Hello '05

By Ryan Treit

If you listen carefully, you can hear the smiles of a million retailers crack wide with glee as they count up the mountains of cash that crossed their palms this past holiday season. The ring of the cash register is the tune of the day, and it'll stay that way 'til long after the lights and trees come down. It's the shopping season, and game developers realize this. Year after year we see a cascade of games come down the pipe from October to December. Often, it's too much. Few people can afford to get their swollen gamer thumbs around every title they want. Luckily, we've always had a two- to three-month dry period after the New Year to pick up and sample all that we missed out on. Few games ship just after the holiday season, so we can use that empty time to savor what we already have, as well as find some time (and money) to pick up what we don't. This window of few releases has been getting slimmer and slimmer these last couple years, though, and now it's coming to a head. It's not but a few days into January that the first "must have" titles start shipping.

Getting ready for his Xbox® debut.

With that in mind, I'd like to draw your attention to a few gems that have for whatever reason (likely a delay to further polish the game) missed the blessed holiday season. Let's take a look at a few games that ship in the first quarter of 2005, and give them the love they're due.

Mercenaries™
I like to think I follow games so closely that I'm borderline obsessive (okay, I don't like to think that), but somehow this one slipped by me. That is, until I got some hands-on experience a few days ago with an early build. I love being surprised, and Mercenaries, with its Grand Theft Auto-like open-ended structure and war-torn "sandbox" environment knocked my proverbial socks off. Mercenariesputs you in the shoes of one of three mercs. Note that you're not a soldier. Instead, you work for a company that's looking to make a tidy profit by helping out several different factions that are vying to stop a new North Korean dictator from instigating a nuclear showdown.

You find yourself running around blowing up enemy installations, bounty hunting highly placed and dangerous enemy officials, and generally taking any odd job you can get your greedy hands on. You also pilot attack choppers, armored transports, sports cars, and tanks, as well as ordering artillery attacks or even carpet-bombing runs (you pay for these with the money you make on your jobs). The paths you take, the missions you accept, the allies you help, the way you complete a mission—it's all up to you. It's your war zone. Everyone else is just living in it.

The Punisher®
The Punisher comic book character has always been known for his ruthless tactics, and this game embraces the adults-only side of this character. Not only does The Punisher employ a sophisticated and smooth-running third-person shooter control system, but it also sports unique "punishment" zones that let you inflict damage in unique and twisted ways. Interrogations take place with the use of an operational grinder, or just under a set of precariously swinging butcher knives, and even a freshly lit fireplace. The Punisher also sports a tale written by Marvel's own Garth Ennis, so authenticity to the comic book is an asset, not an issue for Punisher fans to grumble over.

Star Wars Republic Commando™
Take the world's biggest license (that's Star Wars, folks) and blend it up with everyone's favorite genre (first-person shooter), and then add a dash of squad-based goodness, and you've got Star Wars Republic Commando, a game so sublime in execution and use of license that it's hard to not shed tears of joy as you play it. Republic Commando puts you (literally) behind the visor of an elite Clone Trooper. You command your crack squad of troopers through the Clone Wars themselves. The game takes place mostly between Episodes II and III, so not only do you get a great game, but you're privy to some story elements that help shape the events of the last chapter in the Star Wars film saga.

Conker™: Live and Reloaded
Conker's Bad Fur Day is already a classic, and it was only released a few short years ago. Sadly, this masterpiece from Rare shipped during the last days of the N64's lifecycle, so its audience (while rabid in support) was rather small. Not to worry—Rare, in all their charity, are giving us Xbox owners a remake of sorts. Those who missed out on the original are finally able to absorb the charm of the Great Mighty Poo, as well as get drunk and pee on fire creatures, drop villagers into a grinder to feed a gluttonous vampire, and generally misbehave in every way you ever wished a platform mascot would. Just the remake would be fine, but when you add a dollop of masterful Xbox Live® multiplayer and some of prettiest graphics this side of Halo® 2, you've got yourself something to drool in anticipation of.


The usually barren first quarter of the year is no more. Quality games—nay—game-of-the-year-quality games aren't just shipping in the fall anymore. Make sure you play your holiday titles now, because before you can shake your head at the ending to Halo 2, there'll be something else vying for your attention.

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