Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii):

 

The only other game other than Starcraft 2 to receive multiple votes from the LANGaming cast is another huge multiplayer game due out this year. Plagued by numerous delays, but kept afloat in the eyes of most gamers due to the frequent updates provided by smashdojo.com, Smash Bros Brawl is seen by many as the most focused hardcore Nintendo game to date. Its unique, but easy, playing style features much of the same side scrolling action that made Nintendo a gaming icon to begin with. Main draws to the series, consisting of only two other titles, is the pure fan boy dreaminess of it. Players pick from Nintendo characters, or even some third party characters featured on current Nintendo consoles, and engage in a side scrolling beat em up that features more attacks and items than you can shake a stick at. Featured in this edition of what has become Nintendo’s star series is the ability to play online via Nintendo Wi-Fi as well as extra custom made stages, either locally or online. A strong single player campaign will accentuate the already robust and addictive smashing action found with friends or strangers across the globe. Two of the LANGaming staff members saw fit to include this gem on their list.

 

 

 

No, James is talking about the very recently rumored faster than light Game & Watch character. What he means is that despite the enormous cast of characters already announced, there is a distinct possibility that some fan favorites from the previous Smash Melee will not make it. I’m afraid you will have to find someone else to flip your sausages this time James.

 

Street Fighter IV (Undisclosed):

 

Surprisingly, only a single staff member chose this title. Perhaps this goes to show the vast amount of multiplayer goodness that awaits us in this newest year. Being a long time fan of all things Street Fighter, I can say the recently released news and videos of its newest incarnation do not light me on fire. Despite a strong selling of the brand name by depicting Ryu and Ken locked in classic combat, Capcom will have a long way to go to prove this is not a simple cash in. Just seeing that they have decided to advance the numbering of the title to IV is a great sign to me. Including known additions to the franchise, such as a more offensive parrying method as well as increased special attacks, Street Fighter IV might set the fighting genre on fire again this year if released. Online multiplayer is all but in the bag for this one people. Shawn is hopeful for a turn around in the current Street Fighter landscape here at LANGaming.net

 

 

Pretty confident of a 360 release Shawn? There is no doubt that the rough but gorgeous game video already released features HD graphics. With a rumored DS version in the works as well, Shawn may just get his chance to give his bad-ass’ery a fighting chance. Props to the earlier spelling of my name too. Maybe it is to remind me of my Street Fighting prime years? News flash bud, my goal with this new version is to make Ken one of my best characters!

 

Soul Calibur IV (Xbox 360, PS3):

 

A challenger approaches! Yet another fighting game enters the arena on our list bringing the total up to three. The previous two have been years in the making, but Soul Caliber IV comes only three years after its last incarnation. Has Namco been able to rebuild the series for next gen consoles as well as alleviate the bugs that plagued its PS2-only sire? With the seemingly cutthroat year that is 2008 for fighting games, let us hope Namco is paying attention to one of its most sacred series. He-of-few-words Josh has the following to say about what is one of his favorite fighting series of all time.

 

 

Josh mentions the most recent news revealed concerning Namco’s one-on-one fighter. Darth Vader and Yoda have both been announced as playable characters. During a conversation James noted that many times, short characters in fighting games always seems to result in straight up fighter cheese. Will Astaroth be able to do his full grabs on the two foot tall Yoda? We should find out at some point later this year.

 

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360, PC):

 

Proving that not all of our picks are huge big budget sequels we have a title on the list that should come in as our underdog, no contest. Utilizing the Source engine and developed by Turtle Rock Studios, now under Valve’s umbrella, Left 4 Dead promises to be a very unique take on squad based FPSes. Designed very much in the vein of 28 Weeks Later and the remake of Dawn of the Dead this game looks to recreate the horror and terror of being hunted down by a rabid pack of infected humans. Throw in a tier based system of weapons, a very clever and fresh checkpoint system for both teams, and even small nuances such as looking down in the game to actually see your chest and legs, Left 4 Dead seems to be a risky game idea that will pay off big in the long run. Pick your team, the survivors or the infected, and engage each other in mission based mayhem on several different maps. James sees great potential for this game at future L-A-G events.

 

 

Having tried various earlier incarnations of **** of the Dead style games in the past, James is looking forward to Turtle Rock Studios nailing what has been an elusive nail in the zombie game genre. Having gotten great press from QuakeCon 2007, it seems those with 360s and PCs can look forward to experiencing this unique FPS in late summer of 2008.

 

Tom Clancy’s EndWar (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, NDS):

 

Set to be a breath of fresh air in the Tom Clancy’s series, the formerly named FireHawk brings yet another RTS to our table of delicious multiplayer titles. EndWar looks to offer a slightly skewed, but still entirely believable, view of the future where an idea about a worldwide anti-ballistics system goes horribly wrong. The action starts during a terrorist attack on a US military operation that eventually embroils the biggest powers on the globe into an unstoppable World War III. Despite advertising massive multiplayer online battles, the developer has seen fit to streamline much of the nuts and bolts of this genre. It is great to see a developer see the value in less is more. The possibility of a griping story, combined with fast and easy to learn gameplay, may find a larger fan base than any Tom Clancy game to date. Troy, let loose the dogs of war.

 

 

Not many people’s brains scream with glee and especially not at the thought of worldwide nuclear warfare. Such doom and gloom must be wrapped in a beautiful package to get Troy excited like this. I share his opinion concerning the voice command chat that could, if executed fluidly, bring a new standard of control to RTSes much in the same way the Wii has brought motion controls into the living room. New technology is always an excited venue for ripe imaginations. The game is in Ubisoft’s hands so at least the developer backbone is there to pull off such a bold idea.

 

Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Japan only):

 

Doubtful to see a release in the United States this year, Dragon Question IX is sure to set the Land of the Rising Sun on fire sometime in 2008. The stunned nation took a few days to come to grips with the announcement in late 2006 that the most popular RPG series in Japan was jumping ship from any console proper and landing firmly onto the best selling Nintendo DS. Shifting loyalties aside, it is great to see the Dragon Quest brand brought back to it’s first home on a Nintendo console. Little is known about this title other than it will bring back the tried and trued turn based combat made popular by its forefathers so many years ago. Similar to the Final Fantasy Chronicles series, a four-player co-op is being planned for local and online multiplayer via Nintendo Wi-Fi. Having played and enjoyed nearly all the US released Dragon Quests all the way back to numero uno I find it exciting to share that joy with other people. The best RPGs out there are fun to watch while one person is driving the game. Dragon Quest IX plans to do away with that passive enjoyment and bring it into the hands of whoever feels drawn to the best RPG series in the history of Japan. Regardless of the downgrade in hardware from the PS2 there is no doubt Square Enix and Level 5 will treat its prize series with only the top level of spit and polish.

 

 

This being my only single voted game, I feel there is lot riding on Dragon Quest IX. I struggled, much like other fans of the series, about the possible downfalls of such a drastic shift in hardware. Will Akira Toriyama’s character designs shine under a third of the processing power and even less storage available to him on the PS2? I found solace in the knowledge that the birthplace of this series was found in an 8 bit family computer known as the Famicom. Restrictions can be just as much a boon to developers as freedom and I believe Square Enix has the tools in place to exploit that fact.

 

Duke Nukem Forever (PC):

 

The last game on our list was a struggle for me to allow in the decision of what games should be included in the possible 2008 releases. During a meeting amongst the staff members, it was first decided to only include titles that had a nearly concrete release sometime in 2008. I felt it would undermine the integrity of LANGaming.net to start throwing around names like Starcraft 2 or Street Fighter IV when these caliber of games rarely see release in the year after their announcement. But then it occurred to me that inevitably Josh would pick Duke Nukem Forever, vaporware game of the century, as well as one of the few games able to whip Josh into a frothy rabid fan boy. This sort of reaction is Halley’s comet rare folks. Letting loose the reigns on this topic was ultimately a great decision because now we get to talk about Duke Nukem Forever!

 

Developed during times long forgotten, using code engines since left to waste away in the dust of space, Duke Nukem Forever has reawakened the faithful with a showing of a teaser trailer last in 2007. Showing snippets of possible game play followed by snippets of possible weight training, Duke Nukem Forever is truly a game whose shadow has become heavier than its possibilities. There is a certain comedic reaction to the idea that 2008 could be the year of Duke’s return, but along with that is a sort of child-like wistfulness. Hope exists, despite all that has befallen an early build of the retail version exists on some server in the realm of 3D Realms. Josh’s reverence of the series displays itself in the only way the Internet will allow: with multiple exclamation points.

 

 

Come get some indeed.

 

Marriage (All Handhelds, especially those with rings):

 

So far there is only one member of LANGaming.net looking to tie the knot in 2008, but it’s a surefire way to get people together. James and his lovely Adriel are looking to finish what they started years ago by making it official: they are getting married in 2008. This isn’t a game you review or argue about it not coming onto the system you own. Seeing two people come together like this is just like watching Mario jump for the first or watching Master Chief’s shield recharge. When something that integral is designed into a game, or even in two people you can’t use a 10-point scale to rate. It is nice to know love and love of gaming can co-exist and that gives hope to the rest of us.

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading our predictions for 2008. If even half of them come true, and are the stellar experiences we have outlined here, then you will see a mountain of Mountain Dew cans not yet witnessed by human eyes. Keep gaming strong and playing long!