As a general rule, the biggest games of the year almost always come out between September and Thanksgiving. Well, throw that logic out the window this year. The first three months of 2010 are going to be filled with holiday-sized hit games. So, when you're done playing all the big 2009 games (go vote for your favorites in the 7th Annual GameFly Q Awards), here is my guide to the big games of early 2010 that you'll want to put in your GameQ.
Mass Effect 2 may look like an action game, but it's still an RPG.
Return to Rapture in February with BioShock 2.
Kratos arrives on the PS3 in God of War III.
After successfully launching Dragon Age: Origins in November, the RPG kings at BioWare are back this month with the sci-fi epic Mass Effect 2. The first Mass Effect is still one of the best blends of detailed role playing and third-person action. This Xbox 360 exclusive continues the story of Commander Shepard in a very interesting way: Mass Effect 2 takes your saved game from Mass Effect and adapts the sequel's story to the choices you made the first time around. In this game, Shepard comes under the command of the mysterious Illusive Man, played by Martin Sheen. The real innovation comes in the form of seamless third-person action and excellent storytelling. RPG dialogue trees sometime feel like you're reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but Mass Effect 2 adds a ton of cinematic flair to the process with action moments, the ability to interrupt conversations mid-sentence, and most important of all, a deeply compelling story.
Arguably the biggest game for the first half of 2010, God of War III finally brings Kratos to the PS3...
Delayed from a late 2009 release, BioShock 2 returns you to the underwater world of Rapture. The first BioShock won countless Game of the Year honors in 2007, and the sequel ups the ante by delivering both single and multiplayer action. The single-player story takes place 10 years after the events of BioShock. Andrew Ryan is no longer around and neither is Jack. Instead, you play as the first-ever Big Daddy and interact with a mysterious lady named Sofia Lamb who guides you through Rapture. The Little Sisters are back, but also watch out for the lithe but deadly Big Sister who you'll have to take down using plasmids and the Big Daddy's drill. For those who prefer online action, the game's multiplayer mode is set up as a prequel to the events of BioShock. While it will be hard for BioShock 2 to match the first game's brilliant storytelling, I have no doubt there are some surprises planned in the plot.
Arguably the biggest game for the first half of 2010, God of War III finally brings Kratos to the PS3. The first two God of War games were some of the best looking PS2 titles, and the first PS3 entry could rival Uncharted 2 in terms of quality. Even with a March release date, very little has been shown from the game. We do know that Kratos is now set to battle against the Titans for some epic Greek Mythology combat. Of course, Kratos will have his Blades of Athena as a weapon, along with new power-ups like the head of the god Helios, which can be used as a lantern to illuminate dark areas. There is no better franchise than God of War for pure straight-ahead action, and based on my time with the demo, God of War III will be hard to forget next fall when we begin drawing up our Game of the Year nominee lists for 2010.
One of the most pleasant surprises of this generation of games has been Battlefield: Bad Company. The sequel is coming out in March. This military-action franchise may look similar to Modern Warfare 2, but differentiates itself in a couple key ways. First, expect a ton of in-game destruction of buildings and other objects. The destruction is especially fun because Battlefield includes in-game vehicles for both single-player and multiplayer, something not offered in Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer. You'll get to pilot vehicles like helicopters and tanks across snow, jungle, and desert levels. While it will be hard for Bad Company 2 to creep out from under the shadow of Modern Warfare 2, the early footage of the game looks excellent, and EA's DICE studio is known for delivering solid games.
For hardcore role-playing fans, the 2010 release of Final Fantasy XIII is sure to be a huge event. First shown more than three years ago at E3 2006, the game is now out in Japan and will arrive here in the U.S. in March. Final Fantasy is the epitome of old-school RPG action with a huge epic story, detailed turn-based combat, and sweeping orchestral music. This one stars a main character named Lightning, a girl with long pink-brown hair - although other characters can join your party along the way. Perhaps the biggest news about the game is that the franchise, normally exclusive to PlayStation, will arrive simultaneously for Xbox 360 and PS3 this time around.
TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION
Sam Fischer returns for an all-new adventure, set in and around Washington, D.C. Appearing only on the Xbox 360 for now, Ubisoft has gone back to the drawing board and created a game that seamlessly blends action and stealth tactics. Previous Splinter Cell games were about hiding in the shadows with night vision goggles. Conviction, on the other hand, is a much more in-your-face, action-focused game with hand-to-hand combat and the ability to "mark" targets in stealth for later execution. While I've always appreciated the Splinter Cell games, the trial-and-error gameplay frustrated me more often than not. Conviction looks like the first Splinter Cell game I might play all the way through. If single-player isn't your cup of tea, the game will also feature a completely separate co-op campaign for two players with new characters set in Russia.
No matter which games you rent, your GameQ will be busy early this year. And there are more titles coming before June as well, with standouts like Red Dead Redemption , Crackdown 2, and Alan Wake scheduled for release.
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