according to this site, this is the 100 to look out for, REMBER this list will be updated daily, its not done yet..ssoooo....LETS PLAY
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3D Dot Game Heroes – Developer: Silicon Studio | Publisher: Atlus (NA) | Out: May 11th (NA)
Already breaking our rules with the very first entry (as 3D Dot Game Heroes is already out in Japan), Silicon Studio’s quirky block themed title makes the list for two simple reasons. First, it’s just out in Japan, and second, it’s an unofficial homage to The Legend of Zelda. Nuff said. Essentially a dungeon-crawler with block characters, the game is a pastiche to the 8-bit retro genre with a wonderful twist: you can create your own 2D sprite characters to play within the 3D world. A European release is not confirmed (there goes another rule) but we get the feeling importation won’t be required as someone this side of the Atlantic is bound to pick it up.
Agent – Developer: Rockstar North | Publisher: Rockstar Games | Out: TBC
One of the few announcements not already leaked on the run-up to Sony Big Cheese Jack Tretton’s speech at this year’s E3, the prospect of a new Rockstar game exclusively on the PS3 is enough to make most Sony fans froth at the mouth. Despite being in stealth development for over two years, little is actually known about Agent other than the fact that it’s set in the 70s and will focus on the murky underbelly of the deadly espionage world. Needless to say, it will be big. It will also likely be the subject of the predictable “It’s coming to the 360, too” rumours for the next five years. Yay! Can’t wait for that.
Alien Breed: Evolution – Developer: Team17 | Publisher: Team17 | Out: Q2 2010
You have to go back to the early 90s to get an insight into just how long Alien Breed: Evolution has been in development. Since then, its troubled gestation smacks of a Duke Nukem Forever-esque fiasco with false-starts, publishers going bankrupt and a game that has changed direction more times than a startled deer on meth. With its climactic release on XBL this very week, thankfully it’s a happy ending for Team17 and their sci-fi top-down shooter/exploration title. Released episodically, due to their screw-you-publishers-who-either-fold-or-pass-on-our-game stance and how self-publishing inherently takes longer, PS3 fans will have to wait until 2010’s second quarter to get their hands on the first of three planned chapters.
Aliens Vs. Predator – Developer: Rebellion Developments | Publisher: Sega | Out: February 19th
Aliens Vs. Predator on the PC was one of the first games to severely put the willies up gamers when it was released back in 1999. Claustrophobic, feral and exceedingly deadly (especially if you were a marine), developer Rebellion are returning to the franchise that put them on the map (we’re not forgetting the Jaguar version) with a new imagining/remake for next-gen consoles. Recent footage showcasing alien, predator and cannonfodder colonial marine gameplay suggests an FPS with more than a few fresh elements in what has become a somewhat overcrowded and stale genre. The game also appears to be more violent than The Joker after losing his car keys. Something our friends Down Under originally had an issue with.
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Developer: Gearbox Software | Publisher: Sega | Out: TBC
At one point Sega had three Aliens games in development at the same time. Ultimately, with an in-built fanbase and a series of films to assist with its promotion, Aliens Vs. Predator was given the nod while Obsidian’s untitled Aliens RPG was cancelled. Aliens: Colonial Marines was an unknown factor during this culling period with many people convinced the subsequent layoffs at Gearbox was a death knell for the squad-based Aliens based FPS. Thankfully Sega have since reaffirmed that it’s not “Game Over!” for Aliens: Colonial Marines with the title expected to make an appearance after AvP next year. Written by David Weddle and Bradley Thompson, a scriptwriting duo best known for their work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Battlestar Galactica and, oh my, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, watch for an acerbic, hard-as-nails colonial marine pulling off his shades and stating the blindingly obvious. Yeeeaaaaah!
Alive and Undead – Developer: ShortFuse Games | Publisher: ShortFuse Games | Out: Q3 2010
A PSN exclusive from Sweden’s ShortFuse Games, Alive and Undead is a 2D side-shooter vampire hunter. Yes, you read that right. It also promises online co-op and protagonists that go by the names of Smith and Welson on a quest to kill Death himself. Interestingly, the studio are considering making Alive and Undead a community funded game. In fact, if you have some spare cash and fancy investing in a game, check out their website for further details. We’re not sure what such an entrepreneurial venture suggests with regard the likelihood of this game ever seeing the light of day but, we have high hopes.
Alpha Protocol – Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Publisher: Sega | Out: Q2 2010
Combining two popular genres – the RPG and the spy arena – Obsidian’s Alpha Protocol will attempt to deliver something a lot us have always dreamed of: the thrill of being caught up in the covert and action-filled world of espionage. Without, you know, getting jabbed with a poisoned umbrella tip in the process. Published footage of the game in action shows a complex yet intuitive game mechanic as a backdrop to a truly intriguing story. Players take on the role of Michael Thorton, a spy who quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the secret intelligence fence. With a realistic dialogue system and some Bourne-like action, Alpha Protocol is definitely one to watch.
American McGee’s Alice – Developer: Spicy Horse | Publisher: EA | Out: TBC
The twisted fairy-tale jury is still out on whether or not we’ll actually get to see American McGee’s Alice on consoles next year. If we do, expect another macabre take on the classic Alice in Wonderland story populated with neurotic versions of The Mad Hatter et. al. Developed by the team behind another of designer American McGee’s properties, Grimm, there’s every chance this game might already be a victim of EA’s recent declaration regarding how the publishing giant plan to publish fewer games in 2010 than in recent years. We’ll keep an eye out nonetheless.
Anarchy: Rush Hour – Developer: Gaijin Entertainment | Publisher: TBC | Out: Q1 2010
Not much is known about Moscow developer Gaijin Entertainment’s new racer Anarchy: Rush Hour. We do know that it’s set in Russia’s capital so there’s a good chance the streets will bare some resemblance to the actual city considering the studio’s location. Other than that – watch this space.
Army of Two : 40th Day – Developer: EA Montréal | Publisher: EA | Out: January 8th
The return of everyone’s favourite socially-inept fist-bumpers, Army of Two’s second outing takes the budding bromance to Shanghai. And then blows it up. Expect Tyson Rios and Elliot Salem, mercs extraordinaire, to sport new moves (they can now sprint for example) as co-op is taken to the next level with the likes of feigning death and utilising a co-op “playbook”. The first Army of Two fell a little flat with critics and players alike. We have a feeling its sequel will have learned from its predecessor’s shortcomings and could really deliver the biscuits.
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Assault Heroes – Developer: Wanako Studios | Publisher: Sierra Online | Out: TBC
Who knows why it’s taken four years for this XBL game to receive the PSN treatment. Maybe they take exceptionally long coffee breaks over at A2M’s Wanako Studios. As recently discussed, Assault Heroes is less about compelling, nuanced plot, and more about shooting everything in sight in an array of vehicles (and on foot) from a top-down perspective. Vehicles, explosions, flamethrowers – if it’s favourably priced, PSN fans might welcome the tardy action title with open arms.
Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 (tentative title) – Developer: Rocksteady Studios | Publisher: Warner Bros. | Out: TBC
Every once in a while a game comes completely out of left-field and surprises everyone with its quality. Such was the case with this year’s addictive, moody and sublimely polished Batman: Arkham Asylum. Reaching the lofty heights of #4 on TSA’s Staff Games of 2009 list, if we were to sit around a table back in January of this year and predict that a super-hero game from fairly unproven Rocksteady Studios would feature so highly on a list of the year’s top titles, people would have claimed we were off our meds. More fools us. Proving the age-old super-hero adage of “With great sales comes inevitable sequels,” Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 was officially confirmed during this year’s (deeply flawed) VGAs. From the footage shown, it would appear The Joker is a bit worse for wear, either from the recent beating Old Bats delivered in the first game or due to the virulent effects suffered at the hands of the Titan virus. Either way, he’s as maniacal as ever and voiced wonderfully once again by the unsurpassable Mark Hamill. Interestingly, this time out of the Bat Cave Warner Bros. will be handling publishing duties, obviously scurrying SquareEnix Europe (the artisans previously known as Eidos Interactive) back into the shadows now that the allure of big money is on the table. Finally, for those wondering: “Isn’t Arkham Asylum pretty much done? What would cause Batman to go back to the nuthouse again?”, a new website goes someway in addressing the possibility of Batman lurking further afield and into the Greater Gotham area itself. Rocksteady’s Paul Denning has also come out and admitted that Arkham Asylum, as a location, has probably run its course. Just don’t go expecting the sequel to be an open-world sandbox caper similar in fashion to the likes of GTA. Just wouldn’t work, apparently.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Developer: EA DICE | Publisher: EA| Out: March 5th
Showing some much-needed PS3 love, DICE’s recent exclusive Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta on Sony’s platform was deemed a resounding success with thousands of you jumping up and down on the servers and giving Arica Harbor a thorough pounding in the process. With 45 million confirmed casualties and more buildings destroyed than a Roland Emmerich movie, all signs indicate that BF:BC2 is looking like something very special indeed. In fact, didn’t a particular TSA Staffer who participated in the trial announce on Twitter that Modern Warfare 2 had just been owned by this beta? Oh my, strong words. The rest of us get to voice our own opinions on the matter come March.
Bayonetta – Developer: Platinum Games (Sega) | Publisher: Sega | Out: January 7th
When two respected publications both grace a title with their elusive maximum scores respectively, you have to sit up and take notice. Apparently the game creator Hideki Kamiya always wanted to make, Bayonetta follows the story of the titular witch who just so happens to be covered head to toe with magical hair and can shoot guns from her feet. We admit that we were a tad sceptical when Bayonetta’s concept was first mooted, but with Devil May Cry, Okami and Viewtiful Joe under his belt, it’s pretty hard to doubt the pedigree of Kamiya-san. Of course, we can’t mention Bayonetta on the PS3 without bringing up “Port-Gate” – the revelation that Platinum Games happily handed the 360 code-base over to Sega and were only involved in the PS3 version in an advisory capacity. The fact is, Bayonetta on the PS3 does not perform as good as it does on its lead-platform, the 360. That said, it’s still a kick-ass title and worthy of your time and hard-earned cash. And with Sega recently coming out intimating that the Western PS3 version will contain numerous tweaks over its Japanese cousin, maybe the gulf between the warring console versions will have narrowed. We find out next month.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 – Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier | Publisher: Ubisoft | Out: TBC
One of this writer’s all-time personal favourites on the original Xbox console (it also saw a release on the PS2, PC and GameCube), Michel Ancel’s subtle and nuanced Beyond Good & Evil became a cult-classic to those who place infectious gameplay as the paramount factor when classifying what makes a great game. Though a sequel was always planned from the getgo, poor sales of the first title resulted in Ubisoft becoming quite noncommittal toward the project’s three part arc. When a few images surfaced last year only to be followed by deafening silence in the subsequent months (until that leaked video of Jade running through a city materialised), portents suggested that the global recession had killed off yet another possibly great game. Not so apparently, as though Beyond Good & Evil 2 is not officially announced (didn’t we have rules for this list?), General Director of Ubisoft France, Geoffroy Sardin, recently confirmed that rumours surrounding the game’s demise or a moratorium on its development are false. The game is still being actively worked on – they just don’t know if they’ll ever release it. Colour us perplexed.
BioShock 2 – Developer: 2K Marlin/ 2K Australia | Publisher: 2K Games | Out: February 9th
It seems everyone and his dog is developing the follow-up to one of the best games of 2007 (or 2008 considering this is a PS3 list). With two 2K Studios and Digital Extremes also chipping in with the do-we-really-need? multiplayer element of the game, everyone is pretty excited to get a chance to return to Rapture and see what else the aquatic dystopia has to offer. More Little Sisters no doubt. This time out players embody the first ever Big Daddy and will be able to move around the ocean floor thanks to the bulbous diving helmet provided. The first BioShock was a landmark game in the history of gaming. We have high hopes for its successor.
Blue Toad Murder Files : Episodes 3 – 6 – Developer: Relentless Software | Publisher: Relentless Software | Out: TBC
Hats off to Relentless for pushing the envelop (oh no, I didn’t just type that, did I?) with their family-oriented whodunnit, the Blue Toad Murder Files. Already Masters of the Couch™ thanks to their Buzz! franchise, taking bold strides and pretty much creating a new genre has to be admired – even if the new venture isn’t necessarily targeted at the likes of you or I. If you’re looking to get a taste of some Miss Marble-esque tomfoolery (seriously, think before you type Kovacs), the first couple of BTMF casual homicide hunts are available right now, with more episodes planned throughout 2010. Check out our recent impressions of the first murder-mystery here.
Blur – Developer: Bizarre Creations | Publisher: Activision | Out: Q1 2010
With four letters in its title, it can only mean one thing: a new racing game. Joining the ranks of FUEL, Pure and a whole host of other titles that probably support this opening paragraph’s theory but we can’t recall right at this moment, Blur comes from the same team behind the most excellent Project Gotham Racing on the Xbox platforms. Crossing the platform divide to work on their first racing PS3 game (they also created the somewhat forgettable multiplatform title The Club), Blur will face tough competition in 2010 if it wants to reach the heady heights of the racing genre podium. Of course, if anyone can take home the chequered flag, it’s the PGR guys.
Brink – Developer: Splash Damage | Publisher: Bethesda Softworks | Out: Q3 2010
Having cut their teeth developing the multiplayer aspect on some of gaming’s most recognisable IPs (Doom 3, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Return to Castle Wolfenstein), the mite silly sounding Brink is Splash Damage’s first original property to come out of the UK developer’s London studio. Taking place on The Ark, an isolated floating city in a futuristic and drowned Earth, Brink features two opposing factions fighting it out in a utopia turned hell-hole. With overcrowding and survival of the fittest kicking into a new level, the result is mankind perched on the very brink of total annihilation. Hmm, maybe that name wasn’t so silly after all. What attracts us most to Brink is two-fold. First, the character customisation system is one of the best we’ve seen (admittedly we’ve only got an early glimpse) with the ability to create some truly unique and colourful denizens of The Ark at a level we’ve not seen since the APB presentation at this year’s Develop conference. (If you haven’t seen it, watch it. It’s truly mesmerising.) Second, the recent footage showing off Brink’s SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) system reminds us of Mirror’s Edge but injected with 200cc of rhino testosterone.
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