Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Release Date: Aug. 28
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Description: This is the big first-party title Nintendo fans have been waiting for since The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess arrived with the Wii’s launch last November. The Metroid series got a boost during the GameCube era when the franchise move to a first-person 3D format and essentially became a first-person shooter. Metroid Prime quickly became one of the most-popular and best-reviewed games of the last decade, and its sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which introduced a multiplayer mode for the series, was also a hit.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption looks to continue the success of its predecessors, but a lot is riding on this game. First-person shooter gameplay hasn’t exactly translated well on the Wii Remote, with the lone exception being Resident Evil 4’s Wii Edition. However, Nintendo reportedly took its time to make sure the shooter controls and Wii Remote sensitivity were perfect for Corruption, which contributed to the game’s delay. Besides updated graphics and extensive voice acting, some of the new features for Corruption include "a never-before-used device called a Phazon Enhancement Device." The device allows players to enter a state called "Hypermode."

In Hypermode, Samus can destroy Phazon enemies with super-powered weapons, but it also decreases her health. If players don’t empty their Phazon meter within a certain time frame, they risk becoming corrupted and falling under the control of Dark Samus. There’s also a "Lock-on Free Aiming" system that allows players to lock the camera on enemies with the Wii Nunchuk’s Z button and still have complete control of where they aim with the Wii Remote. The Wii’s motion controls may indeed work like a charm for Corruption, but Nintendo’s surprising lack of hype and promotion for the upcoming Metroid title has been puzzling. Nintendo was extremely low-key about Corruption at E3. Let’s hope that’s not a reflection of the company’s faith in the title.

Samus returns in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

John Woo’s Stranglehold

Release Date: Aug. 27 (PC and Xbox 360), Sept. 17 (PS3)
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Midway Studios, Tiger Hill Entertainment
Publisher: Midway
Description: Now here’s a game that is absolutely oozing with potential. Ever since Max Payne took the Hong Kong action movie style to the video game world, the shooter genre has been rife with the influences of director John Woo, including his signature slow-motion violence and acrobatic gunfights. Though many people believe Max Payne and its "bullet time" feature were influenced by "The Matrix," the game was actually a homage to Woo’s films like "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer" (for more on those flicks, check out the Top-20 Movie Shootouts LINK). Now comes John Woo’s Stranglehold, which is actually a sequel of sorts to "Hard Boiled."

A screenshot of the Windows Vista startup menu

The third-person action title picks up with Inspector "Tequila" Yen (Chow Yun-Fat, who played Tequila in "Hard Boiled"), who takes on Triad gangs and the Russian mafia in Hong Kong. The fact that so many games have been influenced by Woo’s style will no doubt set the bar high for Stranglehold, which marks the first time Woo has been directly involved in a video game. Stranglehold is also historic in that it marks the first time Woo and Chow have worked together since 1993’s "Hard Boiled." Can it live up to Woo’s remarkable legacy in film? Opinions are divided on that one. I personally found the E3 demo last month to be a frustrating experience (read here for more LINK) because the camera views couldn’t seem to work smoothly with all of the tricked-out acrobatics and gunplay moves.

Also, I was hoping that the game could somehow emulate the gritty, dark feel of Woo’s films, and that didn’t appear to be the case. On the other hand, Travis reviewed the Xbox 360 demo and feels that despite its flaws, Stranglehold is still promising. It will also be interesting to see how controls of the game work for the PC version (we’ve only gotten our hands on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions). And for "Hard Boiled" fans out there, the PS3 collector’s edition of Stranglehold comes with a Blu-ray version of the classic action movie.

PC Requirements: minimum requirements include Intel Dual Core Processor, 2 GB of RAM, an Nvidia 7800 GPU or higher or ATI x1300 or higher and a whopping 15 GB of disk space. Recommended PC requirements have not been officially announced.