2010: The Top Ten Games You Should Care About.

Now that the behemoth that is Modern Warfare 2 has been released to the masses and 2009 begins to draw to a close in terms of major games releases, its time to look forward to what 2010 has in store.

In many ways 2009 has been a great year for gamers; the PS3 became affordable, slim, and finally started to deliver some great games (Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 I’m looking primarily at you).   The 360 burnt rubber with Forza 3 as well providing us with a new Halo in the form of Halo 3: ODST. 

PC gamers finally got a modern OS that works well in the form of Windows 7 as well as a new Direct X in the form of DX11; although perhaps the less said about the possible implications of Infinity Wards IWnet on PC gaming, the better.  And don’t forget the great multi-platform titles like Batman Arkham Asylum, Left 4 Dead 2 and of course Modern Warfare 2 to name but a few.

2009 could be described as the year we’ve been spoiled, particularly if you’re a multi-format gamer. But don’t worry about the possibility of things declining in 2010, because there’s a whole heap of great looking games fast approaching and we’ve selected 10 to wet your appetite.  2009 has been a great year, let’s hope these titles make 2010 a vintage one:

10. CRACKDOWN 2 (Xbox 360 / RD: TBC 2010)

The original Crackdown was in my opinion criminally under rated by the majority, and I suspect that the impact of the game itself was completely overshadowed by the Halo 3 beta promotion it shipped with. For me it remains one of the best examples of both sandbox gaming and what I would define as a super hero styled game, perfectly blending explosive action and compulsive platforming (who else just had to try and get all those orbs?). I’d even go as far to say it’s one of the best exclusives available on the 360 to this day.

Set 10 years after the original game, Crackdown 2 promises to retain all the things that made Crackdown great. The verticality, the orbs and the style are all back along with a new enemy, the Freaks. The Freaks are infected mutants who are much more dangerous to Agents than any enemy in the first game due to their increased strength, numbers, and the ability to jump as high as you. The new game also ships with an all new co-op and multiplayer modes.

My only worry is its not being made by the original development team (David Jones’s Realtime Worlds) but hopefully Ruffian Games can deliver and I’m sure this will be made easier by the fact they do actually have half of the original Crackdown team from Realtime now on their books.

9. ALIENS VS. PREDATOR (PC, PS3, XBOX 360 / RD: FEB 2010)

Most licences acquired for games don’t get me too excited but this one is different and not just because it’s based on some of my favourite science fictional creatures. 

Rather unusually for a licence Aliens Vs Predator has a proud heritage; the films themselves were crap but the previous FPS games in the series have been superb.  What’s more the developer of both the previous PC games and the 1994 Atari Jaguar classic was Rebellion; the same team hired here by SEGA to do this modern game justice. You can’t get much better heritage than that.

Aliens Vs. Predator will consist of 3 single player campaigns covering the perspectives of each of the three species (Alien, Predator, and Human Marine) as well as 3 sided multiplayer game. Obviously due to their inherent capabilities each species will deliver a unique experience and the way you approach combat will vary considerably.

If you’ve ever played the previous games (particularly on the PC), I’m sure you’ll know just how good this game could be; here’s hoping Rebellion have re-found their magic touch with this franchise after the best forgotten PSP game.  PC owners will also be getting the game enabled with full DirectX 11 graphics so it should be one of 2010’s best visual treats as well.

8. BAYONETTA (PS3, XBOX 360 / RD: 08/01/2010)

Bayonetta is already out in Japan and the Xbox 360 version became only the 12th game to receive top marks from legendary gaming journal Famitsu (the PS3 version dropped 2 points in due to complaints about a slightly lower frame rate, something SEGA are apparently fixing).

The game is an evolution of the Devil May Cry mechanics and concept and it’s already being hailed as the action game of 2010.  You play the part of Bayonetta, a member of an ancient witch clan battling angelic enemies who confront her for reasons unknown (she has just woken from a 500 year slumber so we can perhaps forgive her for being a little forgetful).

Playing Bayonetta is all about style; the way you dispatch your enemies is what makes the game fun and Bayonetta certainly has a huge roster of moves to keep everyone smiling including ‘torture combos’ where Bayonetta can summon items such as guillotines and iron maidens to use on her enemies.  Of course if you are a PS3 owner you could import this game already as the Japanese edition is in English.

7) DANTES INFERNO (PS3, XBOX 360, PSP / RD: 12/02/2010)

 

Dante’s Inferno is Visceral’s video game imagining of Dante’s Divine Comedy by Italian poet Dante Alighieri.  Universally regarded as one of the world’s greatest pieces of literature, it is perhaps unsurprising that the game itself has attracted a little bit of controversy, most recently with the inclusion of an achievement for killing unbaptized babies.

The player takes control of Crusades veteran Dante, who after finding his beloved Beatrice murdered and her soul seduced by Lucifer into the underworld, descends into the 9 circles of Hell to rescue her. Dante soon realises though that to rescue her he will need to confront more than a few demons of his own.

The game looks like it will play in some respect in a manner reminiscent of God of War (which is fine by me given the titles quality), and I have to say the style and imagination that’s gone into the game look amazing so far; here’s hoping the gameplay matches it.

6) HEAVY RAIN (PS3 / RD: Q1 2010)

Exclusive to the Playstation 3, Heavy Rain is best described as an interactive drama which is intensely story focused.  Described by David Cage (Director) as “a very dark film noir thriller with mature themes“, little is known about the games plot although we do know the premise centres on a Father’s love for his Son and that the game will take place from the perspective of 4 different characters.

Heavy Rain will have a unique control system which apparently allows players to break free of the usual game camera restrictions and quick time event sequences will deal with all of the games action.  What’s been seen of Heavy Rain so far looks incredible graphically, the character models in particular look as though they really can convey a feeling of genuine emotion to engage the player.

Heavy Rain is one of those games which could either revolutionise adult and story based gaming or fail completely.  Given what we have seen so far I firmly believe it’s the former and I hope the title pushes gaming forward to the mainstream as a medium more than capable of delivering quality mature story driven content.

5) BIOSHOCK 2 (PC, PS3, XBOX 360 / RD: 09/02/2010)

The spiritual successor to the classic System Shock games, Bioshock is one of the best games that has been released during this current generation. Bioshock delivered a unique and awe-inspiring submerged dystopian city for the player to explore in the form of Rapture, complete with a great plot and stunning characterizations.  It is therefore no surprise to learn that the sequel is one of my most anticipated games of next year.

Set 10 years after the original game, the player assumes the role of a prototype Big Daddy attempting to stop the games antagonist Sophia Lamb from leading Rapture even closer to the depths of Hell.  Lamb has dispatched her own creations, the Big Sisters to kidnap young girls from nearby towns on the Atlantic coast so they can be brought into Rapture and made into new Little Sisters. You’re not alone in your quest to stop Lamb however, and an alliance is formed with Doctor Tenenbaum, the former CEO of the plasmid company Sinclair Solutions.

Some concern has been voiced due to the lack of Ken Levine’s full time input this time around but Bioshock 2 looks set to deliver another stunning experience.  This time around the game will also add in a fully fledged multiplayer mode which will be set after the New Years Eve attack that began the civil war between Andrew Ryan and Atlas.  Although I’m looking forward to experiencing the story and seeing how much further Rapture has degenerated, I also can’t wait to unleash a combination of bullets and plasmids on my colleagues in what could become a superb deathmatch game.

5) APB (PC / RD: MAR 2010)

APB is an MMO designed around an ongoing street war between criminal gangs and law enforcement officers.  Designed by Realtime Worlds and headed up by David Jones (creator of the original Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown), players choose their side and battle the opposing faction for control of a city where territorial control battles continue 24 hours a day.

As well as the ongoing battle for control of the city, players will be assigned various missions.  These missions will revolve around the premise of the criminals committing a crime (for example a bank robbery) and the law enforcement officers being issued with an APB (All Points Bulletin) with instructions to thwart them.

Realtime promises that the game will have a form of skill based progression rather than the normal time based progression system seen in other MMO’s.  There’ll be 30 vehicles in the game, and each one will be highly customizable allowing each player to create their own style and identity.  MMO’s rarely catch my attention, but the premise of APB and the history of its developer means I’ll be keeping an extremely close eye on this one.

4) Halo Reach (Xbox 360 / RD: 12/12/2010)

Halo is a franchise that surely needs no introduction but is desperately in need of a new direction.  Whilst the 360’s flagship franchise delivered a fine game this year in the shape of Halo 3: ODST, many gamers were left underwhelmed by what was really little more than an expansion pack as opposed to the full on sequel they crave.

Halo Reach look set to address these shortcomings and as Bungie’s last Halo game (future Halo games will be handled by Microsoft’s own 343 Industries); you can bet they will want to bow out from Halo with a rather large bang.

Little is known of Reach at the moment but we do know it’s a full on sequel unlike ODST, and recent leaked screenshots (although their authenticity hasn’t been confirmed by Microsoft who declined to comment) suggest there’ll be much more of a squad focus this time around. Regardless, this is Halo and it is Bungie’s last play with (we hope) the Master Chief; expect fireworks!

3) Rage (PC, MAC, PS3, XBOX 360 / RD: TBC 2010)

Rage is the new game being developed by Id software; developers of the mainstream FPS with Wolfenstein 3D, as well as two of the genres biggest legends: Doom and Quake.  Famed for their high end games engines, Rage will be the first game to ship on Id’s new Id Tech 5 engine (Doom 4 will be the second).

Rage is an interesting vision, a cross between a first person shooter for which Id are famed and a driving game which looks to be influenced by racers such as Motorstorm and Burnout.  The game is set in the near future in a post-apocalyptic world created by the impact of asteroid 99942 Apophis; which you may be interested to know really is currently a near-Earth asteroid that could potentially hit the Earth in 2036.

Anything incoming from Id would warrant attention but Rage’s unique blend of gameplay styles coupled with Id’s next evolution in technology means Rage should definitely prove to be one of the key games releases of 2010.

3) Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC, PS3, XBOX 360 / RD: 05/03/2010)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the direct sequel to the 2008 original which followed the escapades of an AWOL company of soldiers in their search for mercenary gold.  Like the original game, Bad Company 2 will focus on the fictional confrontation between the US and Russian Federation troops which will take place in a variety of locations which include desert, jungle and mountain regions.

The game will again feature highly destructible environments which now allows for buildings to be completely levelled unlike the first game where only the walls could be effectively destroyed.  The multiplayer game loses a class (the Specialist) and so now consists of four classes; Assault, Engineer, Medic and Recon and unlike Modern Warfare 2 the game will use dedicated servers for its PC debut.

EA and DICE have a lot riding on Bad Company 2 and this is apparent in the way they are directly pitching it against Modern Warfare 2.  The dedicated server announcement for PC gamers should prove to be a sound move given the continued uproar from the community following Infinity wards decision to remove them from Modern Warfare 2 and the title already has a good original on the console platforms to build upon.  Watch this space because this could be the game which usurps Modern Warfare 2 early next year.

2) Criterion’s Need For Speed (TBC / RD: TBC 2010)

I’m going to go out on a real limb here given we know absolutely nothing about this title let alone when it will be released; but this game will be next years Christmas number one. There I said it. Please come back in 12 months for your part in the great flame-fest.

And I’m not joking either, all we really know about this game is literally that Burnout developers Criterion are working on a “revolutionary” game to be added into the Need for Speed franchise.  But in many ways for now that’s enough, the Need for Speed franchise deserves something truly special and if Criterion can’t deliver it no one can. At least we can be fairly sure there’ll be some spectacular crashes in the game!

1) Half Life 2: Episode 3 (TBC / RD: Rumoured 2010)

It’s not been officially announced for 2010 (yet) but I’m going to stick my neck out again and say that Valve’s Half Life 2: Episode 3 will hit next year and we’ll probably hear more details once the hype from Left 4 Dead 2 dies down a little towards the end of this year.

No screen shots have been released to date and we only have some concept artwork to ogle at, but that’s more than enough to get me excited.  The artwork shows the Borealis ship which contained Aperture Science’s teleportation technology.  The Borealis and all its crew disappeared with parts of the dry dock from the shipyard, but re-appeared ice locked in the Northern seas at the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2.  Will the Portal gun be onboard? GLaDOS? Or perhaps something even more sinister?  The Freeman will certainly help us find out.

Valves biggest problem with the game may be trying to replicate the kind of value they delivered with the release of the second episodic instalment in the form of The Orange Box; how exactly they intend to match the greatest compilation of videogames in history is beyond me but I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with.  Will a new Counter Strike sit alongside Episode 3 in the way Team Fortress 2 sat with Episode 2 or have I now stepped way beyond the realms of speculation?

Whatever the case 2010 look set to be a year to remember.  Have I missed some games from our list? Let us know which titles you are looking forward to in the comments section below.

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