Gamescom 2011 secrets: What we want to see

In computerandvideogames

TIMESPLITTERS 4


We've been waiting for years to see a new Timesplitters game but the point at which the first few hints towards a dream sequel drip onto the web is always the hardest.

Now the imminent arrival of Timesplitters 4 is a real possibility with whispers coming from two credible sources in the past few months.

Personally, we can't wait to see the return of a franchise that took the very stern FPS series and filled it with gun-slinging monkeys, curvy Amazon jungle queens and all manner of crazy characters.

We've seen the genre get a couple of fun injections recently with the likes of Bulletstorm but we think it's still a vastly underused quality right across gaming. A bit more quirk is more than welcome.

As long as the magic of Timesplitters 2 is recreated we'll be happy. We still haven't fired a more satisfying crossbow since.


GTA V


Grand Theft Auto V is like hitting the snooze button. You know the violent buzz of the alarm is coming again and you know it's coming soon so, instead of relaxing back into a natural sleep, you end up half-awake and slightly tense just anticipating.

We feel like we've had our hands held tentatively in front of our torsos for months now, poised and ready to throw them in the air when Rockstar finally does slap us with next GTA. To be honest, our arms are starting to ache.

What doesn't help is the wave of rumours and potential clues that washes over the internet every now and then suggesting the next Rockstar blockbuster is drawing ever nearer.

Is it set in LA? Is it coming next year? Will it use MotionScan technology? We just don't know and we need something or we're going to die.


GOD OF WAR IV


For our money, there's no other name on the market that does visuals quite like God of War and while most of the time we look forward to getting our hands on a new title, with this epic franchise, we just want to see what crazy sequences Sony can possibly come up with to top last year's effort.

The rumours started with PSM3 way back in April, which tipped the next God of War for September 2012. Excitingly, the rumour was strengthened a month later by Official PlayStation Magazine, which also put all of its chips on September.

If we were Sony Santa Monica we'd be thinking about getting something out the door on God of War 4 pretty sharpish if we were going to meet that September speculation.

If only there were some sort of games expo coming up soon.


HALF-LIFE 3


We said this was an ambitious article and, while Valve remains absolutely impenetrable as far as Half-Life 3 (or Half-Life 2 episode 3) information is concerned, this is definitely the wish least likely to be granted from this humble list.

But it's not like we've got nothing to go on when it comes to the next game in arguably the most popular franchise in gaming.

It was only back in April this year that pieces of mysterious Valve concept art emerged. To this date we still don't know what they are related to but they seem suitably sci-fi enough to fit with Half-Life.

On the other hand, apart from their futuristic tones, they don't actually resemble anything we've seen from Half-Life before, which means we can't place too much expectation on them.

But the turmoil doesn't end there because in September last year Valve's Gabe Newell told us to expect "at least" three "big surprises from the studio" within the next 12 months. Sure, we're running out of time but September is still weeks away and the fact that Gabe said "at least" leaves this whole thing wide open until September 1. Believe.

Ok, no you're right. Probably not going to happen.