The imminent launch of Halo 3 has brought on an almost unprecedented amount of hype and publicity. It seems that wherever you look, there's the imposing Master Chief staring back at you. This ubiquity and hype seems to be reaching a fever pitch over the past few weeks with multiple features in magazines and television bringing home the point that the year's most anticipated title is almost here. Microsoft has done an excellent job to this point of building up excitement, but will the final game really be able to live up to the hype and propel the Xbox 360 to a firmer first place standing? The latest installment in Voice Module looks past the hype and finds out if this is really worth the impending hysteria.

You know it's coming by now don't you? If the covers of all the major gaming magazines, the endless features in mainstream magazines like Wired and a controversial piece in Time point out that, second only to Grand Theft Auto, this is probably the biggest franchise in gaming. If this wasn't enough, the flood of product tie-ins and cross-marketing means gamers can't even escape this onslaught by going to their local 7-11 for a Slurpee. It's almost getting obnoxious. There's little doubt that the marketing engine is going full blast, so there should be plenty of awareness built for this release by the time the now-ubiqitous midnight launches happen later this month. Of course, one of the key things that can be used to measure how big a game is going to be are the associated products. There are already Halo 3 branded faceplates out there, along with expected extras like controllers and more - but the game itself is being branded as a collector's item. In addition to the standard version, Microsoft is planning two special editions - one is a fairly standard two disc set in a metal box, while the "Legendary" edition includes not only a second bonus disc for a total of three, plus a replica of the Master Chief's helmet. If this isn't crazy enough, there's also the Limited Edition Halo 3 Xbox 360 console as well, if you want to become the hardest of the hardcore Halo heads. Sales of the console and the ultra-premium pack have been very strong, with many online retailers limited supply - so this can be seen as an immediately positive indicator of where Halo 3 is likely to end up when the end of month sales are released.

It's long-awaited debut on Xbox 360 should be a welcome relief to Microsoft who've been on the market for nearly 2 years now without a major hit. It hasn't been an easy road for the 360, which despite some solid titles and sales numbers hasn't really had a defining hit to date. Sure, there's the phenomenal Bioshock which probably moved a few consoles, but it doesn't look to be the automatic system seller that a title of the stature of Halo 3 automatically brings to the table. Early previews and the beta garnered generally positive reactions, though the final product will be the real test of whether the series has truly arrived again. You really can't state this emphatically enough - this is the single biggest release for the Xbox 360 to date - this is the make or break title that will mostly likely go the longest in determining if Microsoft can really become a player.

It would be easy to oversimplify and callously dismiss Halo 3 out-of-hand as more a marketing event than a significant artistic move forward, but several factors you can see clearly indicate that Halo 3 might actually live up to its potential. Bungie has made no secret that Halo 2 was rushed near the end - which resulted in the cliff-hanger ending and the somewhat unbalanced gameplay. By giving them the extra time to really deliver a solid product, Microsoft seems to have learned from their mistakes. Instead of diluting a successful franchise with subpar installments, as has happened so many times in with other series, they seem determined to actually build a better game this time around. This will help to avoid the disappointment that has plagued franchise games and ensures an impressive tentpole game for the Xbox 360 this year. We won't go into the details here, but the new features such as added weapons, better online play and player customization scratch the surface of what is making an already impressive franchise even better. This seems to be healthier attitude than the usual 'the morons will buy anything' approach favored in the past by certain other developers. Halo 3 looks like it will deliver more than incremental improvements which should make this one of the best playing titles on the system this year.

It seems that a long, steep learning curve has prevented many developers from truly exploiting the abilities and power of the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. There have been loads of solid titles for the systems, don't get us wrong, but most of what's been released to date hasn't really lived up to the potential that the systems offer. Many players are enamored of the Wii's nunchuck controller, it's true, but many of the games that the console has offered haven't really been that imaginative. Most of the early releases for the Playstation 3 were basically warmed over sequels and dull original games that didn't really offer much in the way of new ideas, a situation that has carried over to the 360 as well. However, it seems that the next few months are about to change all that, as the years of development and work are about to bear some impressive and exciting games that feel fresh and original. 2K's release of Bioshock this week seems to be the launching pad for what's looking like one of the most exciting and intense periods gaming has seen in the past five years. Initial reaction to this game has been stunning, with numerous 'perfect' scores appearing and a massive demand for the game pointing to a major hit - not bad for something without a number after the title. Whether of not the Big Daddies become as iconic for this generation as Master Chief did in the last is premature, but the initial trend is looking good. Microsoft isn't relying solely on this in the new IP department, as the new IP's Mass Effect and Too Human look to create epic-scale adventures and role-playing, though they probably won't come out until next year.

The sheer amount of original, completely new IPs coming out should be heartening for gamers who've spent too much time over the past few years watching as sequel after sequel comes out while new titles wither before they're given a chance. While it's true that sequels themselves aren't inherently bad or evil, there's been a feeling among the gamers I've talked to that things have become a little stale. The tenth version of a franchise is probably not going to offer that new feeling gamers have come to crave, and so it's exciting to see developers and publishers offering us something original for a change. What's even more important than these new games being offered is the fact that they seem to be having a real impact on the market as well. Instead of being released into a void, as brilliant yet overlooked games like Psychonauts, Pikmin and Shadow of the Colossus were, this new wave of games arrives with a decent level of media noise, ensuring they'll at least have a chance. Professional gaming media and journalists finally seem open to new ideas, which is a refreshing change of pace, as far as we're concerned. Of course, there's still a lot of time wasted over-analyzing the latest Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, but there seems to also been a shift as new games are finally getting their due. Of course, a lot of this has to do with market forces and momentum, which seems to have squeezed a lot of smaller publishers to the sidelines over the past few years. These trends seem to have run their course and the doors are more open than they've been in awhile.

One of the titles that is emblematic of this trend is Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft. The game was initially seen as a derivative of Prince of Persia, but as more details have emerged, players have become more excited. The early information and demos have been really exciting, and this is one of the games you should definitely keep your eye on. It takes players into a living, breathing medieval world during the Crusades where crowd AI and stealth tactics challenge players to complete their mission and then get out unscathed, this opposed to most games where the assumption is that once you complete your goal, everything else will fall into place. As things become more defined about this title, it should combine different elements to create something that blends, merges and mixes genres to create something truly unique that couldn't have been done on last generation systems. The visual flair of the title has also impressed gamers, and its unique setting and storyline point to something special emerging, even at this early stage. The fact that the Assassin's Creed will appear on both Sony and Microsoft's platforms makes it one of the best candidates to emerge as a breakthrough title for this generation.

Another key title that will probably signify a change in the direction in gaming is Sega's Nights: Journey into Dreams. While this is technically a sequel to the Saturn classic, the fact that the vast majority of Wii's mainstream audience never played the original game or owned the system should make Nights a key watermark to gauge whether Nintendo's massive audience of neo-gamers is ready to embrace a title that isn't made by Nintendo. Early indications are that the game will, at the very least, be somewhat decent - though you might want to put a question mark after it given Sega's spotty recent track record. Nintendo has made no mistake of their intent to broaden the market and the Wii's success itself is the most obvious signal that gamers have tired of the same-old and are ready to embrace innovation once again. Whether this success can be translated to a more traditional style of game without Mario attached is one of the most intriguing questions to be answered over the next few months.

One of the more interesting things that seems to have emerged over the past year or so is Sony's strategic decision to focus on new IPs on the PS3. These are especially important considering PS3's tenuous marketshare to date. A trio of these titles is about to ship and they include the heavily hyped Lair, Heavenly Sword and Warhawk. All of these games promise to do things that haven't been done before. Lair is the first game to truly utilize the Sixaxis motion sensing controller to the fullest, though the early mixed reviews are cause for caution. Warhawk has been one of the PS3's tentpole titles since its infamous unveiling at E3 two years ago, and whether it delivers on its promise of an action-oriented massively online title. Finally, Heavenly Sword which looks like it will probably be the best of the three, thanks to its appealing female lead and action oriented approach. Sony hasn't really had much success in this department to date, and the other major new IP this year is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which seems like Tomb Raider on the high seas. Early trailers for this release from Naughty Dog look fairly good and this might add to the number of new, original titles coming out this year.

There are at least half a dozen major new IPs coming out this year, and that doesn't even cover the many new games that are exciting gamers. Its refreshing to see some imagination and creativity at play for a change. Of course, some of these titles will probably be disappointing and fall short of expectations but the majority look like they're ready to deliver should finally make good on the current generation's promise of creating something new that couldn't be achieved on the last generation of consoles.

Voice Module - SNK's Legacy

In the latest installment of Voice Module, after focusing heavily on what's coming next thanks to E3, we take a nostalgic look back on the Neo-Geo systems like the AES, CD and Pocket and also, explore SNK's legacy and take an in-depth review of the company's three hardware platforms.

With all the new hardware that's come out over the past few years, it's surprising that one of the happiest additions to my collection lately has been a console that's more than 15 years old, if you can believe it. This may sound illogical on the surface, but I've finally come around and purchased a Neo-Geo, filling one of the biggest gaps in my collection after many years. You're probably sitting there wondering why I'm not happy with the emulation packs that have come out over the past few months for the current systems. It doesn't make sense and it's hard to explain, but I'll try.

One of the true joys of collecting classic video games is the ability of playing the original games on their original hardware. It probably sounds strange to those of you out there who've grown up on the net with its mixture of emulation and bootleg roms, but for those of us in the old school, we've never lost the excitement of playing the original games. This extends to the software as well, since I feel that a stack of CDR's can't hold a candle to the original games. To that end, over the past few months, I've gotten into collecting Neo-Geo items and have amassed a somewhat decent collection, at least enough to form some impressions on the various systems and collectibles that have sprung up on the SNK front. It's a long, depressing story, but this is actually the second time around for me - I had a Neo-Geo AES last year but quickly sold it for some bizarre reason. I guess it was buyers' remorse - but fortunately, now that things seem a bit more stable financially, I decided to go in once again and have jumped in full throttle.

Oddly enough, the AES wasn't the first hardware I owned. Like many of you, I stared a few years back with the Neo Geo Pocket, a really cool portable system with a unique personality that was largely ignored. A shame, since at the time, the system had some very impressive technical stats, plus a solid library that featured mini-versions of some of the top SNK franchises like Metal Slug, King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown to name a few. It was quickly discontinued in probably less than a year, and while some over-stock has shown up, it's one of the rarest game systems around in recent memory. As years went by, the Pocket gained a solid niche audience but remained in the SNK ghetto for too long. While the system has since been outclassed by the PSP and DS, its library of unique titles (all the titles on the pocket were designed specifically for this system and aren't watered down emulations) definitely makes it well worth owning, though you can't discount the fact that its hardware may one day be emulated, it's small size makes it a cool addition to your gaming collection.

Once I finally decided to get an AES, my initial impressions were quite good. The cartridges themselves are quite huge and dwarf the SNES and Genesis contemporaries, not just physically but in terms of memory size as well. Playing King of the Monsters on a Genesis cartridge suddenly feels like a pale shadow of the real thing. On the Sega console, it feels washed out and generic while on AES, its' robust colors, beautiful backgrounds and music really brings the action to life vividly. The AES instantaneous load times add to the arcade at home vibe and make you feel like you're playing something of a high quality. While there were a few widely scattered flops in the SNK library, one of the more remarkable things about the Neo Geo was its consistency - you pretty much know what you're going to get and it's pretty likely that it will be a polished, superb action/arcade experience.

One of the biggest and most unfair criticisms of the AES is its supposed reliance on fighting games. Yes, there are numerous 1 on 1 fighters in the mold of Street Fighter II, but this doesn't take into account the diversity of types and sub genres the console offered. While World Heroes feels derivative of the Capcom classic, this short lived series evolved into several different directions. Fatal Fury was a distinctly different franchise and its approach was much grittier. Likewise Art of Fighting presented another unique set of characters. Both of these franchises merged into what became the legendary King of Fighters series, which set many innovations in terms of presentation and gameplay mechanics that Capcom would copy. There were other niche fighters like the under-rated Last Blade titles which further offered a different spin on the genre. To a casual player not familiar with these fighters, it would seem like SNK was pumping these out, but a closer examination shows that each series offered a unique personality that made them worth playing. As the series' evolved, they became more sophisticated and this evolution is clearly evident when you play the first Samuari Spirits and then play the fourth, you'll definitely notice a huge difference in terms of gameplay mechanics, vastly improved graphics and much smoother play.

This focus on the major fighting series is what most people get from the cliffs-notes major media, but a lot of the more impressive games aren't fighters. The Neo had some fairly impressive shooters such as the Aero Fighters games, ASO II and Ghost Pilots. All of these were simple, top down shooters with simple controls and layouts with the classic play mechanics and cool power-ups players have come to expect. Things got even better later on with the release of more sophisticated shooters like Last Resort and the brilliant Pulstar. Both of these featured elaborate 3D backgrounds and superb gameplay. Pulstar in particular lives up to its reputation with its intense gameplay, high level of difficulty and a layout approach similar to the classic R-Type which makes it well worth hunting down. One of the most memorable games on the Neo-Geo was Viewpoint, which took the angled 3D perspective of Zaxxon and updated it with modern shooting elements. There were also some surprisingly good sports games. Some of the early attempts at driving games like Riding Hero were disappointing, but later releases like Neo Drift and Thrash Rally were quite impressive. The system also played host to some really fun sports titles like League Bowling and Football Frenzy which were loads of fun. There were also a couple of fun futuristic sports games like Super Baseball 2020 and Soccer Brawl which simplified things and added things like power-ups. The crown in the Neo Cup however, belongs to is soccer games. Super Sidekicks was one of the best 16-bit soccer titles and its frenetic play was superb, and its brightly colored visuals and simple play mechanics added to its appeal. This just scratches the surface of the console's diverse lineup and there are so many solid titles, the AES system is definitely worth it just to play its exclusive titles. Of course, doing so is quite expensive, but there are alternatives available that allow you to do this without breaking your wallet.

The biggest legitimate way to play SNK games on the cheap is the Neo Geo CD. This system has been vastly under-rated in my opinion and gets a bad rap for its supposedly slow loading times. While it might seem glacial speed compared to modern systems, its' performance is more than acceptable when compared to its contemporaries. Clocking the loading speed for Metal Slug on the Saturn versus the NGCD is almost identical, and when you compare it to similarly spec'd systems released around the same time like the 3DO and CD-I, this performance doesn't seem too bad. Some of the later releases do suffer a bit and aren't quite as smooth since the company decided to cut some corners, but the difference in performance is minor compared to the cost savings. Most of the NGCD's library can be had for less than $50 a pop, while even the rarer games top out at $100 or so, if you aren't picky. Since the system isn't region locked, you can pick up a nice library relatively quickly and inexpensively. Many titles even offer the option to change the language, which means it doesn't make much of a difference if you want to play the games. Also, compared to AES carts, and even the slightly cheaper MVS games, the CD offers an excellent value for your money. Since you can swap the standard joypad controller with the large joystick, you can still pretty much have the arcade feel without being gauged out of existence by the AES carts. Of course, as I said earlier owning the originals is part of the fun of collecting, so I decided to compromise a little and own both systems. This might seem crazy, and my bank account hates me for it, but I think these two systems compliment each other nicely and seem to blend together nicely.

SNK's legendary Neo-Geo has always held a mystique among players - it's high price, arcade roots and sense of exclusivity have built up barriers. This was always the system that defined hardcore gaming - it's packed in joysticks added more. Most importantly, this was the first system that truly brought the arcade experience home - AES carts are identical to those used in the arcade MVS system. As such the games are largely superb with brightly colored backgrounds, incredibly fluid animation and flawless gameplay that helps the system achieve a near timeless appeal. Sure, it seems dated to modern eyes, but 2D hand-drawn animation is always appealing - think Disney, and the lack of 3D shouldn't be a deterrent to anyone who loves classic games. I've spent many years going back and forth between owning and not owning one of these systems, and now that I've finally gone ahead and made the jump, I'm a very happy gamer. Sure, there have been some nice SNK compilations released lately for the PS2 and Wii, plus many of the original AES titles have appeared on the download service GameTap but as a game collector, these ermulated versions aren't quite as good as the originals - it's very hard to explain. Owning an original system and games is probably much cooler, and much more expensive, to be honest, but there's definitely something to be said for it.