Games: February 2012
March is expected to be a quite busy month for game releases this year: we have [Ridge Racer Unbounded](/games?search=Ridge Racer Unbounded), SSX, and Street Fighter x Tekken, and [Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai](/games?search=Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai), and [Rayman Origins](/games?search=Rayman Origins), and of course, the concluding part of the epic titled [Mass Effect 3](/games?search=Mass Effect 3). To prepare for such a flood of hits, we must properly meet the games of February and try them out in time, not postponing our acquaintance to the next month. So, if you have a vacation, if you managed to finish your session in January, and if you’re a school student, congratulations, you definitely won’t be bored in February!
P.S.: only games for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 were considered.
● [Metal Gear Solid](/games?search=Metal Gear Solid) HD Collection - February 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
European gamers finally awaited the release of the re-edition of the Metal Gear game series, including the original Metal Gear from 1987 and ending with the third part of [Metal Gear Solid](/games?search=Metal Gear Solid). Series veterans will have the chance to reminisce about Snake’s youth and their own, while newcomers will play not the prehistoric reptiles, but more or less presentable “Metal Gears,” so they can confidently sit down for Guns of the Patriots later, fully understanding what’s going on.
● [Final Fantasy XIII-2](/games?search=Final Fantasy XIII-2) - February 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Honestly, I’m not a fan of “Final Fantasy,” so I’ll limit myself to the words that come to mind when I think of Final Fantasy: crazy hairstyles, cute faces, short skirts on girls, big bosses, long swords, and strange vegetable companions!
● [Soul Calibur](/games?search=Soul Calibur) V - February 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
If you’re tired of the duels in Mortal Kombat, and you’re already sick of the superheroes from Marvel vs Capcom, welcome to [Soul Calibur](/games?search=Soul Calibur) V. Colorful brawls featuring a multitude of characters will be wrapped in an ordinary and unremarkable story mode (the story will be told through comics; we already miss the cool cutscenes from MK), and the mandatory “player vs player” modes will still be there. This time, the special guest is Ezio from the Assassin's Creed series, who graces the cover of the game.
● [Crusader Kings 2](/games?search=Crusader Kings 2) - February 7
PC
Publishers don’t often delight us with releases of games in the rare genre of grand strategies. So rejoice, modern diplomats and commanders of all ages, on February 7, the sequel to the quite good Crusader Kings, which once earned 73 points on Metacritic, will go on sale. The gameplay of the new installment has received a certain dose of reasonable innovations while remaining true to the traditions of [Europa Universalis](/games?search=Europa Universalis), while the graphical aspect has shown a significant leap forward - including dynamic shadows and picturesque landscapes.
● Inversion - February 7
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
PC
Attention: there’s some kind of nonsense with the release date again, which is generally already habitual. The release date on Facebook is listed as old, while the foreign Wikipedia says it’s March 30.
Ladies and gentlemen, our compatriots are releasing a big game, we can be a little proud of our Russian game development - not everyone is running online; there are still partisans! By the way, the developers - Saber Interactive - are known for such decent shooters as Will Rock and TimeShift, as well as the best remake of last year - [Halo: Combat Evolved](/games?search=Halo: Combat Evolved) Anniversary. Yes, skeptics regularly note that the oil on Saber’s developer frying pan has long burnt, and Inversion is turning out literally tasteless, but nonetheless, I personally do not share their point of view. Simply because my knowledge about this game is quite superficial; I haven’t played the demo at Igromir, so I’ll be a patriot and believe in the success of what many have already buried: Inversion. By the way, it will hit the shelves very soon.
● [Jagged Alliance](/games?search=Jagged Alliance) - Back in Action - February 9
PC (Steam)
● [Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning](/games?search=Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) - February 10
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
PC
We don’t have to guess whether to buy Reckoning or not. EA released a demo, anyone who wanted - played it and formed their opinion about the product. Here’s what I think: yes, the first impressions of Reckoning are definitely not positive. The beginning strongly resembles [Fable 3](/games?search=Fable 3): the story begins in a dungeon where our character is trapped against their will. The opening cutscenes, made on the game engine, will tell you who the main character is, where they came from, how they died, and how they eventually became alive. Interesting? It gets even cooler; and it’s not just about the surface slope: the situation will be clarified by gnomes with their Fountain of Souls.
Undoubtedly, there will also be an enemy who has prepared a conspiracy, and a light side of the Force, but this, as they say, are already details. The player will have to read and listen a lot and for a long time since the famous author Robert Salvatore has prepared a crazy script stretching over a whole thousand years. Right from the start, Reckoning will be throwing you books and various notes that will partially reflect the history of this new world. Conversations with characters you encounter on your path can also not be considered short: travelers will gladly answer your questions, point the way, and either bless or curse you for the future. The undesirables, by the way, can be intimidated.
Outwardly, [Kingdoms of Amalur](/games?search=Kingdoms of Amalur) very much resembles the already mentioned Fable and [World of Warcraft](/games?search=World of Warcraft). From the latter, the developers borrowed a general design based on bright colors and not very detailed backgrounds. Sometimes it even feels like you’re not playing a super-new RPG a la Skyrim, but some kind of multiplayer clone of WoW. The combat system is copied from Fable: dynamic, engaging, but for now a bit simplistic. In close combat, we have no opponents, and the ranged combat is somewhat relaxed, thanks to the unnecessary auto-targeting. Stealth, too, while rewarding with spectacular kills against the opponents, is rather useless in a couple of situations: why sneak quietly to the enemy when you can easily chop them into pieces with your assassin blades in open combat? Magic, too, is borrowed from there: the first spell that our protagonist learns in [Kingdoms of Amalur](/games?search=Kingdoms of Amalur) will be the electric charge, lightning. Meanwhile, the controls bring back memories of Bastion, where rolls were also activated by space and blocking was done by shift.
As an RPG, [Kingdoms of Amalur](/games?search=Kingdoms of Amalur) is still nothing special: on the agenda is a classic leveling system with a skill tree. Want - upgrade agility for bow mastery, want - strength, become a tank, and as a last resort, you can master magic - fighting enemies at a reasonable distance is still not canceled.
In the end, [Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning](/games?search=Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) is a potent mix of Fable, [World of Warcraft](/games?search=World of Warcraft), and even [God of War](/games?search=God of War) - the bosses here are taken down with the signature tricks of Mr. Kratos. So, if you appreciated the games listed above in their time, there’s a chance you’ll like the “Kingdom.” At the very least, I had more positive impressions than negative ones, so I will certainly not deprive myself of getting to know the final version of this RPG.
● [The Darkness II](/games?search=The Darkness II) - February 10, 2012
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
PC (Steam)
The sequel to The Darkness will be available on consoles a day earlier than its PC release. In Steam, “The Darkness” will be available on February 11. Overall, we have a good, solid shooter, which will be interesting primarily to the “PC audience.” Demonic tentacles combined with firearms - that’s something new. I can't judge the controls with a keyboard and mouse; I only played the demo version on PlayStation 3. Creating chaos with a gamepad is comfortable as usual, but the developers overdid it with the vibration of the “joystick”: our controller shakes too often, too vigorously. Essentially, we’re practically playing with a constantly vibrating gamepad, which can’t help but irritate, so we have to dive into the settings and turn off the unnecessary “shaking.”
● Catherine - February 10
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Oh, phew, pow, and a plethora of other emotions flooded the minds of players reading the long-awaited news - Catherine will be released in Europe in February 2012 (a year after its release in Japan!). This amazing blend of a platformer and anime-movie will finally cease to be sold in European stores at harsh prices, and young boys who were expecting to see female butts and breasts in the game will be disappointed, because Catherine is only a deep story with some smart subtext that we all still have to unravel, not a drawn pornography. In general, as people like to say in such situations, Catherine is a breath of fresh air, and so on.
● Dear Esther - February 14
PC (Steam)
On February 14, those who love and respect the genre of adventure (indie) games simply must purchase Dear Esther on Steam - a game that some smoothly refer to as the most original first-person game of recent years. An intriguing story about love and loss, a stunningly beautiful deserted island, and a captivating soundtrack are expected.
● Twisted Metal - February 17
PlayStation 3
The long-awaited exclusive for the Sony platform, proudly titled a vehicle combat video game. The action is primarily aimed at multiplayer battles involving up to 16 players. An abundance of explosions, high speeds, and the maniacal laughter of crazy clowns are expected!
● UFC Undisputed 3 - February 17
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
A fighting simulator where fighters are allowed to hit each other with both hands and feet. For enthusiasts. As far as I know, fans of this sport have no alternatives, and the quality of Undisputed 3, judging by the demo version, is top-notch.
● Binary Domain - February 24
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
An action game from Japan (the developers are Yakuza) focusing on team interaction. Players will need to build contact with their partners to advance successfully through the story, as they will react to various situations based on our behavior (read - they will either come to help or not). There will be room not only for tactical shootouts involving the protagonists, but also for battles with large bosses (a tradition for Japanese developers) and robots of the future (the action takes place in the machine era). Overall, we expect a solid action movie about friendship and all that.
● Alan Wake's American Nightmare - February 22
Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Not a continuation and not a sequel to Alan Wake, released in May 2010, but a standalone addon that expands the game’s overall story and scenario. Currently, the release date is known only for XLA, but very likely soon, PC owners will also be able to mark it on their calendars.
● [Asura's Wrath](/games?search=Asura's Wrath) - February 24
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Another project from Japanese developers, bringing joy to all fans of button-mashing. The gameplay of [Asura's Wrath](/games?search=Asura's Wrath) can be assessed by trying out the demo version. Simply put, it’s a pretentious over-the-top action game consisting of battles where you must push buttons quickly, as well as fights resembling regular fighting games but with a mix of all those QTEs. All this chaos is sprinkled with universe-scale problems faced by local characters, enormous boss villains, and cute faces of a couple of girls. For enthusiasts.
● Syndicate - February 24
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
PC (Origin)
Information about the new “Syndicate” has already been polished and processed, so I will simply quote myself:
“Of course, it can’t be avoided without comparisons to ‘[Deus Ex: Human Revolution](/games?search=Deus Ex: Human Revolution)’. But this concerns more the setting and the plot, the world of the game, so to speak, and not the gameplay. After all, ‘[Deus Ex](/games?search=Deus Ex)’ is not a shooter. And ‘Syndicate’, although it seems a clone of its titled colleague, in reality, the situation turns inside out: by the end of the gameplay, it recalls old good ‘F.E.A.R.’. The main character, endowed with a special chip with pre-installed combat programs, is capable, on the one hand, of literally driving his enemies crazy, and on the other hand, of altering the tasks of any program installed on technical equipment (for example, directing the fire of an enemy turret against foes).
You play in ‘Syndicate’ like in a classic shooter: enemies skillfully use covers, constantly change positions and generally demonstrate their good artificial intelligence, while our protégé in such conditions must promptly assess the situation, wisely calculate the route, but most importantly - skillfully use the gun in their hands.
Of course, it won’t be without fashionable ‘slow-mo’, varied level architecture, upgrading abilities, exciting plot twists, and a dozen of cinematic moments. And the fact that ‘Syndicate’ will not be a simple shooter (just pay attention to the ‘magnetizing’ ability of bullets) proves the experience of the developer: after all, it was ‘Starbreeze Studios’ that gifted the world with the wonderful ‘The [Chronicles of Riddick](/games?search=Chronicles of Riddick): Escape from Butcher Bay’ back in 2004.