Video Game Sequels Set to Dominate in 2008 (Pt. 2)

Continuing to take a look at potentially top-notch video game sequels in 2008 and early 2009 here’s a break down of what games with the number 2 in their titles you can expect to get your hands on in the near future:

Warriors Orochi 2

Slated to be released on the Xbox 360 and the PS2 come September of 2008 the game takes place directly after the events of the original game. The game's main "Story" mode features storylines for the kingdoms of Wu, Wei, and Shu, and the Samurai Warriors, while a new Orochi storyline looks back to the first series of wars to expose some of the Serpent King's secrets. The game's newly added "Dream" mode features an original storyline different from that of Story Mode.

A new two-player "Versus" mode comes action-packed with four different games including "Tag Team" matches that pit individual fighters in lethal head-to-head combat. The popular "Team Battle System," which lets players create their own three-person fighting unit, will return for this sequel. At any given time, one warrior will be engaged in battle, while the other two are recuperating; restoring their Life Meters and Musou Gauges.

Warriors Orochi 2 features an overwhelming lineup of over 90 playable characters from both franchises including Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends, plus new characters from Chinese and Japanese history.

Blitz: The League II

Scheduled to be released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii in Fall 2008 not much is known at this point as to what the game’s main features will be. What we do know is that Blitz: The League II will be an updated, fully "next-gen" re-invention of the bone-crunching football action you got in the original game.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

This is the upcoming sequel to 2005's suprise hit Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, and will be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on August 31, 2008. The story follows the player's hunt for Ramon Solano, a druglord who contracted the player's mercenary for a job then subsequently refused to pay and tried to kill him/her. Following a militaristic coup, Solano becomes the dictator of Venezuela. New features to Mercenaries 2 include destructible environments, offline and online co-operative mode, a fire effects engine that allows the player to ignite things such as oil, foliage, and trees and the ability to swim. The game will also be powered by the Havok 4.5 physics engine.

New vehicles such as boats have been added. Hijacking now consists of a small minigame, ranking in difficulty relative to the vehicle being hijacked. Another feature is the ability to switch from driver to gunner on demand. One other new addition to this iteration of Mercenaries is the ability to build a Private Military Company and recruit mercenaries into it. There are two confirmed mercenaries that can be recruited: Eva Navarro who will act as a mechanic once recruited and Ewan who is a helicopter pilot who can pick up valuable objects you may encounter, and can also extract you if necessary. Also, a new unnamed (Russian) bomber pilot will be able to be hired, who is your source for airstrikes.

The game will feature terrain ranging from urban environments such as Caracas, to the Amazon rainforest. It will also include the cities and regions of Maracaibo, Cumaná, Mérida, Ciudad Guayana, Guanare, the Orinoco River, Lake Maracaibo, the Northern Andes, Isla de Margarita, and more.

The controversy:

The game has been criticized by the Venezuelan government, accusing the U.S. government and Pandemic Studios of trying to drum up support from the American public for a real-life invasion with the purpose of overthrowing Hugo Chávez.[6] Pandemic Studios had previously developed training aids for the US Army. In response to the criticism, the official Mercenaries 2 website includes the following disclaimer, "Pandemic Studios is in the business of entertainment. It has never been contacted by any U.S. government agency concerning the development of Mercenaries 2. All persons, storylines and events are purely fictional and bear no relation to real events. As with any number of games, movies and books, the decision to choose interesting events and locations is purely designed to tell a compelling story, as well as provide a fun and rich experience for the gamer."

Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2 will follow up the original game released in 2006 and will appear on the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms in September of 2008. What we know at this point is that Just Cause 2 will run on Avalanche 2, an updated version of the Just Cause engine, and will feature highly updated graphics and more animations. The game will not feature side missions, and will be set in South-East Asia. Rico Rodriguez will return as the protagonist. The original game was released to mix reviews so we can only hope that Just Cause 2 is a step in the right direction.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is of course the sequel to the moderately successful Motorstorm off-road racing game released around the time of the PS3 console launch. The game is a PS3 exclusive and is rumored to be scheduled for release sometime in August of 2008. The game will move away from the desert environments of the original title and relocate itself in what has been described as "a lush island environment, full of interactive vegetation"; also included will be monster trucks and four-player split-screen capability. Monster trucks will be able to ride over cars, break most vegetation, and destroy structures. Custom music tracks within races will be available, and camera angles will be improved for crashes; vehicle damage will also be improved. Two new confirmed race terrains are mountain hillsides and caves.

The 16 tracks will contain "thick mud, tangled undergrowth, swift flowing rivers, choking volcanic clouds and searing lava pools". Another new feature in Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is the presence of water in the form of rivers and pools. Water also cools down the car's engine, which presents a whole line of new tactics; vehicles will slow down as they go through deep water, with buoyancy featuring for vehicles that venture into water too deep for that vehicle type. The game will support 16-player online play and 4-player split-screen, offline play. Sony is also said to be "pushing" to make the game's web services integrated with the game in the same manner as SingStar.

Valhalla Knights 2

Coming out on the PSP platform in late September 2008 the game will feature a vast and expansive world to explore, as well as customization tools to create the ultimate battle party. This action RPG sequel adds new races, job classes, weapons, magic spells, foes, armor and more to the Valhalla Knights universe, within an engrossing story arc.

Controlling and choosing character aspects such as skills, race, and appearance, players can engage in real-time 6 on 6 battles, reliant on tactical combat strategies to achieve success. Supporting 2 player ad hoc network play, gamers can engage in Co-op and Versus modes with friends, or simply trade items and weapons. The original game didn’t fair too well among critics and players so again this is another sequel we can only hope gets done right in it’s second iteration.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

Out of all the sequels announced this year I reckon none have created such a fire of excitement as the announced sequel to Beyond Good & Evil. The original game was much loved by critics and fans alike and many consider it one of the best action/adventure games of all time. Unfortunately due to a lack of proper marketing the game never sold that well and for many years the idea of a sequel seemed to be dead in the water. Thanks however to a vocal fan base that signed petitions and flooded forums for years begging for a sequel Ubisoft finally gave in and announced production to begin on Beyond Good & Evil 2.

No other details have been released regarding Beyond Good & Evil 2 at this time and the game is only rumored for a release in early 2009. The game will most likely be released on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii platforms with the possible inclusion of a PS2 version and portable platforms. Needless to say I, along with other video game media outlets, will keep you posted with up to the minute news & information about the development of the game as it's released.

Killzone 2

Announced way back in 2005 Killzone 2 is the title PS3 owners and potential new ones have been hotly anticipating for years. In fact, fans have been waiting so long for the game it briefly fell off the radar for awhile as other popular FPS titles came available in it’s stead. Then in 2007 the game was shown to a panel of journalists at a special pre-E3 2007 event in Culver, California, and then the next day to the public at Sony's E3 press conference. An in-game trailer showing real-time gameplay (for real this time) of Killzone 2 was also released, along with several videos of extended gameplay. A number of media outlets since E3, such as the BBC, have referred to Killzone 2 as being "one of the most cinematic and immersive games ever produced on a console."

The game takes place two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA is bringing the fight to the enemy’s home world of Helghan. Taking the role of Sev, the battle-hardened veteran of the special forces unit known as the Legion, players will embark upon a mission to the planet Helghan to capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the enemy’s war machine to a halt. Features include highly atmospheric environments, new and unique weapons and vehicles, studio grade special effects with unprecedented visual fidelity, smooth character animation, realtime cutscenes, full screen anti-aliasing, 7.1 surround sound with pinpoint sound loactions and much, much more.

The game has officially been set for a February 2009 release so you PS3 owners will only have to tough it out for another 7 months. Hopefully the game becomes well worth the wait.


That’s about it for the more anticipated sequels being announced and/or released in 2008. As to which game will take the crown for top sequel of 2008 I think it’s fair to say that it will be a battle between Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 and Resistance 2 on the PS3. Then again you never know...Maybe the charm of gardening and raising Pinatas in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise will triumph over the blood spilt in this year's top FPS titles. Gamers, grab your shovels!