We select the 10 PC games we're simply dying for
If you were asked to choose one PC game you're desperate to get hold of, what would you pick? That's exactly the question we posed ourselves and we've presented our top 10 list below (only PC games that have been announced were eligible for selection). And naturally, once you've spied out our choices, feel free to shout out your own in the comments field below. Right, let's get on with the show...
Crysis
Crytek impressed the hell out of everyone with its FPS debut Far Cry and it's about the strike gold a second time around with Crysis. A kick-ass storyline, thrilling action, some stupidly large enemies, free-roaming gameplay, jaw-dropping environments plus bonkersly-good visuals and crazy physics are being thrown into the melting pot to create one stunning whole that's had us drooling with anticipation since the game was announced. One of the best moments we've spied to date is Predator-style destruction of jungle foliage - awesome. And Crytek is focussing heavily on Crysis multiplayer too to ensure that its game is one superbly well-rounded package.
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium WarsWe've been dying for a return to the Tiberium universe ever since the fairly excellent - but not perfect - Tiberian Sun tickled our RTS fancy, and now - after almost 10 years of waiting - EA has finally delivered the next-gen Nod vs. GDI strategy-fest we've been wishing for - and Kane is back!
Sporting a cast above anyone's previous expectations (Michael Ironside!) the third 'true' CnC instalment very much retains the series' traditional rock-paper-scissors gameplay, while introducing some exciting new single-player revelations like multiple campaign branches and - unlike previous entries - a story that actually fits together with a single conclusion. There's also the mysterious third side that EA is keeping strictly under wraps for the time being - although from the highly-teasing E3 trailer we're almost convinced that a bunch of invading aliens will turn up at some point.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Valve's next instalment in Gordon Freeman's adventure might have been pushed back to summer 2007 but that doesn't mean we're still not desperate to discover all its secrets. Taking the action outside of City 17 for the first time, we've have of course already seen snippets of what the episode's to offer - the likes of quality outdoors combat with Striders and nuts physics-fuelled set pieces that see houses crumble and metal bridges warp and collapse. But is Alyx dead? Is Dog about to become dog's dinner? Is the chief Vortigaunt to rip off his skin and reveal himself to Freeman as Jeremy Beadle and say, "You've been framed!" We can but wait and see.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
We very nearly pooed our pants when this game was unveiled at E3 2005. It's being handled by Splash Damage and is more or less the spiritual successor to the dev's multiplayer title Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. The game combines FPS and vehicle action with RTS-style elements and pits the GDF against the Strogg war machine in team- and classed-based multiplayer battles. It also employs id Software's MegaTexture rendering technology which is able to render large, highly detailed and un-tiled outdoor environments. Battlefield better watch out.
Bioshock
What we really like about Bioshock is that it's just plain weird. Irrational's FPS-RPG takes us beneath the waves to the seabed and a failed utopia reeling in the aftermath of a war between genetically modified humans. It's also genuinely creepy, and perhaps perversely we ache to be disturbed by events as they play out before us. The genius decision to use an Art Deco style for the environments, mixture of cool and odd characters and generally stellar visuals don't exactly do it any harm either.
Assassin's Creed
Ah, Assassin's Creed, the game that truly caused our jaws to smack the floor when it was shown at Microsoft's X06 event this year. Forget the storyline for a moment - what we have here is a potentially barrier-busting action-adventure that introduces a new element to stealth - the ability to conceal yourself within crowds - quite stunning character animation, cool combat and Free Running-inspired manoeuvring that sees lead character and assassin Altair treating building walls like level ground. Going by what we've witnessed of Assassin's Creed to date, Ubisoft is on to a clear winner.
Clive Barker's Jericho
Squad-based FPS Jericho may seem a odd choice, but we've enjoyed dipping into Barker's novels in the past so we're curious - and intrigued - enough about what this game will deliver to include it in the list. It's still a bit of an unknown factor, but the pitting of a strike force trained in the arcane arts as well as modern-day warfare against an ancient evil which has crossed through a dimensional rift and is threatening Earth appeals to our inner horror and action being.
Stranglehold
Director John Woo is brining his artistic, super-choreographed action to the videogame world in Stranglehold. It's a follow-up, more or less, to Woo's flick Hard Boiled, and the game stars a very realistic digitisation of Chow Yun Fat as Inspector Tequila - who happens to be tracking a criminal organisation from Hong Kong to Chicago. The title bears all the hallmarks of Woo's cinematic style, with intense shoot-outs, slow-mo gunplay, explosive acrobatics and dual-wielding pistolas all coming to the party. It's definitely making us go "Woo".
Team Fortress 2
Having spent more hours than we care to mention battering the perfectly-balanced Team Fortress Classic, to say we're ripping hair out in anticipation of Team Fortress 2 would be an understatement. While Valve's sequel retains the addictive team- and classed-based multiplayer formula of TFC, the developer has introduced a cartoon-esque art style, is tweaking the classes - we love the Spy's new cloak ability - and revamping classic maps - such as 2Fort and Dust - to bring them in line with the new visual direction. We've been waiting for TF2 for around six years and, if we're being honest, we want it more than we actually want Half-Life 2: Episode Two.
Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander is quite simply the most epic RTS we've ever seen. Chris Taylor's Total Annihilation spiritual sequel holds the potential for hundreds of thousands of units in a single battle, each built to scale and sporting weapons physically simulated for less rock-paper-scissors guessing and more realism. The sheer amount of action on screen calls for some serious strategy and thankfully the intuitive interface, which lets you queue up build orders and waypoint units before they're even built, makes managing your massive army a doddle.
But if you prefer an old fashioned head-to-head fight over clever tactics, the experimental units - which, surprise surprise, are gigantic - are here to please your needs for destruction. The Aeon Galactic Colossus towers at almost 100ft high, sporting twin gravity guns for swooping up puny tanks and devastating lasers that blast from its eyes - this is RTS heaven.
