10. All the games that were scheduled for 2009
While 2009 was a fantastic year for games, we were rather shocked to see so many of the titles that were ear-marked for release this year get shuffled into next year's schedule. Chief among these were four titles which featured in our list of the most anticipated games from 2009 , God Of War III, BioShock 2, Heavy Rain and Alan Wake. Despite the delay in their release, all of them still look very promising. The games starring Kratos and Mr Wake were unveiled at E3, with the former looking satisfyingly brutal and bloody, and the latter showcasing a lot of crushing atmosphere filled with nerve-wracking thrills. Heavy Rain, for its part, is still garnering handfuls of praise for its mature approach to emotive video game storytelling, with, thankfully, not all of its plot details becoming common knowledge. The real surprise, however, is BioShock 2. When news of a sequel to 2K's highly acclaimed steam punk shooter emerged, it caused many to wonder out loud how it could possibly live up to the impossibly high storytelling standards of its predecessor. We can confirm, having been allowed some hands-on time with it, that fans of the original should start getting excited. BioShock 2 combines improved gameplay with even loftier literary ambitions than BioShck and, if our experience is anything to go by, it's set to be one of this year's best games.
9. Splinter Cell: Conviction
For a while there, it was beginning to look like gamers had seen the last of Sam Fisher. The latest instalment of Ubisoft's premier stealth title had endured a dispiritingly lengthy development period. The only results of this as shown to the public were a couple of previews in which the game's protagonist could be seen wandering around an inner city park covered in grubby clothes and shaggy facial hair. However, after yet another re-think, Splinter Cell: Conviction seems back on track. At E3, we were treated to a lengthy preview and Ubisoft's new game didn't disappoint. The emphasis on stealth is still present but the addition of the 'mark and kill' feature, low-tech equipment and Sam's overall darker demeanour makes Conviction feel like a far more brutal vision than previous Splinter Cell titles. We can't wait to get our hands on Conviction, but in the meantime, the memories of one of video game's most enduring heroes emerging from the shadows at E3, filled with fresh promise, will hopefully tide us over until the game's day of release.
8. Rage
id Software's new shooter has been in the pipeline for about two years now and news has begun to emerge that the game will finally see the light of day next year. The game's development and its march towards release has apparently been unaffected by the fact that its publishing rights have changed hands; ZeniMax Media, who own Bethesda Softworks and who recently bought id, picked them up off EA, who is now completely out of the picture. This will be music to the ears of shooter fans as Rage is id's first original game in over a decade and it's also the first to make use of the company's new Tech 5 engine. The game is set in the not too distant future in which the impact of a gigantic meteor has turned the earth into a post-apocalyptic hellhole. Rage is pitched as what a video game would look like if you crossed Mad Max with Fallout 3. Gameplay looks set to involve driving as well as shooting and the trailers currently making the rounds depict an exciting world filled with eccentric characters, vicious gangs and insane mutants. Rage's pedigree makes it look promising; after all this is a shooter produced by the people who brought us Doom and Quake, so what could possibly go wrong?
7. Halo Reach
Halo: Reach has the potential to be the defining moment in the franchise that established Microsoft's position in the console wars. When it was announced earlier this year at E3, details were scarce, but as 2009 draws to a close, the rumour mill has been working overtime. Set before the events of the original Halo titles, Reach follows the adventures of a team of six SPARTAN II soldiers during an epic battle in the war against the Covenant alien alliance. Seeing at it's a Halo title, we're going to go ahead and assume that the FPS action will be present and correct, that the multiplayer will be fantastic and that the story will be in keeping with the hokey space opera that has run throughout all the Halo titles. We already know it looks great, and really, we expect the best from Reach. After all, Halo was the game that established Bungie, and if the rumours that it's the developer's last outing with the Halo franchise are true, we can be sure they'll want to go out with a bang.
6. The Last Guardian
When The Last Guardian was finally revealed at E3, the beautiful footage of a young boy and his gryphon-like companion left nary a dry eye in the house. The soaring soundtrack tugged at the heart strings, and the burgeoning friendship between boy and creature captured the imagination of all in attendance. Who are they? Where are they going? And are those arrows protruding from the gryphon's back? Style, emotion and magic. Three things you can rely upon from a Team Ico title. Agonisingly little is known beyond that trailer, but given the developer's pedigree with Ico and the magnificent Shadow of the Colossus, we're expecting another wonderful ride.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
This was one of the two get-out-of-jail-free cards that Nintrndo played at its press briefing at E3 2009. Until one of the company's American head honchos announced that Super Mario Galaxy 2 (and a new Metroid title) were on their way, the presser was being chalked up as a damp squibb. Once the applause died down, expectations began to soar and they haven't come down since. The original Super Mario Galaxy is widely recognised as one of the best video games ever made for this generation of consoles and the prospect of its sequel is enticing to say the least. This could obviously work against Nintendo, because Super Mario Galaxy 2 will have to live up to such impossibly high standards. However, with the inventive minds of Nintendo's best developers hard at work, we fully expect the sense of wonder we had playing the original to be faithfully rekindled.
4. Starcraft II: The Wings Of Liberty/World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Blizzard is famous for taking ages to churn out its video games; Every IP that it releases into circulation is the result of years of developing, testing and tweaking to make sure it will satisfy the exacting standards of the Blizzard faithful - who are very used to waiting. This year, their patience will be rewarded because if BlizzCon 2009 was anything to go by, 2010 is going to be a busy year for Blizzard. The Anaheim Convention Centre which played host to Blizzard's annual party this year was filled with mad whoops and thunderous applause when company executives announced that not only would Starcraft II ship in the new year, but a new World Of Warcraft expansion pack was on the horizon. Fans have been waiting for over a decade for the second installment in the groundbreaking RTS sci fi game, and WoW players will line up in droves for Cataclysm - which is scheduled to tear apart the world of Azeroth later this year. Now, if Blizzard can get just Diablo III out the gate before 2011, they'll have accomplished an incredible trifecta.
3. Bayonetta
Bayonetta is a bespectacled witch who looks like a cross between Sarah Palin and a dominatrix from a high-end leather club. She carries a gun in each hand and firearms are attached to each of her stilleto clad heels. Her body is covered with a catsuit made from hair , which can transform into a dragon and attack foes. Every single thing about her is madder than a bag full of spanners, and if you can believe it, she is the least insane aspect of the game she inhabits. Bayonetta is a Japanese-made fighting game which boast an utterly insane, yet self-aware plot, amazing animation, a cheesy soundtrack and arguably the best control system for a game of this type. We have to recommend it because is so over the top, it's down the other side, through the earth's crust, straight through its core and out the other end. Then it blasts into space.
2. Red Dead Redemption
No one knows whether Rockstar Games has drawn a line under its Grand Theft Auto franchise, but we do know that its next open world adventure isn't set in Liberty City. For its first big release of 2010, the British developer has applied its extraordinary world-building talents to the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption.Rockstar has gone all out in its latest release; the game turns players loose in the great American wilderness, in which they’ll encounter wildlife, bandits, ghost towns, isolated farmlands, mountain ranges, rivers and frontier towns populated by settlers. In short, the living, breathing Wild West. There is, of course a plot, which tips its hat to classic Western conventions, and from what we've seen so far the the writing is as strong as in the best of Rockstar's titles. What ultimately blows us away, however, is how breathtaking it all looks. The pain-staking attention to detail in the look and feel of Red Dead Redemption makes the world it presents utterly believable and completely immersive. The year hasn't even started yet, but we're confident that based on what we've seen, and Rockstar's unimpeachable track record, Red Dead Redemption is going to be one of the best games we play in 2010.
1. Mass Effect 2
The finale of Mass Effect left the galaxy in turmoil. As Commander Shepard, it's up to you to stave off the ongoing threat of the 'Reavers', an AI lifeform hell-bent on destroying the species of the Citadel. BioWare's space-opera enthralled millions of gamers with its exquistely detailed galaxy and gripping tale. It wasn't without its technical quirks though, and BioWare have spent the last two years polishing the engine to within an inch of its life. Visually, it glistens, while the third-person gunplay has undergone a much-needed overhaul. But at the heart of it all is that bewitching space yarn, crammed with politik and intrigue, action and romance. This next chapter of the saga can't come soon enough.
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