Hey Rockstar fans, your day has finally arrived! Game of the year material, without a doubt. Though if you don’t have a Xbox 360 or PS3… there’s still something for you poor folk.
This is it, the big one. Rockstar hit a home run with their ode to the Wild West, so next stop: Los Angeles, circa the late 40s. So instead of a virtual playground based upon A Fistfull Of Dollars, think LA Confidential. Though this time around, instead of you running around and doing whatever to whomever, you’ve got a badge to uphold, with gameplay playing out in a far more linear fashion. Which might be a downer to some, but if the entirety of the game’s scripting is as tight as we’ve seen in trailers, then all should be good in the city of angels. Xbox 360, PS3
Meanwhile, on the PC… which unfortunately is devoid of any LA Noire action (at least for the time being)… comes yet another hotly anticipated title. Perhaps for those who might miss the aforementioned freedom of choices. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a unique hybrid of GTA do anything gameplay, with a heavy dose of World of Warcraft dabbling in both medieval sword swinging and magic brewing. It’s hard to tell what will make your jaw drop more: the level of character customization or all the graphical splendor. Though speaking of, the game earns its Mature rating due to copious amounts of blood, guts, and breasts – and we’re talking LOTS of it. PC
And what about the Wii? Well, the good old Virtual Console finally gets another long overdue, legit classic (which was supposed to be an all the time occurrence if I’m not mistaken). Back before Square and Enix merged their might to form the JRPG behemoth that we all know today, folks from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest came together, along with the dude who created Dragon Ball, to create a dream team of sorts. Easily one of the absolute best role playing adventures of the 16-bit era, it established all the conventions we take for granted in gaming these days; such as multiple endings and time travel. And let’s not forget the absolutely amazing soundtrack that still kicks most CD-quality orchestral fare right in the teeth. Wii