BY JACK BRADY
As school winds down and summer begins, gamers can rest assured that there are plenty of promising releases to keep them occupied over the coming months. Here are just a few titles sure to attract attention and players worldwide this summer.
F.E.A.R. 3: The F.E. A. R. series may not exactly have the world’s most original name, yet it’s chilling, paranoid atmosphere, mind-bending storytelling, and sickeningly intriguing plot certainly do the it justice. Unlike previous entries in the series, F. E. A. R. will feature a random A.I. generator, ensuring that no experience- and no moment of terror- will ever be the same, and even introduces co-op gameplay. F.E. A. R. 3 will conclude the gripping trilogy and will certainly satisfy its eager fans.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: A continuation of a classic gaming series that redefined the first-person shooter, Human Revolution features innovative cyberpunk universe and a thrillingly original art style, all housed in a dystopian setting straight out of Blade Runner and Neuromancer. In Deus Ex’s world, Renaissance aesthetics and discovery blend with corrupt and brutal corporate intrigue, fostering frenzied and out of control cybernetic development that has disastrous consequences the likes of which are impossible to believe. As quoted by one of the game’s main characters, “Its not the end of the world…but you can see it from here.”
Brink: Much like Valve’s smash hit Team Fortress 2, Brink combines frantic and frenzied first-person shooter combat and robust class-based multiplayer with fluid, exhilarating parkour and free-running movement, combined with an innovative, albeit vague, setting make Brink a likely target for the trigger-fingers of gamers everywhere.
L.A. Noire: Rockstar Games is known across the globe for their Grand Theft Auto series, yet the upcoming L.A. Noire showcases an entirely new type of game that will redefine the developer, and perhaps video game storytelling as we know it. Incredible, cutting-edge motion capture and modeling techniques have been utilized by Rockstar to create some of the most lifelike and realistic characters gaming has ever seen, all populating an immaculately detailed and lifelike reconstruction of 1940s era Los Angeles; one filled with more corruption and crime than Grand Theft Auto’s Liberty City ever had. Cast as an upstart detective, the player must gather evidence and interrogate witnesses and suspects in order to solve shockingly nefarious crimes, relying on their own intuition and detective skills. Of course, when you’re dealing everything from the Mob to deranged psychopaths, things may get a little hairy, thankfully Rockstar’s excellent gunplay mechanics return to complement the investigative aspects of the game. All in all, featuring groundbreaking technology and being created by one of the industry’s most renowned developers, L.A. Noire is a must have for any gamer who can handle some Sherlock with their shoot-em-up.
While each of these games are wildly different and certainly not going to appeal to everyone, each seems to be worthy our attention and gamers should keep an eye out on these releases in the coming months.
