1. MASS EFFECT 2 developed by BioWare//published by Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PC~~~Releases January 26, 2010
BioWare, the king of the RPG, is a busy studio these days. It just came out with Dragon Age:Origins and is still working on a pipeline of DLC for it. It has the Star Wars MMO looming in the distance. And in the foreground towers the sequel to arguably its best and most succesful game ever. Mass Effect 2 rectifies all the technical problems the original had and beefs up the entire combat suite. On the story side, BioWare's strong suit, you can continue your character from the first game with decisions you made back then immediately impacting the shape of the world for the dark second act. Mass Effect 2 is mere days away, and on January 26 a new standard for interactive narrative will again be set.
2. HALO: REACH developed by Bungie//published by Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox 360~~Releases Fall 2010
Bungie is back with the next full installment in the Halo saga. This is a full game, akin to a Halo 4 but actually taking place before the originally Halo when Spartan soldiers were still plentiful. Make no mistake, this game has been built from the ground up, so don't expect Halo 3+ like ODST was; once glance at the new trailer, which is all in game footage, will leave your jaw agape at just how damn good Halo looks.
3. Tom Clancy's SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION developed by Ubisoft Montreal//published by Ubisoft
Xbox 360~~Releases February 23, 2010
After a brief hiatus and a couple redesigns, Sam Fisher is back with a bang. Instead of your geared-up government techno-superspy, Fisher now takes on a role more akin to Jason Bourne or Jack Bauer; that is, he's a badass former operative on a personal vendetta. The gameplay looks much more fast paced and action oriented than its slothy predecessors, and when you throw in a 6-hour co-op prologue campaign, its hard not to get giddy about this game.
4. GOD OF WAR III developed by SCEA Santa Monica//published by Sony
PlayStation 3~~Releases March 2010
The first HD God of War is being billed as the third and final installment of a "trilogy". Needless to say that one of the best action games in the business is looking mighty fine in its PS3 debut. The series has delivered 3 AAA action games so far and there is no reason to doubt this one.
5. STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC developed by BioWare//published by LucasArts/EA
PC~~~Release TBA
BioWare is back in the Knights of the Old Republic universe, this time in an MMO that they say has enough content to be "KoToR 5-9". While that remains to be seen, what has been shown of the game has impressed mightily. Known for their best-in-the-West storytelling, BioWare is applying that skill to creating an MMO where story takes on a relevance unlike any before. Also, this is a Star Wars MMO that looks really, really good. Just check the trailer below and see for yourself.
6. FINAL FANTASY XIII developed and published by Square Enix
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3~~Releases March 9, 2010
After over four years in development the first HD chapter of the Final Fantasy saga will be unleashed on North America (the PS3-only Japanese version is already out). Like any Final Fantasy game, it boasts top of the line graphical and audio design, a dramatic and engaging story, strong characterization, and hours upon hours of J-RPG pleasure. This is one of those games that is just going to be good given its pedigree and the amount of work Square Enix has put into it.
7. BIOSHOCK 2 developed by 2K Marin, et al//published by 2K Games
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC~~Releases February 9, 2010
The second trip to Rapture is being headed by a new studio founded by some members of the 2K Boston team that built the first game, including the lead level designer now serving as the creative director. You also play as the very first prototype Big Daddy, fight agile new baddies called Big Sisters, and there is even a whole multiplayer suite for when you close the book on Rapture for a time (note: you will be in different parts of the city, so don't worry about retreading the first game). Oh, and its kind of the sequel to the best game of all time. Just sayin'.
8. METROID: OTHER M developed by "Project M" (Team NINJA and Nintendo)//published by Nintendo
Wii~~Release TBA
The latest Metroid takes a new direction from Retro Studios' Prime series, this time being designed in collaboration by the team that made the excellent Game Boy Advance games and Team NINJA--the developers of Ninja Gaiden. Giving Samus her first 3D 3rd-person adventure is intriguing enough herself, but the influence on the combat system of one of the best teams in actions games makes Other M a must-play. In addition to all-new combat, Other M also appears to have a larger focus on story than previous iterations with full CG cutscenes. At the very least, it's an interesting way to shift direction for one of the best franchises in gaming.
9. DARKSIDERS developed by Vigil Games//published by THQ
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3~~Releases January 5, 2010
You may not have heard of this game or studio, but if you're a comic fan you may know comic book artist Joe Madureira who is one of the leads on the project. The concept is simple: it's a dark, mature take on The Legend of Zelda formula mixed with a God of War-inspired combat system, all set in a port-apocalyptic modern world with a comic book aesthetic where you play as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. If that was too much of a mouthful, just concentrate on the words "mature Zelda" and that should be enough for you anyway.
10. DANTE's INFERNO developed by Visceral Games//published by Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, PSP~~Releases February 9, 2010
It has been called a God of War clone and that's not really a bad thing. The game is based on Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy and is in fact a God of War-style slice-em-up action game. The game takes players through the nine circles of Hell as Dante tries to rescue his girlfriend from an unintended fate. It comes from the studio that gave us Dead Space and if the just-released demo is any indication, this will be an early gem in the 2010 line up.
11. ALPHA PROTOCOL developed by Obsidian Entertainment//published by SEGA
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC~~Releases Q2 2010
"The Espionage RPG", as its box deems it, is a fresh action-RPG made in the BioWare-influenced mold by a team that is basically BioWare B. Having previously worked on sequels to BioWare games including Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights, Obsidian brings us an original tale of a budding superspy, given players free reign over the way his clandestine skills evolve.
12. ALIENS VS. PREDATOR developed by Rebellion//published by SEGA
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC~~Releases February 16, 2010
After the films turned out to be mindless and not very entertaining, developer Rebellion wanted to refocus the series back where it originated: in the realm of video games. Their HD effort features three campaigns: one for the Aliens, one for the Predator, and one for the Marines, each featuring distinctively different gameplay. The three types of characters also carries over into the game's multiplayer offering up a variety of unique modes and scenarios.
13. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 developed and published by Nintendo
Wii~~Releases 2010
For the first time since the NES, Mario comes back for more platforming adventure on the same Nintendo system twice. The game picks up right after the first and continues with the inter-planetary gameplay. New for round 2 is the return of Yoshi as well as a promise from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto that the difficulty will see a bump to accommodate seasoned plumbers. Beyond that not much else is known, but keep an eye out for more news on it in 2010.
14. ALAN WAKE developed by Remedy//published by Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox 360, PC~~Releases June 2010
After nearly 5 years in development once its released, former Max Payne developer Remedy has a lot to live up to with its latest project. You play as the titular character, a horror writer who gets wrapped up in a mystery when his girlfriend disappears while the couple is on vacation and his writings start coming to life.
15. FABLE III developed by Lionhead Studios//published by Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox 360~~Releases Fall 2010
In this third chapter of the Fable saga you play as the son or daughter of the main character in Fable II. You are also the ruler of Albion, taking over for your father or mother. In this game you will be able to influence the world as its sovereign leader and deal with dilemmas of choice and destiny.
DON'T FORGET DOWNLOADABLE ADD-ONS!
You know all those games you got this past fall, either in gift-giving celebration or just by your own paycheck? Well, many of the biggest titles have downloadable add-ons coming out in the new year to extend your experience! For the biggest of beasts, Modern Warfare 2, one 360-exclusive map pack has already announced and more will surely follow. Dragon Age: Origins already has two expansions out--"Warden's Keep" and "Return to Ostagar"--and BioWare has promised a steady stream of new content will continue into 2010. Resident Evil 5 is getting a rebirth with its "Lost in Nightmares" and "Desperate Escape" expansions featuring new characters, while Assassin's Creed II will get at least two new genetic sequences (read: chapters) in "The Battle of Forli" and "The Bonfire of Vanities". Left 4 Dead 2 gets a new campaign in "The Passing" featuring the first game's cast and Valve has promised there will be no Left 4 Dead 3 any time soon with more plentiful DLC in its place. You can also travel back to the Borderlands with the already-released Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and the soon to be released Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot. Finally, you can continue your Rock Band, Guitar Hero, or Lips addiction with a continued stream of songs. MTV Games is launching the Rock Band Network early next year which will allow artists to upload there own songs, so expect the amount of new songs to expand exponentially.
