I promise, my only Lolcat-related image ever.

Today was 4/20. The irony is not lost on me that during this “holiday” I neither sold nor purchased pot in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It just wasn’t in demand, yo.

Face-mapping could help poor, ugly giants like this guy

Funcom’s Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (AoC) is allowing players’ faces and voices into its barbaric world. In the near future (read: “soon”), players will be able to inject themselves into the game and, as far as faces go, accessorize their likenesses with items like eye patches. While it’s interesting to think that practically your entire persona can be put into an MMO, isn’t the point of  playing a fantasy to live as an avatar who isn’t you? Also, something tells me that Robert E. Howard would cringe at the possibility of a “Boobienan” hacking down frost giants with a man’s face on a topless female body.

Apparently, 8.5% of American kids aged 8 to 18 are addicted to videogames, or so reports The Washington Post. This story has made the rounds on various websites today, but really this topic is nothing new. As gamers we all experience a particular kind of social stigma, with implications that games cause obesity, promote violence, etc. And although researcher Dr. Douglas Gentile is in cahoots with the sometimes-dubious National Institute on Media and the Family, it’s even more concerning to the sensibilities that a gambling Q&A used on such a small sample size led to this generalization (and is considered “scientific”). Specifically:

To get at gaming addiction, Gentile adapted diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling into a series of questions about video game use. The questions became part of a 2007 Harris Poll survey of 1,178 children and teens. Gamers were deemed “pathological” if they reported at least six of the 11 symptoms.

More of this, Obsidian. Thanks!

Speaking of civilizations characterized as being so clearly in the proverbial toilet, a new Fallout title was announced for 2010. Called Fallout: New Vegas, this  isn’t a direct sequel to Fallout 3, but a new story set within the Fallout universe. Developed under the tutelage of Bethesda by Obsidian Entertainment, best-known for their Knights of the Old Republic sequel and Neverwinter Nights 2 titles, the game will probably feel a lot like Bethesda’s work with improvements here and there. Obsidian had a habit of tweaking BioWare’s ideas, and their games aped the originals a bit too closely as a result. Could this new Fallout title turn out like Call of Duty: World at War: a safe-bet palette swap? Ironically, Obsidian is the spiritual successor to Black Isle Studios, the devs of the first two Fallout titles.

With E3 2009 just around the corner, it seems like an appropriate time to outline the known games we’re excited to see released over the rest of the year. Though our staff hasn’t had access to these games in a professional, hands-on manner, our comments are based on scouring sources for factual elements with pieces of speculation and analysis tossed in. Enjoy.

The Sasquatch Trinity: The three most wickedly awesomest games to watch this year

Brutal Legend: [Double Fine Productions, Electronic Arts, Q3 2009]

Another Tim Schafer game, another memorable experience.

Double Fine’s latest has EA’s publishing power to hopefully encourage sales success instead of repeating Psychonauts’ commercial stagnation under Majesco. The ridiculous concept of the world’s greatest roadie, Eddie Riggs (brought to life by Jack Black), being transported to a heavy metal fantasy land by his belt buckle works because Schafer and his team have created a world that thrives on that very ridiculousness. But this metal homage wouldn’t work without legitimacy: Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead and Rob Halford from Judas Priest are playing major roles in both the game’s creative development and in voicing major characters. However, the undisclosed soundtrack is keeping legions of metalheads with perfect set lists swirling around their cerebrums waiting with bated breath. Will Double Fine’s licensing pull through?

While the gameplay at this stage sounds typical (think third-person portions similar to 3D Zelda titles, Crackdown and GTA), the polish visible in screenshots and trailers is already cranking this game up to “11″ in the wit department. Brütal Legend also expands on Psychonauts’ third-person action-adventure formula with a reported 64 square-kilometer open world littered with metal album cover imagery and over-the-top characters.

Most of all, it looks fun.

Assassin’s Creed 2: [Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, Q4 2009]

We here at the Silicon Sasquatch enjoyed the first Assassin’s Creed. It was a slow-burn title that offered more than the nagging comments of the Internet claimed it did thanks to its wonderful setting and interesting, if not average, plot. In fact, in the coming weeks we’ll post a Retrospective of the title with our team’s compiled commentary.

Generally, the investigation portions suffered the most flak from various reviews and message boards. Which brings us to Assassin’s Creed 2, the recently revealed , Renaissance-era sequel. Desmond’s next assassin ancestor probed by the Animus is one Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an (obviously) Italian nobleman. Details from the next Game Informer posted on a since-removed Ubisoft forum page mention that AC2 will do away with the more disliked investigation options (pickpocketing and eavesdropping) while adding variety to the mission mix. Taking place in Europe will be a great change of pace as well, though it’s worrisome to hear of “flying machine” elements and an apparent emphasis on more action–two hidden blades are, apparently, better than one.

Let’s just hope Desmond does something proactive this time around. Maybe this?

The Beatles: Rock Band: [Harmonix, Electronic Arts/MTV Games, see above]

It’s The Beatles. It’s Rock Band. Despite the currently scant details, we can definitively say this will be the game for music fans. Still, many questions need to be answered before the game’s September release. Will the graphical style be more realistic? Do players only take on the personas of the world’s most acclaimed band? If true, does that mean no one will pass up the bass anymore? E3 is only a couple of months away.

The title, which has been worked on by the music game masters at Harmonix for over a year, benefits from the creative input of the two living Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Even Yoko Ono and George Harrison’s family are lending their support to make the game as authentic as possible. Considering this experience focuses on celebrating the entire career of The Beatles and isn’t a one-shot Guitar Hero: Insert Band title, The Beatles: Rock Band can’t affort to slack off in the “feel” department at all.

In addition, George Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, has confirmed that unreleased Beatles audio content will make it into the game, almost making this Rock Band offshoot another Beatles Anthology project. This ties into the announcement that 14 of The Beatles’ albums, completely remastered in stereo and with other goodies, are dropping the same date as The Beatles: Rock Band. Will these new master tracks make it into the game? Without a doubt.

Fun fact: Two of our writers are confessed rhythm game fanatics and Rock Band addicts, while the other just wants to play “Revolution” on his plastic guitar.

Individual Picks

Aaron Thayer:

Champions Online: [Cryptic Studios, Atari, Q3 2009]
Based on details alone, Champions Online could be the redemption of the superhero MMO concept. Cryptic’s team seems to have learned from their mistakes in City of Heroes by providing character itemization (costume pieces = loot!), more robust hero and villain customization and realtime, cooldown-free fighting.

Mafia II: [2K Czech, Take-Two Interactive, Q4 2009]
The first Mafia in 2002 was the original open-world attempt at a realistic setting long before Niko Bellic came around. Mafia II changes the time period to the classic mobster era of the 1940s and 50s, but looks to keep the in-depth plot and cast while giving players a plethora of gameplay additions like faster cars with working trunks to store bodies and boomsticks. Nice.

Nick Cummings:

Modern Warfare 2: [Infinity Ward, Activision, Fall 2009]

It might be a bit audacious to put this at the top of my list. There hasn’t been any concrete information released about the game, unless poring over cryptic trailers is your thing, but as the company’s last game was the genre-revitalizing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, I’m expecting nothing but brilliance. Infinity Ward is going to great lengths to make this the definitive sequel fans have been waiting for (although Call of Duty: World at War was nothing to scoff at) by asking fans to submit suggestions for MW2 via a special Twitter site and hash tag.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: [Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment, Fall 2009]

I bought a PlayStation 3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, but I didn’t fall in love with the platform until I played Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. I’d had reservations after playing a pre-release demo at the Penny Arcade Expo in 2007 — the controls felt too loose, the environments too constricting — but just a few minutes with the retail release quelled all my fears. Uncharted was a beautiful, rich game of high adventure and sarcasm with just a dash of cheesiness. It was everything the new Indiana Jones film should have been, and the sequel, Among Thieves, aims to improve upon its predecessor in just about every way. It’s a tall order, but Naughty Dog is dead-set on delivering.

Doug Bonham:

Every EA Sports Title Released This Year: [EA Sports, Electronic Arts, various releases]
Being a sports game fan, there’s always a new season’s worth of games to look forward to each year. This is of course true for the lineup from sports-gaming juggernaut EA Sports. Titles worth looking forward to include Tiger Woods 10 in June, NCAA Football 10 in July, and NHL 10 and FIFA 10 in the fall. Of course, seeing how Madden 10 turns out when that launches in August is a necessity as well.

The Bigs 2: [Blue Castle Games, 2K Sports, July 2009]
Of particular note for sports games this year is 2K Sports’ The Bigs 2. The first one two years ago was a great piece of arcade sports gaming, right in the same genre as NBA Street as part of the second wave of arcade-style sports games. The sequel promises to pitch up more wicked yakkers when it launches in June, and is probably an Xbox 360 gamer’s best bet for baseball this year.

The Most Worrisome Games of 2009: Not all games are made equal.

Dragon Age: Origins: [BioWare, Electronic Arts, Late 2009]

BioWare’s announcement of Dragon Age: Origins heralded a return to its roots of high-fantasy roleplaying games like Baldur’s Gate. It’s cause for celebration for any hardcore RPG fan…on paper, at least. Sticking to strict old-school mechanics, like playing a mute protagonist, gives the impression that BioWare is developing a game around the rigid Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset without even possessing the license anymore. After 2007′s stellar Mass Effect became a critical and commercial hit, it’s a little worrisome that BioWare seems to be throwing that game’s innovations out the window.

BioShock 2: [2K Marin, 2k Games, Late 2009]

One man does not a classic make, but there’s no dismissing the invaluable role Ken Levine played in the development of cult horror classic System Shock 2 and its spiritual successor, BioShock. His lack of involvement in BioShock 2 is a little disconcerting, but even more troubling is how uninspired the sequel looks in comparison to the stunning impression the first game had on all who played it. A return to Rapture isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but when the interface, enemies, Plasmids and weapons look nearly identical to the first game, why even bother making a sequel?

At this point in the game’s lifespan, a betting man would be wise to wager that you the gamer have played, or at least trialed, World of Warcraft. It’s also safe to assume that even if you’ve avoided the cyberscapes of Azeroth, you know at least one person suckling the Warcraft teat. Blizzard’s flagship title with its 11.5 million players is a testament to the staying power of this particular MMO, and the new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is an all-out effort on Blizzard’s part to keep it at the top.

“But Aaron,” some may inevitably ask, “why would I play the same game after it’s already been stomping on its competitors for the past four years? It’s not going to change that much.” That’s a reasonable question, for sure. They may also assume World of Warcraft is like any other MMO, with a never-ending series of expansion packs aimed primarily at the hardcore, top-tier players with enough time on their hands to complete the numerous, escalating challenges presented. This was what happened with the previous expansion, The Burning Crusade. Fortunately, Wrath is more new than it is old, and while being true to the golden formula of  [1 engaging quest system + rapid combat * (mountains of loot)²] that Blizzard created with vanilla WoW and BC before it, the bottom line is, simply, Wrath is the most fun I’ve had playing an MMO in many, many years.

Current subscribers to the world of Azeroth fall into two separate categories outside of the typical labels of hardcore, roleplayer or casual (the mileage of each definition varies with the individual, of course). Specifically, if you’re a hardcore player, you still either care a lot about the Warcraft mythology and how the MMO advances the storyline from the original RTSes, or you would rather ditch the writing and focus on what loot can be obtained through the massively multiplayer experience. Both mindsets have room to coexist within the game, but consider which team you’d want to bat for before going into the new content, as your outlook truly matters and can maximize or minimize the integrity of the entire expansion. When I say Wrath is fun, I’m saying that it hits upon what I feel is missing from most MMOs: a well-written storyline finely chiseled through a series of enjoyable quests.

The Discovery Channel-esque views of Grizzly Hills

Wrath of the Lich King rewards Warcraft story devotees while simultaneously providing a more solid, tuned and enjoyable MMO experience. What isn’t there to like about the new system in place? Leveling to the new cap of 80 is, first and foremost, easy. Yes, it is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. While the short skip and hop to the new level cap takes away a certain feeling of accomplishment that was obtained when you first hit level 60 and later 70, Wrath isn’t trying to keep its player base tied-up in leveling woes for three months. Sure, it was easy for some day-one douches to literally hit 80 at launch, but the overall effect of letting the less-devoted players see new content so soon was a great idea on Blizzard’s part.

You’ll level up a main character, which can be done almost entirely solo even if you aren’t an independent class like a hunter, hybrid-healer or caster, and then immediately get to work preparing for heroic difficulty dungeons, epic raids, new player versus player battlegrounds or leveling your poor, neglected alternate characters. At times this expansion can be overwhelming because of the amount of freedom you have, whereas before you would almost feel chained to one character for the next 10 levels of content. The additions to talents and spellbooks are, as always, debatable and constantly changing. Class balance is a dynamic beast, and one that I won’t go into. At the very least, I enjoyed my Shaman’s new skills on the speedy road to 80.

Unfortunately, "Penguin Party" isn't an achievement

But just because leveling from 70 to 80 (and even levels 1 to 70 due to lowered experience requirements) is fast doesn’t automatically mean it’s wonderful. No, the true joy of leveling in Wrath comes from the highly entertaining quests and the perfectly executed cinematic elements Blizzard found a way to implement into a cartoony, four-year-old game. This is where your interest in Warcraft’s history becomes very important.

As the title might suggest, Wrath of the Lich King ratchets up the presence of one Arthas Menethil, otherwise known as the Lich King to the unaware (I sincerely hope that wasn’t a spolier for someone), who was once a noble human paladin as well as a prince. Anyone who played through Warcraft III and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, saw the downfall of Arthas at the hands of both his insatiable rage and the sword called Frostmourne. For the last five years (when Frozen Throne was released), those eager to learn what really happened after Arthas assumed the title and throne of the Lich King have waited for Blizzard to throw out some scraps. Bits and pieces of his existence were sprinkled around in the original WoW and BC, but until this expansion nothing has come close to the surprisingly intimate and frequent encounters with Wrath’s titular character. Outside of Death Knights, being the former BFFs of Arthas, the familiar classes of WoW see a lot of the Lich King. Hopefully you like the guy, or as much as you can like a mass-murdering, patricidal, undead maniac.

Truly though, the storylines and quests involving Arthas are some of the best ever crafted for the WoW universe. The writing has been much more focused, clear and logical. Players are taken to events that correlate back to the Warcraft strategy games, which is a treat for longtime fans. You get to see Arthas and his dwarven pal Muradin find Frostmourne and witness the prince’s downfall, in-game, and not with a limited viewpoint like in Warcraft III. For non-lore nerds this will mean little, but like I said before if you care about the stories and the mythology, you begin to realize that Wrath is more of a fan service expansion than anything else the company has done in recent years. So far, Arthas has shown up in most of the eight quest zones (Wintergrasp, the outdoor PvP section, doesn’t count). The in-game cutscenes with Arthas are fully voice-acted and incredibly cinematic. His raspy, deathly cold voice adds a lot to the experience. For the first time I felt like I was participating in a piece of the Warcraft universe, witnessing some integral event unfolding before my character. For example: You get to touch the Lich King’s former heart, his last aspect of humanity, which is floating hundreds of feet beneath his Icecrown Citadel. Classic.

Frostmourne hungers…

Obviously I’ve gushed the most over Wrath’s superb execution of the typically weak story development seen in older World of Warcraft efforts. Outside of story, it has to be mentioned that the art and audio direction in this game almost make me wish I had purchased the Collector’s Edition. Blizzard’s portfolio has, for me, been a source of many childhood drawings, tracings and other artistic musings. I remember when I brought the Diablo instruction booklet to school with me multiple times, reading the background of the world and characters over and over whenever I had the chance. So it means a lot to me when I say that the art in this game is the best they’ve ever done. The soundtrack is equally fantastic, and I have not once turned the music off while playing the game, even months after release.

A random dancing pirate!

It’s actually humorous to think of doing a review, especially this far into the post-release period, of an MMO’s expansion. Regardless of the game, committed players are going to purchase the new content because it’s practically required to do anything of merit. But this review isn’t to persuade those who haven’t made the plunge. Instead, it’s written to highlight what has been an evolution in the MMO spectrum. Say what you will about WoW addictions, time wasting and so on, but I’m hard-pressed to find any true flaws in Wrath. A gaming experience, when done correctly as it is here, is important regardless of genre. Yet, you either like MMOs or you don’t — that’s really what it boils down to. But for me, playing through a new chapter in the Warcraft story has been worth the time and monetary investment, and I’m sure some of those 11.5 million players feel the same way.

Recommended for

• MMO players feeling dismayed by thinly sliced storylines seen in other games and previous World of Warcraft titles; a redemption of immersive storylines.
• Tastes that lean toward the appreciation of the Warcraft lore and its continuation.
• Gamers interested in seeing what an MMO can do “right.”

Read our policy on reviews here.