Games To Watch In April

06 Apr 2010 at 12:17:25 by Andy Alderson

After the battering our bank accounts took in February and March, most of us were probably hoping for a quiet month to recoup our losses. Well, the good news is that April may not be jam-packed with AAA releases, but - you best cover your wallet's ears - there are still a number of titles you will be playing this month.  

Splinter Cell Conviction
Release date: 13 April (US), 16 April (EU)
 
The latest entry in Ubisoft's iconic stealth-action franchise sees the developer adopting a slightly different approach to Splinter Cell. Ubi's Montreal team is clearly no stranger to the Bourne films as we see Sam's considerable stealth repertoire complimented with some true Bourne-style badassery. As such the pace of the game is quicker than previous Splinter Cell titles and, with the new mark and execute and last known position mechanics in play, Conviction looks set to offer a compelling mixture of stealth and action. Co-op fans will also be glad to know that Conviction sports an entire co-op prequel campaign which sees a US and Russian agent working together to track down some errant nuclear weapons. There's a demo available now on Xbox LIVE , add it to your download queue here and check out some demo footage here.

Dead to Rights: Retribution
Release date: 23 April

Namco Bandai is describing Dead to Rights Retribution as a “reimagination” of its 2002 shoot-and-dog 'em up. Accordingly, if you've played the original, you'll see some very familiar story elements as Jack Slate once again embarks on a quest to avenge the death of his father. Joined by his trusty hound Shadow, Jack must work his way through Grant City's underworld to uncover a grand conspiracy that extends to the police department itself. Like the first game you can expect a lot of cliché and some sub-Max Payne noir-style narration, all wrapped up in action-packed, gore-heavy gameplay. With an achievement called “Scrotality” on offer in the game, you know what to expect. However, developer Volatile Games has made a real effort to combine a directional hand-to-hand combat system (think Batman: Arkham Asylum) and gunplay seamlessly as well as introducing some Shadow stealth sections for a little more gameplay variety.

Nier
Release date: 23 April

Something of a curio, Nier is a Western-style action-adventure/RPG hybrid from Japanese publisher Square Enix. Combining action-focused swordplay and an RPG-influenced story and character development, Nier tells the story of the eponymous hero who must find a cure for his daughter, infected with the Black Scrawl disease. When we spoke to Yosuke Saito about the upcoming title, he assured us that Square's extensive RPG experience would add something new to the hack n' slash genre and, depending on how the game fares, there's more to come from the game's universe. We'll have an extensive Nier preview  arriving next week, so stay tuned to IncGamers for more on the game.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Release date: 27 April

Never one to miss out on an opportunity to tie in a game with a major sporting event, EA Sports was quick to announce a follow-up to last year's successful FIFA 10. Any fears about whether the game justifies a full price release were put to bed when we got hands on with World Cup last month and you can read the full preview here. As well as some serious presentational improvements, designed to capture the carnival atmosphere of the world's biggest football competition, the game includes over 100 gameplay tweaks. The changes fix a number of enduring bugs from FIFA 10 as well as altering the gameplay to reflect the high-altitude setting of the World Cup, meaning ball flight will come into play. While many will no doubt dismiss 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa as an EA money-spinner, anyone who played UEFA Euro 2008 knows what to expect from the game – tighter gameplay, better presentation and a few new features that may just make it into FIFA 11.

Super Street Fighter IV
Release date: 27 April (NA), 30 April (EU)

Following the welcome return of the series in 2009's Street Fighter IV, Capcom is keen to keep the momentum going with Super Street Fighter IV. Apparently too big an update to be contained in a DLC release, Super Street Fighter IV will add ten new characters to the game (some of whom will be familiar to series stalwarts) as well as tweaking the fighter balancing. Capcom has been paying close attention to the Street Fighter IV community it would seem and, as such, will be adjusting the balancing accordingly. That's not to say the game will become easier, however, and the developer has already assured fans that infamous SFIV boss Seth will be “even cheaper and more irritating.” We're also promised some new Ultra combos, new areas, bonus rounds and improved online functionality. Will it be worth the £29.99 GBP price tag? Stay tuned to IncGamers for our verdict on the title later this month and in the meantime check out some of the new SSFIV media here.

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