My Halloween Treat

Three amazing demos just went up on Playstation Network today, it's making me think I've got Christmas in October. They are for Mirror's Edge, Valkyria Chronicles, and Tom Clancy's Endwar.

Mirror's Edge smacks of a game that I was just into -- Assassin's Creed. Mirror's Edge seems like a first-person, modern action game with incredible graphical design and an intense beat-em-up style. It doesn't seem exactly like a shooter, but instead a Matrix-style mixed martial arts fighter combined with open-world gameplay. Plus the setting is interesting. Check out the trailer with genuine gameplay.

Valkyria Chronicles is another mash-up of gameplay elements that interest me. It seems like a sort of fusion between RPG and tactical turn-based combat. The visual style looks fantastic, unlike anything in gaming I've seen, more like a graphic novel. It actually really reminds me of the Advance Wars series, specifically the first couple for the GBA. This is a PS3 exclusive, and one I'm going to have to think long and hard about. The trailer doesn't show any gameplay but does showcase the visual design.

Finally, Tom Clancy's EndWar is a surefire hit for a couple reasons. First, it should be a great tactical strategy game in a near-future setting. The Clancy games are always known for their attention to military detail, and this should be no different. The gameplay as I understand it follows a mostly rock-paper-scissors style checks and balances, with the units that making up the game, each a perfect foil of the other with choppers beating tanks beating armored infantry beating choppers, and so on. The second reason this will be a game to watch is the new way to play -- that is, completely through voice commands. This game is less about micro-management as in some RTS games, and more akin to a management-style simulator where squads of units are more or less autonomous, but you provide directions, stances, and actions.

Downloads are going as I publish this. I'm sure I'll have more to say once the games install and I partake of the Halloween treats!