Everyone remember Pandemic Studios? The company that merged with Bioware back in 2005 and was eventually made part of EA's vast library of resources in 2007. Despite the fact that I have not played many of their games, there is no denying that their studios produce great games. The company is responsible for Star Wars Battlefront I & II, Destroy All Humans I & II, and the Mercenaries franchise. Personally, I did not play many of these games because they simply aren't my style. I dabbled in Destroy all Humans and liked it a lot but I prefer to tackle games with a more serious tone. I never really played Star Wars Battlefront because I prefer open world Star Wars RPG's similar to KoToR. However, all of these games are known for quality and polish which is a fact that deserves my respect. In fact, Mercenaries II may be my first experience with a Pandemic game and it looks to be a real treat when it hits in October. I should also mention "Saboteur", a game that follows a french Resistance fighter through a colorless world war II setting. The game looks cool and has a really interesting approach to its presentation. So why bring up Pandemic now? Is it because they have made some new announcement concerning Mercenaries II? No. In fact, I want to talk about the little known projects that are currently shrouded in mystery.
If you browse through Pandemic's website, you will notice that they are currently working on three mystery projects dubbed projects B, Q, and Z. What could they be and why have we heard next to nothing about them? The website promises that the first project currently in development, project B, will be one of the teams most ambitious projects to date. Project Q is said to be one of the team's most exciting projects. Project Z however is apparently the project that will be shrouded in the most secrecy. Hm they all seem pretty secret to me. I'm willing to guess that that Project Q and Z will be new IP's but B on the other hand... I have an idea of what that might be... and it has giddy.
It is curious however that Pandemic does in fact own the rights to the next Batman game. In fact, just yesterday, Gary Oldman let it slip that a Dark Knight game is in development. Rumors have been flying around for months that Pandemic is working on the game adaptation to the Dark Knight. The movie is out now and people have probably be been wondering why there isn't a game to coincide with its release. After seeing such a well produced film, I find myself a little skeptical of wanting a game but if Pandemic is in fact working on the game then the game has 2 things going for it. First, the team seem to be taking the extra time necessary to make the game and not worrying about releasing at the same time as its film release. This might also mean that the game is bigger in scope than previous movie titles and might even be an open world Gotham City. Let the rumors begin. Second, the team seems to have a knack for making solid, fun games. Only time will tell and I can't wait for an official announcement. -Nick
