It’s hard to not have had doubts at some point about the title though, considering the substantial development time and departures of major developers during which. There is, however, precedent for games surviving that type of ordeal, as an elite group of titles managed to survive long delays, and massive amounts of hype and expectations, to emerge as great games. I can think of 8 in particular that were well worth the wait.
Honorable Mention – “Fallout 3” – A definite candidate, but “Fallout 3” gets a lot of love on this site, so just once I wanted to give some other titles their dues.
8. Mother 3
I remember seeing the first blurry and ugly screens of the “EarthBound 64” project in Nintendo Power, and being ecstatic about the prospect to a sequel about my favorite game ever.
As time went on screenshots and other news releases became fewer and fewer, until many started to believe the whole thing may have been an elaborate hoax. Then around 2004-2005, word got out that a third entrant in the cult hit “Mother” series would finally see release…in Japan. Not content with letting the land of the rising sun have all the fun, a dedicated group of American fans released an incredible and thorough translation of the title, so almost everyone could finally play the long awaited sequel.
While admittedly not the best game on this list, the “abandon all hope” mentality was strong regarding this one, and the dedicated translation efforts go to show that you can’t get in the way between fans and the games they really want.
7. LA Noire
Not all long awaited game are continuations or sequels.
The only original property on this list, there were rumblings of a 1940’s noire style video game dating back to 2003 when developer Team Bondi was formed. Originally set to be published exclusively by Sony, as the years wore on the game would switch publishers to Take Two, and seemingly grew in ambition as the release date kept slipping and slipping. Until the game graced the cover of a 2010 Game Informer, many even believed it to be quietly axed.
While reception to “L.A. Noire” was somewhat mixed due to its polarizing gameplay style, there is no denying the technical marvel of the graphics, or the pitch perfect execution of its retro style. The first video game to ever be accepted as an entrant to the Tribeca Film Festival, “L.A. Noire” emerged from an endless development cycle quite possibly something greater than it was originally conceived as.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The only reason this one isn’t higher, is because it was somewhat inevitable.
Still it was 1991 when “A Link to the Past” had Nintendo fans the world over gushing over the series’ brilliance, and outside of “Link’s Awakening” for the Game Boy, it would be 1998 before the true follow up to the series would see release. In the middle was a whole lot of nothing, as Nintendo remained mum about their most anticipated theoretical title, only casually referencing it, and often speaking of only delays.
Of course you probably know how this one turned out, as “Ocarina of Time” is widely regarded as one of the best games ever, and shows anticipation is a benefit if you can capitalize off of it.
Depending who you ask, Starcraft II has been in development as long as 10 years. The game finally entered closed beta earlier this month, which is hopefully a sign that we will see it go to print before the end of the year. Blizzard is staying optimistic as far as timetable is concerned. The latest Blizzcast included Chris Sigaty, production director for the game, who said they were shooting for first half of the year for release.
“We were targeting three to five months for the beta, we’re really at a three month period of time for the beta at this point. We are still targeting the first half of this year, so with that in mind, it really shortens the window of time with our major content patch coming out pretty close to the end whether it’s even worth it putting out the map editor at that point.”
The map editor is one of the things that has everyone all hot in the pants, but it wouldn’t be so bad not to have it at release. Just remember, you’d be playing StarCraft II. Are you really going to get hung up on a map editor?
So you couldn’t make it to BlizzCon this past year and you missed out on that Starcraft II beta key. Not to worry! You can still be the envy of all your friends and relatives if you have $300 laying around. Yes, that’s the going rate for a Starcraft II beta key on eBay right now.
The keys run a wide range, from the $280 But It Now I’ve linked above to the $400+ versions that remain mint and unscratched. One guy is even offering the full contents of his 2008 BlizzCon goodie bag. Personally, I can’t imagine spending this kind of money on a closed beta. If I cared that much, I probably would have just gone to BlizzCon. I realize, though, that there are people out there with the money on hand who also happen to be complete StarCraft freaks and will likely jump all over this.
Microsoft had a great November. The Modern Warfare 2 launch pushed through 4.2 million units, nearly a million more than Halo 3 did at launch. Among other things, the 360 outsold the PS3, even though overall sales were down year on year. Microsoft’s product management director, Aaron Greenberg, had a lot to say on the matter, but the most notable was his prediction for Halo: Reach.
“I feel confident that there’s nothing that will compare in size. Halo: Reach will be the biggest game of 2010.”
So what else releases in 2010? Here’s a short list: -StarCraft II -Mass Effect 2 -God of War III -Final Fantasy XIII -Gran Turismo 5
Greenberg thinks the Master Chief can beat every one of those. A few on the list, sure, but GT5? Final Fantasy XIII for the West? I have my doubts.
Blizzard updated the official Starcraft II page today with all sorts of goodies for you ravenous fans. I was excited to see some 17 new screenshots from both gameplay and cinematics. As you’d expect, the cinematics have that special Blizzard flair, the kind that usual makes me wish the company’s games were a tad less stylized for actual gameplay.
The update also showcases the storytelling aspects of SC2. I love to see tidbits like this, especially because it can be difficult to develop a solid storyline with, well, any game. The Starcraft II campaign sounds great, even if you’ll spend the vast majority of your time online. Blizzard also tossed in a short story about the Changeling unit.
For the map addicts among you, there’s also a closer look at how Blizzard makes 1v1 maps into a strategic battle. Again, a nice read and a great look behind the scenes.
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