God of War
Set in ancient Greece, this brutal, take-no-prisoners action game involves you in the sandals of Kratos, a deadly Spartan warrior seeking to destroy Ares, the titular God of War, for destroying his life. Everything about it oozes entertainment and polish – it looks amazing, sounds incredible and plays like a dream. There’s plenty of gore and even a bit of nudity as well, so it’s not one for the kids, but for those who can play, it’s a must-have. It’s simply one of the best action games around today.
Rating: 10/10
Final Fantasy XII
Although not out till 2006, the newest Final Fantasy game promises much, introducing an all-new combat system, an epic, sweeping adventure and gorgeous visuals on the PS2. Set in Ivalice, where magic and technology are both of equal importance, it follows young Vaan on his quest to become a sky pirate. No doubt he’ll end up being vital to the survival of everything etc., but what seems cliché will undoubtedly be a long, mesmerising, and probably excellent game.
Rating: 8/10 (provisional)
Final Fantasy VII
A look at another Final Fantasy, even if it came out in 1997. A fan and critic favourite, it revolutionised the RPG genre by offering a hugely engrossing story with memorable characters and an intuitive and deep combat system. Although the graphics are obviously dated, and there are some annoying bits here and there, if you enjoy a good, long RPG and, inconceivably, you haven’t played this, you can pick it up cheap. It’s a PS1 game but PS2s are backwards-compatible, or you can get it on the PC.
Rating: 9/10
Battlefield 2
The brand-spanking-new sequel to the best-selling Battlefield 1942, it has everything that made the original so good, plus a heck of a lot more. Its graphics engine, though machine-intensive, is incredibly beautiful and there’s more emphasis on teamwork this time. Lots of vehicles to drive and fly, lots of classes to choose from, and sprawling, intricate maps offer a new way to experience team-based shooters. The AI is still kinda dumb, but this is a game that has ‘online’ written all over it.
Rating: 8/10 (cause the requirements are so high)
Black & White 2
Another sequel, also as-yet unreleased, this time to Peter Molyneux’s god-game which turned out to be inspired but flawed. This second installment offers a re-designed and far more epic adventure and you still play get to play God in any way you please. Want to rule through inspiration and nurturing? Fire and brimstone? It’s all good. Your Creature is still around, a huge, loyal beast you can teach to be a fierce fighter or a courageous protector of your villages. Add to this, battles with (literally) hundreds of troops on each side and you’ve got the making of a great strategy/god game. As long as it doesn’t suffer from the same issues that plagued the original.
Rating: 7/10
Half-Life 2
OK, those of you who haven’t heard of this (both of you) go sit under another rock while you miss more ground-breaking and intensely fun games. Sequel to the best-selling game of 1998 and still the most popular online game today, the new graphics and physics engines are absolutely incredible, and just the icing on a cake that would be delicious without icing. Set in a run-down city in Eastern Europe, you must fight through streets, beaches, cliffs and strange alien fortresses to ensure the survival of the human race. Get it now if you haven’t already. Crowbar not included.
Rating: 9/10
Spore
Will Wright, creator of The Sims, showed this off at this year’s Electronics Entertainment Expo, and caused a huge buzz. It’s hard to describe, as it merges many types of gameplay. Starting in primordial ooze, you have to slowly help a creature evolve to walk on land, learn about fire and civilization, create technology, and eventually conquer everything in the galaxy, if you so wish. The excitement come from the fact that everything’s done on-the-fly – there are no predetermined creatures to raise, you create it all in-game in any way you want. More in-depth previews can be found online.
Rating: Looks like a 8/10 at least, but it’s still early
Screenshots and information for all these can be found on the following sites:
www.gamespy.com
www.gamespot.com
l God of War is out later this month in Europe, Black and White 2, Spore and Final Fantasy 12 are due out next year. Others available in Cyprus now
