Eye on The Future: A Look Into 2009 - Xbox Games To Watch

Posted by Todd Vote on 12.18.2008

In the first part of a three-part special that will look at the games of 2009, 411’s Todd Vote looks at some upcoming exclusives for the Xbox 360. Is Alan Wake going to be worth it? Will 2009 once again be the year of Halo? Check out the full column for all the details!



Come one come all, welcome to the Eye on the Future Special Feature. With Christmas and the New Year looming we kick things off with a special 3-part look to 2009. After New Year’s, I will transition over to my regular scheduled News Report, right here on 411mania. Before we get started I would like to send a special shout out to Misty for creating a kick ass banner for the column. Thanks Misty, you kick ass on at least 47 levels...

With Joe Roche, Derek Robbins and Theo Fraser, all doing such a bang up job of covering their respective systems, the Ultra Combo News Report will, for the most part, be geared towards a combination of games first, consoles second. But, since we are kicking off with a look at 2009, what better way to set precedence for breaking the formula, than doing so in the first edition? Lets get to it shall we?

While there are several huge cross platform games that will be coming in the new year, these Eye on The Future specials will focus on each console, and a few of the exclusives they have coming down the pike. To help the flow of each weekly edition, I will focus on one console in each part. First up is the Xbox 360. Mr. Box, what do you have to offer?

Halo Wars

Release date: March 3rd, 2009

Ah... Halo. You money hungry bitch! Where do you get off trying to open up your universe to a new batch of gamers?

Halo Wars, for those of you who don't know is a RTS game based in the Halo universe. The heart of the story takes place before the events of the first Halo game, and apparently will cover the Covenants eradication of the Outer Colonies during the Human-Covenant war. The player will take control of familiar branches of the UNSC, along with some new squads. With the help of a new AI called Serena, the player must battle the Covenant to gain an advantage in the war.

Apparently, Ensemble studios worked on the control scheme for this game up to six months before approaching Microsoft, which is promising when you take into account how difficult RTS games can be on consoles. The game will offer both co-op and a solo campaigns, as well as online play via Xbox Live. The Covenant will be playable in online skirmishes.

The Verdict:
It would be interesting to see where Master Chief and the whole universe started. Unfortunately for myself, playing this type of game doesn't do much but frustrate me. Not something I enjoy from my gaming experience. It's far too much info for my brain to soak up to get all of my military units functioning cohesively.

That being said, fans of the genre, and fans of Halo alike should enjoy this one. It offers a new take on the universe, and a fresh story that doesn't involve Master Chief. With enough online support this one could eat a big chunk of your playing schedule.


Halo 3: Recon ODST

Release date: Q4 2009

Is it safe to say that 2009 will once again be a big year for Halo?

ODST is a FPS game that will essentially bridge the gap between Halo 2 and Halo 3. Players take control of an Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as the Covenant invades New Mombassa. The story focuses on your characters search to discover what happened to his missing teammates.

I am curious to see how the run and gun style of the original trilogy will be altered for this new entry. Since you do not control Master Chief, one would assume that you would not have the same perks that the Chief had at his disposal. For example, the amount of bullet damage you take should be significantly increased, which should in turn slow the players down a bit as they use a more tactical approach to the situation at hand.

With new maps, a new campaign mode, and plenty more multi player action, this title could be one to watch for at the end of next year. It offers plenty of intrigue in the form of a new take on one of the major events of the original Halo trilogy.

The Verdict
I owe my being a fan of FPS games to Halo 3, and COD4. For me, you cannot beat the online multiplayer in Call of Duty, but I will be picking this one up when it is eventually released, due to the co-op campaign. I don't have a problem with the multiplayer in Halo for the most part, so I can see myself giving plenty of time to it.

The thing to watch about the two above listed titles, is that both games will be set in the Halo Universe, but neither will feature the Halo’s Big Dog, Master Chief. Will fans of the series be upset at the lack of Master Chief? I can’t see his absence having too much of an effect on sales, provided the games are decent to great. If the games are sub-par, I can see fans of the series throwing a lack of Master Chief out as a reason for it. Kudos to Microsoft for trying to open up the franchise a bit, and I hope it doesn’t backfire on them.


Alan Wake

Release date: MIA

Seriously, where the hell is this guy?

Does anyone else remember this title? It was announced back at the launch of the 360. Since then we have learned so little about it, that some have begun questioning whether or not the game is still in development. From what info I can find, it is still in development. 411’s own Chris Vicari has featured a new trailer for the game in a recent PC Spotlight, so the game is still out there. Will Remedy finally unleash this title on us in the coming year? Only time will tell, but if the studio’s previous efforts on Max Payne are any indication, this one should be worth the wait.

Not much else is known about this game other than it will be a 3rd person action-thriller game. You take control of the title character, a famous horror writer, who has taken a trip to a sleep clinic to get his mojo back. Things take a turn for the worse, as Alan’s latest work seems to be coming to life all around him.

The Verdict
I have been waiting for this one since it was first announced a few years back. Will it be another Too Human, that fails to live up to the hype, or will it be every bit as good as expected? Only time will tell, but I for one am looking forward to this game about as much as anything else the 360 has on the horizon.

Reader Sound Off
Got something you want to say? Want to add to the hype machine of one of your anticipated games? This is the section for you to do it in. Of course we can't do that this week with it being the first edition and all. But here is how we will handle this section in future issues. I will ask a question at the end of each edition of The Ultra Combo. The first person to email me with the right answer will have an opportunity to write a few paragraphs sounding off about whatever gaming subject is on their mind. (*Note: Answers in the comments section will not be accepted. The answer must be emailed.) The question will not be mind numbingly hard or anything like that, just a method for me to choose who gets this spot. I don't care where you get the answer, whether you knew it already, or you googled it. As I said it is just a way to make sure everyone gets a fair crack at the reader sound off.

This weeks question:
Approximately how many games has Nintendo’s loveable plumber Mario appeared in?

I hope you enjoyed a little peak at a few of the anticipated titles for the Xbox 360. Check back next week on Christmas Day, where we will give the same treatment to Uncharted 2, Tekken 6 and God of War 3 for the Playstation 3.

Take care all.

Screenshots
All 14 Eye on The Future Screenshots