2010 Hottest Releases

2009 was a great year for gaming,  the quality of the software has just been awesome. To think just it was only just over a year ago I was being wowed by LittleBigPlanet and now I’ve been treated to Ghostbusters, Batman : Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 2, DJ Hero, Beatles Rock Band, Madden X and Guitar Hero 5.  But it’s a new year, so we look to the future - Let’s kick things off with a quick look at this years most anticipated games.

Metal Gear Solid : Rising

For the first time Xbox users are going to get their hands on the incredible Metal Gear Rising franchise, although this time it’s going to be Raiden at the center of the action rather than Solid Snake. This is one I’m certainly going to be keeping an eye on during 2010.

Bayonetta

I’ll be honest, initially this didn’t interest me at all but as the marketing machine has started rolling you can’t help but be interested. You take control of B, a witch with super powers, in this heavily hyped third person action game. From the creators of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil you know this game is going to drop quality from every pixel.

Fable 3

Fable was incredible, Fable 2 was even better – dare we hope that Fable 3 can improve again? Set 5 years after the events of Fable 2 you will embark on your mission to take the Throne of Albion. You’re even going to be able to migrate your savedata from Fable II into Fabe III so the decisions you made in the last game will impact you in this game. This is exclusive the Xbox 360 and is a real feather in the cap for the guys from Microsoft.

Splinter Cell : Conviction

Based around 2 years after Splinter Cell : Double Agent Sam Fisher has gone rogue from Third Echelon after finding out the death of his daughter was no accident. There’s a great limited edition collector’s edition from Game.co.uk which is well worth checking out which includes a statue, special playable skin, early access to 3 weapons, soundtrack and other goodies.

Lost Planet 2

Even thinking about playing Lost Planet make me shiver with cold, but the sequel is based 10 years after the events of the first and now the snow has melted and jungles are the new battleground. A class shooter which will include co-op campaign support for 4 players.

Mass Effect 2

Another sequel! Mass Effect was an incredible Sci Fi adventure and now it’s back – and this time its bringing Martin Sheen! The action picks up pretty quickly after the events of first game when his ship, The Normandy, is attacked an destroyed. You’ll need to recruit a new crew and set off on your new adventure.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

You’re going to be jumping, running, swinging (Yoshi uses his tongue as a rope). This 3-D platforming adventure provides video game fans with a fresh round of out-of-this-world challenges in the style that the critically acclaimed original introduced us all to.

Madden XI

Bottom line – I’m a Madden nut. I have played every single edition since the awesome John Madden Football way back in the distant past. Will Madden XI improve on 2009’s offering or will it take a step back (I still have nightmares about the “QB vision cone” feature in 2006). Of course I’m hoping the developers will have the foresight to ensure that the Miami Dolphins are ranked as one of the best teams in the NFL for 2010 but we’ll see.

There are loads more that we could mention, but we don’t know enough about yet. There’s definitely an Arkham Asylum follow up, FIFA 11, M.A.G. certainly looks interesting (We’ll look at that in a week or two) there will be the usual round of film based games and of course more Guitar Hero/Rock Band/Pop Band/Punk-Ska-Fusion Band releases than you can shake your guitar shaped controller at. We’ll cover all of these, and more, when they are released – but until then, Happy Button Bashing.