After a banner spring rife with holiday holdovers such as “Mass Effect 2” and “God of War III,” gamers’ thumbs may still be sore, but the hits are set to keep coming this summer.
Here are 10 upcoming titles, in order of release date, local gamers said they’re looking forward to.
1. ‘RED DEAD REDEMPTION’
* Release date: May 18.
* Summary: In this spiritual successor to 2004’s “Red Dead Revolver,” players don the spurs of a former outlaw pressed into federal service to bring justice to the Wild West as it’s slowly being tamed by new technologies.
* Why it’s hot: Rockstar Games is renowned for its storytelling ability and for giving players immense freedom to explore huge game worlds. “Redemption” also uses the same graphics and animation systems from Rockstar’s 2008 blockbuster, “Grand Theft Auto IV.”
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3.
2. ‘SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2’
* Release date: May 23.
* Summary: Mario travels from galaxy to galaxy on his quest to rescue Princess Peach after she has been captured (again) by Bowser, who has grown enormous by using the power of the stars.
* Why it’s hot: The 2007 original “Galaxies” was lauded for pushing the Wii’s graphical envelope as well as for its innovative motion controls. The sequel heaps on new power-ups and adds the ability for Mario to saddle up on his dinosaur companion, Yoshi.
* Age rating: Everyone.
* Price: $50 Wii.
3. ‘MODNATION RACERS’
* Release date: May 25.
* Summary: A next-generation take on kart racing that gives users unprecedented freedom to create their own content and share it with others.
* Why it’s hot: Like “LittleBigPlanet,” “ModNation Racers” is part of Sony’s Play.Create.Share movement. A suite of super user-friendly creation tools make it a snap to customize everything from karts to tracks and then share that content with other users online.
* Age rating: Everyone.
* Price: $60 PS3; $30 PSP.
4. ‘ALPHA PROTOCOL’
* Release date: June 1.
* Summary: A globe-spanning espionage role-playing game about a CIA agent who turns rogue while trying to discover why his superiors betrayed him.
* Why it’s hot: Obsidian Entertainment’s pedigree includes landmark titles such as “Neverwinter Nights 2” and “Knights of the Old Republic II.” “Alpha Protocol” turns up the action while retaining character customization so players can play their ideal spy, from a run-and-gun commando to a suave diplomat.
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $50 PC.
5. ‘TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON’
* Release date: June 22.
* Summary: Players side with either the Autobots or the Decepticons during a civil war on their home planet, Cybertron, before their exodus to Earth.
* Why it’s hot: The two campaigns take place during an untold era of the Transformers franchise and are paired with a range of multiplayer modes that allow players to design their own robots.
* Age rating: Teen.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $50 Wii; $40 PC.
6. ‘CRACKDOWN 2’
* Release date: July 6.
* Summary: Players once again wear the boots of a superhuman agent charged with protecting a city ravaged by the aftermath of a viral outbreak and a three-way war between a tyrannical police force, a group of crime lords and a horde of rampaging mutants.
* Why it’s hot: The 2007 original won players over with its nonlinear mission structure, freedom of movement and organic character development. The sequel tweaks the graphics engine and adds four-player cooperative play.
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360.
7. ‘STARCRAFT II: WINGS OF LIBERTY’
* Release date: July 27.
* Summary: The first installment in a trilogy of “Starcraft II” titles picks up a few years after the conclusion of “Brood War” and focuses on the Terran side of the three-sided conflict between humans, the Zerg and the Protoss.
* Why it’s hot: Blizzard’s original real-time strategy title is so finely balanced that it’s still being played competitively 12 years later. The sequel adds a branching storyline, a new 3D graphic engine and a revamped Battle.net multiplayer service.
* Age rating: Teen.
* Price: $60 PC.
8. ‘MAFIA 2’
* Release date: Aug. 24.
* Summary: An open-world shooter that follows the story of a young immigrant as he works his way up through the criminal underworld of a fictional metropolis set in the ’40s and ’50s .
* Why it’s hot: The original title was a sleeper success that sold more than 2 million copies. The sequel tells a grittier tale with a new custom-built graphics engine and refinements including a cover system and improved driving mechanics.
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3; $50 PC.
9. ‘DEAD RISING 2’
* Release date: Aug. 31.
* Summary: Several years after a zombie outbreak sweeps America, a former motocross champion battles hordes of zombies in a fictional version of Las Vegas while trying to earn money to buy medicine for his daughter.
* Why it’s hot: Capcom’s 2006 undead epic threw thousands of zombies at players and let them use almost anything as a weapon. The sequel lets players manufacture custom weapons out of everyday items, adds co-op play and displays exponentially more zombies on-screen at once.
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360 and PS3.
10. ‘HALO: REACH’
* Release date: Sept. 1.
* Summary: In this prequel to Bungie’s landmark “Halo” trilogy, players take control of the newest member of an elite Spartan squad called Noble Team during the Covenant’s historic invasion of the human planet, Reach.
* Why it’s hot: “Halo” games sell like hotcakes, and “Reach” not only adds even more multiplayer modes, it looks better than “Halo 3” and features the first full-length campaign in the franchise centered on someone other than Master Chief.
* Age rating: Mature.
* Price: $60 Xbox 360.
Casey Phillips has worked as a features reporter in the Life department for three years. He writes about entertainment, young adults, animals and people of interest. Casey hails from Knoxville and earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts in German. He previously worked as the features editor for Sidelines at Middle Tennessee State University. Casey received the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists Award of Excellence for Reviewing/Criticism in ...
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