Gears of War: Judgment headlines this month’s edition of Looking Forward! But as I promised last month, this month we will cover more than the usual three games! E3 resulted in a ton of news being released about all of the hottest upcoming games, and as a result, there’s just a lot more to say. Expect next month’s edition of Looking Forward to have more previews than just the usual three as well! But enough about that, what are all the games that we’re covering this month, with photos, trailers, previews, and my own personal opinion about each game.

This month is headlined by Gears of War: Judgment, the latest entry in the Gears of War franchise, and a game that is likely to be the swan song of the Xbox 360. We’ll also cover a unique game called Human Element from an unlikely source. Plus, the Tomb Raider reboot will be covered with a fantastic preview, the latest on Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be revealed, and all the new features in Dead Space 3 will be covered. Finally, we’ll finish this month’s edition of Looking Forward with a look at a Vita exclusive, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation!

HUMAN ELEMENT

Last month I said that I would cover the Dawnguard expansion pack for Skyrim unless it had released by the time I started writing this month’s edition. Well, Dawnguard came out at the end of June, so that’s a bust. So instead I’m switching gears and I will tell you all about a very innovative upcoming title, a completely new IP, known as Human Element. And I know that usually the headliner starts off each Looking Forward, but don’t worry, we’ll get into Gears of War: Judgment in just a minute.

Concept art for the game

The Human Element is unique in that the different versions of it released on different systems will feature wildly different gameplay that interacts with the other versions. The game is going to be developed for both PCs, consoles, and tablets. It will probably be available for next-generation consoles, by the way, because its expected release date isn’t until the third quarter of 2015.

For an example of how the tablet version can interact with the console version, imagine this. The console version features what would be considered “typical” gameplay. A character is created, and then the player is thrust into the class-based world of Human Element. The person playing on console can then forge an alliance with someone that is playing the tablet version. The person on the tablet can travel to real world locations using the GPS functionality of tablets and then “gather supplies” for those playing on console to help their experience.

This unique gameplay is coupled with a unique setting. While the zombie genre isn’t exactly uncommon lately, Human Element is definitely looking at it from a unique perspective. The game takes place 35 years after the zombie apocalypse already occurred, making zombies more of a nuisance than the real threat. The real problem players will deal with are the surviving humans and their conflicts developed therein, hence the name “Human Element”.

Perhaps most surprising is that the game is being developed by Robert Bowling. Robert Bowling was the creative director at Activision in charge of the Call of Duty games, but he suddenly left the company to form his own studio called Robotoki. Human Element will be the first game, and it has an expected release date of quarter three in 2015. The game is expected to release for next-generation consoles and PC and with a completely different version available for tablet devices.

MY OPINION
Human Element certainly sounds interesting. The game looks to combine the two different types of gamers, casual and hardcore, and have them work together to create a better gaming experience for both sides of the spectrum. It’s a very good idea on paper, but whether or not it will succeed in execution is another story entirely.

My main concern with Human Element is that the game may be too ambitious for its own good. Microsoft and Sony haven’t even revealed their eighth generation consoles yet, but Human Element is reportedly releasing on next-generation hardware. Another issue I have with the game is that the creative director behind Call of Duty, most recently releasing Modern Warfare 3, hasn’t exactly been the greatest developer in my eyes in recent years.

There’s not enough known about the game to give a fully solid opinion, but from what I know, the game sounds like an interesting yet risky venture. We’ll have to wait practically three years to find out if Human Element hits the mark or not, and it will be interesting to see if that long development time pays off, and we are left with an exciting new IP.

+Very cool idea
+Combines casual and hardcore audience
+New perspective on the zombie apocalypse genre
-Like Elder Scrolls Online…is it too big for its britches?
-Robert Bowling has disappointed me in the past

GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT

See, you didn’t have to wait long for Gears of War, did you? Gears of War: Judgment is the latest game in Microsoft’s major franchise. The series wrapped up the storyline started in the original with 2011′s Gears of War 3, so now the franchise is looking to expand through a spinoff releasing on the Xbox 360 before the inevitable Gears of War 4 releases on the Xbox 720 next generation.

Gears of War: Judgment is developed by People Can Fly, the developers of Bulletstorm. Epic Games was very impressed with People Can Fly’s work on porting the original Gears of War to PC and adding new features and what-not, so they decided to buy the studio and have them work with Epic on their future games. Now People Can Fly have been entrusted with developing Gears of War: Judgment, a project that is being overseen by the people at Epic.

Judgment is a prequel that is set before the events of the first game, very shortly after E-Day. The game stars the Kilo Squad, which is comprised of returning fan favorites Baird and Cole, plus two newcomers in the form of Sofia and Paduk. Once again, since there are four squad members, the game will be four player co-op, with two people in split-screen and up to four playing online together. The game will feature a brand new main antagonist and a new story showing what was happening to Cole and Baird before the events of the first Gears of War.

Baird is the main protagonist of Gears of War: Judgment

However, Gears of War: Judgment is much more concerned about gameplay that it is the story. There will be less cut-scenes that break up the action, and there will be no “hand to ear” conversations. People Can Fly plan on telling the story through events happening in real time around the player, in a manner not unlike the Half-Life games.

Multiple changes are coming to the campaign as well. In Judgment, the gameplay is reverting to be more like the original game than the sequels. However, it’s also adding a lot to the experience. For one, there will be new challenges in the campaign that can be optionally completed for various rewards.

These challenges are activated by interacting with COG symbols that appear on the walls in the levels. Since the story is narrated by Baird as he is retelling it to someone else, interacting with these symbols adds a part of the story that Baird is just remembering or whatever, and what they do is add extra details to what’s about to happen in the game. For example, at one point in the game, if you just play normally, there may be an encounter with Wretches. If you opt to do the optional Baird challenge, then he remembers that it was actually explosive Wretches that they fought, making the game a bit harder, but giving players rewards for their efforts.

Enemies in the game will basically consist of all the enemies that we’ve come to expect in Gears of War. In order to stay away from messing with the continuity, don’t expect many new enemy types, but there will indeed be some. However, to make up for this, People Can Fly has given a lot of attention to the enemies in the game, which should provide an improved experience with the foes of Gears of War: Judgment.

For one, there will be more enemies onscreen than ever before. In order to return the series to the sense of dread and the bit of horror that was present in the original, People Can Fly will send a ton of enemies at the player at once. Imagine the waves of enemies rushing you in Horde Mode, except it’s a part of the campaign (there will actually be legitimate Horde Mode sections as a part of the campaign as well). Furthermore, the AI system for the enemies have been radically improved for a more challenging experience. Playing on harder difficulties will add even more onscreen enemies.

One feature involving the enemies in the game that I thought sounded like a very good idea was a radical spawn system. Say you get killed at one part in the game. The game will be able to recognize this and then spawn a different enemy type in that location to make the game less boring. On top of all the new features coming for the enemies and the new features announced for the campaign, there will also be brand new weapons to use in Gears of War: Judgment.

A brand new game mode will appear in Gears of War: Judgment. The mode is a combination of Beast Mode that was introduced in Gears of War 3, and the very popular Horde Mode that has become a series trademark. It’s called OverRun.

OverRun Mode

OverRun sees one team controlling humans for a round and another team controlling the Locusts. The gameplay is wildly different based on which species you’re playing as. As humans, the game is class-based and plays like Horde Mode from Gears of War 3. Defenses are set up, but each of the different characters has their own class. Baird is an Engineer and his special ability is to lay down a sentry turret. Cole is a soldier that can deploy ammo crates. Sofia is a medic that can throw down a stim-gas grenade. And Pudak is a scout that can throw a beacon grenade. In the past, up to five players have been able to play Horde for Gears of War 3, so expect another character to be revealed before release that will be playable in OverRun mode.

The Locusts will be tasked with destroying the base and the humans that are defending the base. Whereas the humans get one life, the Locusts are expected to die repeatedly. They earn points during the round that can be used to respawn as more powerful Locusts, all with their own special skills. This is an attempt to make the game more strategic than ever before.

OverRun will feature maps that are designed to specifically take advantage of this new strategic focus. On top of that, OverRun will feature its own leveling system, with perhaps each player being able to level up each individual class type.

One major change coming to Gears of War: Judgment is the control scheme. The controls are being switched up to be more in line to how first-person shooters like Halo control instead of how the Gears of War series has controlled in the past. For example, the left trigger will no longer be how to aim, but rather it will be to throw grenades. I don’t know if this means that aiming down the sights has been eliminated or not, but this is quite a significant change to the Gears of War formula.

Finally, it has been confirmed that Gears of War: Judgment will retain the popular multiplayer that has given the series its legs. Gears of War: Judgment has no tentative release date, except for the window of 2013. The game will release exclusively for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 system.

MY OPINION
Is it too soon for another Gears of War? Gears of War 3 literally just released in 2011, and it felt climatic and the perfect way to end the series until the Xbox 720 was rolled out by Microsoft. Yet here we are, with a new Gears of War already announced and set to release on the Xbox 360 at an unknown time in 2013. If I had to make a guess, I would wager that it will release in the spring of 2013. (NOTE: After writing this section of the editorial, it was officially confirmed that Gears of War: Judgment would release exclusively on the Xbox 360 in March).

Gears of War: Judgment may be making unwanted changes to the formula. While OverRun sounds cool, I still want separate Horde and Beast Modes just for the sake of having the choice to play the classic way. The new control scheme may completely change the way Gears plays, which would be a shame since Gears of War 3 just perfected the Gears of War control scheme and basic gameplay formula.

Baird is also my least favorite character in the Gears of War universe. While a lot of folks enjoy his one liners, I find him insufferable and annoying. An entire game based around Baird seems like an awful idea to me. Maybe the other squadmates will be likeable enough to ease the pain of having to deal with Baird through the whole game. But then again, maybe not.

+OverRun sounds cool
+Mid-campaign challenges and better enemy systems will keep the game exciting
-Baird
-There may not be a dedicated Horde Mode
-Redundant
-Too many changes?

TOMB RAIDER

Tomb Raider is getting a facelift. The series itself has already been rebooted with a new high quality trilogy that even included a remake of the original. But now Tomb Raider is being rebooted again, and this time it’s going to be darker and grittier than ever before. Tomb Raider is starting from scratch and going in an all new direction. Simply put, this is not your daddy’s Tomb Raider.

Trading over the top action and huge breasts for realistic dangers with an almost survival horror aesthetic, the new Tomb Raider is looking to break boundaries and could very well be one of the best games of the year if executed properly. The game stars Lara Croft, albeit a young Lara Croft, that looks more like an innocent teenage girl than the busty heroine that fought wolves while doing cartwheels and firing blindly with two pistols.

Lara's new look in the Tomb Raider reboot

The game takes place on an island after a plane crash. Lara is one of the survivors of the crash, but there are other survivors that are friendly to Lara that will be met throughout the course of the game.

The new Tomb Raider is a game that is all about survival and the dangers of humans as well as nature. Lara will react naturally to the typical platforming hazards that she didn’t bat an eye at in earlier games. For example, when balancing across a thin log to cross a chasm, Lara will be, of course, freaking the hell out, just like any normal human being. This attempt to humanize Lara and make her an incredibly sympathetic character could very well result in Lara being launched back to the forefront of video game character stardom.

Platforming in the game will be nonlinear. What I mean by that is there will be multiple ways to get from point A to point B, whereas before, there was only the beaten path designated by the game designers. Furthermore, as Lara gains new gear and equipment throughout the game, players can visit older areas and be able to execute new platforming maneuvers in order to reach previously unreachable sections of the game. Imagine Tomb Raider with a Metroid style feel, and that’s basically what this feature sounds like to me.

While the game is still following a linear structure, Tomb Raider will also feature free roaming elements. As I mentioned, players will be able to return to older areas of the game to use new equipment in order to reach previously inaccessible areas. Not only that, but there will be somewhat of a free roaming element, as there will be plenty of areas to explore if the player wishes to move off of the beaten path.

At the center of this mechanic are camps. Camps are areas where Lara can rest and not worry about being attacked by enemies. It’s these areas where Lara can also upgrade her weapons and do whatever else needs to be done. Furthermore, these camps also act as fast travel points around the island.

Hunting is a new mechanic being introduced to the franchise for the first time. Lara’s gotta eat, so there will be a wide variety of wildlife that will be encountered in the game, such as rabbits and deer. Lara can kill these animals not only for their meat, but also for experience points. These experience points can be used to upgrade Lara’s various skills to make her even more capable of surviving in the hazardous environment that the island imposes. These animals will spawn randomly to keep the hunts from being repetitive.

Lara will use this bow for hunting

Lara’s tools will be varied, but two largely talked about weapons in her arsenal include the bow and the axe. The bow is used for combat as well as hunting. The axe can also be used for combat, but it will come into play for puzzles in the game as well. Lara can scavenge gear to upgrade these tools to make them even more capable killing tools.

Death in the game is not being taken as a light event like in most video games. When Lara kills someone for the first time, she will break down and sob at what she’d just done, even though it was by necessity. Once again, this is an attempt to humanize Lara, to make her the most believable video game character perhaps ever encountered. Speaking of deaths, Lara’s death animations are going to be gruesome and varied, in a manner not unlike Dead Space, where each different hazard can result in an entirely new death animation for Lara to suffer through. Hopefully this will add a nice touch of dread and terror to the adventure game.

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have been working on the new Tomb Raider for years now. The game was originally scheduled to release in 2012, but the date has now been pushed back to March 5th, 2013. The game will then be available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

MY OPINION
Look, I’ve enjoyed all the Tomb Raider games. Even the ones that got horrible reviews. They’ve always been consistently entertaining for me, ever since the series debuted in the fifth generation. However, this new change in direction seen in this reboot is going to give the franchise a brand new lease on life.

By making Tomb Raider feel incredibly real, the game may turn out to be one of the most emotionally competent and effective games released in a long while. I can’t wait to explore the island as Lara, go hunting, and try to survive. Tomb Raider may be the best survival horror game of 2013, and it’s not even really a survival horror game.

Watching the E3 demos of the game, though, had me feel a bit reserved. Lara’s first kill is a huge deal in the game, but in the E3 demo, she was killing people left and right like it was nothing. I don’t know if there is a good enough transition to make Lara’s actions during these moments necessarily as sympathetic as they should be, but I will reserve being too judgmental until I get my hands on the final copy.

+Fresh, new, gritty direction for the franchise
+Survival elements seem incredibly challenging and fun
+Lots of variety in the gameplay, ranging from shooter to platforming to horror
-Too much killing may ruin the atmosphere

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II

Set in 2025, Black Ops II is the first Call of Duty game that is set in the future. Furthermore, it is also the first Call of Duty game developed by the new series leads Treyarch that doesn’t have a historical setting. Treyarch seems to be taking a lot of risks with the latest Call of Duty and taking it in a brand new direction. Hopefully it pays off.

Players control David Mason for a majority of the game. David Mason is the son of Alex Mason from the first Black Ops game. David Mason will be the controlled character during the levels set in the future, in 2025. However, Alex Mason will be playable in the flashbacks that occur throughout the game that take place in the 80s. There will be more returning characters from the original Black Ops as well.

David Mason is the protagonist of Black Ops II

The setting for the game is that China and the United States are enthralled in another Cold War. The game will take place across a wide variety of areas, including a futuristic Los Angeles and a secret CIA vault.  An expert has been hired by Treyarch to ensure military accuracy in the game, and to ensure that the hypothetical plot is actually a possibility in reality. Treyarch is trying to make this game as authentic as possible.

Black Ops II’s campaign will feature plenty of new futuristic weapons and gadgets .The campaign will feature the typical ridiculous set pieces that we’ve all come to expect from Call of Duty games, as well as new additions and improvements. Players will be able to ride horses in the campaign, for instance. There will also be sections that the player controls an aircraft, but instead of the usual on-rails sequences seen in other Call of Duty games, the air combat will be nonlinear and free in nature. Hopefully this means that the rest of Black Ops II will be much less of a “follow me” simulator.

Horse riding debuts in Black Ops II

Perhaps the biggest changes to the campaign are just that:  nonlinear segments. Players will have to make choices that will see the campaign branch and change with the player choice. This will end up resulting in different endings at the end of the campaign.

Another factor influencing the game’s ending are the new Strike Force missions. These completely optional missions will tilt the campaign’s ending in one direction or another based on success. These are timed missions in which players are able to complete a variety of different objectives in any order that they want, somewhat similar to the objectives seen in the original GoldenEye game on the Nintendo 64. During these missions, players can actually zoom out and command all the troops from the air like a strategy game, or take control of specific soldiers at different areas. Players can leave control of one character and then take control of another clear across on the other side of the map if they’d like. It’s impossible to play all the different Strike Force missions during one play through of the campaign, so to see all of the different Strike Force missions, players will have to play through the campaign more than once.

Future weapons will appear in Black Ops II

But what about the bread and butter of Call of Duty, the multiplayer modes? Black Ops II will obviously have multiplayer, but Treyarch has been tight-lipped on what multiplayer modes and features players can expect from Black Ops II. I for one have my fingers crossed that the popular Wager Matches make a return for this installment.

Zombies has been a Treyarch trademark ever since Call of Duty: World at War introduced the mode. Treyarch has confirmed that Zombies will be returning for Black Ops II, but with various improvements. There will be multiple modes, including its very own campaign. Furthermore, the Zombies in Black Ops II will use the multiplayer game engine to allow improved community integration, and there will also be eight player co-op.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II releases on November 13th, 2012. The game is developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It will be available for PC, PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360. The game will eventually also be available for Nintendo’s eighth generation Wii U console sometime down the road, probably near to that system’s launch.

MY OPINION
Call of Duty has been on a downward slope ever since the big dogs at Infinity Ward left. Activision insists on releasing a new Call of Duty game each and every year, but this strategy is slowly killing the series. I have maintained that annual core releases are absolute poison for video game franchises, and Activision has been guilty of milking two of their once very powerful series to death when it comes to Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero.

I called Modern Warfare 3 the end of Call of Duty when I wrote about the game last year. However, Black Ops II sounds legitimately awesome. During the gameplay videos that were shown at E3, I came away kind of unimpressed. The campaign looked exactly like any other Call of Duty game ever, but when I read about the features and new content that Treyarch is adding to the game, I have renewed faith in their abilities.

Black Ops is one of the finest entries in the series. I also really liked Call of Duty 3 and World at War, so it will be interesting to see if Treyarch will be able to pull off Black Ops II well. The new features all sound very exciting, and I hope that they are implemented correctly. The game engine is getting old, though, and I feel like this HAS to be the last Call of Duty game released for current generation systems, or else the series will be dead before the eighth generation even really kicks off for consoles.

+New content seems to be changing up the Call of Duty formula
+More Zombies!
+Treyarch hasn’t disappointed in the past
-Franchise fatigue. Hardcore franchise fatigue.

DEAD SPACE 3

Dead Space 3 is set a few months after the conclusion of Dead Space 2. Longtime series protagonist Isaac Clarke returns as the main character for this third entry, but this time he is teamed with a new character named John Carver as they explore the frozen planet called Tau Volantis in an attempt to eradicate the Necromorph threat once and for all.

The previous two Dead Space games have been set on space stations, featuring dark, cramped hallways. Taking the series out of this typical setting and thrusting it onto a bright, snowy planet may seem like betrayal, but it’s not. The game is still going to be as claustrophobic as ever, with the frozen climate of the ice planet being used in the gameplay similar to how oxygen was used as a mechanic in Dead Space 2.

Isaac will be joined by new character John Carver

Dead Space 3 is boasting a variety of changes to the tried and true Dead Space formula. For one, co-op will be implemented for the first time in the series, as the multiplayer mode from Dead Space 2 is abandoned. The co-op in the game will see Isaac Clarke teaming with his partner John Carver. However, if one chooses to play the game in single-player, Carver’s role will be reduced to be much more similar to that of the NPCs in the other two games. While all the major plot points won’t be different, those playing in co-op will have a somewhat different experience with more focus on John Carver’s character and his relationship with Isaac.

Side missions will be available in the game as well, thanks to the less linear levels. Players will have more areas to explore in each section of the game, where they can find new objectives and side tasks to complete. The game will change from night to day as the player progresses, and the classic Dead Space weapons can be combined to each other to create super weapons.

Plenty of new enemies will appear in Dead Space 3. Existing Necromorphs will have new transformations, and there’s a large monster known only as the Snow Beast by the development staff that has been introduced. A new enemy type called Feeders are also being introduced to the series for the first time. These enemies show what happens to humans that eat Necromorphs, and the result is not pretty. A giant centipede monster has also been revealed, known as the Nexus.

For the first time in series history, Isaac will also have to contend with armed foes. These enemies are the cult fanatics known as the Unitologists that worship the dangerous alien Markers from the games. Since there are going to be new enemies in the game with guns, a cover mechanic has been added as well.

Armed enemies make their debut in Dead Space 3

Isaac has been known to use special abilities with his suits. Kinesis and stasis skills return, but now Isaac has a new ability. While holding objects with kinesis, Isaac can rotate the objects. This opens the door for new puzzle possibilities and a lot more. Zero gravity segments will also be making a return in Dead Space 3, but in what capacity is unknown.

Dead Space 3 will feature a new artistic direction. Inspired by the 50s-60s, Dead Space 3 will feature an art style similar to other popular games like BioShock or Fallout 3.

Dead Space 3 will release February 2013 at an unspecified day. Developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts, Dead Space 3 will release simultaneously for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

MY OPINION
Some people are worried that the addition of co-op will ruin the tension and horror from the first two Dead Space games. However, the co-op and single-player modes are going to be different from one another, meaning that those playing single-player won’t be saddled with dealing with John Carver. This will hopefully provide a better single-player experience than say, Resident Evil 5. Of course, if it’s not split-screen, then Dead Space 3 will be a hugely missed opportunity.

I think the additions they are making to the game sound interesting. Dead Space 3 isn’t going to pack the same punch as the first two games, but hopefully the new additions to the formula and the vastly different setting will make Dead Space 3 feel fresher than it actually is.

At E3, Electronic Arts showed a spectacular video of Dead Space 3 that looked incredibly scary. I loved the first two Dead Space games, and there’s no way that this game is going to be even remotely bad. Dead Space 3 is going to be awesome.

+New enemies
+Co-op (hey, it might make it better)
+New setting
-Co-op (hey, it might ruin it)

ASSASSIN’S CREED III: LIBERATION

And finally, the last game I’m covering in this month’s edition of Looking Forward, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. This is a Vita exclusive, and the only system exclusive game I’ve covered in this entire edition, sans Gears of War: Judgment. Assassin’s Creed is no stranger to handheld spinoffs, but read on to find out why Assassin’s Creed fans are going to have a lot to look forward to when Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation launches this fall.

The game takes place during the same period as Assassin’s Creed III, or around those years, anyway. However, instead of being set in the Eastern colonies like the main Assassin’s Creed III game, Liberation is set in New Orleans. The game follows Aveline de Grandpre, the first ever female protagonist in the series history. Aveline is half-African and half-French, and looks like an interesting and exciting new character.

Aveline is the first female protagonist in the series

The premise of the game is that Abstergo is presenting Aveline’s story as a propaganda tool against the assassins, since it shows a “gray” area in the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins. Aveline is not an ancestor to Desmond Miles, but she will meet Connor, the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed III, at some point during the game.

Players will be able to explore all of New Orleans, as well as the surrounding swampy bayous that will include hazards such as alligators. Mexico will also be a destination to travel to in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, and it will be a major part in the storyline.

Liberation is a full-fledged Assassin’s Creed game through and through. The game will have an economy system similar to the one seen in the console games. The game will also feature online multiplayer designed specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation Vita’s unique features. Speaking of Vita features, Liberation will use the touchscreen, the motion controls, and really everything in order to take full advantage of all the unique capabilities provided by the PlayStation Vita system.

Parkour elements return

New weapons will be introduced in Liberation, including weapons that won’t even be in Assassin’s Creed III, to take advantage of the New Orleans setting of the game. The game will use the new combat system that will be introduced in Assassin’s Creed III.

Aveline will have a mentor in the game that she will interact with. Expect this relationship to be similar to the relationship between Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci in Assassin’s Creed II and its spinoff games.

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is developing quite a bit of buzz due to its status as a PlayStation Vita exclusive. The game is going to launch on the same day as Assassin’s Creed III, October 30th. There will be a new Vita bundle available at the same time that comes with the game, as well as a white PlayStation Vita unit and a 4GB memory card as well.

MY OPINION
I’ve been down on Assassin’s Creed lately. Revelations totally disappointed me, but then I saw the gameplay of Assassin’s Creed III, and I was completely blown away. I have argued repeatedly that annual releases will mean the death of the industry. However, I am totally for spinoffs appearing on other systems that actually take advantage of those systems’ unique features to provide a fresh and new experience.

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is looking to provide exactly the kind of experience I am thinking of. It’s bringing the classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay formula to a handheld, and it looks to be doing it rather well. The game is a side story in the Assassin’s Creed fiction, following an all new protagonist, and for the first time, it has nothing to do with Desmond, except for the fact that Aveline meets with Connor at some point during the game in Liberation.

I’m excited to get to test the game out for myself. Visually, it’s striking, and the different ways it’s going to be using the Vita’s touchscreen, motion controls, touchpad, etc., all sound like they will be great if implemented correctly. One thing I REALLY like about the game is that it’s an exclusive. Exclusives are hugely important to the success of video game systems. The better exclusives a system has, the more likely that system is going to succeed. Exclusives sell systems. Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation will push Vita units, and this is very important considering the Vita is doing rather poorly from a financial point of view.

Having played Resistance: Burning Skies, I can attest that the online structure for the Vita is rather competent and a lot of fun. Liberation has also been announced to have some sort of online multiplayer mode, which I assume will be like the multiplayer mode seen in the other Assassin’s Creed games. However, Liberation has been said to have multiplayer that uses the unique features of the PlayStation Vita. I can’t wait to see what exactly Ubisoft has in mind when it comes to the game’s online multiplayer functionality, but I won’t have to wait long considering the game is just right around the corner, releasing on the exact same day as its big console brother, Assassin’s Creed III. Oh yeah, and those that have a PS3, the Liberation will be able to connect to the PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed III for some added bonuses.

+Vita exclusive
+Interesting new character and new setting
+Portable Assassin’s Creed III — What’s not to love?
-Could flop if not handled properly

Next month’s edition of Looking Forward will once again feature more than the usual three games covered in celebration of all the new info that came as a result of E3 and other industry events leading up to the fall season! Check back next month to find out about God of War: Ascension and three other games!