Looking Forward Too’s in 2010

January 10th, 2010

2010 is looking to be an amazing year for gamers. “Thanks to” the release of Modern Warfare 2 and a little bit of econimic crisis several high profile titles meant for late 2009 got pushed into 2010 instead. The first quarter every year is usually slow for games as publishers give their all before Christmas, but not this year! There are so many great games coming out that I won’t possibly be able to play them all, and I’ve had a hard time narrowing things down to a personal top 5 most anticipated… hence why this little blog is several days late.

5. Metro 2033

A first person shooter/horror survival game set in post apocalyptic Moscow where an entire generation of people have been born and raised underground. The game is being developed by 4A Games, based in Kiev, Ukraine. The studio was founded by people who split off from GSC Game World, and worked on S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, so what’s not to like? The long feature article in the January issue of Swedish PC Gamer got me extra hyped about the game, and pushed it into my top 5. It’s due out in March on Xbox 360 and PC, with the PC version clearly looking to be THE version to play.

4. Final Fantasy XIII

The JRPG genre might have been stuck in the same generic formula for years now but I can’t help to be hyped for Final Fantasy XIII anyway, even if it’s just to be impressed by the game’s sky high production values. SquareEnix has put a bloated mammoth budget and years of development into the game, so I expect something extraordinary and very polished. Only question is which platform I should get it for… reviews will tell.

3. Heavy Rain

There is still very little information on how the PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain will play as a game, but for me the fact that it will be a different experience is enough. Apart from some plot holes and things going a bit too crazy, I really enjoyed Quantic Dream’s last game, Fahrenheit (or Indigo Prophecy depending on where you live), which also was more of an “interactive film” than a game.

2. Halo: REACH

Just a month ago Halo: REACH would not have made it onto this list, but I recently started listening to (audio versions) the official Halo books that really flesh out the Halo universe and the game’s backstory. It made me replay Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3… and pick up Halo 3: ODST. To make a long story short, I’ve turned into a bit of a Halo fanboy, and it will be interesting to see how the events in the game fits into the Halo story.

1. Mass Effect 2

The first thing I told a friend after I had completed the first Mass Effect in 2007 was that I was going into hibernation, only to wake up when the sequel was released. No other game in recent years has given me such a complete experience as Mass Effect did, so needless to say I’m extremely hyped up about the sequel. BioWare is the king of RPGs and with only weeks left before the game’s release the only thing to stop me would be a RROD…or E74… though I could always get the PC version even I then can’t import my save from the first game.

Notable mentions that nearly made my personal top 5 are God of War 3, Red Dead Redemption, Crysis 2 (on PC!) and Starcraft 2.

Daniel