THQ Gamers' Day

Covered by John Burrell Jr.

 

When I attended THQ's Summer Gamers' Day event recently I was treated like a star. I stayed in an extremely nice hotel and was picked up in a stretch Hummer. Although the hotel and limo ride was nice, I was really looking forward to getting my hands on the games. The titles that were presented looked promising to say the least. While I was looking forward to seeing a few particular games, several other titles pleasantly surprised me.

Screenshot of Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 (Courtesy of THQ)

The current generation of consoles got the once over first, and the first game I checked out was the new Tak game, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge. This time around the story centers on a contest held every 60 years where the winner gains the favor of the Moon Juju until the next competition. In this case you must win the contest with the team of Tak and Lok in order to secure the blessings of the Moon Juju for the Pupanunu people. The game allows a second player to enter and leave the adventure at any time (drop-in, drop-out). Progression through the levels is similar to The Amazing Race television show where teamwork is essential.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 was my most anticipated game, and I found it to be a vast improvement over last years offering. Polygons are up by 30% from the last incarnation, there is stat tracking this year via a profile system, and four player online matches are planned for the final version. The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, was one of the surprises I encountered. It's a drop-in drop-out co-op game where you control Mr. Incredible and Fro-Zone. The story picks up where the movie ended with 20 levels of frantic action. Next we have Scooby-Doo: Unmasked, which is extracted from the classic TV series. You use Scooby as your main character and interact with the rest of Mystery inc. throughout the game for help in various parts of solving cases and passing stages. This also marks the first time Scooby will be able to fight back against the villains with his 6 different costumes. DS and GBA versions will include exclusive mini-games in addition to the normal story mode featured in the other console adaptations.

Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers was also in attendance. This time there are 12 levels in which to lead your unit through. Players must employ bona fide military strategy as they battle the enemy. The multi-player mode has also been upgraded, so you can now go online and challenge friends in a number of new versus and co-op objective-based missions. Player controlled mechanized units have also has been included this time.

My next target was the PC section, so I swerved my way past the DJ booth and the bar. Titan Quest was the first game I approached. It's an action RPG akin to the Diablo series featuring 30 different boss battles set across Egypt, Greece, and one other undisclosed location. All of this adds up to 30- 40 hours of gameplay. It has very cool and simplistic way of acquiring weapons and attire. You simply see a cool piece of armor or a weapon on an enemy and then you must defeat them to get it. This also works with bosses so that you get really powerful items from them. With over 1000 unique items to choose from you have plenty of ways to pimp your warrior. The expansion pack to one of the best RTS games ever made, Warhammer 40K: Winter Assault, was up for a test drive. This extension adds the Imperial Guard army from the popular tabletop game to the mix for a total of 5 useable races. There are 2 different campaigns to follow, the Order (good) or Disorder (evil). Both of these campaigns include 2 separate endings for a total of 4 different endings to experience.

Screenshot of Saint's Row (Courtesy of THQ)

Now, before I entered the section with X-Box 360 titles I didn't even want the system all that much. However, that all changed after playing The Outfit and Saint's Row. The Outfit is a World War 2 game that takes place during September 1944. This is a third person action shooter where everything in the environment is destructible, and I mean everything! There will be 6 characters in all, 3 Axis and 3 Allied, that can be used in 12 levels, and over 20 vehicles that can be air dropped to your location. A wide variety of vehicles and weaponry can be purchased using Field Units (the game's currency) that are gained from killing enemies. The A.I. will readily use cover to protect themselves and can be given simple commands from your character. The final title, Saint's Row, is an open ended, X-Box 360 exclusive game very much like the Grand Theft Auto series, but with a huge difference. The disparity is in the fact that the chaos you would normally cause for fun is used for advancing the story. Notoriety gained from destroying your surroundings and enemies is used to gain respect, and in turn respect makes it easier to recruit new members into your gang. Believe me, you will need a large crew to overtake and then control the 3-dozen+ districts in the city. The game has incredible ragdoll physics that make blowing away your opposition much more fun. The developers are also including 7 online multiplayer modes where up to 12 players (6-on-6) will be able to “thug it out” against each other.

Not very often do I like an entire lineup of games, but this year, THQ seems to have pulled it off. THQ is poised to have a great holiday season and a lucrative future with the line-up they presented. From the new Tak game to the X-Box 360 titles, I enjoyed playing each one and when the retail versions are released I know you will too.