
Worms Forts: Under Siege! = MI
Ratchet & Clank III = Uber 1337
Shadow Hearts: Covenant = GG
Spyro: A Hero's Tail = MI
Killzone = Uber 1337
Mega Man X: Command Mission = VI
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within = GG
Sonic Mega Collection Plus = GG

[supersonicjim]

Halo 2 is so good it doesn't need numbers and cleché german phrases to show how good it'll be.

[Sin]

SuperSonicJim said:

Halo 2 is so good it doesn't need numbers and cleché german phrases to show how good it'll be.

Well, I wouldn't rate Halo 2 as Uber 1337 anway!

*Sticks tongue out at j00*

[supersonicjim]

Thank you, PS2 boyo.

[madhair60]

SuperSonicJim said:

Halo 2 is so good it doesn't need numbers and cliché german phrases to show how good it'll be.

XD my hat goes off to you

[Shadic?]

The dates are alot different here in america
For example: Sly 2 came out in the begining of last month. And Paper Mario comes out next week for us

Here's what I'm interested in.
Sly 2. Got it.. freaking amazing game.
Ratchet and Clank 3
Halo 2.
Paper Mario 2
Metroid prime 2
Donkey Konga

Also.. Megaman X command just came out.. But I dont know if I want to shell out $50 for it.. it got pretty average ratings.

Aside from main console games.. it's going to be a HUGE christmas for handheld games. With the release of Nintendo Ds and PSP, and countless big name gba titles like; Minage Cap, Chains of memories ect.

[RSM]

Arrgh, you septics always get games before us

[Shadic?]

Scores for EGM

THUG 2- 9, 9, 8.5 Silver
Leisure Suit Larry MCL-3.5, 2.5, 1.5
Demon Stone-7.5, 5.0, 6.0
TMNT 2- 3, 4, 2
Robotech Invasion-4, 7, 6
MK Deception-6.5, 5.5, 8
FIFA 2005- 8.5, 7.5, 9 Silver
Conflict Vietnam-7.5, 5.5, 4.5
Blood Will Tell-8, 6.5, 6
KOF Maximum Impact-6.5, 7, 6.0
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne-8, 9, 8.5 Silver
Guilty Gear Isuka-7, 7, 4
Monster Hunter-8, 8, 8 Silver
Men Of Valor-6, 7.5, 6
Otogi 2- 9, 8, 9 Silver
Mega Man Zero 3- 8, 7, 7
Paper Mario 2- 9, 9, 9 Gold

From EGM.

Paper Mario.. all 9s... NICE!

[Samface]

Paper Mario 2 is going to rock my tiny world.

[Shadic?]

Samface said:

Paper Mario 2 is going to rock my tiny world.

Getting it on tuesday ;D
I'll say what I think of it.. though there's no chance it's going to suck.

[Zerolus]

Jamie said:

GAMECUBE:
Pikmin 2
Paper Mario 2
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Ones i'm gonna get, but are sure you listed them all, prehaps I'm just anticpating ones released in Febuary.

And DAMMIT! YOU FORGOT HALF-LIFE 2 AND HALO 2 FOR PC!

[JJ]

I only listed this years releases.

In other news, the Killzone demo is out in this months OPS2. It's superb -- one of the best FPS games I've ever played.

[madhair60]

Oh, really? What's new?

[JJ]

The atmosphere in the game is amazing...the sound, the graphics, the kick of the weapons and the movement of your character. There's a slight inertia in each footstep you take, and the camera wobbles down to your gun as you reload, giving the whole thing a very real, human perspective unlike alot of shooters. That said, some people will have problems with the shaky-cam and the slow reloading. I like it -- it's part of the game's charm.
The enemies are evil-looking and have fairly good AI (the demo suffered from predictable AI glitches, but it's no big deal). The graphics are mainly stunning with great effects, with the occasional clipping glitch typical of PS2. It's got a very washed-out, historical feel to it, like playing in a war documentary, with subtle use of Silent Hill and Manhunt's grain filter technique. The shooting is well-engineered and accurate with an emphasis on headshots and use of cover. It plays like a mixture of Medal of Honor and Quake. The three characters are balanced well and have different gameplay nuances that give you more options i.e Stealth/Destruction. Playing as Luger, the stealth-lady is favourable in the demo because you get to do some stealth kills with the knife (which admittedly are a little clumsy), and a superb sniping set piece towards the end of the demo.

Can't think of much more. The magazine is alright....pretty much a massive love-letter to PES4 this issue, which they gave 10/10. More San Andreas hype, and a Timesplitters 3 feature. There's also a demo of Sly Cooper 2 (which is fab! ) and a very short Obscure demo, which ends after three minutes (before the game can really get going).

[Sin]

San Andreas, Timesplitters 2 and Killzone are gonna rock my world! I played the demo and I am very impressed.

[Samface]

Donkey Konga's out on Friday.

....


.....



...........


..

*air-bongos like a lunatic* ;D

[Shadic?]

Samface said:

Donkey Konga's out on Friday.

I was about to buy that acouple days ago. Instead I bought ssx3 for $15.

[madhair60]

Infected said:

San Andreas, Timesplitters 2 and Killzone are gonna rock my world! I played the demo and I am very impressed.

j00 l0se. Ive had TimeSplitters 2 for years.

[Sin]

madhair60 said:

j00 l0se. Ive had TimeSplitters 2 for years.

Damn, I must have my head set on idiot.

*Slams head on table several times*

Okay, now I want Timesplitters 3.

[Shadic?]

No. Dont buy any other games except Paper Mario.
*J/p buy what ever you want*

Just got Paper Mario 2 today. It's great. Looks great, plays smooth, it's funny and it's story isnt half bad.

[Zerolus]

I'm gonna get Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for Christmas. I'm not too desprate. What I am desprate for is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be released. GIVE IT TO ME! *Rams into the wall of Nintendo's base several times in an attempt to steal a copy... but ultimitly fails*

I'm quite looking foward to Halo 2 as well. And I hope the level designs are better as well. Come on, alomst every single room looked the same in each level. Just where's the creativity in that? And if there are any enimies that are similar to The Flood, please don't have them continually respawning. Its not cool and takes away the fun by having to be force to stay in the same area fighting continous enimies for more then 15 minutes.

[Shadic?]

Zerolus said:

I'm gonna get Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for Christmas. I'm not too desprate. What I am desprate for is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be released. GIVE IT TO ME! *Rams into the wall of Nintendo's base several times in an attempt to steal a copy... but ultimitly fails*

Paper Mario is great. I just finished it , 25 hours, so it's not the shortest game or the longest. Personally, I'm not usually a fan of rpgs.. but This one just really appealed because it seems alot more interactive than most rpgs. Get it. Do it. Do it. Hey, Do it.