Most Anticipated Games of 2010

Written by Bret Morace  on January 18, 2010

Special: There goes my bank account.

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2010... many are predicting it will be the best year in gaming history, thanks in large part to the many games delayed from last year. Mass Effect 2, God of War III, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (just to name a few) are all coming out this year. The market seems like it'll be quite loaded, but by the end of the year my wallet will be empty.

1. Mass Effect 2
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
Release Date: January 26, 2010

The original Mass Effect is my favorite 360 game, I've played through it six times, and still can't get enough of the game. I play games to get a story, playing games to me is like reading a book, and BioWare has perfected how to tell a story in a RPG. Mass Effect 2 also looks gorgeous, and even though the original was filled with bugs and horrible texture load times, all the videos and demos of the sequel I've seen have me hoping this is not a problem with Mass Effect 2. With new interrupting conversation tree, new characters, and all the choices I made in the original this is sure to be a great game.

2. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
Release Date: April 2010

The original Splinter Cell was my favorite stealth game I have ever played, but Ubisoft Montreal looks like it is going to release my new favorite. Conviction reminds me a lot of the Bourne series as you are a rouge agent who is still trying to do the greater good for man even though the government wants you taken down. This game seems like it shows how much of a bad ass Sam Fisher really is.



3. Batman: Arkham Asylum 2
Platforms: TBA (but likely PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Release Date: TBA 2010

Just recently announced at Spike TV's Video Game Awards was the sequel to one of my favorite games of 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum. The original had every thing I looked for in a Batman game, great stealth gameplay, great voice acting, and well known Batman characters (and some very odd ones). The sequel looks to improve on that, and judging by the trailer the Semi-Open world you explored at Arkham is now slightly bigger, still a hell hole, but a little slice of heaven for gamers.

4. Heavy Rain
Platforms: PS3
Release Date: February 23, 2010

Heavy Rain is quite an odd game, but has wrapped me up for some reason. Maybe it's the amazing graphics? Or the fresh new controls? Perhaps it's the story of the game, where you control the outcome of 4 people's lives? No the reason I'm excited is because it is a completely unique game. Hopefully Heavy Rain will sell more than Indigo Prophecy, Quantic's last take at the genre. Heavy Rain, not God of War, Uncharted, or Resistance will be the reason for me picking up a PS3 this year.

5. Final Fantasy XIII
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: March 9, 2010

Final Fantasy is arguably the most beloved series of all time. Now that Final Fantasy XIII is coming out for both Microsoft's and Sony's consoles there is now no excuse to not own the game, unless you're a Nintendo fanboy. Final Fantasy is returning to the roots of the game with a menu-based combat system, and to essentially make it feel more like Final Fantasy VII. Square's Final Fantasy XIII looks to be a fresh new start on the series.

6. God of War III
Platforms: PS3
Release Date: March 2010

I have never played God of War or God of War II, I know right, but that was because I was an Xbox fanboy who stayed away from products with the label Sony or Nintendo on them. Now that I have stripped away my fanboyish roots, I'm extremely excited for God of War III. Maybe other gamers believe that God of War III is not innovative enough, but since I've never played the first two this is not a problem for me. I will definitely be picking up both the God of War Collection and God of War III in March 2010.

7. Epic Mickey
Platforms: Wii
Release Date: September 16, 2010

A dark Mickey Mouse game? Is this Kingdom Hearts? No, its Epic Mickey! Epic Mickey has an amazing cartoony art style that shows the Wii at its finest. Mickey travels through the Wasteland, a amusement park that features rejected cartoons. Epic Mickey's Warren Spector warns that this game is going to be scary, УDisney scared the pants off me when I was a kid. Disney needs to scare kids.Ф So dust off your Wii's ladies and gentlemen a third party looks like they'll deliver in 2010.

More picks for my "Most Anticipated Games of 2010", along with a few honorable mentions, can be found on page two.