April Delays Bring May Monsters

So April's finally here and we have a pretty empty month as far as releases go. The 360 has hit a small bump in the road, with several delays this month making Guitar Hero II the only big release for Microsoft. PS3 has nothing really substantial coming out either, relying on ports of Enchanted Arms, the lackluster RPG that debuted months ago on the 360, and F.E.A.R., the horror-shooter that is seeing it's third iteration release, to carry their April sales. As far as the Wii is concerned, Super Paper Mario is their big title of the month, which will most certainly be a good game, just not something that will hold gamers over for any lengthy amount of time. What does this all mean? Since April is pretty scant of titles, what is the next big title to hit the next-gen systems?
Well, the votes are in and the winner is...Monster Madness, the campy, 4-player monster romp created by Artificial Studios in which gamers take control of high school heroes as they battle their way through hordes of the undead and things that go bump in the night in an effort to retake suburbia. The buzz on the game is that it should be a fun co-op campaign that never really takes itself too seriously, and that's really what you want in a game like this, especially if you're playing alongside three friends. The game will also support 16-player PvP with game modes such as capture the flag, something that's never really been done in a top-down game like this.
Color me excited just because I love any game that I can play from start to finish with my friends. There's always something about playing with friends that enhances the gaming experience, but what will make or break the game is the gameplay. While that might seem like a "duh" thing to say, I think in a game like this you can't just have a strategy of mashing A for hours on end, much like you do in the critically acclaimed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I think its safe to say that there won't be an amazing story included in the $60 game, so a little bit of diversity in the gameplay would be nice to see. What exactly does that mean? Powerful weapons pickups, an in-depth combo system (both single player and team combos would be fun to try to pull off), and really interesting boss battles that would force players to work together, instead of everyone mashing A-B-X a hundred times to finally win. I really haven't asked for much here, because I don't think the game will need any more major elements than the ones I have mentioned to make it fun and worth the purchase. Hopefully Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia will deliver. If not, you could always dust off Zombies Ate My Neighbors.