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 Amer Ajami
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2002: A Game Odyssey

This time of the year is usually one of reflection. At the GameSpot offices, we're doing our own fair share of reflection as we look back on the games of 2001 and choose the big winners (and losers) of the past year. Not me, though. I'm already looking ahead to next year, and specifically, to some truly blockbuster PC games. For me, there weren't really any PC games this year that simply blew me away, but hopefully, next year will more than make up for this one.

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There's nothing quite as satisfying as killing Nazis...
Already, 2002 is looking like it's going to start off the right way with Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. I've been following the development of this game for almost a year, and not because I have to, but because I want to. I'm a big World War II history nut, so naturally, a game that's developed under the supervision of the same studio and the same military advisor that were responsible for Saving Private Ryan is all right in my book. Besides, the game keeps getting markedly better every time I play it. In fact, I had a chance to play a handful of the multiplayer levels a few weeks ago, and I was very impressed not only with the level of visual detail that 2015 and EALA have been able to achieve with the Quake III engine, but also with the quality of the sound effects. You can actually hear bullets whiz by your head and ricochet off walls or trees behind you. Many of these effects were taken from the movie, and anyone who's seen Ryan's first 15 minutes knows how good those aural effects were. I'm kind of saddened that Electronic Arts has opted to take out the blood in the game (the war was bloody, and it wouldn't be a semi-accurate depiction of it without blood), but it's somewhat understandable that they want to keep the game relatively clean so that the Wal-Marts and Targets will carry it on their store shelves.

Not to be outdone, Activision will likely have a big year as well. A few months after EA ships Medal of Honor, Activision is expected to ship Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. Also developed with the Quake III engine, that game will certainly satiate my appetite for gore. I know that I might sound weird saying this, but the sheer amount of guns in that game has me quite excited. Just about all the recognizable names are in this game, including the M4A1, the AK74, the H&K SOCOM, the Uzi, the G3, and so on and so forth. Even the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) will be included in Soldier of Fortune II. To the average Joe, this might seem as noteworthy as a yellow notepad, but it's a big deal to me. This is the gun that US Army wants to replace its M16/M4/M203 platforms with, and it can fire standard 5.56mm NATO rounds and a 20mm explosive shell, both of which are mated with a powerful onboard computer complete with range-finding, lasing, and warhead-fusing capabilities. Sounds complicated, right? No sweat, the developers at Raven are actually dedicating an entire level of the game to train you in using the OICW. While we're on the subject of Activision, you can also expect them to start showing more of the new Doom, Quake IV, and the untitled game once known as Quest currently in development at Nerve sometime in the new year as well, although its highly unlikely that any of those three will ship until 2003.

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...or gasmask-clad thugs.
LucasArts is also readying its triple play of games, so to speak, for 2002. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (also a Quake III game) is scheduled for release not too long after Soldier of Fortune II, and while the game probably won't be as complex as Justin Chin's Jedi Knight, it'll surely present action gamers and Star Wars fans with plenty of storm-trooper-slicing fun. There's also Star Wars Galaxies, a game that will cure the addiction of every EverQuest fan alive--albeit with another, even worse addiction. As if that's not bad enough, Galaxies already has an expansion pack in the works. Have they no shame? On the other spectrum of the role-playing genre, there's BioWare's Knights of the Old Republic, which among other things, will probably be the first Star Wars game not to be set in the classic or Episode I eras.

As big as all the games I've mentioned are, they're just the tip of the iceberg. The new year will bring high-profile games from all the major publishers, including Dungeon Siege, Freelancer, Halo PC, Impossible Creatures, and an unannounced strategy game from Microsoft. Westwood will have Earth and Beyond Online, Renegade, and an unannounced game of its own. Remember Homeworld 2? Sierra announced it earlier this year, saying it would appear at E3, and then it was a no-show. Expect Homeworld 2 to resurface in 2002. There's also Team Fortress 2, Warcraft III, The Sims Online, Republic, Bridge Commander, PlanetSide, and Sovereign, as well as certain development updates for Deus Ex 2 and Thief III. I could go on, but this page is only so long. Ultimately, 2002 will be a good year for PC gaming.

Hell, we might even see a screenshot or two of Duke Nukem Forever...not likely, though.
 

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