Advance Look - November 2006

By: Andrew Hayward

Sunday November 05, 2006

Quit your job or drop your classes -- the games of November demand your complete attention.
October saw the release of a heap of great games, but November is truly the biggest month of the year. We have the launch of the PlayStation 3 on November 17th, followed two days later by the release of the Nintendo Wii. I'll save judgment until I actually play a significant amount of either, but I'm personally much more excited for the Nintendo Wii. Not only will it be much easier to find (and cheaper), but it actually has several unique launch games that should be worth your time. Oh, right, and it's completely different from any game system you have played to date.

But fear not current-console owners. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 both have a number of excellent titles releasing this month, and the handheld systems should be seeing a number of solid releases as well. It's hard for me to ever say that "too many" good games are being released in a month, but this may be the month to reverse that trend. There is no way that I will be able to tackle every game I want to play in the next few weeks, but here are some of the more notable ones I'm keeping an eye on.

Guitar Hero II
November 7th (PlayStation 2)

If you're like me, you have driven well out of your way to every Wal-Mart and Target in the area searching for leaked copies of Guitar Hero II because of message boards and gaming blogs. Hopefully you're not like me, because my searches have been both costly and fruitless, making me feel like a tool. Alas, the official release is just days away, and the sequel to last year's smash hit looks to one-up its predecessor in nearly every way possible. Guitar Hero II features over sixty songs, including tracks from Foo Fighters, The Police, The Rolling Stones, and Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Freebird" is ten minutes long!). The Career mode has been revamped, and a robust Practice mode has been added as well. The Multiplayer mode, which was pretty tame in the original, has been kicked up several notches, now featuring three gametypes and the ability to play co-op with each player choosing from lead, rhythm, or bass guitar tracks. Could it be the best rhythm game ever created? I wouldn't bet against it.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
November 19th (Nintendo Wii)

Originally scheduled for release last fall… for the GameCube... The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is finally hitting retail alongside the Nintendo Wii. Along with a slight visual upgrade, Twilight Princess comes with full support for the motion-sensing Wiimote. The Wiimote can be used to aim and fire weapons, fish, and target a moving fairy on the screen. Link, Zelda, and Ganon are all here, and Link apparently can transform into a wolf… Okami, anyone? I've never been a huge fan of the series, but Twilight Princess is the premier launch title and may be the only across-the-board must-have for the Wii (besides Wii Sports) this year. Said to be seventy hours in length, Twilight Princess looks to be a sure-fire hit for Nintendo.

Gears of War
November 7th (Xbox 360)

Gears of War has been billed as the "next Halo." Then again, Brute Force was the "next Halo," and I think we all know how that one ended. Without a single advance review posted to date, it's hard to say whether Gears of War will live up to the hype, but certainly Microsoft is hoping it will. Gears of War is their big exclusive for the holiday season, so a botched release would mean only negative things for the Xbox 360. However, based on what has been said and shown, I think Gears of War may actually be a fantastic game. It is a third-person shooter running off of the unparalleled Unreal Engine 3, and is said to be very cinematic, taking a lot of inspiration from Resident Evil 4, the best game released on any system last year. Online co-op and multiplayer should add quite a bit of replay value to this roughly ten-hour adventure.

Tony Hawk's Project 8
November 7th (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, Xbox, PSP)

I have probably invested more hours into the Tony Hawk franchise than in any other series to date. I think it's totally insane that the eighth version is right around the corner, and the fact that I still get excited for each new version really says a lot about its core gameplay mechanics. Sadly, the last few releases have been hit (Underground, American Wasteland) or miss (Pro Skater 4, Underground 2), but Tony Hawk's Project 8 looks to be a positive step forward for the franchise, which has essentially used the same game engine for the last five years. Built from the ground up for next-gen consoles, Project 8 features realistic visuals and physics, as well as entirely new game modes (including one in which you try to cause as much physical damage as possible - sort of like Amped 3). The Xbox 360 demo was extremely promising, and the final product should be well worth your investment, even if you're a little burned out on the Birdman.

Yoshi's Island DS
November 13th (Nintendo DS)

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for the Super Nintendo was an underappreciated gem released at a time when the PlayStation and Sega Saturn were battling for market supremacy. While it eventually found an audience on the Game Boy Advance, it still fails to garner the sort of praise it deserves from a mainstream audience. In a surprising move, Nintendo is releasing a true sequel to Yoshi's Island on the Nintendo DS, more than eleven years after its predecessor. Yoshi's Island DS expands the action to two screens, keeping the whimsical visual scheme of the original with a cleaner look, courtesy of the improved hardware. Mario is not the only baby on Yoshi's back, though - Peach, Wario, Bowser, and Donkey Kong will all be hauled in mini-form. In a month that features a slew of games with the best visuals money can buy, it's great to be able to look forward to a modern slice of old-school gaming.