Incoming! Week Commencing 21/05/12

After another long absence, Incoming! is back once again, Usually this time of the year is fairly quiet in the build up to the September to December madness, but not so this year. May has been chock-a-block full of quality releases including Max Payne 3, Starhawk, Diablo III and Fable Heroes, among others, and it looks set to continue this week with some excellent titles from Sony, Ubisoft and Capcom.

Read on for the lowdown on what to expect between now and the 25th.

SORCERY

Sorcery UK Release Date: Wednesday 23rd May
Formats: PS3
Developer: The Workshop / Sony CE Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
In Ten Words: Wave wand, cast spells, mix potions, romp merrily, save kingdom
Website: Playstation.com/SorceryGame

Finally, a game has arrived that makes full use of Sony’s motion technology. Set in a world based on Irish Mythology, this Playstation Move-enabled fantasy adventure casts you as a young sorcerer’s apprentice charged with saving the land from the evil Nightmare Queen. Featuring a host of sidequests including rescuing kidnapped children, Sorcery certainly has plenty to keep you occupied – but it’s the use of the Move wand that we’re most intrigued about. The Move controller will be used to cast all twelve upgradeable spells and in the brewing of potions and elixirs, as you travel the land battling the minions of the Nightmare Queen. Prepare to have lots of fun whilst looking foolish in your living room.

Multiplayer? No

Collector’s Edition Available? Not exactly, but there are several Move bundles available, such as this one from ShopTo.net

Predicted Hit? There’s a good chance, yeah. Gameplay videos and previews have been very promising. Sorcery might be the first game to really make Sony’s Move controller seem essential.

TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON FUTURE SOLDIER

Ghost Recon Future Soldier UK Release Date: Friday 25th May

Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developer: Ubisoft Paris / Ubisoft Red Storm
Publisher: Ubisoft
In Ten Words: Shoot people, shoot more people, use gadgets, shoot more people
Website: Ghost-Recon.Ubi.com

The last Ghost Recon game was released five years ago, so you’ll be forgiven if you’re not familiar with what the series is all about. To bring you sharply up to date, it’s about getting shot. A lot. Because you will get shot. A lot. But, it’s also about using cutting-edge tactics and futuristic gadgets to dominate the enemy. A squad-based series once famed for its punishing difficulty, Ghost Recon has always been praised for its attention to detail and realistic combat – and Future Soldier looks no different. The “gunsmith” feature that allows you to customise and upgrade your arsenal is also an excellent addition to the series, adding a further layer of tactical play to proceedings.

Multiplayer? Yes indeed. The closed multiplayer beta went live in April, and attracted a great deal of players. Not as frantic as Modern Warfare 3 nor as epic in scale as Battlefield 3, GRFS earns points for its impressive cover system and encouraged tactical play. Definitely worth a look

Collector’s Edition Available? The Signature Edition includes extra weapons, co-op maps and skins, as well as more multiplayer customisation options

Predicted Hit? Hard to say how it’ll stand up in the long run, but releasing it in May – in other words, a long way from Black ops 2 – is a smart move on Ubisoft’s part. Our hands-on preview of the singleplayer campaign revealed a few chinks in Future Soldier’s armour, but time spent with the multiplayer beta provided a confident, time-eating experience.

DRAGON’S DOGMA

Dragon’s Dogma UK Release Date: 25th May
Formats; Xbox 360, PS3
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
In Ten Words: Climb dragons, climb griffins, climb ogres, climb hydrae, sacrifice pawns
Website: DragonsDogma.com

As we detailed in our Dragon’s Dogma feature, this is no ordinary Action-RPG. Hammered together from the body-parts of Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, Skyrim and Divinity II, Dragon’s Dogma follows the Arisen (that’s you) on a quest to defeat the dragon that ripped out his/her heart. Along the way you’ll traverse and open world and recruit party members to fight with you, but the interesting thing is the “pawn system”, whereby you create a unique companion who stays with you throughout the adventure. A bold, Westernised take on the JRPG, Dragon’s Dogma could be the surprise fantasy hit of 2012.

Multiplayer? Not exactly. Like Dark Souls, Dragon’s Dogma utilises XBL and PSN to unique effect, allowing you to “borrow” another player’s pawn character or lend your own.

Collector’s Edition Available? Surprisingly, no

Predicted Hit? Yes. Early reviews are mostly positive, praising the combat and world but criticising the voice acting. Though as this is a Capcom game, that’s almost a moot point.

DiRT SHOWDOWN

DiRT Showdown UK Release Date: 25th May
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
In Ten Words: Trade paint, blast nitrous, destruct derbies, crunch bones, bend fenders
Website: Codemasters.com/DiRTShowdown

Another chance to get down and dirty with the franchise made famous by Colin McRae, Showdown mixes it up by introducing even more arcade thrills to proceedings. Featuring destruction derby events, free-roaming, freestyle stunt parks and obstacle-filled courses designed to encourage aggressive, even reckless, driving, DiRT Showdown wants you to steal points, dole out the damage, and race for the win. If Codies continue to do what they do best, this could be great.

Multiplayer? Um… yeah

Collector’s Edition Available? The "Hooligan" Edition available from GAME and Gamestation features an online XP multiplier, a host of new vehicle liveries and an in-game cash boost

Predicted Hit? For fans of the series – and action-packed arcade racers in general – this is nigh unmissable

MiB: ALIEN CRISIS

MiB: Alien Crisis UK Release Date: Friday 25th May
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
Developer: FunLabs
Publisher: Activision
In Ten Words: Walk in shadow, move in silence, make suits look good
Website: MenInBlackGame.com

Ah, Activision and their movie tie-ins… One of these days they’ll produce one that’s actually good. Or at least as good as the movie it’s based on. This is the latest, boasting a campaign separate from the film following new recruit Peter Delacoeur (or, we suppose, Agent P) in a series of events that will likely involve Agents J and K, though probably not Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. We don’t like to judge unfairly here at Made2Game, so we’ll just say this to those considering rushing out and buying MiB: Alien Crisis: “500 years ago, every body knew that the Earth was flat. Fifteen minutes ago you knew that humans were alone on this planet. And a few years ago, you knew that videogame-movie crossovers were a good idea. Imagine what you’ll know after playing this.”

Multiplayer? No

Collector’s Edition Available? No

Predicted Hit? We don’t like to say. If it captures the atmosphere and humour of the movies, and if the protagonist is even half as likeable as Tommy Lee Jones or Will Smith then maybe, just maybe— No, it’ll probably suck a bit. But Frank the dog is in it. Now we’re talking, right? Right?

So there you go – the games to expect in the coming week. Anything here curl your toes? Let us know what you’ll be rushing out to buy, or indeed if you’re still likely to be executing fools in Max Payne 3.

All release dates are correct at time of publication, but are subject to change.

Words by Mick Fraser (Twitter: @Jedi_Beats_Tank)

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