Shooting Through 2008

You can't deny: 2007 was a big year for FPS games. To help you get your fix through this year, check out my list! and yes, these are chronological, detailing what you should pick up as the year passes.

First up, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars!!

Yes, it's rated T for Teen. But it still promises to be quite a ride. Call of Duty 4 meets Halo. The perfect storm, right? I have complete faith in this game, and think everyone should pick this up. Sure, the graphics aren't the BEST out there, but it still looks promising. Also, it is said that this game will have the most advanced AI in a game to date. It is released May 27, 2008. For you guys on the fence, a demo will be released on XBL May 15th. Check that out.

Next...

Battlefield: Bad Company. Yes, I know, I know. Our friends at http://www.sarcasticgamer.com/ originally organized a boycott of this game, but know that that boycott has since been lifted because a fair compromise has been made. That said, this game looks gorgeous and is HUGE. Definitely the place to wage war this summer when you take a break from COD 4 or Halo. Massive battles ranging from the deserts of Africa to Golf Courses (yes, you can drive the golf carts) and giant multiplayer matches make this a must-have FPS this year. Plus, you know, EA is promising a free batch of sweet DLC for this game. Bad Company releases June 23, 2008. There is no knowledge of a Demo at this time.

Now...

No, that's not Gears of War 2 you see above. That is Unreal Tournament 3. Made by Epic Games, the studio behind Gears of War, this beautiful FPS uses Unreal Engine 3 to its full advantage. In fact, Unreal Engine was built to fit this game's standards. Here's a quote from an interview with Mark Rein, president of Epic:

"This game is really fast-paced. It's Gears on crack!"

I think that sums it up right there. Unreal Tournament 3 comes out July 7th, 2008 (hey, my mom's birthday!).

Then Valve steps in...

Left 4 Dead. *shudders*. The best game coming this year in my opinion. I'm sure my friend Lono would agree. Ok, you've got Valve, the developers of Half-Life, Portal, Counter-Strike, and TF2 working on a survival game built from the ground up for co-op. And the AI in this game is set to be the most amazing (more than Quake Wars) in a game. EVER. The game will also be really dynamic. More so than Halo 3. No encounter will ever be the same. There's also a multiplayer mode similar to Halo 3's "Infection", except with maps built just for Zombies, plus the zombies actually look like zombies, which is a definite plus.

Pick this up! I can't stress it enough. Currently, this game is set for "Q3 2008". So, somewhere between July and the end of September. Be ready.

And it all leads to this...

Halo: Chronicles. Not much is known about this game, other than it is being developed by Peter Jackson (FTW) and will "be a revolutionary new chapter in the Halo Universe". It is slated to come out this year, and I couldn't be more excited. Peter Jackson is my favorite movie director ever, and Bungie still has quite a presence in this project. If you ask me, this game is primed to be Game of the Year. And although we don't exactly know if this will be an FPS, it's Halo. I think it deserves to be on this list.

So, there you have it. One great looking schedule this year! Save your haypennies, children!