Welcome to the PDG January 2010 Video Game Previews

By Mike Norton

Darksiders: Wrath of War

Platforms: PS3, Xbox360

Genre: Action Adventure

Worldwide Release Date: 5-8 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: 5-8 January 2010 (expected)

The player takes on the role of War, one of the four legendary Horsemen of the apocalypse; the apocalypse has just taken place prematurely, and the world destroyed, and War finds himself tasked to find out who was behind this; caught in a battle between angels and demons, he has lost much of his power, and must find out where the other horsemen are, and who misled them into starting the final battle.

Army of Two: The 40th Day

Platforms: PS3, Xbox360, PSP

Genre: Third Person Shooter

Worldwide Release Date: 12-15 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: 12-15 January 2010 (expected)

Game play will be further enhanced such as being able to feign surrender in order to outflank the enemy, using human shields, and automated covering. The refined controls now only require one button for any particular action. Melee has been mapped to a face button, and rifling through weapons can be done with one hand. There will also be a sprint function in the game. Partner AI has also been revamped to be more responsive and intelligent allowing the player to direct their partner into performing specific actions such as stealth kills or feigning surrender.

More weapons and upgrades will be available, adding interchangeable upgrades between weapons, such as adding the barrel of one assault rifle to another. The "pimped" option returns with new camouflage schemes. Weapons can now also be obtained from downed enemies, increasing the player's arsenal to four weapons (up from three in Army of Two). Bullets will be able to penetrate weaker materials such as wood and sheet metal.

Dark Void

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360

Genre: Third Person Shooter

Worldwide Release Date: 19 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: 19-22 January 2010 (expected)

The game's story will center around a cargo pilot named William Augustus Grey (who appears to fly a PBY Catalina flying boat) who crashes in the Bermuda Triangle. From there, he is teleported to a parallel universe where he encounters other humans, called Survivors. Together, Will and the survivors must battle an alien race known as the Watchers to return to Earth.

The games make use of a new "vertical cover system", as well as a standard cover system. The game will include a hover pack, and later, a jetpack, allowing for a quick transition between traditional shooter gameplay and flight. It has also announced that everything unlocked in the first play through will be transferred over to new games.

MAG (Massive Action Game)

Platforms: PS3 Exclusive

Genre: First Person Shooter (256 players online)

Worldwide Release Date: 26 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: TBC (might be releasing in February)

MAG, previously titled MAG: Massive Action Game, is an upcoming MMO shooter for the PlayStation 3 in development by Zipper Interactive. (The original Socom developers). The game will utilize a new server architecture to support online battles with up to 256 players, with users divided into 8-player squads, with 4 squads forming a platoon, and 4 platoons forming a company. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game's ranking system. Character statistics and development will also increase with frequent gameplay. The players most advanced in rank will be able to either direct the battle or participate directly in combat.

Mass Effect 2

Platforms: PC, Xbox360

Genre: Action RPG

Worldwide Release Date: 26-29 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: 26-29 January 2010 (expected)

Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, not long after the events of Mass Effect. While on patrol for geth, the protagonist Commander Shepard's ship, the Normandy, comes under attack by an unknown assailant. The ship suffers extensive damage, forcing the crew to evacuate in escape pods. Shepard is the last to escape the ship before it is destroyed completely, but eventually asphyxiates and dies while drifting through space. Cerberus, a pro-human paramilitary organization, retrieves Shepard's corpse and works to revive the Commander through the Lazarus Project. Two years later in 2185, Shepard is awakened aboard a Cerberus space station that is under attack, and aids Cerberus agents Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor in escaping. Shepard is taken to Cerberus' headquarters and granted an audience with the Illusive Man, who explains that Shepard was "upgraded" and asks for the Commander's help in combating a new threat which has been abducting entire human colonies.

Bayonetta

Platforms: PS3, Xbox360

Genre: Action Adventure

Worldwide Release Date: 5 January 2010

Local (SA) Release Date: 5-15 January 2010 (expected)

Bayonetta is a single-player, third-person 3D action game. Its combat system is similar to that of director Hideki Kamiya's previous title, Devil May Cry.[3] The player controls a witch named Bayonetta, and using both melee and long ranged attacks, complex ombo strings, and multiple weapons, is encouraged to explore ways to dispatch angelic enemies with as much flair as possible. Special commands or actions are woven into events, finishes, executions, and unique "Torture combos" in which Bayonetta summons a variety of devices to deal devastating blows to her enemies.

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