The AG Crew's Most Anticipated Games for 2010

Opinion from Sarge - Tuesday, 05 October 2010 @ 11:49pm

It's getting closer to Summer again, and with it brings a lot of things - we start to reach to the back of the cupboard to get the shorts out, dust off the bbq for more sunny afternoons in the backyard, we welcome the cricket season, and even more exciting - it's the start of the onslaught of new games. With all the games coming up, most of us have their eye on a few select titles, so I thought I'd catch up with some of the AG team to find out who's looking forward to what.

Shooting, burning and fire

Fallout: New Vegas - When Fallout 3 was picked up by Bethesda, I heard a lot of bad noise about it just being Oblivion with guns. I took that as "Oblivion with guns? Hook me up!" and while there did turn out to be much more to it than that my initial expectations were also satisfied. Here, I'll be content if this is like Fallout 3, only more of it.

Fable 3 - The trick to remaining excited about the Fable series is to not pay a great deal of attention to Peter Molyneax and hope Kinect doesn't interfere too much. These are games I could love simply for their art direction, which creates a great dark fairy tale atmosphere. Fable 2 really opened the world up and gave me a lot of space to develop my character, which is one of the main things I look for in an RPG. Hopefully all of these things are carried into Fable 3, besides, it's been too long since I've done horrible things to blameless villagers.

Raskulls - Last time I spoke to the Halfbrick kids the planned release date for this game was "December. Ish." Whatever, it'll be worth the wait. This game is like crack laced with wizz-fizz; a feverishly addictive mix of platform and racing games that's simple and sweet in all the right areas. Actually having this available to play in my own home may be the end of me.

One of the most fun games you'll play, and made right here in AU

While we're talking about game anticipations, I'd like it on the record that it now looks like we'll see Duke Nukem Forever before Diablo 3. Gearbox you gorgeous bastards, you've made fools of us all!

Civilisation V - I have solemnly sworn that I cannot touch this game, let alone go anywhere near it until after I hand in my thesis. SWORN ENEMY OF GOOD GRADES. Sid Meier has a lot to answer for. I could've been a child prodigy, I swear. I hated 3, but IV was an improvement. I still go back to Alpha Centauri and hope this injects more of that complexity that has been missing since the AC release.

Gran Turismo 5 - I'll admit now I'm not much of a fan for this genre, but I've been dying to get my hands on a good example of it for a while, so actually looking forward to this release. FINALLY. I'll probably be disappointed. I'll probably forget about it after playing it for a week straight, but from a rather short looking list of games, this one I'm paying attention to. That is, if they actually do end up releasing it. If not, I'll just go back to NFS Underground if I can find my copy still.

Technically this is a Prologue screenshot, but hey

Fable III - Hated the first, enjoyed the second - if they fall into a pattern the third should be the BEST EVER to appeal to me. Though, thanks to Molyneux's track record I have some serious doubts. It will be one that may very well be placed on the "play when you have time" shelf but will still have me picking it up on release. Who knows, maybe by that time I will have time to play. But then comes that dreaded holiday season release build up....

DJ Hero 2 - The track listing for this is AMAZING. Having recently tried out the new modes the improvements have aimed well at competitive gaming. The new microphone feature is interesting, perhaps not my cup of tea but it might appeal to MC wannabes out there. The mixers behind this game have done a great job with the first so I hope this really

Fallout New Vegas - I didn't quite finish Fallout 3 but that was because it was a massive game. I still sing those catchy Galaxy News Radio tunes every now and then. Vegas should be an interesting setting, I hope to see many famous monuments in the game. Also the ability to take pseudo drugs it kind of hot.

Vanquish - Over the top action set in a futuristic mech space station? Hell yeah beam me up Scotty, I want in on that. The demo impressed me and Mikami san over at Platinum Games has always done great work. Unlike Bayonetta, this game is being optimised for PS3 so fingers cross that it looks fantastic.

Demo available now, with the full game soon to come!

Donkey Kong Country Returns - Why? Because it's another Donkey Kong Country!

DJ Hero 2 - DJ Hero 2 is shaping up to be a fantastic follow up to one of my top games of last year. The set list is slightly more hip-hop this time around, but still maintaining a good range of genres with a variety of great artists. The big push this year is the party aspect for the game, it will allow for you and your friends to battle it out with a selection of new modes.

Rockband 3 - The number of hours I’ve pumped into the Rockband series is seriously ridiculous. Harmonix have set the standard for the way that music games should be developed. With the addition of pro mode I am really keen to get in and see how many drum sets I can break.

Rock Band 3 - Of all the games that have come out over this past generation of games, I don't think any have recieved quite as much playtime at my uni dorm than Rock Band 2. Despite being released in 2008, it still gets a run nearly every night for an hour or two. The introduction of keyboards ( and keytars!); the inclusion of vocal harmonies; as well as the ridiculously-difficult looking Pro guitar mode has got me giddy with aniticipation.

Fallout: New Vegas - I love the wholly hell out of the fallout universe, so as far as I'm concerned, more Fallout is never a bad thing. A brand new environment, teeming with retro-futuristic, art-deco bliss around every corner; as well as the all new Hardcore mode has more than piqued my interest. If Fallout 3 is anything to go by, this is game I'll be playing for a long time yet.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - With Assassin's Creed 2, it seemed that Ubisoft seemed to strike the fine balance between the continued story of Desmond Miles and the relived adventures of his ancient, Assassin ancestors. Brotherhood builds on this by expanding the character of Ezio Auditore, plus the inclusion of multiplayer promises to expand the game to new horizons.

Multiplayer mayhem, something that we didn't know it needed until now

Rock Band 3 - I'm not a musician by a long stretch. I sure as hell can't play guitar, drums or bass. I thought I was pretty good when Guitar Hero first came out. Now that 5 year olds can 5 star any Van Halen track on expert with their eyes closed, I'm not really all that competitive. Rock Band 3 however will be my redemption! As a kid I was forced to learn piano and I hated it. I was pretty good and mastered tunes ranging from The Entertainer all the way through to the Batman theme. Rock Band 3 will finally give me the chance to wow the ladies with my l33t piano skills learned on the Casio VL-1 keyboard. I just have to pray that Greensleeves is on the track list.

Gran Turismo 5 - I got sucked in to buying a PS3 because of this game. Not once, but twice. I bought a PS3, had nothing to play on it so I sold it. Then I bought a PS3 slim because I was under the mistaken impression that GT5 would be "coming soon". It's spent every day since collecting dust in my bedroom. Not even Heavy Rain and LBP have managed to maintain my interest on this paperweight of a console.

Jumpgate Evolution - I hate MMOs. But JGE is one of several "action MMOs" that are either on their way or have been released and already failed. I've been keeping an eye on this one for what seems to be years. It was originally announced to be released in June this year, but has been pushed back to some yet to be announced time later this year. If JGE turns out to be X-Wing/Tie Fighter but online, I'd be as happy as a pig in shit. Arcade space combat but not as brain numbingly dull as Eve online sounds great to me!

Wait, really, this? Jesus, what a nerd.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West – I'm not quite sure about this game. The plot is lifted directly from Monkey Magic, only with an unambiguous gender to the enslaver. The demo of this title is now widely available, and it caught my attention as a fun romp with a potentially solid story. A lot could go wrong, though, if there isn't enough variety to combat.

It was Earth all along! Wait... that wasn't a secret? Damn

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm – Yeah, I know. What can I say? I don't play WoW like I used to (now I use my feet!) but I still feel the need to be part of this story, continue the adventure, etc. Cataclysm doesn't bring a huge amount to the table, I have to admit, but I am still looking forward to it.

The Force Unleashed II – I loved The Force Unleashed. I don't know why. It was just what I want from a game. An adequate story, good technology, fun gameplay. It even had a license it actually used well. The Force Unleased II promises little more than more of the same, but again I'm down with that. I have a lightsaber. And anguish.

Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock - I got so sick of watching the Guitar Hero franchise destroy itself, so I jumped onto the Rock Band-wagon, but after reading the set-list, I'm glad that they've remembered what they originally set out to do. Plus, to be honest, I think Rock Band may be jumping the shark a little with their keyboard and "pro-guitar" nonsense.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - After a slow start, I really loved Assassin's Creed 2, so I'm excited to know how they can continue the story. I was lucky enough to get a chance to play the multiplayer last week, and it was so much fun. When this game comes out, there's definitely going to be a few Community Gaming Nights!

A swing and a miss for the Assasin's Creed franchise?

NBA Elite 11 - I do love a good basketball game, and I'm very excited to see what EA can do to revamp this series. They've promised some big things with Elite 11, and delayed the release of the game to give them more time to work on it. Plus, it comes with NBA Jam! Double-win! HE'S HEATING UP!

So tell us, what are YOUR most anticipated games for the rest of this year? Are there some that fill you with unashamed fan-person? Are there others with the potential for greatness? Are there some slow burners that everyone needs to hear about? Have your say on the forum!