At this week’s E3 conference in Santa Monica, game publisher THQ previewed new titles it expects to bring to market in the first part of 2008, including its internally developed action-adventure title Darksiders: Wrath of War.
Due in 2008, Darksiders: Wrath of War is being developed by THQ’s in-house Vigil Games, which counts comic book artist Joe Madureira as a founding member. Wrath of War lets players step into the role of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—in this case, War. The game’s conceit is that the Four Horsemen were originally sent to destroy the earth, but were stripped of their powers and cast down on the ravaged planet. War, of course, sets out for revenge, and freely explores a post apocalyptic, demon-dominated world and, of course, seeks recourse and (ultimately) redemption using a panoply of modern and mythical weaponry. “With Darksiders: Wrath of War we want gamers to step into the role of War and feel the ultimate power of being one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” said David Adams, general manager, Vigil Games. “Joe Madureira has created a classic story of exploration and revenge and we’ve used that as the foundation for ultimate sword-clashing, rocket-firing, super hero adventure.” Wrath of War will ship for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sometime in 2008.
If smashing demons isn’t your thing, maybe new installments in the wacky Destroy All Humans! franchise, due in early 2008, will do the trick. Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon will ship for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and will expand the franchise’s humorous storyline into an open-world scenario: players will the main character Crypto “on a journey of enlightenment and Hi-Fi destruction” while lampooning 70’s pop culture and, eventually, facing his most dangerous enemy yet with new weapons and mental capabilities. Destroy All Humans!(R) Big Willy Unleashed acts as a prequel to Path of the Furon, and is designed for the Nintendo Wii as Crypto roams the world on foot, in his UFO, and in Big Wally, a giant alien robot decked out like a fast food mascot. Big Wally Unleashed will also ship for PS2 and PSP systems.
And, finally, THQ also aims to answer the age-old racing question: Which is better, motorcross or ATV? MX vs. ATV expands the franchise by letting players race in the X-Cross tournament, which offers eight unique racing series and crosses them together into one giant offroad racing championship. The title sports new vehicles like the ORV Sport, monster trucks, and trophy trucks, and lets players customize their rides with more than 100 sponsor parts and accessories. The game will support up to 12 players online or four in split-screen mode, and will ship on all the major consoles: Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii, along with the PS2, Nintendo DS, and PSP.
