Welcome to 2010! A new year brings new games, new innovations, and new experiences in the world of gaming. I’m really excited for the year to come, as there are quite a few games being released this year that I have waited a very long time for. Some of them for years, no joke! Here’s my list of what I’m going to be playing this year, and I would love to hear from others about what they are looking forward to in the months to come, so feel free to let me know and discuss in the comments!

I’ve never done a “Top 10 List”, either here or at Adventaruing, and I don’t really see myself starting anytime soon, so the seven games I’m (SO FAR) looking forward to are below the fold. Follow me into the future, my friends…

#7 on my list is White Knight Chronicles, developed by Level 5, who have also brought us the Dark Cloud series, Dragon Quests XIII and IX, and the Professor Layton series for the Nintendo DS. The game has been out in Japan for over a year now, and is finally coming to the U.S. on February 2. I really enjoyed playing the Dark Cloud games, but haven’t been into Dragon Quest, and Professor Layton isn’t really my thing, so I’m interested to see what WKC is going to be like.

The basic premise for the game is that while rescuing a princess, the main character comes across a suit of armor that bestows all kinds of neato abilities that you’ll then use to presumably save the world. (I told you it was the basic premise…) The art style is great, though a little dated for the PS3, and combat looks interesting. I’d like to give this one a try, since I did enjoy the Dark Cloud games, and good RPGs are so very hard to come by on the PS3. If anything though, this will be the Year of the RPG on the PS3, so that’s extremely good in my book.

Here’s a trailer from last year’s E3 that shows off a little more than what I’ve written here:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-white-knight/49803 (HD)

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The Last Guardian, from Team ICO is my number 6 pick this year. It was only announced last year, but should be out sometime during Q4 this year. I am so excited for this game, that it’s hard to put into words how much I’m looking forward to it. Team ICO is known for creating moving, emotional, and challenging games that completely change the way people think about video games. Their first game, ICO on the original Playstation, is a classic in all senses of the word. Their next game, Shadow of the Colossus, stands as one of my favorite games of all time. Shadow of the Colossus did not have enemies or dungeons, just 16 collosi that needed to be brought down. There was no dialogue either, just your character, their horse Argo, and the few weapons you had. No power-ups, no flashy armor, just what you started the game with. The story is dense, even without dialogue, and the atmosphere, art, and environments are exquisite.

Because I loved Shadow of the Colossus so very much, I’m that much more excited for The Last Guardian. I know that there will be an emotional story that will suck me in, awesomely crafted environments, and gameplay that will be fresh, innovative, and fun. Noone knows much about the game except for what has been shown in the two trailers that have been released. Penny Arcade sums up how things will go though, damn them (language warning):

I will cry, either way. I’m sure of it. I’m such a sucker for cute things… Here’s the trailer:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-the-last/50352 (HD)

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In at #5 is the highly anticipated sequel to one of the best RPGs to come out in recent years, Mass Effect 2. I literally finished Mass Effect 1 this last week, and only played it after I had such a good time with Dragon Age: Origins. My husband has played the first game no less than three times through, one of those times in preparation for the January 26 release of ME2, since actions you took in the first game will have profound effects on the sequel and will carry over.

ME is a hybrid FPS/RPG, and is a joy to play. Your customized character roams the galaxy with 2 other squad members, shooting things up and saving the known universe and its varied inhabitants. The beauty of Bioware’s game design is that the choices you make, matter. You agonize over whether to make one decision over another, since you know it could come back to bite you later on. If Mass Effect 2 is as much fun as its predecessor, ME2 is going to be a total blast, and another runaway hit for Bioware.

Here’s the cinematic trailer for ME2, just released a few weeks ago:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/cinematic-trailer-mass-effect/60053 (HD)

Epic.

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#4 is Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for the PSP (Playstation Portable). I am a self-admitted Kingdom Hearts junkie, and this is a game that I’ve been looking forward to for years. (In fact, the remainder of the list are all games that I have been waiting years for…) For those unfamiliar with the magical goodness that is Kingdom Hearts, well… I’m sorry. I could make an entire wiki’s worth of posts talking about the background, characters, and worlds involved, but in a nutshell, you have Square Enix characters (Final Fantasy), Disney characters (Mickey, Goofy, Belle, Cinderella, various other Princesses) and original characters. The games tend to be action-RPGish, and are bright, exciting, fun, and a good time to play.

This particular entry into the series takes place ten years before the first Kingdom Hearts game, and promises to answer many of the lingering questions about the world and how it works, which is one of the reasons why I’m looking forward to it so much. I love world-building, and there have always been some questions that I’ve really needed to have answered in regards to KH. I’m hoping I’ll get them!! KH:BbS is currently slated for release in Japan on January 9, with no set U.S. release date at this time. Guesses are putting it in Q3 or Q4… hopefully. And yes, here’s a trailer!

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/tgs-09-kingdom-hearts/57937

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And now… the TOP 3!!!

Number 3 is fittingly, God of War 3.  Oh, God of War, how I love thee… let me count the ways…

God of War is a game that I pop in when I’ve had a really crap day at work, and need to let off steam. It’s also a game I pop in when I want to enjoy a challenge, since GoW is NOT a cakewalk. I love everything about the series, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the final installment for the PS3 since it was announced. As long as the formula stays the same, this game is going to be EPIC WIN. They don’t need to change anything gameplay-wise as far as I’m concerned, just shine up the graphics for the PS3, and let us play. Bloody carnage and revenge against the gods of Olympus… how can you get more epic than that???? I mean, really?

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-god-of-war/50389

LOOK AT THE SCALE OF IT. I’m dying. Come on March!!!!!!

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If you know me at all, you know that I am a huge Final Fantasy fan. It should be no surprise then, that number 2 on my list is Final Fantasy XIII. Just released in Japan, FFXIII will make its way here to the states on March 9, and I am counting down the days. I am going to be the geek who takes a few days off of work to just sit and play this, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’ve tried to limit the amount of information I”ve gathered about this game, as I don’t want to be spoiled, but it has been very, very hard to avoid. This game is EVERYWHERE I look on the internet. *shakes a fist at the internet*

I’m really hoping that this will be an awesome addition to the franchise. My hopes are high. I know a lot of people didn’t enjoy XII, but I did. I also played X-2 all the way through. I know I’ll enjoy it, but I’m also hoping that Squenix is learning from some of their past mistakes and will make a game that really stands out from the rest of the series. I will wait and see….. as patiently as I can. Which isn’t much to talk about at this point.

Obligatory trailer goodness: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/tgs-09-final-fantasy/56991

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And now….. for number 1……. (shouldn’t be a surprise…)

This is my game. This is the ONE. I can’t wait for this game. Literally. I. CANNOT. WAIT.

Long ago, in the distant past of the 2000′s, there were rumors. Rumors that Squenix was creating a new online world for us all to play in. The rumors called this world “Rapture”, and even though we knew jack squat about it, we thought it was rapturous indeed. For who else could make the next great MMO, but Squenix? Think about it my friends. Squenix has years and years worth of data from their first MMO, FFXI. They have the know-how, they have the experience, and they have the customer feedback to make a truly great MMO. Everything I’ve seen so far indicates to me that they have listened to what we’ve all said about what we like and don’t like about FFXI and MMOs in general. Given, there hasn’t really been that much released, but so far, every indication is leading me to believe that this is going to be massively huge.

Beta applications just started, so there’s still a lot of time left before Eorzea comes to life. By anyone’s best guesstimates, we’re probably looking at a Q3 release, hopefully during the Summer.

All I know is that I cannot wait to recreate Seri in FFXIV. I cannot wait to explore the lands and quest with friends. That’s really what it’s all about, when you come down to it. The friends that you share your adventures with.

Here’s to friends, both old and new, and the games we’ll play with them over the course of the next year! Here’s to exploring, playing, solving, and enjoying all the games that we are looking forward to! Here’s to 2010!