Developer: Volition Inc & High Voltage Software
Genre: Third Person Action-Adventure
Available For: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 & PC
Release Date: US – August 20th/ EU – August 23rd
Volition surprised much of the industry when it released Saints Row 3 in 2011. The threequel wasn’t just a progression of the wacky franchise, it presented the studio the opportunity to hone the gameplay experience and rectify a lot of the performance issues that befell Saints Row 2. The result: A resounding success that embraced its overzealous and quirky stereotype, which also amassed 5.5 million copies in global sales.
Picked up by Deep Silver in the wake of THQ’s collapse, Saints Row IV will take place three years after the events of its predecessor. For the fourth iteration, though, the leader of the Third Street Saints has been elected as president of the United States and the game also adds an extra-terrestrial slant. Boasting the deep and rather ludicrous system of customisation, Saints Row IV will retain much of the series most loved components – including Tank Mayhem – while still mixing things up in order to maintain Steelport’s reputation as the industry’s most delirious sandbox.
If nothing else, the game should be commended for introducing the dubstep gun alone and rest assured, you’ll search high and wide to find an upcoming release more unashamedly entertaining than Saints Row IV.
Hype-O-Meter: 7/10
[h2]2) Splinter Cell: Blacklist[/h2]
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Genre: Third Person, Stealth, Action
Available For: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC & Wii U
Release Date: US – August 20th/ EU – August 23rd
The voice acting sector of the industry has witnessed a notable shake-up in recent months, with those affected including the likes of David Hayter, Kevin Conroy and, crucially for the Splinter Cell franchise, Michael Ironside. As a result, the illustrious night vision goggles will be passed to series newcomer Eric Johnson, who will provide the voice and motion capture performance for Sam Fisher in Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
Acting as a narrative continuation of Splinter Cell: Conviction, the studio’s upcoming title is the sixth instalment in the iconic series and one that will further explore the espionage style of play – in fact, Blacklist will offer the ‘stealth-only’ option found in the game’s predecessor. After a seven year hiatus, Spies vs. Mercs has been slated to return and will surely pose a challenge to players with its interesting dichotomy between first-person and third-person viewpoints.
In terms of story, the United States comes under threat from a terrorist organisation called ‘The Engineers’, prompting Fisher to led the Fourth Echelon against the group in order to protect the Blacklist – a list of US assets that act as the plot’s MacGuffin. With 14 unique co-op assignments to complete and four different mission types available, Splinter Cell: Blacklist will offer plenty of tactical stealth for your buck this coming August.
Hype-O-Meter: 7/10
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