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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.

The first new IP from id Software in almost 15 years allows you to host your own late night music program on the ABC. Oh, wait. That’s something else entirely. RAGE is actually a post apocalyptic epic that combines traditional first person carnage with a healthy dose of vehicular combat. It’s not the most original concept in popular fiction, but that’s unlikely to dissuade id’s many fans from checking out what promises to be a graphical showcase. Rage is expected to arrive on 360, PS3 and PC in September. REVIEW

If you’re anything like us, you probably don’t associate the Kinect peripheral with axe wielding sadists, bloodthirsty ghouls or prisoners sizzling away in electric chairs. However, that’s exactly the kind of imagery you’ll encounter in RISE OF NIGHTMARES, the new first person horror experience from SEGA. According to the Japanese publisher, survival will require the use of your “whole body”. We can only hope that this is an exaggeration. SEGA is targeting an autumn release for this nasty looking 360 exclusive. REVIEW

After its debut release was described in various reviews as “weird”, “strange” and “bizarre”, Chilean developer ACE Team could be forgiven for playing it safe. Instead they commenced work on ROCK OF AGES, a turn based strategy game in which you’ll assume the role of a gargantuan boulder with a smiley face carved into its surface. By carefully plotting your trajectory, you’ll be able to obliterate your enemy’s troops and structures. Rock of Ages is coming to unspecified digital channels in autumn. REVIEW

The latest offering from Grasshopper Manufacture is shaping up to be an all-star affair. A gruesome hybrid of action and horror, SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED is being forged by executive director Suda51 (Killer 7), creative producer Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) and composer Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill). Your level of anticipation for the game probably depends on whether the idea of a skull shaped shotgun has you fist pumping or groaning. According to publisher EA, Shadows of the Damned will be released on 360 and PS3 in winter. REVIEW

Rise of Nightmares image credit: IGN

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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.

Already notorious for devising the most misleading title in the history of gaming, Final Fantasy legend Hironobu Sakaguchi is preparing to release THE LAST STORY. (Some people just never learn.) The long awaited JRPG will mark the Wii debut of Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker studio and, despite the limitations of the hardware, it looks to be a lavish production. The game will also feature online multiplayer, still a rarity on Nintendo’s console. The Last Story is due on Japanese shelves this month. A western release date is yet to be announced.

The 2D revival continues apace with Ubisoft and Super Stardust HD developer Housemarque preparing to deliver OUTLAND. The game looks to be a combat focused platformer with colossal boss encounters and a colour based mechanic reminiscent of Treasure’s celebrated bullet hell shooter Ikaruga. If the art design is any guide at all, the action appears to take place in a world inspired by ancient Rome. Outland is coming to XBLA and PSN. REVIEW

From Software’s fiendishly difficult Demon’s Souls was one of the surprise hits of 2009, unless you happened to live in Australia, in which case it was one of the surprise hits of 2010. With luck, the Japanese developer’s highly anticipated follow up will find its way to our shores in a more timely fashion. Though precious little is known of PROJECT DARK, this third person action RPG has been widely labelled a “spiritual successor” (get it?) to Demon’s Souls. Look for it on 360 and PS3 in 2011. REVIEW

After contributing to the likes of Panzer Dragoon and Blue Dragon, Yukio Fatatsugi is preparing to spread his huge, leathery wings once again. The Kinect exclusive PROJECT DRACO will see you developing a bond with your cold blooded mount before riding it into battle at 10,000 feet. It will be interesting to see how the motion controls fare during the promised online multiplayer sessions. Will Project Draco be good enough to dethrone Lair as the king of the ultra competitive motion controlled dragon riding sim subgenre? We’ll find out soon enough.

Project Draco image credit: Famitsu

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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.

The creators of Frontlines: Fuel of War are preparing another assault on the first person shooter market. This time around, THQ and Kaos Studios have an ace up their sleeve.  HOMEFRONT will feature a paranoid near future scenario penned by Red Dawn director John Milius. The Greater Korean Republic has conquered the United States and as a member of the resistance, it will be up to you to send them packing. Freedom ain’t free, etc. This unlikeliest of invasions begins on 360, PS3 and PC on Thursday 10 March 2011. REVIEW

A cooperative fantasy action game, HUNTED: THE DEMON’S FORGE is the first major project from inXile Entertainment since the cancelation of HEI$T. Your perilous quest occurs during a dark age of murder, slavery and corruption (no, not the 90s). You’ll need to combine with your partner to unravel potentially lethal puzzles and execute devastating special attacks. According to publisher Bethesda Softworks, this 360, PS3 and PC game is set to arrive in May. REVIEW

If you wagered that 5^th Cell’s next game would be an online multiplayer shooter, you should probably board the next plane to Vegas. The post apocalyptic HYBRID marks a radical change for a studio known best known for DS hits Drawn Together and Scribblenauts. Will this rather generic looking third person shooter turn out to be as daring and imaginative as those games? We certainly hope so, but we’ll have to wait until later this year to be sure. Hybrid is, at least for the moment, an XBLA exclusive. REVIEW

Having mesmerised some (and infuriated others) with the highly experimental Flower, thatgamecompany is preparing to release JOURNEY, another title likely to test the boundaries of our favourite medium. You’ll be transported to vast expanse of sand dunes. As you walk towards a distant peak, you’ll explore the ruins of a lost civilisation and encounter other players trying to understand the world around them. This is a game about landscape, interaction and (conversely) introspection. Sony is yet to announce a precise release date for what promises to be one the year’s most intriguing PSN exclusives. REVIEW

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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.

Recent Epic Games acquisition People Can Fly is preparing to unleash sci-fi first person shooter BULLETSTORM. The developer has described the otherworldly setting as a “paradise”, which it may well be for the rampant populations of mutants and cannibals. As outcast mercenary Grayson Hunt, you’re quite understandably not as keen on the place. In order to survive, you’ll need to develop a repertoire of creative attacks known as “skillshots”. An unabashed orgy of violence and profanity, Bulletstorm will arrive on 360, PS3 and PC on Thursday 24 February. REVIEW

Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi is bringing his celebrated brand of seizure inducing insanity to a new generation of gamers.  Featuring a mesmeric blend of abstract images and sounds, CHILD OF EDEN challenges you to defend a computer archive from a debilitating virus. Publisher Ubisoft has announced the game for 360 and PS3, with the latter version featuring Kinect compatibility for even more immersive play. The latest mind bending experience from the creator of Rez and Lumines is due in March. REVIEW

Even as the Wii vanished beneath an avalanche of family friendly shovelware, Grasshopper Manufacture defied the trend with the deliriously violent No More Heroes. Suda 51’s acclaimed studio is now hard at work on CODENAME D, an action horror release that could well do the same for Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral. Though few details have yet emerged, it appears that you’ll be using pyrokinetic powers to battle the anthropomorphic inhabitants of an abandoned amusement park (just as you do in Kinectimals).

After the first three crusades ended up in a file marked “seemed like a good idea at the time”, the ironically named Pope Innocent III elected to take another crack at it. The fallout from this decision is explored in THE CURSED CRUSADE, a co-op focused third person combat game from Kylotonn Entertainment. You’ll play as Denz, a blood drenched crusader desperate to rid himself of a mystical illness. The Cursed Crusade is slated for release on 360, PS3 and PC in winter 2011.

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