Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a third-person action video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 6, 2011 in North America and September 9, 2011 in Europe. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine takes place in Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe.

The title's gameplay focuses on a hybrid shooting and melee combat model. In late March 2011, it was announced that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine would feature the Chaos faction of Warhammer 40,000.

Titus, is given enhanced regenerative abilities and an Iron Halo shield, after progress has been made further into the story. When health gets low, performing executions can allow Titus to get a portion of his health back. Titus is accompanied by Sidonus and Leandros for most of the missions, though in some instances missions are performed solo. The game features a fury system that, when filled up, allows the player to either slow time for aiming or perform devastating melee attacks.

Nier

Nier is an action role-playing video game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix. It was released for the Xbox 360 andPlayStation 3 in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America in April 2010. In Japan, the game was an Xbox 360 exclusive titled Nier Gestalt, while an alternate version titled Nier Replicant was released for PlayStation 3 with a younger main character. The game follows the titular Nier as he attempts to find a cure for an illness, known as the Black Scrawl, that his daughter Yonah has succumbed to. Partnering with a talking book known as Grimoire Weiss, he journeys with two other characters, Kainé and Emil, as he attempts to find a remedy and understand the nature of the creatures, Shades, that stalk the world. The gameplay borrows elements from various video game genres, switching to them from the primary action role-playing style.

The game was developed to appeal both to older players and to players outside of Japan, where the developer was based. The music was composed by Keiichi Okabe, head of Monaca, a music composition studio, and has sparked the release of several albums. Nier was released to mixed reception; reviewers praised the story, characters and soundtrack and were mixed in their opinions of how well the disparate gameplay elements were connected. Criticism was given for the execution of some gameplay elements, particularly the side quests, and was especially pronounced for the graphics, which were regarded as substandard.

Child of Eden

Child of Eden is a rhythm action game created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, best known for Rez, developed by Q Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game announcement opened Ubisoft's pre-E3 2010 press conference and was one of the first titles shown with support for Xbox 360's Kinect peripheral. The game serves as a prequel to Mizuguchi's earlier game Rez and sees players shoot at various targets which produce melodic sounds upon destruction. It was developed for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and is compatible with Microsoft'sKinect, PlayStation Move and standard controllers for both consoles. In April 2011, Mizuguchi announced that he had developed a unique corset peripheral for the game, which featured four controllers, all of which vibrated to the game's music. The new device is currently only available in Q Entertainment studios, and is unlikely to see a retail release.

As was the case with Rez, Child of Eden is presented as an experiment on synesthesia, integrating sound, vision and touch in one seamless experience. The game features music from Genki Rockets.

Comparable to Rez, the game revolves around shooting various objects that come onto the screen, which produce musical effects upon their destruction. Players can choose between using a lock-on function similar to Rez's gameplay, or a vulcan cannon which shoots a constant stream of bullets. Using Kinect, players can aim using their hands and clap to change weapons, though traditional controllers can also be used. Like Rez HD, players can use additional controllers to provide external vibration and during the gameplay adjusts the music to the actions and movements of the players.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (エルシャダイ アセンション オブ ザ メタトロン Erushadai Asenshon obu za Metatoron?) is anaction video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. It is developed and published by Ignition Entertainment. The development is led by Takeyasu Sawaki, who was a character designer in Devil May Cry and Ōkami. The game was released on April 28, 2011 in Japan, on August 16, 2011 in North America, and on September 9, 2011 in Europe. Ignition has stated that a version for Nintendo Wii U and PlayStation Vita may be developed.

El Shaddai is a third-person action game featuring platform game elements. The player's character, Enoch, starts the game unarmed and is able to steal weapons from his enemies. The game has three primary weapons. The first is the Arch, a curved blade which also allows the user to float for short periods. The second weapon is the Gale, a ring like weapon that provides a quick dash ability, and the power to fire small darts in rapid succession. The third weapon is the Veil, a shield that also acts as a pair of gauntlets, providing the strongest defense and a strong punch. The Gale is the fastest weapon of the three, the Veil being the slowest. All of the holy weapons become weaker and corrupt as they are used, and routinely they have to be purified. The player performs combos with the rhythmic use of one button.

ICO & Shadow of the Colossus HD

Ico (イコ Iko?, English pronunciation: /ˈiːkoʊ/) is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for thePlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 across various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop by Team Ico. The team employed a "subtracting design" approach to reduce elements of gameplay that interfered with the game's setting and story in order to create a high level of immersion.

The titular protagonist is a young boy born with horns whom his village considers a bad omen. Warriors lock him away in an abandoned fortress. During his explorations of the fortress, Ico encounters Yorda, the daughter of the castle's Queen. The Queen plans to use Yorda's body to extend her own lifespan. Learning this, Ico seeks to escape the castle with Yorda, keeping her safe from the shadow-like creatures that attempt to draw her back. Throughout the game, the player controls Ico as he explores the castle, solves puzzles and assists the less-agile Yorda across obstacles.

Ico introduced several design and technical elements, including a story told with minimal dialog, bloom lighting and key frame animation, that have influenced subsequent games. Although not a commercial success, it was critically acclaimed for its art and story elements and received several awards, including "Game of the Year" nominations and three Game Developers Choice Awards. Ico is listed on several overall top game lists, and is often considered a work of art. The game was reprinted in Europe in 2006, in conjunction with the release of Shadow of the Colossus, the spiritual successor to Ico. Along with Shadow of the Colossus, Ico was released in The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection for the PlayStation 3 which featured HD graphics, Trophy and 3D support.

Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander to Kyozō (Japanese: ワンダと巨像 Hepburn: Wanda to Kyozō?, officially translated Wander and the Colossus), is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) for thePlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006. It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed at SCEI's International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico. Shadow of the Colossus is considered a spiritual successor to Ico. Along with Ico, Shadow of the Colossus was re-released in The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Classics HD in the PAL region) for the PlayStation 3 in September 2011; it features high-definition (HD) graphics, content previously missing from the North American version, PlayStation Network Trophies, and 3D support.

The game's storyline focuses on a young man named Wander who enters a forbidden land. Wander must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen massive beings, simply known as colossi, in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with which to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi. Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each colossus' weakness must be identified and exploited before it can be defeated.

Cited as an influential title in the video game industry, Shadow of the Colossus is regarded as an important work of art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey. It received wide critical acclaim by the media and was met with strong sales compared to Ico, due in part to a larger marketing campaign, and the soundtrack was widely praised. The game won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality. Shadow of the Colossus is also referenced numerous times in debates regarding the art quality and emotional perspectives of videogames.

Darksiders

Darksiders, originally known with the subtitle Wrath of War, is an action adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. The game takes its inspiration from the apocalypse, with the player taking the role of War. The game was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 5, 2010 in North America and January 8 in Europe. The PC and OnLive versions were released on September 23, 2010 for North America and the PC version on September 24 for Europe. A parallel sequel is currently under development and expected to be released in 2012.

Darksiders is a single-player action adventure in which the player takes control of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Inthird-person perspective, the player engages in combat, puzzles and exploration. The world is divided into separate locations with many areas at first initially inaccessible until War regains many of his lost weapons and abilities. The center of the world, The Scalding Gallow, acts as a hub where War is given new objectives and paths to further unlock new areas. Each contains a series of linear and non-linear paths, many of which require large sections of platforming, climbing and swimming along environment-based puzzles that impair progress and require the use of newly-gained abilities. He fights mainly against angels and demons, and has a unique way to kill each particular type of enemy, usually tearing them apart painfully.

3D Dot Game Heroes

3D Dot Game Heroes (3Dドットゲームヒーローズ?) is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Studio and published byFrom Software in Japan, Atlus in North America and by SouthPeak Games in Europe. The game uses a unique style, presenting 2Dretro-style graphics in a 3D environment using voxels. The game was released in Japan on November 5, 2009, in North America on May 11, 2010 and in Europe on May 14, 2010, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.