So we’re at the beginning of a new year. There’s a whole 12 months of gaming ahead of us, but we already know a lot of what we want to enjoy.
My most anticipated titles of 2010 betray the true loves of my gaming world- RPGs and Strategy games.
Final Fantasy XIII
Do I really need to say why this is my most anticipated game of 2010? I’ve yet to meet a Final Fantasy game I didn’t like, and this one looks and sounds so beautiful and epic that I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect remains one of my favorite games of all time, and Bioware has promised to up the ante, storytelling, and decision making in Mass Effect 2. Needless to say, that just makes me all the more excited for it.
Splinter Cell: Conviction
The Splinter Cell series drew me in from the very beginning, and I’ve been waiting for Conviction for a very long time. The build-up of anticipation I had from the delays was made all the more powerful thanks to everything we saw for Conviction at E3 2009.
Alpha Protocol
Obsidian makes great games, but they usually create sequels to established properties. This time, they are creating their own IP- an action RPG based on a modern day espionage story. Considering my love of RPGs and espionage games…I’m really hoping this game lives up to my expectations.
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
I still play Starcraft with my brothers and friends. It is one of the best and most balanced RTS games to be ever be released. Thus, the release of the first episode of Starcraft II is my most anticipated PC games since Civilization IV.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy won our best game of the decade award. While I still haven’t had the opportunity to play it yet (it sits on my media cabinet mocking me), I’ve loved every single Mario platformer I’ve played, so I’m excited to see what Nintendo does for the sequel.
Halo: Reach
Halo: ODST had the best story of the Halo series, and the next Halo will be a prequel based on the book The Fall of Reach. It was a great book, with a great story and gave a lot of history for the Halo universe. Getting more Halo story and multiplayer? Great. Getting more Halo with more Spartans than just the Master Chief? Priceless.
Final Fantasy XIV
As I said before, I’ve never met a Final Fantasy game I didn’t like. True, Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG, but I’m still hoping for it to be a free to play MMORPG on the 360 if you’ve got XBL Gold. If so, it will eat up a lot of my time, as Square Enix has said that there will be a much greater focus on single player as well as multiplayer.
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout 3 was amazing. Therefore, Fallout: New Vegas will also be amazing. True, it is coming out very soon after Fallout 3 is finished, but considering how fast Bethesda was able to churn out expansions for Fallout 3, and how they were definitely worthwhile for the most part, I’m excited to see what is in store for us in New Vegas.
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
Command & Conquer is my favorite RTS series. Thanks to the great storytelling, great gameplay, and awesome FMV sequences between missions, it’s been a very popular series for nearly fifteen years. Tiberian Twilight marks the finale of the Tiberium series of C&C games, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out.
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
The original made our Best of the Decade list, and the sequel promises less boring, more action. How is this NOT a game to anticipate?
Metroid: Other M
The one clip we’ve seen from this title suggests a mix of 1st- and 3rd-person action, plus a curious plot development with a second Samus (that probably isn’t a dark Phazon clone). But Nintendo giving the reins to Team Ninja may be the most interesting development of all.
Mega Man 10
I loved MM9 with the full force of 20 years of nostalgia. My looking forward to this goes without question. (Although… Sheep Man? Really?)
Golden Sun DS
It’s been so long since the first two GS titles that I’ve probably forgotten most of the plot details, but I haven’t forgotten the awesome gameplay. I’m a little worried that they’ll implement a bunch of touch screen nonsense, but with the psynergies it could still work.
Lost in Shadow
A quirky little platformer that sees your character confined to the two-dimensional shadow of a three-dimensional world. Figuring out how to affect changes in the real world in order to allow you to progress seems like it could provide some original game play.
Again
Another adventure game by the creators of Hotel Dusk, except this time using photo-sprites rather than the noir sketches of their previous title. I love the fact that point-and-click style adventures are slowly making a return, having grown up on the early Sierra and LucasFilm games like King’s Quest and Maniac Mansion.
Sam and Max Season 2 (Wii)
What did I just say about point-and-click adventures? The X360 got this collection late last year, now it’s (finally) the Wii’s turn.
Infinite Space
A sci-fi RPG by Platinum games, creators of Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and MadWorld amongst other titles. Real-time 3d space battles between crazily-customized ships. It basically sounds like a space version of Skies of Arcadia (and it shares the same publisher in Sega), although with more emphasis on the ship aspect.
Monster Hunter Tri
I’m not wild about online cooperative games, but this just looks so epic. Apparently Tri has a strong focus on single player that is new to the series, so hopefully I won’t be missing out on the “real experience”.
The Legend of Zelda
Yeah, we don’t know a lot about this one right now. But it’s a new Zelda title… so it has to be anticipated. It’s almost a law of gaming.
Mass Effect 2
Bioware makes wonderful RPGs, and science fiction is my preferred setting. I can’t wait to see what will happen to the Shepard I took through the events of Mass Effect 1. I am also excited to see my old squad-mates and hear about what has happened to them since the events of ME1. Wrex. Shepard.
Metroid: Other M
I can’t get enough Metroid. The seclusion, the exploration, the blowing up everything that moves with super missiles. The series is a warm memory for me, and I haven’t found an entry yet that I didn’t enjoy. The prospect of making things a bit more action-oriented is interesting and new, but the trailers retain that old Metroid feel as well.
God of War III
I am a simple man to please. Big swords and plenty of guys to use them on is enough for me. The fact that I get wrapped up in the narrative is just icing on the cake. Kratos may not be complex, but his adventures are fun to play and entertaining for other folks in the house to watch. The combat is simple enough that I don’t die a whole lot and complex enough that I can pull off some really nice combos.
Final Fantasy XIII
As time goes on I find myself less and less drawn to JRPGs in favor of their western counterparts, but Square Enix still knows how to wow me. I loved the gambits in FFXII and the turn-based combat and sphere grid from FFX. Even though I haven’t read or seen much of this one I know it will be spending a lot of time in my PS3 this March.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
The sequel to my favorite Mario game of all time? Sign me up. Galaxy is probably the best looking game on the Wii, and easily its best platformer. There’s no reason not to expect the sequel to be even better, and that’s why Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my most anticipated game of the year.
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect was everything I wanted in an RPG, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. I’ve also heard that elevators throughout the galaxy in Mass Effect 2 have been upgraded to run faster, what else could I ask for?
Metroid: Other M
The trailer for Other M that was shown at last year’s E3 was great, and I am interested to see how the new third person perspective and a stronger emphasis on story play out. I’m a little apprehensive about Other M being a collaboration between Nintendo and Team Ninja, though. On the one hand, I loved the Ninja Gaiden titles…on the other hand, such collaborations haven’t worked out so well for beloved Nintendo franchises in the past.
Final Fantasy XIII
I’m not a huge Final Fantasy fan, but the landmark series always seems to deliver, and I am pretty eager to try out this gorgeous new installment. If there is one thing Square knows how to make, it is a Final Fantasy RPG, and I am grateful that they have decided to bring XIII to the 360.
Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou
I absolutely loved Okami, and that is why this game rounds out my list. Obviously the disbanded Clover Studios is not involved in the development of Okamiden, which is unfortunate, but the videos of this title that I have seen so far seem to indicate that Okamiden will remain very faithful to the original title’s style and gameplay mechanics. I’m also surprised at how nice it looks for a DS game.
Glory of Heracles
When Nintendo finally debuts Japan-only games in the U.S., it usually goes well. Fire Emblem. Rhythm Heaven. Advance Wars. Starfy. (Okay, so maybe that last one wasn’t such a hit.) Heracles looks right up my alley, and with the Nintendo stamp on it, you know it’ll be polished.
Mass Effect 2
Immersive, deep worlds and interesting role-playing mechanics make this one a must-get for me. Also, I can’t get enough of a long, involved interactive story.
ModNation Racers
Creation in LittleBigPlanet is fun. Of course, the amount of fun you get out of one level is small, especially if you design it yourself. ModNation creation is much easier, and racing is the kind of thing you can keep having fun doing. It’s not as tight as Mario Kart, but I think the customization is worth it. The beta has me worried about the online capabilities of the game, but I assume they’ll get the kinks worked out.
3D Dot Game Heroes
Retro homages make my heart warm. Add in the magic word (customization), and I know this will be a timesink for me when it releases.
Valkyria Chronicles 2
I re-bought a PSP just in anticipation of this game. The PS3 original was great, and though I wish the sequel were also on a console, I’ll take what I can get.
Arc Rise Fantasia
This JRPG has some obvious influences, but, well, I like those influences. I’m getting a bit impatient with all the delays, but it looks like we’re finally nearing release.
Epic Mickey
This could be a big flop, or it could be one of the biggest releases of the decade. I don’t see much chance of it being in-between. No one expected such originality from the House of Mouse, but once we saw it, we were hooked.
Fable III
I’m sitting here with my fingers in my ears every time Peter Molyneux says anything, because he has a way of overselling his games and making the end result a disappointment. That worked really well with Fable II, as that was one of my favorite games of 2008.
Golden Sun DS
Okay, no one expected this at all when it was announced at E3 last year. Camelot has moved on to more profitable games, and it was weird when they said they’d go back to a niche RPG. Not that I’m complaining. GSDS doesn’t look like it will wow us visually like the originals on GBA did, but the underlying gameplay was solid.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
How much would N64 gamers have done to get an entire game’s worth of more Super Mario 64 levels? That’s pretty much the opportunity we have now. I don’t expect anything breathtaking, but I do expect a heck of a lot of fun.
