OK, I confess I was one of those who didn't read the OP close enough - it was my last post before bedtime.
In the spirit of the original intent...
Factors that play into anticipation:
- History. Obviously more people will be excited for Grand Theft Auto 5 than State of Emergency 2.
- The Wait. Longer the wait, the greater the interest... unless you waited too long. Right now, there is probably more anticipation for Punch Out Wii than GTA5, simply because GTA4 is so fresh in memory.
- The base. Banjo-Kazooie and Sly Cooper has its fans, but nothing compared to Mario and Sonic.
- Newness. Is it offering something different, like RE4 did over RE1-3. This often makes the first incarnation of a franchise on a new console more anticipated than its sequels (FFX vs FF XII).
- The hype. Admittedly the gaming industry is largely built on fans and we are more than capable of generating hype ourselves, but at the same time, without Nintendo's promotion, WiiMusic would have sold 20 copies.
- Imminence. A game that's coming out next week will be more anticipated than one coming out in 2010.
Of course, none of these factors is easily measured and weighed against the other, so this is still more art than science, but they are good guidelines to go by. With that in mind...
1) Resident Evil 5: RE4 has already attained legendary status, we've been waiting years for a sequel, and that's about to arrive. Plus its the first RE on a HD console.
2) Wii Sports 2: The "hardcore" hate to hear it, but WiiSports was huge - it was the game that sold the console, not the other way 'round (unlike WiiPlay). Its the first franchise since Halo to enter public consciousness. And most importantly, it is coming with the WiiMotion Plus, which is enough to get even the most jaded Wii fan excited.
3) Gran Tourismo 5: A little further off than RE5, and its not multiplat, but you can't argue the past success of the franchise.
4) Street Fighter 4: Could there have been a longer wait? The oldest of the old school fighters, updated at last into the 3D era, and its coming this year on multiple platforms.
5) Final Fantasy 13: The first FF on a new generation, with Squeenix pushing the graphics borders well past where they've ever been before, would be enough to drag in a lot of players, but add in the number of 360 fans who will be getting their first taste of the franchise, and this has to be on the list. The only thing keeping it from a higher rank is the general suspicion that its coming out "eventually."
Runners Up: Halo 3.5, Halo Wars, GTA4 DLC, Punch Out Wii, The Conduit, Killzone 2, MGS4-360, Kingdom Hearts 3, Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, God of War 3, Infamous, Wii HD, XBox 720, PS3 Price Cut, Ghostbusters, any incarnation of Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Goregasm 2: Return of Dong Slayer
