S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Developer: GSC Game World
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release Date: September 5
Platform(s): PC
If anything, the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl was a game steeped in potential. Set in a massive open world that blended the progression and exploration of an RPG with the action of an FPS, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. cast you as a mercenary at the site of a second Chernobyl accident. After a lengthy development cycle the game felt somewhat unbalanced and unpolished, but fascinating nonetheless.
GSC Game World hopes to remedy that with the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, a prequel that shows some of the events leading up to the first game. This time around, you play a mercenary named Scar, and you'll once again find yourself hunting for irradiated artifacts and dealing with various factions of characters populating the zone. But what we're really hoping is that this time around the game will be as fully realized as we'd hoped the first would be, which could lead to one of the more impressive shooters in recent times.
Spore
Developer: Maxis
Publisher: EA
Release Date: September 7
Platform(s): PC
After years of anticipation, Spore will finally find its way to store shelves September 7th. Will Wright's "massively single-player" life simulation tasks players with evolving a creature from a single-celled blob in the primordial soup to an advanced spacefaring race exploring the galaxy.
The concept is ambitious, but what really makes Spore so intriguing is the way that the game is populated with content. Players can create everything from creatures to buildings to vehicles, and everything players edit is uploaded to the game's central database (the "Sporepedia"). The tools are so simple and fun to use that players have already created millions of monsters with the standalone creature editor. Spore players will run across each others' creations as they tour the galaxy.
Spore went gold a couple weeks ago, and we've gotten some hands-on time with the full version at various trade shows since. All indications are that Spore should live up to gamers' expectations. The universe awaits...
Crysis Warhead
Developer: Crytek
Publisher: EA
Release Date: September 16
Platform(s): PC
Not many people had machines that could run 2007's Crysis with the details turned up, but those who played it were treated to one of the best shooters of the year. Crysis improved on the groundwork laid by Far Cry, with limitless ways to play through many of its missions, either via the open-ended jungle environments or the stealth or strength options made available to you via your special nanosuit.
Now that technology has basically caught up, it's the perfect time for an expansion -- Crysis Warhead. Taking place simultaneously with the events of the first game, Warhead follows the antics of a fellow soldier, Psycho, on the other side of the island. The levels we've played so far show the same freedom we loved so much from the first game, with new toys to play with and some fun events to flesh out the story. It is, as many like to say, "more of the same," but if it's as good as Crysis' best, we'll take that any day of the week.
