open your eyes

Heavenly Sword is a mythical tale of revenge in which the heroine Nariko must weild a sword that will kill her in order to protect her people and save her family. After having just finished playing through Heavenly Sword for Playstation 3 I only have one thing to say: WOW! I have never seen presentation and production values in a video game at this high of a level in all my years of gaming. Off the top of my head, only Hideo Kojima and his Metal Gear Solid series come close. The facial animation is the best ever, the voice acting is very good (some of the bosses are too eccentric for my tastes though), the musical score is breathtaking, and the acting is direct-to-dvd quality. I mean that in a good way. Oh, and the graphics are among the best you’ll find on a console this year.

The only thing holding this game back from instant classic status is, well, the gameplay mechanics. Not that there’s anything wrong with the gameplay but its not up to the level of everything else in the game. The fighting is fun and satisfying but definitely not groundbreaking. However, when fighting as the other playable character Kai, you get to guide her arrows in slow motion clear across the levels using motion control. Very fun and a good change of pace from the button mashing. If I could break the score into two parts I’d go with 8 for the gameplay, 10 for presentation/production values, and end up with something around a 9 overall. Now if only the game were more than eight hours long…

1a. Mass Effect [Xbox 360] - I sort of feel like saying go play Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire and then you’ll know why this game is anticipated so greatly. Those two games are very high on my list of favorite games of all time and I expect Mass Effect to be every bit as good and deliver some extra wow due to being on the Xbox 360.

I’ll try to explain. KOTOR and JE are epic RPGs - well maybe JE isn’t quite long enough to be epic but it was perfect in my opinion. In traditional RPG fashion, you start off weak and confused about your past and future. Over the course of the game you become more powerful, learn more about your past, figure out where your future lies, and basically kick a whole lot of ass on your way to becoming the most kickass ass kicker around.

But Bioware also adds top notch storytelling, excellent graphics, good dialogue (maybe great for a game), and an overall fun experience. I feel what pushes KOTOR and JE, and hopefully Mass Effect, into the greatness category is the story. Simply put, those games could be tweaked into movies and I’d gladly pay to see them. Jade Empire’s music was stuck in my head for days after finishing it.

Mass Effect is a shooter/rpg hybrid and while I’m not crazy about that combo, Bioware’s track record of excellence has me trusting them completely. A must buy.

1b. The Orange Box [PC] - There can only be one except in the case of not being able to decide and therefore making two games #1. If you never played Half Life 2, go stand in line for this release now! The Orange Box includes Half Life 2, Episode One, Episode Two, Portal, and the most important part of the new stuff, Team Fortress 2. I believe Counter Strike Source is a free download for HL2 owners so toss that in the list also.

Team Fortress 2 has been in various stages of development since 1999. The one set for release next month is at least the third design as the other two were scrapped before release. I have to admit that I was super excited about the 1999 TF2 version but this one looks to be the true successor to Team Fortress Classic with its cartoon look and whimsical attitude. TF2 is all about class based warfare, sort of like rock, paper, scissors where each class has advantages and disadvantages thus forcing a team to be balanced.

If you play one online first person shooter this year, it needs to be Team Fortress 2.

And you get all that other stuff with it too.

Before the top two, here are the games that didnt quite make the cut.

Honorable Mention:

Guitar Hero 3/Rock Band - At $100 and $200 respectively, these games are just too pricey to earn top 10 status in my book. But they sure do look like fun don’t they?

Bioshock - Very good reviews so far but the demo didn’t blow me away.

Halo 3 - I gave into the pressure. Nothing about the Halo franchise excites me but there has to be something good for all those gamers to be this excited about. Right?

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Games bumped to next year that might have been top 10 material:

Grand Theft Auto 4 - Would have been #1. Just killed me when I found out about the delay.

Mercenaries 2
Splinter Cell Conviction

6. Super Mario Galaxy [Wii] - I dont know what to expect here. I do know that millions of gamers will love the new Mario game but I may have outgrown it. Unlike the next game on this list, Super Mario Galaxy is a true platformer with lots of the typical jumping and collecting of various stuff.

5. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction [PS3] - I like my PC for first person shooters and strategy games but I like consoles for sports and cute, fun platformers. I’m not sure you can even call Ratchet a platformer anymore since its very action oriented but thats a good thing as Insomiac always puts the craziest weapons in this series. The trailer for Tools of Destruction just screams animated movie; maybe Sony Pictures should make it happen.

4. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune [PS3] - This one’s got lush tropical environments, guns, hand to hand combat, exploration, story, touches of Indiana Jones, a dash of Tomb Raider. Whats not to like? And coming from Naughty Dog, one of Sony’s top developers, you know its at least going to be good. Hopefully it will be great.

3. Heavenly Sword [PS3] - This is the only game on this list that I’d be content to just watch someone play through the game because the story and presentation look so far above anything else out there right now. Our hero, Nariko, is part of a clan of warriors who guard the Heavenly Sword which gives its bearer superhuman power but also kills them. Of course the evil King Bohan wants the sword and kills or imprisons Nariko’s people and she must wield the sword to defeat evil and save the world. A lot of comparisons to God of War here and it would have challenged for the #1 spot if it werent so short (6-8 hours) and the top two weren’t so strong.

Here’s a quick attempt at listing my top 10 most anticipated games coming out from late August to Dec 31. Yeah I know I’m a little late and Fall doesnt start in late August.

10. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption [Wii] - The previous two were great (I’m told) on Nintendo’s previous console and I’m excited to try the Wii controls with a first person shooter.

9. Warhawk [Playstation 3] - Sony’s first attempt at a big online shooter is sort of a Battlefield clone but in third person and with more of an arcade feel. Flying warhawks looks like good fun and actually uses the Sixaxis motion controls well. $40 online or $60 in stores with a bluetooth headset so you’re getting a small discount for it being online only.

8. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway [PC] - The first Brothers in Arms was maybe the best WWII shooter I’ve every played, and I’ve played a lot of them. It had graphics, story, presentation, and real squad command which I believe was a first in a WWII shooter. Supressing fire, flanking, and smart AI all add up to a great gaming experience. Here’s hoping the first true sequel is as good as the original.

7. Assassin’s Creed [PS3/Xbox360] - The Prince of Persia team is set to release their first next-gen game and its filled with a lot of the silky smooth arobatic maneuvers found in their previous games. This one is set in Jerusalem during the Crusades and is looking mighty fine.