My top 5 most hyped upcoming games, as of 6/7/2010

2010 sees some of the biggest titles being released in the video game industry, games such as Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, God of War 3, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption, etc all were released in the first half of year. I however have only gotten Mass Effect 2 out of the bunch, it was in fact the first new game I have gotten in awhile. If it was couple years ago I probably would have gotten at least 75% out of all the titles I have mentioned but time have changed, games are just not what they used to be. There are very few quality games out there that still gives me an epic feeling when I played through it and I'm not just talking about it graphically either.

That being said there are a few games that are coming out later half of this year and first half of next year(hopefully) that have got me hyped. This by no means that I will get all these games, like I said number of quality games are diminishing and these are just ones that got me interested or intrigued to learn more about them.

1. Diablo 3 (soon)

Long before World of Warcraft had earned the reputation as a soul sucking and money printing mega phenomenon, another Blizzard game quietly has set this path for the company's future. Diablo 2 was one of the most addicting and probably most played online game outside of Counter Strike at one point, it was so simple yet so difficult to unlock all the secrets, so mindless yet so addicting, so apparent yet so fun. I have spent countless hours play this game online doing essentially the same thing over and over again, the infamous Baal runs. I don't know why but there is just a certain charm about the game that makes me want to play online with a friend even though the game is some what short and simple and supports a somewhat backward online system compare to today's online games. It has been 10 years in the making and finally we can say yes Diablo 3 is coming...soon. If any game can rekindle my interest in a 4 player online co-op session then this is the perfect game. It has been so long since I have had a good game that I can actually play with a few friends and have fun, FPS not included.

Hype Meter: 9/10



2. Star Wars: The Old Republic (April, 2011)

Personally I hate Bioware for not doing a proper sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic. It was one of the most underrated single player RPG when it first came out, it single handedly made Star Wars games relevant again and it was one of the my favorite RPGs of all time. I hate Bioware even more after they teased me for coming back with by doing a third game in the series...only telling us that this is going to be an MMORPG so its not a direct sequel. In a way it seems like Bioware is trying to cashing in on the MMORPG frenzy that is caused by WoW but now thinking about it Star Wars universe is big enough to do a game like this but I am anxious to see more. So far very little information or game play video has been shown considering how close we are to the release date, but I have no doubt this game will be at least decent with the Bioware pedigree on the line. However it scares me that all the people that attempted to copy WoW's success by going head to head with WoW has pretty much been annihilated, but at the same time those people are not Bioware. WoW needs to die already I need to see something refreshing and this game might just be it.

Hype Meter: 6/10



3. World of Warcraft Cataclysm (Fall 2010)

Speaking of WoW, the latest expansion Cataclysm is sure to bring back a lot of former players that have quit the game. I will not be one of them. It has been a long time since I have played WoW, every time I quit the game I sometimes will encounter whats called withdrawn symptoms that is common among crack addicts. That is the main reason I have quit and started playing again for 3 times, because every time I see a WoW video, hear a WoW story and even hear that epic music again I feel the itch and the fire being rekindled. Not this time, I have quit WoW for more than a year now and simply do not feel any urge to play it again. I do not like the direction the game is going since the last expansion as the game is going toward more and more casual oriented in order to maintain its player base. Blizzard must feel the effects of player leaving due to the staleness of the game, and like I said you can feel the end coming. It was a good 6 year run for WoW but now it just needs to die but however I am interested in seeing what Blizzard has in store for the latest expansion pack, whether they will continue in the route of making the game more accessible to attract new players or they will actually do something new.

Hype Meter: 3/10



4. The Witcher 2 (Spring 2011)

The first Witcher game was a real hidden gem. I have heard of many good things about the game but never had the chance to play it until recently. It turned out to be the right decision as the original version is hampered with bugs and various graphically glitches. The enhanced edition director's cut that I have played was a much smoother experience, but it still had rough edges in both technical and game play aspect. That being said it is definitely one of my favorite games in recent memories. Rookie Polish developer CD Projekt followed a true and proven Bioware formula in the game in terms of engine and story telling, and it paid off see as Bioware makes some of the best story based RPGs out there. In term of game play they switched it up using somewhat time based hack and slash system that is not so common in modern day RPGs. All in all it gave players a memorable experience through out. The sequel is coming out next year with all new graphic engine that looks absolutely stunning, and the developer promises improved game play as well.

Hype Meter 8/10



5. Mass Effect 3 (TBA 2011)

To be honest Mass Effect 2 has killed a lot of steam I had for this series but don't get me wrong it is still one of my favorite new series this generation. Mass Effect was a great new and bold game by Bioware, it had so much ambition and promises that it was certain it would disappoint. But in the end Bioware pulled together and made it an epic although somewhat rough RPG experience. And in turn Mass Effect 2 became one of the most hyped games in recent memories that does not have Halo in its titles. I know personally Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment on many levels, mainly because of all the hypes surrounding the game before it was even out you know there was no way the game would live up to it. On the other hand the game never lived up to the promises Bioware made, things like improvement over the first game and some the good things that they did with the first game were scrapped. Its a good thing that Bioware takes all the community suggestions to heart, because after all the second game is still great but no where near the bar Bioware had set for itself. But this does not mean I am not pumped for the conclusion of this series, this would be the first time in a long time since Bioware started and finished a series properly.

Hype Meter: 9/10



Honorable Mentions:
Deus Ex 3
Guild Wars 2
Mafia 2
Gran Turismo 5
Unannounced Blizzard MMO