Games Convention is underway so it’s been pretty busy here at the GN office. We’re keeping the news flowing so don’t worry about missing something, we all got it here in a nice tidy package. In the meantime, here’s a brief recap of Day 1.
New games announcements:
Bohemia Interactive announced ArmA 2, which is coming to PC and unspecified consoles in 2008. The game will take a modern-day military approach in a fictional country called Chernarus.
SEGA revealed Empire: Total War, the next game in the long-running Total War series. Developer Creative Assembly will return, and the game will be released for PC sometime in 2008. The game will take place during the 1700s to early 1800s and will feature naval combat for the first time.
Codemasters revealed Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, which is coming to consoles and PC in 2008.
Activision announced a new James Bond game; developers Treyarch, Bennox and Vicarious Visions will be developing for PC, consoles and handhelds. It’s expected Treyarch will handle the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, Bennox will handle the handhelds and Wii versions and Bennox will handle the PC version.
2K Sports is bringing Top Spin to the Wii. PAM Development and 2K Shanghai will be handling the game. The Wii Nunchuk will control the player and the Wii Remote will act as the tennis racquet. Four levels of difficulty are planned along with four player co-op too. PAM Development is also working on Top Spin 3, which will come to PS3 and Xbox 360 next year.
Sonic Team revealed that they’re working on a Sonic Riders sequel titled Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity for the Wii and PS2. The game is expected in February 2008. New gameplay features include gravity-manipulating mechanics, more racers, new hoverboards and bikes and the ability to upgrade your ride.
General news:
Activision revealed more Guitar Hero III tracks, all of the following will be original tracks:
* Minus Celsius (by Backyard Babies)
* Hier Kommt Alex (by Die Toten Hosen)
* In the Belly of a Shark (by Gallows)
* I’m in the Band (by The Hellacopters)
* Avalancha (by Heroes Del Silencio)
* Take This Life (by In Flames)
* Ruby (by Kaiser Chiefs)
* Closer (by Lacuna Coil)
* Generation Rock (by Revolverheld)
* Mauvais Garcon (by NAAST)
* Radio Song (by Superbus)
In association with the newly revealed Rock Band tracks, Rock Band will be released for PS3, alongside Xbox 360 and PS2.
D3Publisher finally announced a concrete release date for their long in-development third-person action game Dark Sector. The date is January 22, 2008; the game is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3. A new website launched as well.
Despite some early rumors, Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer didn’t reveal his new game project at Games Convention. He is certainly working on something but unfortunately he said, "I’m not allowed to talk about the game yet."
