The Most Promising Games of Fall 2009

Zombies, cars and thieves -- the crop of games coming this autumn has it all. Here's our guide to the titles we're most looking forward to.

The Most Promising Games of Fall 2009 // 'Borderlands' (Image courtesy of PC World)

'Borderlands' -- ETA Oct. 20
For: PS3, Windows, Xbox 360
Whether it actually "challenges all the conventions of modern shooters," or simply disguises them better than most, Gearbox Software's "Borderlands" is angling to upend your expectations. If "Diablo" and "Mad Max" were to have a baby, it would probably look like this game.
Imagine random levels, random creatures, random creature tactics and a massive arsenal of recombining weaponry, from revolvers that fire shotgun shells to rifles that spit rockets. Everything is tuned for speed, with online cooperative play that'll let up to four players drop in or out of missions and scour a post-apocalyptic alien planet for a legendary tech trove.
Along the way, you'll sign up for quests and upgrade character skills. All that's missing? Tina Turner and the Thunderdome.
Price: $60 ($50 for Windows version)

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The Most Promising Games of Fall 2009 // 'Modern Warfare 2' (Image courtesy of PC World)

'Modern Warfare 2' -- ETA: Nov. 10

For: PS3, Windows, Xbox 360

If I had to choose between Infinity Ward's "Modern Warfare" and competitor Retro Studios' "Metroid Prime," I'd go with "Metroid Prime." But, Activision's more-realistic-than-usual (but not very realistic) modern-era first-person shooter would still be up there.

The first "Modern Warfare" certainly sold like gangbusters, perhaps proving that we're finally burned out on games themed to World War II.

"Modern Warfare 2" brings more of the same, but tacks on dual-wield weapons, snowmobile races, Russian vistas, tons of new multiplayer features and the option to superheroically take on more than 50 enemies at once.

Silly or no, I predict that the sun won't go down before this game goes platinum. One warning: Don't fall for the Prestige Edition, which is priced over the moon at $150. I mean, an included pair of night-vision goggles? For real, Activision?

Price: $60

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The Most Promising Games of Fall 2009 // 'Left 4 Dead 2' (Image courtesy of PC World)

'Left 4 Dead 2' -- ETA: Nov. 17

For:Windows, Xbox 360

Heads exploding, bodies ripping open, swarms of bloody revenants scrambling over fences -- just another day in the office for developer Valve.

This sequel to last November's first-person multiplayer zombie-masher adds five new supersized campaigns and tweaks the rules just enough to justify its existence -- that is, if you're not one of the radicalized few who think that Valve is releasing this game too soon, or that the company owes players features that fall well outside the original's parameters.

Entitlement complex? People can grouse, but you'll want to judge this sequel on its own merits.

Price: $60 ($50 for Windows version)

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Top five: sci-fi vehicles

by Shaun Davis

The stories take us to distant worlds but what to drive when we get there? In accordance with this vehicular quandary, SciFiNow takes a look at some of the coolest rides to ever grace the galaxy.

Hop in!

The TARDIS
First appearance: 1963
In: Doctor Who
Pilot: The Doctor
Time machine and spacecraft, the TARDIS is the product of Time Lord technology and can transport occupants through space and time. An acronym of Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, the TARDIS is larger inside than it is out and can blend in with its surroundings. No weapons can be used inside its walls and the TARDIS grants its passengers the ability to understand and speak other languages – perfect for intergalactic travel or that two-week break in Benidorm

Millennium Falcon
First appearance: 1977
In: Star Wars
Pilots: Han Solo, Chewbacca
A legendary starship despite its humble origins and dilapidated exterior, the Falcon has factored into some of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest victories over the Empire. The galaxy’s most wily smuggler has made some ‘special modifications’ to give it illegal, not to mention damn right awesome, performance levels. Solo’s ‘heap of junk’ provided vital covering fire for Luke’s final run on the Death Star, sending Darth Vader into a hilarious barrel roll, and was Leia’s escape transport during the battle for Endor. Nevertheless, the Falcon’s true moment of glory came not when Han Solo was in the cockpit but when it was under the command of its previous owner, Lando Calrissian, when it soared into the Death Star and delivered a missile volley that helped seal the Empire’s fate. The Falcon comes complete with chessboard, mandibles rest concussion missile launchers and (unfortunately) a malfunctioning hyper drive.

The DeLorean
First appearance: 1985
In: Back To The Future
Pilots: Doc Brown, Marty McFly
“When this baby hits 88 miles an hour, we’re going to see some serious shit.” Doc Brown wasn’t wrong, as no car in film history has made such an impression on audiences as this temporal displacement vehicle. A customised DeLorean DMC-12 fitted with a plutonium-powered nuclear reactor and the Flux Capacitor (a necessary aid for time travelling), the DeLorean is later taken to new heights with a hover conversion. The DeLorean is used for good and bad ends with Doc and Marty trying to correct mistakes made and Biff using it for his own nefarious means, though why Marty would leave this bad boy unattended is beyond us. “Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Think McFly.”

Optimus Prime
First appearance: 1984
In: Transformers
Pilot: Prime
The fearless leader of the Autobots is the coolest truck to appear on screen. The original Prime transforms into a cab-over semi and carries the mystic talisman known as the Matrix of Leadership. In his trailer he carries Roller, a mobile scout buggy that can slip between enemy lines. He is the defender of Cybertron and is constantly clashing with lifelong nemesis Megatron in order to uphold the freedom ‘of all sentient beings’. Other powers include the ability to replace his right hand with a glowing Energon axe and, if Bay’s blockbuster is to be believed, the ability to scour the pages of eBay. With Prime leading the charge, his troops are never afraid to ‘transform and roll out.’

Planet Express Ship
First appearance: 1999
In: Futurama
Pilots: Turanga Leela, Philip J Fry
Though it might look like your average delivery ship, the Plant Express actually has a lot more to offer. As well as being very well armed it is also capable of travelling faster than the current speed of light, after the speed of light was increased to allow for faster travel. It is also revealed by Professor Farnsworth’s clone, Cubert, that the ship uses dark matter to move the universe around it instead of moving the ship through the universe. The Planet Express boasts a den, a reactor room and a laundry room, referred to by Zapp Brannigan as ‘the brig’. It is capable of functioning underwater and shrinking down to miniature in order to help fight off cantankerous worms.