Happy New Year! Feeling delicate? It's okay - just sit down with a glass of orange juice and lemonade and gently peruse this second selection of promising games grappled from the 2010 release schedule (you can see part one here). I've also included ten titles that sort of haven't actually been confirmed for this year, but might turn up anyway...
And don't forget to correct/criticise my glaring omissions in the comments section!
Agent (Rockstar, PS3)
Oops, missed this out of yesterday's list, which was a huge oversight as Rockstar North's seventies conspiracy adventure may well be one of the key new IPs of the year (if it does indeed make it this year). We know absolutely nothing except that the development team has been influenced by the likes of The Conversation, Parallax View and All the President's Men, and that Take-Two CEO Ben Feder reckons it will be "genre-defining".
Lost in Shadow (Hudson, Wii)
This idiosyncratic 2D-style platformer piqued the interest of many a jaded game journo at this year's E3. Players control a shadow boy who must navigate a Gothic tower by leaping between the shadows cast by scenic objects. On each screen, you're also able to control a fairy who re-directs light sources, thereby creating new paths and platforms. Vague comparisons are being made with Ico, so naturally there's a palpable sense of excitement around it. Here's a trailer.
MAG (Sony, PS3)
It's 2025 and private armies are engaging in a covert war to control the planet. Zipper Interactive's ambitious online shooter promises huge battles involving 256 players - but it's not a total free-for-all as sides are divided into squads, platoons and companies, all with commanding officers and mini-objectives. Combatants also earn experience points as they fight and apparently the leveling up system is one of the most exhaustive available. Could be PS3's multiplayer showcase for the year.
Mass Effect 2 (EA, PC, Xbox 360)
Commander Shepard is back on another suicidal space mission, filled with rounded-characters, narrative twists and exotic alien sex (well the odd interspecies snog, anyway). In December, Bioware co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka told journalists that this could be the best game that his company has ever made - and he's one of those rare industry spokespeople who isn't prone to ridiculous over-statement. January 29 is the launch date. You might want to stick that in your diary.
Medal of Honor (EA, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
In December, EA officially announced its reboot of the massively successful but recently over-shadowed WWII shooter series. However, this time (no doubt in a nod to Modern Warfare) the action takes place in the modern day - Afghanistan to be exact - with players controlling a Tier 1 Operator: a spec-ops soldier who takes on the missions no-one else can handle. Which is ironic, as the task of usurping Call of Duty at the head of the military FPS table would seem to be a similarly challenging. EA Los Angeles and EA DICE are working on the project together, though - a sign that the publisher is taking this battle very seriously indeed.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Konami, PSP)
Set in 1974, at the end of the cold war, Peace Walker is the direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and features a new story penned by series creator Hideo Kojima. It's typical MGS fare with stealth, gadgets and mad plans for world domination. The exciting addition is a co-operative multiplayer mode (or 'CO-operative OPerationS' as Konami would have it) in which participants can do stuff like create decoys while their pals are sneaking about. To say this is the mainstream bright spot on the PSP release schedule is something of an understatement. In my opinion. It's out on May 28.
Metroid: Other M (Nintendo, Wii)
Certain to claim prizes for the least exciting subtitle of the year, Other M was briefly showcased at E3 earlier this year, with Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime suggesting that we can expect a more traditional Metroid experience from this combined 2D and 3D adventure. Set between between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, it's being co-developed with Team Ninja, the chaps behind the awesome Ninja Gaiden. Wii owners looking for more meaty gaming experiences in 2010 should put this straight on their pre-order list.
Modnation Racers (Sony, PS3)
Given the same 'Play, Create and Share' branding as LittleBigPlanet, this kart racer from Vancouver studio United Front Games allows players to customise every element of the experience from the characters and cars to the tracks themselves; creations can then be shared with the community and rated by other users. The look, inspired by urban vinyl art and the designer toy craze, has the edgy kawaii feel of LBP, while the handling and power-ups have drawn favourable comparisons with Mario Kart. It's due on the starting grid in spring 2010...
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Rising Star/Ubisoft, Wii)
Anime-obsessed killer Travis Touchdown once again finds himself at the bottom of the international assassins' league table and must wage war on his rivals to reclaim the top spot. The original hyper-stylised action fest earned multiple awards and its wonderfully weird and talented creator, Grasshopper Manufacture, is unlikely to fumble the ball this time round.
Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar, PS3, Xbox 360)
The Old West is dying, the Mexican civil war is brewing and one ex-outlaw named John Marston has a few loose ends to tie up amid the chaos. Rockstar San Diego's open-world Western is drumming up plenty of excitement, not least for its absolutely beautiful visuals. GTA meets The Wild Bunch? Yee-harr!
Split/Second (Disney, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Built around a futuristic reality TV narrative, this turbo-charged racer features a 'powerplay' dynamic which lets you set up scenic traps and obstacles for rival drivers: the higher your powerplay meter, the more extravagant and destructive your set-piece becomes. Voted Best Racing Game at the E3 Game Critics Awards last summer, it's an interesting hybrid, combining the feisty arcade-style urban driving action of Need for Speed et al, with the environmental destruction of a modern shooter.
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (Activision Blizzard, Mac, PC)
Blizzard returns to the epic space war between the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg races in this keenly anticipated sequel. It's the same intricately balanced real-time battle strategy gameplay we all remember, but now with slick 3D visuals, lots of new units and of course, myriad multiplayer modes. The developer's Battle.net matchmaking system is also being totally overhauled for the release, so expect seamless online integration. Even better news - this is apparently only the first part in a mammoth Starcraft II trilogy...
Star Wars: The Old Republic (LucasArts, PC)
Having already triumphed in the Star Wars universe with its much-loved Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware is returning with a hugely ambitious MMO, set thousands of years before the George Lucas movies. Expect a richly realised world (just check out the encyclopedic website) with a strong narrative element as players forge their own path between the Old Republic and the evil Sith Empire. Almost certain to be the game of the year for Jedi fanatics.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo, Wii)
The arrival of Yoshi as a rideable charcater is surely NOT the main addition to Nintendo's sequel - it's just that we've not heard much else, and interest is fervid after the heartening brilliance of the original 3D platformer. It also seems that several classic enemies and gameplay elements will be returning from Mario's previous adventures...
Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom, PS3, Xbox 360)
Offering eight extra characters, an enhanced Ultra Combo system, extended online play (with Team Battle and Endless Battle modes), rebalanced gameplay and the return of the SF II car and barrel bonus stages, Super Street Fighter IV is more than just an add-on pack - which is why it's being delivered as a budget priced retail release rather than DLC. Among the fresh fighters are old faves T. Hawk, DeeJay, Guy, Cody and Adon, plus there's a brand new female fighter - Juri - the first in SF history to use Tae Kwon Do. Bet that's got you excited.
Unconfirmed/possible/rumoured 2010 releases...
The Agency (Sony, PC, PS3)
Sony Online Entertainment's promising MMO thrusts gamers into the murky world of modern day espionage. Like APB it's effectively a multiplayer shooter taking place in a persistent online world - players can drop in and start taking out other superspies and mercenaries at any point, and there are co-operative options, too. We're promised a bounty of weapons, gadgets and exotic locations, but what still remains top secret is the release date. 2010 is being apprehensively whispered, but considering the teething troubles that Home went through, we'll believe it when we spy it.
Battlefield 3 (EA, PC)
While Battlefield: Bad Company and Battlefield 1943 have introduced console gamers to the delights of DICE's multiplayer-centric military shooter, Battlefield 3 is the next major leap forward for the series on its home platform, the PC. Little has been confirmed about the game, apart from that it's in development. We want more intel!
Dead Space 2 (EA, PC, PS3, X360)
Announced in December this sequel to 2008's survival horror shooter will see everyman hero Isaac Clarke taking the fight to the Necromorphs as their infection spreads out across the galaxy. Expect new weapons of messy destruction and some big plot twists - though with no firm release date on the event horizon, you may need to wait til 2011...
Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Narrative designer Patrick Redding confirmed at August's Game Convention that a new Far Cry title was in the 'preliminary stages' of development and would probably retain the African setting of its predecessor (more here). As 'preliminary stages' now effectively means 'the first year and a bit' in development parlance, 2010 might be a bit optimistic...
Gears of War 3 (Microsoft, Xbox 360)
We know it's in development, but on what platforms? Epic Games president Mike Capps seemed to hint at the Tokyo Game Show that it might be one for the next generation of consoles, but swiftly denied this later. Meanwhile, series designer Cliff Bleszinski has implied that it may contain RPG elements. But with no official announcements Q4 2010 is looking rather fanciful.
L.A. Noire (Rockstar, PS3, Xbox 360)
As the title subtly suggests, this is a Film Noir-style open-world thriller, seeking to recreate the Los Angeles of the '40s and '50s. It's being developed by Team Bondi, a studio headed by Brendan McNamara, the creator of Sony's gangsta shooter, The Getaway, and centres on a detective investigating a series of gruesome murders. That's about all we know, despite first hearing about the game in 2006. Rockstar has promised to reveal more soon, but the release date has already proved more slippy and elusive than an underworld crime boss.
The Last Guardian (Sony, PS3)
The much-anticipated follow up to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus is another mystical take on the third-person action adventure. You control a small boy who befriends a giant feathered creature and apparently must stealthily rescue it from armed guards, before using its abilities to thwart unnamed enemies. It's all very vague, but of course, the game looks beautiful and contains the elements of sensitivity and companionship that we expect from designer, Fumito Ueda. Given Team Ico's perfectionist approach 2010 is a probably a longshot.
Mirror's Edge 2 (EA, TBC)
Back in June, EA bigwig Patrick Soderlund, confirmed that developer DICE had a small team working on this sequel to one of the most controversial releases of 2008. If the chaps can tame the original's quirky controls it's sure to generate the sort of unguarded excitement critics couldn't bring themselves to apply first time around.
Resistance 3 (Sony, PS3)
Not officially announced yet, but October saw an interesting teaser - a billboard on the set of forthcoming disaster movie Battle: Los Angeles. With such a prominent piece of product placement, the latest chapter in Insomniac Games' alien invasion FPS series is likely to launch alongside the film, which isn't due until 2011. But you never know.
WarioWare D.I.Y (Nintendo, DS)
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/uorj/index.html
Released in Japan in April, but still without an official UK launch date (though the US will get it in March), the latest title in Nintendo's frantic minigame series allows players to create their own micro-challenges, designing the graphics and sound effects before sharing their questionable masterpieces with other DS users. There's a brief excerpt from the E3 presentation here.
And a few I wrote but didn't have space for in the Top 50...
Just Cause 2 (Square Enix, PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The original sandbox-style shooter, set on a Caribbean island under the rule of a corrupt dictator, pulled in mixed reviews, but this sequel looks to be much improved by Swedish developer Avalanche Studios. Once again stepping into the shoes of deep cover CIA operative Rico Rodriguez, you must now take down a military regime on the island of Panau, using an array of weapons, over 100 vehicles and a vast selection of gadgets. The key USP is a grapple and parachute system that lets you tag a ride on passing aircraft - and the ability to take on missions in any order, from whatever direction you fancy, is extremely zeitgeist-friendly. You can grapple with it on March 26.
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Square Enix, PC, PS3, X360)
Okay, the first title was a bit of a mess - but it was a mess with a decent premise and some fun moments. The sequel, billed as a 'raw and brutal crime shooter' set in the Shanghai underworld, looks to iron out its predecessor's troublesome control issues and graphical wrinkles, intriguingly opting for a visual style that references gritty documentary films and user-generated content. So lots of grainy, degraded footage of people falling off skateboards? I suspect not.
Splatterhouse (Namco Bandai, PS3, X360)
Namco's cult 1988 gorefest was a fast-'n'-nasty sidescrolling homage to slasher flicks like Friday 13th. The remake takes the original's plot (student hunts for girlfriend in monster-filled mansion) and adds a fresh arsenal of makeshift weapons, new acrobatic abilities, a wider set of locations and, of course, luscious 3D visuals. The development process has been troubled - original studio BottleRocket Entertainment was taken off the project some way in, only to be replaced by an internal team - but you can't go that wrong with a game that allows you to rip creatures in half while wearing a skull mask.
Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft, PC, Xbox 360)
Originally slated for a winter 2007 release, the latest covert-ops adventure from Ubisoft is finally slipping into shops on February 26. This time, Sam Fisher finds he's been betrayed by the Third Echelon agency and must defeat a major terrorist threat alone, while investigating the suspicious death of his daughter. Two new gameplay features 'Mark and Execute' and 'Last Known Position' promise to bring some fresh tactical elements to shoot-out set-pieces, while a separate co-op campaign provides a prequel to the single-player missions. It'll certainly be interesting to see how Ubisoft's old hero fares in a post-Assassin's Creed world...
