Top 10 Confirmed 360 Exclusives @ E3 ‘08

©2006-2008 XboxOZ360-gamer – Aaron Bertinelli

by TWODOGSz

If there’s been one reason above any other to own a 360 it’s the exclusives. Year after year, Microsoft continues to dazzle gamers with an ever increasing library of exciting new IPs and groundbreaking, record-shaking franchises. This year gamers are being treated to the widest diversity of AAA titles Microsoft has ever assembled with only one FPS in a lineup strewn with RPGs, strategy, platforming, action and adventure.

So come, join up, sign in, login and generally let us know what you think in the comments below and join us this E3 ‘08 as we celebrate our first Electronics Entertainment Exposition with you our loyal readers.

So on with the show, and please enjoy the countdown . . .

Don’t forget to slip over to ourE3′08 Video News Page and check some excellent E3 Game Videos out while you’re here.

Remember, just click any image for full rez view:

---

10. Tales of Vesperia

If anybody had told me I’d see a Tales game on the 360 at launch I would’ve laughed heartily before returning to my PS2 and GameCube. But how times have changed and what an unexpectedly strong JRPG library the 360 is quickly gaining.  If you’re unfamiliar with this long running series there are several reasons you need to sit up and listen.

It’s one of the most highly regarded JRPG series outside of FFXIII; combat is real time and you can play with up to three others in co-op; the animation, music and anime has always been stunning; and the stories have always been weaving, intricate tales (sorry) full of subtext about the human condition and society.

At E3 we’d like a demo on Xbox Live, a release date and more of that stunning art work, please!

---

9. Velvet Assassin

What do get when you take Sam Fisher, turn him into svelte woman, wrap her up in tight leather, give her over fifty execution moves, add light RPG skill trees, and then drop her off into a dark and moody WW2? This game was originally titled Sabotage, however, the people over at Gamecock decided it was prudent to have it changed to “Velvet Assassin” so as not to be confused with another similarly titled game being built by Pandemic called Saboteur, which is also based around a true-life tale by the way.

Yep our interest is just as piqued as yours!

We want to know more about this title which appears to delve into far darker depths than Sam Fisher and has a protagonist that could not only make Lara Croft jealous but a whole game engine that’s a bloody good looker to boot. We want details, gameplay and a release date on this one. We’re watching Violette very carefully because she just might give Sam a run for his money… if and when he turns up!

Tame is being brought to you by the guys-n-gals over at Replay Studios and being published by Gamecock which have a soild reputation of producing excellent games and reportedly due out this Fall (US)

---

8. Infinite Undiscovery

Coming from the esteemed Japanese houses of tri-Ace and Square Enix, this exclusive title is a major coup for the increasingly spoilt RPG fans on 360. A fantasy RPG with a typically epic JRPG yarn and stunning art design, the key reason this is high on our list is the dynamic real time nature of gameplay. Combat, inventories, environments and apparently even narrative paths are all based in real time and context sensitive.

If they can polish up the admittedly sluggish frame rate and give us some more comprehensive gameplay at E3 you might just want to mark this down for September ‘08.

---

7. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

The first Viva Pinata was an underloved, sleeper-hit gem that was much like a British version of Pokemon crossed with the god-sim gameplay of classic Bullfrog titles. Full of adult humour and hardcore gameplay it was unfortunately marketed in a colourful, kid friendly façade that betrayed the engaging depth within. It is still one of the most original and addictive games of the current generation and is easily Rare’s most complete work since Microsoft purchased the developer back in 2002.

This time round the game’s size and scope has grown significantly, but perhaps more importantly it’s become much more casual friendly with a true co-op mode and a freeplay sandbox mode that the kiddies and casual will be able to play endlessly without being overwhelmed by the more hardcore “campaign”.

What we’d love to see at E3 is more footage, more casual orientated gameplay features and in particular a much more focused marketing push by the Microsoft marketing team.

---

6. Left 4 Dead

It’s been flying under the radar for months now, but when one of the industry leaders in FPS (Valve) purchases another studio on the back of two Counter Strike mods and single IP (Turtle Rock Studios), it’s a clear sign you should be paying more attention.

Left 4 Dead is a survival horror FPS, that’s quite unlike anything seen before except maybe the film 28 Days but with shotguns and AKs over your shoulders. The game is entirely focused on co-op gaming, with four unique players frantically working together throughout the campaign to survive and escape environments infected by a vast range of infected humans (eg. zombies).

It’s fast, intense, frightening, emotionally draining and absolutely dependent on teamwork. But the sadistic twist, however, is that up to another four players can play as the infected constantly respawning as “boss” zombies to inhibit your campaign progress and to have an entirely different gaming experience.

But don’t panic if you don’t have Live or players drop out, as the AI will immediately take over until, if or when, other players join the ongoing carnage. And being based on the updated Source engine it doesn’t look too shabby either with smooth frame rates, nice animations, and some very moody lighting.

It promises to be the most intense team based FPS we’re yet to see on consoles, and given the top quality field of shooters already out there, we know that’s saying a lot! But we have a pretty good feeling that if there’s one FPS to buy in the second half of this year this will be it, so all we want at E3 is for Valve to convince the rest of you!

---

5. Halo Wars

Strategy titles have never worked as well on consoles as their original home on PC. But rather than pull out the tiresome and completely-missing-the-point keyboard and mouse (K&M) argument, we’re going to blame it on PC ports! And apparently so does Ensemble, creator of genre defining franchises such as Age of Empires and Age of Mythology for PC, and who is so confident that not only are they making Halo Wars exclusively for the 360 but they’ve confirmed there will never be a PC version… ever!

What Ensemble intends to do, is no less than what the Halo franchise has already done for FPS on consoles. Long before we started hearing about the K&M argument for RTS on consoles, we were hearing the same thing about the FPS genre.

And then Halo came along and proved that two analogue sticks could provide just as enjoyable, albeit it distinctly different, FPS experience on consoles. Ensemble and Microsoft are positioning Halo Wars as no less than the catalyst for the birth of console developed RTS, or to better differentiate, Console Based Strategy (CBS).

It’s clear from the glowing previews that Ensemble is very much on track to achieve its very ambitious goals. The game is the best looking Halo title we’ve ever seen; the control scheme is intuitive and easy to learn; and it’s fast paced speed-chess strategy at its finest. Add in a whole new adventure in the Halo universe with new stories, units, maps and locations; along with the promise of a co-op campaign and six player multiplayer over Xbox Live; and we can smell the first RTS hit on consoles before year’s end.

Let’s hope E3 gives us plenty of gameplay, some more story details and a demo to get everybody in the mood and realise that when done right and built from the ground up, RTS does work on consoles!

---

4. Too Human

For many this will be a contentious pick but for others it makes perfect sense. In general there are five key reasons people may disagree with where Too Human is on this list so let’s address them.

Firstly, the most common is that it’s been ten years in conception, but the reality is it’s only been three years in development for the 360 and will be the first of a planned trilogy released entirely on the 360. Secondly, it had a dire E3 2006 showing, true but Microsoft has admitted it was shown too early and this was confirmed by the much more positive reception at GDC 2008.

Third, it’s not an easily pigeonholed game, but then neither was the rule-bending, genre-breaking, Silicon Knights masterpiece Eternal Darkness. Fourth, Denis Dyack publicly challenged Internet trolls on NeoGaf to put up or shut up, and whilst we can all question the man’s sanity we can’t deny his confidence in the title.

And finally, recent previews (from those who’ve actually played it) have been mixed if not luke warm on average, which just confirms it’s an acquired taste and given company like MGS4 and Assassins Creed we don’t think there’s too much to worry about.

So if we’ve convinced you to give it another look, why should you be excited? Well if you’re a fan of original stories filled with human vs machines subtext; or you enjoy your stats, loot, classes and levelling; or simply want a unique third person action title with co-op, they’re pretty good reasons! But best of all is this description… “Diablo II meets Mass Effect, with some DMC combat and some Skate-like thumbsticks.” Sold!

Now that we’ve got you on side, or at least on the fence, we only hope Microsoft hurries up and gets the demo into gamer’s hands to make sure they know what they might have just missed out on.

---

3. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Despite the uncertainty and derision of some nostalgic gamers, previews and industry insiders are clearly excited about the new direction, including the guys and gals at XboxOZ360-gamer. Banjo 3 seeks nothing short of redefining the platforming genre. It was no accident that the trailer showed Banjo smashing through a player created Mario, because that’s clearly what Rare intends to do.

In an unprecedented move for the genre a designer is handing the gameplay mechanics to the player to create through the vehicle of… well, vehicles! Instead of giving mandatory platforming abilities like Mario’s mushrooms, flowers and feathers, Rare is giving players the chance to create their own where the only limits are a player’s imagination, the building blocks they’ve found and the physics of the environments. And if the rumours prove true we might just see the perfect game to sell motion controls to the hardcore and casual alike.

Add that distinct Rare sense of humour; the visually stunning and deliberately nostalgic blocky design; massive open and non-linear worlds; plenty of collectibles; a healthy dose of more traditional platforming in the hub worlds; and multiplayer (a first for Banjo!) that encourages players to share, trade and compete with their home made creations in Mario Kart inspired modes; and there’s the potential for a game as genre defining for platformers as Rare’s Goldeneye was for FPS.

We just want to see more!

---

2. Gears of War 2

Cliff Bleszinski in a Prince-like move disowned his moniker CliffyB early this year but he is apparently no less fond of the letter B with his “Bigger, Better and more Badass” promotion of Gears 2. And here at XboxOZ360-gamer we know two things are for certain – we will be completely and utterly sick of that line well before early November, and yet we will struggle to find any way to disagree with Mr B’s assertions!

Gears 2 is a graphical showcase, but admittedly it doesn’t have the shock and awe of 2006, so Epic has wisely focused on making the overshadowed gameplay mechanics of the original the star of the sequel. With more than 400 tweaks to the cover, movement, reload and shooting systems we can’t wait for the resultant increase in speed, fluidity and strategy.

Add the promise of a far more developed and emotional storyline; a significantly longer and grander campaign; almost confirmed four player co-op; new weapons (flamethrower!); nastier executions; and a bundle of new multiplayer maps and unique modes, and there’s reason aplenty why Gears 2 is at the top of every shooter fan’s list and the top of the titles we want to see at E3.

---

1. Fable 2

The original promised so much and despite falling short it was still arguably the most unique and innovative RPG of last generation. Fable 2 promises even more. A lot more! A world ten times the size of the original; 370000 words of dialogue; dynamic environments, characters, story and an acorn that all evolve according to your gameplay; a much greater emphasis on the grey areas of morality, relationships and emotion; co-op with permanent consequences; XBLA games that communicate and affect your Fable 2 world: and the replacement of the HUD with an AI canine sidekick!

If you’re still not sold and feel it lacks the edginess of Gears 2 just add pregnancy, gay marriage, divorce, prostitution, abandoning children and homicide and it’s pretty clear this game is not just pushing boundaries but breaking a lot of gaming taboos in the process. And we still don’t know what the third and final “big surprise” is!

Mr Molyneux you’ve got us all buttered up… all you need do now is deliver!

©2006-2008 XboxOZ360-gamer – Aaron Bertinelli

(Ed Note: Be sure to check out the rest of our E3 Top 10’s and visit the XboxOZ360-game E3-’08 Video News Page when you’re finished here and let us know what you think.)

“

“

“

Click Global Video Icon for more E3-’08 videos