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An annual tradition here at the Black Panel, New Horizons provides you with a sneak peak at the year ahead. Entirely bereft of sequels and spin-offs, this article is devoted to the promise of new ideas, bold and inventive.

As you grumble about having to take out the bins this week, spare a thought for Mar-T and Chip, a couple of poor saps actually thrown out with the trash. As one of the robotic stars of EA Bright Light’s sci-fi romp SPARE PARTS, you’ll be brawling your way from one side of the planet to the other, your electric eyes ever alert for the next power-up. The ultimate goal of this co-op action game is to repair your space craft and flee the clutches of the sinister Lord Krung. Spare Parts is coming to XBLA and PSN next week. REVIEW

In this business, timing is everything, which is why you have to admire Double Fine Productions for swooping on the concept of Russian nesting dolls only a century or so after the craze began. As the diminutive hero of STACKING, you’ll need to break open and possess a series of larger dolls. You’ll then be able to exploit their unique abilities in order to solve puzzles. Publisher THQ is bringing Stacking to XBLA and PSN. A final release date is yet to be announced. REVIEW

Can you imagine playing an otherwise traditional platformer in which you have simultaneous control over up to 50 different characters? DeathSpank developer Hothead Games certainly can and that’s why SWARM promises to be among the most ambitious downloadable titles of the year. According to Hothead, only one of your “blue morons” (their words, not ours) needs to survive in order for you to complete each level. Life is cheap, apparently. Swarm is due for release on XBLA and PSN in early 2011. REVIEW

Try to read the following sentence in a deep, gravelly voice. EA is about to offer us a glimpse of the most brutal battlefield of all, the animal kingdom. A class based multiplayer action game, WILDLIFE: FOREST SURVIVAL will see you take on the role of a swift rabbit, stealthy fox, savage alligator or high flying hawk. The online multiplayer mode will encourage you to hunt, kill and possibly eat to up to 11 of your fellow animal lovers. Wildlife: Forest Survival is scheduled to arrive on XBLA and PSN in autumn.

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