The annual X’09 event in Toronto gave video game lovers a chance to test out new and upcoming titles, such as Guitar Hero-offshoot DJ Hero, zombie-friendly Left for Dead 2 and the ultra-realistic NHL 2010.
Zombies are eating my face. It’s annoying. But this is my first crack at the much-anticipated Left for Dead 2, the first-person shooter starring zombie hordes descending on human survivors. I’m not doing too well, even though I played Valve’s original Left for Dead. Like a scene from a George Romero film, the zombies in Left for Dead 2 are relentless, surrounding me in hordes. Luckily, a fellow player “revives” me after I’ve become zombie brunch.
This November release is one of the many games on display at X’09 at Toronto’s This is London nightclub. The annual showcase of new Xbox 360 games has shrunk this year, offering only a few sports titles and nary a Street Fighter sequel in sight. Still, DigitalJournal.com got a taste of some of the hot titles sure to make gaming fans salivate this holiday season.
Left for Dead 2 deserves a recommendation, especially for first-person shooter aficionados. There are more guns to choose from, and the zombie variety is truly impressive. Take the the Boomer, an obese zombie whose spit and bile is toxic to the human player. I had a hard time maneuvering around his spit, but when I mastered the move, it was wildly fun to blast him away with a round of shotgun fire.
In versus mode, two teams of up to four players each are up against each other. They can play the survivors and the special infected once per chapter. The survivors enjoy the same goal as in campaign mode, while the special infected try to stop them from reaching the safe house.
The far end of the nightclub featured what will surely be a big hit: DJ Hero. You’re familiar with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but Activision now wants to usher in a hip-hop-style karaoke game. DJ Hero uses a special DJ-controller kit, complete with cross-fade and buttons planted on the disc. Players need to press buttons to accent beats pumping out in the game, and there are moments to “scratch” and use the cross-fade button effectively. It isn’t as complicated as it sounds, but it will be a learning curve for DJ neophytes.
I also tried out NHL 2010, the latest in the hockey game franchise by EA Sports. Known for being a bit more difficult to control than the NHL 2K series, EA’s NHL franchise adds some great features to its realistic gameplay: you can now pin players to the board, and if you are pinned you can try to kick the puck to a teammate with your skate. Also, dangling and deke moves are a bit easier to do than in the predecessor, so there’s a real wow-factor when Sidney Crosby goes top-shelf on Brodeur.
Fighting in NHL 2010 enjoys a makeover, allowing players to grapple and jersey and swing fists like a young Tie Domi. Thing is, why no body shots? Delivering only head shots is a blow to the game’s fighting realism, pun intended.
Other games on display at X’09 include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Halo 3: ODST, The Beatles: Rock Band, Forza Motorsport 3, and Tony Hawk: Ride (this skateboarding game looks particularly attractive, especially since players have to use a separate skateboard peripheral to jump, olly and twirl).
Finally, some Xbox 360 pricing news: the Modern Warfare 2 bundle includes an Xbox 360 Elite swathed in game art, a pair of wireless controllers, a 250-gigabyte hard disk, and a copy of the game. It will retailing for $429.99.
Microsoft is going up against Sony’s new $299.99 PlayStation 3 slim with their own holiday bundle. This package sells for $299.99 and comes with a 120-gigabyte Xbox 360 Elite, two classic games: LEGO: Batman and Pure, an off-road racer.
Xbox 360 sales have been steady, GameDaily reports. Console sales rose 17 per cent in 2009 so far, through August, and Microsoft sales sale “surpassed expectations.”
