In this blog entry, I’m going to talk about the games that excite me the most this year. I’m sure more will crop up later, but here’s my list as it stands.

Lollipop Chainsaw

If what I’ve seen so far is anything to go by, this game is going to be right up my street. I’ve been a fan of Suda 51’s games since I played No More Heroes on the Wii. I’ve also recently played Shadows of the Damned (slightly short of completing it), so I know full well of what Grasshopper Studios is capable of.

I’m a big fan of crazy stuff. The crazier, the better. So, when I discovered the game would be about a chainsaw-wielding cheerleader who travels around with the decapitated head of her boyfriend (a TALKING decapitated head, no less), I was reeled in straight away. The trailer makes the game look very promising to me. Hard to say exactly how the gameplay will pan out just yet, but I think it’s in good hands.

Max Payne 3

A lot of people seem uneasy with the direction this game looks set to go, but I personally don’t have a problem with it. After all, no matter how much nostalgia people have for the previous entries, a simple ‘by the book’ sequel probably isn’t going to cut it in today’s market. As a fan of the Max Payne series, I’m sure Rockstar won’t mess it up. It would be a great shame if they did.

I’m looking forward to hearing more of Max’s dry humour. I’m also curious to see how he deals with things in his new environment. The crazy slow-mo stuff they’ve added when you kill enemies looks pretty cool. You could argue that it might get old, but V.A.T.S. never ceased to be amusing for me in Fallout 3 (and other people, I expect).

Resident Evil 6

It was a pleasant surprise to me when it was announced at TGS. As far as I knew, the next Resi game due would be a complete reboot. Then, all of a sudden, a game containing some of the established characters shows up. Oh, and Dawn of the Dead-remake-style zombies. After two games with the Las Plagas, they were probably due a turn.

I liked Resi 5. It wasn’t quite as good as 4, but I still enjoyed it. Going by the trailer, they’ve kept the over –the-shoulder view and added some new mechanics. With any luck, they should be back on full form with this game. As long it provides the non-stop action of the previous two games, I’ll be happy.

GTA V

It’s not certain whether it’ll show up this year, but I decided to mention it anyway. GTA IV left a lot people divided about Rockstar’s new approach to the GTA series. As I previously mentioned, I like crazy stuff (Saints Row: The Third was awesome), but I didn’t take a dislike to the grittiness of IV. Thanks to the satirical commentary and top-notch story, it still felt like a GTA game to me. That’s why I’m still greatly interested in the series.

While it’s clear from the trailer that it looks set to follow suit from their GTA IV ethos, I’ll be curious to see what they’ll add to and remove from the formula. With the game being set in Los Santos and the surrounding area, a lot of fans may expect a return to the slightly OTT features that San Andreas had. While I don’t think they’ll go the whole hog, I won’t be surprised if they add some hidden outlandish stuff. Either way, I don’t think it’ll disappoint.

Other games on my radar:

I’m definitely interested Street Fighter x Tekken. Perhaps not in the same way as the other games I’ve mentioned, but I’m keeping an eye on it. I’ve played a lot of fighting games with friends lately, so it’d be nice to break it out during our gaming nights. There’s also Tekken Tag 2 later in the year.

Yakuza: Dead Souls is another game I’m earmarking, but I’ll need to play more Yakuza 4 before I can say for sure that I’d enjoy it. It certainly has the ridiculousness I like, at any rate. That guy with the gatling gun arm springs to mind...

Anyway, that’ll all for now. Next time, I’ll probably go over the games I’ve played lately. If it’s been a slow week, I’ll come up with another topic. Either way, watch this space. :D