Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (March 5)
Here’s the sequel to Konami’s 2010 Castlevania reboot we’ve been waiting for, envisioned as another side-scrolling, whip-slinging adventure on Dracula’s gothic candlelit turf starring four playable characters in various time periods. Castlevania-heads rejoice: Konami’s promising at least “20 hours” from this one. (3DS)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McG3Q1uukA8]
SimCity (March 5)
I’ve been watching the developer videos for this SimCity reboot with TIME Tech editor Doug Aamoth, who’s something of a SimCity guru, and we both agree it looks pretty snazzy — a multiple city-building strategy game that appears to scale elegantly between drag-and-drop simplicity and drill-down fiddling. Fingers triple-crossed. (PC)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLClUwAHGc]
Tomb Raider (March 5)
Another Tomb Raider? I know, but I’ll give developer Crystal Dynamics the benefit of the doubt, since they’re putting forward something few games do: a strong, hopefully non-stereotypical “male fantasy” female protagonist in a sandbox-style action-adventure that’s a full continuity, origin-story reboot. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-1Xn0hZsIw]
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (March 12)
What more can StarCraft II do? Extend its story with 20 new missions, of course, for those that care, but also: focus on the alien Zerg, tweak the game’s visuals, add seven new units (and remove three) and price all of that in expansion territory ($40), though yep, it’ll require Wings of Liberty to run. (PC)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG_3R9BoVvg]
Gears of War: Judgment (March 19)
I enjoyed Gears of War, adored Gears of War 2, but bounced off Gears of War 3 so hard I couldn’t force myself to finish it. Gears of War: Judgment is the fourth in this sci-fi third-person tactical shooter series: a prequel co-developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly (Bulletstorm, Painkiller) with series creator Cliff Bleszinski once more handling design. Oh, and it’s co-written by a 2010 Guggenheim fellow. (Xbox 360)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blyy7H3uZ9k]
BioShock Infinite (March 26)
A new BioShock from the guy (and much of the team) that crafted the original? A creepy castle-in-the-sky dystopia? A computer-controlled compadre who’ll toss you weapons in a pinch? A connective rollercoaster-style rail-system you can ride dangling with one-arm from a weaponized Sky-Hook? Sign me up. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60zmVrtIBzw]