Fall Gaming: How Real Can It Get?

The hottest battlegrounds, from WWII to WWE

Posted Nov 13, 2008 8:00 AM

Fable II
Xbox 360

PREMISE: The sequel to the epic medieval role-playing game takes place during the Enlightenment, with castles and catacombs waiting to be explored.

SECRET WEAPON: Depending on whether you choose to fight for good or evil, your physical appearance morphs along with that of your trusty canine sidekick, who can range from a retriever to a Rottweiler.

RELEASE DATE: Out now

LittleBigPlanet
PS3

PREMISE: It's like a DIY Super Mario Bros.: You can play, design and swap your home-brewed game levels with other players as you navigate your burlap hero, SackBoy, through a whimsical world.

SECRET WEAPON: User-generated content. You can literally build the world around you, creating everything from electric booby traps to gravity-defying glass towers.

RELEASE DATE: Out now

FIFA Soccer 09
PC/Xbox 360/PS3/PS2/Wii

PREMISE: The 16th iteration of the popular soccer franchise returns to the turf with a revamped collision system and expanded online play options.

SECRET WEAPON: Realism. The new version is more precise than ever, from increased ball control and shot placement to the lifelike fans chanting, "From Stamford Bridge to Wembley!"

RELEASE DATE: Out now

Fallout 3
PC/PS3/Xbox 360

PREMISE: You're born into post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C., living in the safe land of Vault 101 — until your dad mysteriously skips town, and you head off into mutant-ville to find him.

SECRET WEAPON: The storytelling. F3 took home Best of Show at this year's E3 game convention for good reason: It is savagely grim and gripping, like a great pulp novel.

RELEASE DATE: Out now

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
PC/Xbox 360

PREMISE: In this campy real-time strategy game set in an alternate future, World War III wages among the Allies, the Soviets and the Eastern Empire of the Rising Sun.

SECRET WEAPON: Fringe science. From telekinesis to teleportation, transforming tanks to Tesla coils, C&C serves up a gleefully twisted arsenal of high-tech warfare.

RELEASE DATE: Out now

Resistance 2
PS3

PREMISE: The follow-up to the awesome first-person shooter pits hero Nathan Hale back against the virus-spreading Chimera mutants — but, this time, Hale's fighting the virus inside himself.

SECRET WEAPON: The bad guys. With 12 gruesome new enemies, from a 300-foot beast to floaters in the water, the Chimera just keep getting weirder.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4th

Quantum of Solace
PC/Wii/NDS/Xbox 360/ps2/ps3

PREMISE: James Bond is back in this cinematic shooter, which combines action from the new Daniel Craig adventure and the franchise-saving Casino Royale.

SECRET WEAPON: The jet-setter locales. Dodge massive explosions and engage villains in gun battles while taking in the beauty of real-world locations like Montenegro, Venice, Bolivia and Austria.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4th

Gears of War 2
Xbox 360

PREMISE: In this sequel to the hit sci-fi shooter, Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago and other Delta Squad members return to exterminate the Locust Horde. This time, it's personal: Santiago's wife is missing.

SECRET WEAPON: Co-op play. Up to five Squad-mates can take on the Locusts together. Online, a matchmaking system connects like-minded players.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7th

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
Xbox 360/Wii/Ps2/Ps3

PREMISE: The 10th WWE brawler puts you back in the ring with the Undertaker, John Cena, Mr. Kennedy and the other fine thespians of the WWE.

SECRET WEAPON: Tag-teaming. Working with a partner yields maximum carnage: Let your teammate hoist a rope, and he can send your opponent flying out of the ring.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 9th

Call of Duty: World at War
PC/Xbox 360/PS3

PREMISE: The fifth installment of this favorite war-game shooter blasts back to the Pacific theater of WWII, as you battle the Japanese Army and Soviet Red Army.

SECRET WEAPON: Fire and water. To survive the jungle warfare, you'll need to toast up your new flamethrower — and, for the first time in the franchise, battle while swimming through murky waters.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 11th

Tomb Raider: Underworld
PC/Wii/Xbox 360/PS2/ps3

PREMISE: Lara Croft does Atlantis. Gaming's own Indiana Jane plunges underwater for this Norse adventure as she hunts for Thor's big hammer.

SECRET WEAPON: Animation. The first Tomb Raider to use motion-capture technology, the game creates stunningly fluid and lifelike movement, whether Lara's scaling a wall or somersaulting through the air.

RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18th

[From Issue 1065 — November 13, 2008]