Portal 2: Let Them Eat Cake!

Portal was the surprise hit of 2007. Nobody, really, saw it coming; those who did were undoubtedly struck by its humor and originality nonetheless. It's no surprise, then, that many people are excited about Portal 2. This is the really exciting part of a game's development, when rumors are stirring and developers give out little tid-bits of information to create buzz. Take rumors from Kombo about the introduction of a new AI host similar to GLaDOS named Cave Johnson. Apparently a casting call for voice actors to play Cave Johnson, the recently deceased Founder and CEO of Aperture Science, was sent out several months ago. If you read some of the sample dialogue (not posted here for fear of being burned at the stake for giving spoilers), you'll see that this is gonna be some pretty funny stuff. The midwestern/southern accent, along with the unavoidable eccentricities of being a billionaire forever preserved in a computer, should take Portal 2 in an interesting new direction. I normally am very hesitant when one gaming site claims an anonymous but trusted source for such a big exclusive, but this seems a bit too clever to be fake.

In terms of storyline, I haven't heard too much. The introduction of Johnson hints at a sequel, as GLaDOS is fundamentally "Still Alive," but functionally in pieces (remember all the backup pieces in the basement with the cake at credits? Multiple AIs are possible). Or, maybe they'll go with a prequel, having Johnson be the first true "host" of Aperture Science training exercises/mandatory cremations.

Everyone looking forward to this one?

Keep you eyes on the sky for HAWX

Sure, I once owned a flight sim joystick, I even had Microsoft Flight Sim 2004 for awhile. Granted, I was horrible at it (really, just simply terrible), but I loved it. This was all after I had really been into Il-2 Sturmovik though. I was, and am, a huge history buff; opening up Il-2 was very much opening up the Eastern Front of WWII to me. I knew very little about it at first and that game really opened my mind to learning more. That said, I was really into combat flight sims, I just wasn't really good at them. There is always a severe learning curve for them it seems, especially Microsoft's titles, which more or less seem to require you be a real-life pilot. Well, that's a stretch, but you know what I mean.

Next year fans of the somewhat forgotten genre of the combat flight sim may find a new savior in the upcoming Tom Clancy title HAWX. Set in the near future, the U.S. goes head to head with a private military company (honestly, not a very ignorant view of the near future) and takes to the skies. It's a Tom Clancy franchise title, so if the Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six series are any testament, we should see a degreee of international intrigue. I'm calling it now, the last mission in the game will expose the fact that the PMC fighting the U.S. is being financed by the Russians, at which point you provoke the Bear and a big MiG-F22 dogfight ensues. And then, true to Clancy form, the battle will abruptly end and both sides will decide on peace.

I'm actually really looking forward to this game. I've watched a couple videos, and while I still have reservations about flight sims in general, this one looks worth a run through, at least through a rental on GameFly.

Anyone else looking forward to this one?