I didn't like this year much. this is evidenced by me having three ports or near-ports in my top 4 for 2010.
 
 10. Dragon Quest IX (DS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKPZ3PgqJZI&feature=related

You know how people use vague, condescending terms like 'soulless' and 'going through the motions' for Final Fantasy XIII? Yeah, that's Dragon Quest IX for me. It's got all the pieces that make a DQ game but it's lacking something. I'd call this way more disappointing than FF13 just because DQ3 and 8 -- my two favourite DQ games -- are combined here, but the end result was way below either of them. It's got an interesting job system that ends up being not that fun thanks to the way skill points are incorporated and skills are carried over from other classes. It's got a quest system that's just awful. The Alchemy Pot is miserable. Battles take way longer than they should due to characters running around onscreen. There's a whole bunch of stupid multiplayer nonsense that will never hit in America due to no online. The plot is awkward because you've got a party with all NPC characters, meaning that there's no dialogue coming from the protagonists at all. Ultimately, it just feels like they hit all the notes a DQ game should hit without having a cohesive whole.

And yet despite all these complaints, I put 40 hours into it in a matter of days. I liked amassing skill points and grinding for metal stuff, even if it was a pain in the ass to do so. Grotto maps seemed interesting and there was an absolute ton of optional content here, even if, again, it was a pain in the ass to do. On-screen randoms are a very welcome change and will make it hard to go back to previous games in the series. DQ9 seemed more like a timesink than previous games thanks to nonsense like hunting for Alchemy items or doing inane quests in order to unlock better jobs, but when you were just enjoying the basic DQ game, it was a meaty and fun experience.  
 
 9. Z.H.P. Darkdeath Evilman vs. Unlosing Ranger (PSP)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wn6NYU7QeU

This game had me with this trailer. "A grindfest RPG you can play 40 million times!" I usually hate Disgaea humour but something about this hit a spot for me. ZHP is basically a Roguelike mixed with Disgaea, which is a pretty unique combination. You lose all your levels and equipment each time you die -- and you'll die all the time -- but you level up base stats and get stat upgrades that you can attach to yourself so you start out stronger and stronger each time.

Like Disgaea, the sense of progression is pretty awesome as you go from doing 15 damage to 15,000. And like Disgaea, it has absolutely no gameplay depth and is just a grindfest. It's oddly fun though. I beat the game and then started playing it instantly on NG+ when they gave me even more ways to pimp out my stats. Something about this game is really appealing even if it looks and sounds stupid as hell. Anyone who's played Disgaea knows what I'm talking about. 
 
 8. LIMBO (Xbox Live Arcade)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4HSyVXKYz8&feature=related

I've been thinking about Limbo a lot lately. I've come to the conclusion that it's a survival horror game - the game is flat-out haunting. It's like a silent black and white movie that tries to kill you. You die from everything, you're being chased by frightening creatures and you're completely helpless. It's survival horror.

That first hour of Limbo is fantastic. The encounter with the spider is just disgusting all around. You get stalked and impaled and when you succeed, you pull out its arms in a really gruesome fashion. The game goes downhill once it reverts into a standard puzzle game, but even then you're going to get brutalized by deaths in ways I Wanna Be the Guy would be proud of. It can't maintain that high bar of excellence and it doesn't have the ingenuity of Braid, but it's still a special experience. 
 
 7. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTbz_LFnLr8

Edgeworth's game never hits the highs of the Phoenix Wright trilogy but also never drops to its lows either. The lowest point is probably the last day of the biggest case where everything drags out and nothing feels satisfying at all. Other than that, it's a remarkably consistent game with very tight cases and good characters.

The entire game takes place over the course of like one week, if that. That gives the cases a ton of continuity. The highlight of the game is case 4, a flashback case that's crucial to the main arc of the game. It introduces lots of good characters and has some excellent cameos. My least favourite aspect is that they turn Gumshoe into an idiot and make him bad comic relief -- basically, the Edgeworth equivalent of Larry Butz -- instead of being awesome. Dude has a much better role when he's with Phoenix than with Edgeworth. Fortunately there's Kay Faraday in his place, the best sidekick yet.

The highest praise I can give this game is that it managed to evade the stink that came over the series in Apollo Justice. It doesn't come close to topping PW1 or 3, but it's a game that renews faith in the series. 
 
 6. Super Meat Boy (XBLA, PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_a0dcdWac

Super Meat Boy is kind of everything you could possibly want in a platformer rolled into one.

It's got tight level design. It's got dozens of unlockable characters, all of which play very differently. It's got good music, it's got a cool replay feature. it's sadistic and it's got replay value. It's got speed runs and online leaderboards. It's fast. it's got tons of content, even more optional content and a villain who is a fetus dressed up in a robot suit with a monocle. And he hates you. The only thing this game is missing is some co-op action, an option that would have been a lot of fun.

But for all the content packed into this game, it gets one thing wrong: its physics. This game is slippery as hell. One bare mistake and you'll go flying. The game's reliance on momentum combined with the controls makes this a game that is insanely trial and error-y. You'll die 50 times learning the precise muscle memory needed in order to clear some later levels. If you're doing the dark world then good luck to you and may Meat Boy have mercy on your soul. This game is hard as hell which is awesome but it also relies on pure memorization at times. That's not cool. There's also a lot of gimmicks in the middle levels like missiles and crumble blocks and etc that just aren't very fun. World 6 is the best in the game because it is pure platforming goodness.

When Super Meat Boy is good, it's really good. It can also frustrate you with the physics engine it has in place. This is a game that you just love to hate. 
 
 5. Metroid: Other M (Wii)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpBn4zHEP1g

Other M's taken a lot of crap for various things - Samus's personality, the story, the idea of having eight-way control with a sideways Wii Remote and more. A lot of it is either unwarranted or necessary criticism. Samus's personality barely matters when she's blasting space pirates left and right. Sideways WIi Remote somehow works due to some smart design choices such as putting a lot of the corridors on rails and making roll dodges really easy. Auto-target works and is not that big of a deal even though it should be. First person mode is actually pretty awesome most of the time thanks to the risk/reward system of not being able to move but having tons of firepower. Other M features the best combat in the series thanks to Ninja Gaiden-esque encounters. This game has the best collection of boss battles in a game I've played this year, which granted isn't much since I'm not much for high-budget console games, but they were nonetheless impressive.

There are a whole host of other flaws going on here - some forced over-the-shoulder sections that go on way too long, anything involving scanning an area to figure out where to go next and some first person-only boss encounters that are kind of dreadful. Other M is not a top tier game but it does succeed in doing what it wants to do - make a 2.5d Metroid game that really works. It's way too linear and lacks the replayability that makes Metroid great, but it's still damn fun. 
 
 4. Cave Story (Wiiware)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12f7ATjX7TM

I had never played Cave Story until this year. It's one heck of an impressive game for a one-man effort. It borrows elements from Metroid and Mega Man but really, it's its own thing thanks to its unique gameplay systems. You power up weapons by collecting enemy drops and power down if you get hit. It's a cool give-take mechanic that makes bosses really interesting: the beginning of the battle is easy because you're at full power but then you lose your weapon power and the boss starts doing tougher attacks as he gets lower on life.

The end result is that Cave Story has some amazing bosses, in particular the string of fights at the end of the game. It took me about 3 days to finally get through the final boss gauntlet. it's grueling and really satisfying when you pull it off. Cave Story never hits the peaks of a Mega Man or a Metroid but it is so solid all the way around. 
 
 3. Super Street Fighter 4 (360, PS3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRR3X1Tz-mA

I can't really rank this game properly. SF4 is my 2009 GOTY and no 2010 game eclipses it besides, well, SSF4. It adds characters, balances things better and adds online modes. But despite the improvements, I probably like it less than I did in 2009 if only because it's more of the same. I didn't play nearly as much SF4 in 2010 as I did in 2009. Ranking it as my 2010 GOTY would be kind of silly in that sense. Then in 2011, when Arcade Edition DLC comes out, I'd have to call that my GOTY again. Screw that.

Anyway, SSF4 is a little bit too much for me. It's just got so many characters and so many modes. If I had infinite time then I would learn them all, but I barely have any time and often go months without playing my go-to multiplayer game. Because of that, I just stick with my main 5 or 6 guys -- most of which I've been playing for 20 years since SF2 -- and everyone else is just daunting. They're adding even more modes and characters soon too. That might just be the end of me.

I dunno what to say about this one. I love watching SF4 matches and I love playing with friends. I hate playing ranked matches because they're just not much fun. I've got a solid rotation of 6 or 7 people here that I play, all at different skill levels, and that keeps the game fresh and fun.
 
 2. VVVVVV (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf06P-_1lkU

V is a one-button platformer. The amount of mileage they get out of this one mechanic -- flipping upside down -- is remarkable. V has brilliant level design and some real personality that sets it apart from other games. Like Super Meat Boy, it's really slippery and that drags the game down a little, but since the checkpoints are so numerous it's almost not a big deal. V might be the only game I can think of where dying simply doesn't matter. It doesn't even phase you or make you mad. You just go back to where you started.

It's all the little things that makes V so good. The trinkets are nothing more than pointless collectibles but they're really fun to try and get. The soundtrack is straight out of Mega Man which is a good thing. There's speed runs and postgame content and it's just really replayable. Sometimes I'm bored and just throw V on for fun. it's so easy to just pick up and play. Great game right here.  
 
 
1. Persona 3 Portable (PSP)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB4WyHe-HRM

A port of a game that wouldn't make my top 50 is my game of the year. Kinda says it all.

My biggest problem with Persona has always been its pace. These games just have miserable pacing. Everything takes longer than it should and you'll often end up doing the same thing for too long.

P3P is lightning fast. You move around quicker thanks to not having to run from location to location, battles go quicker thanks to player control, and it's overall a lot easier thanks to a few tweaks that make the annoying parts of P3 a lot more bearable. Sure, there's lots of other cool adds like new social links, female protagonist and blah blah blah, but it's the speed of the game that makes this an all-time RPG for me.

On top of that, I always preferred P3's dark setting, minimal story and awesome music to P4. Once you catch the gameplay up to P4 levels it's a no-brainer for me. Persona 3 feels more fresh because it came first and I like the atmosphere a lot more.

But if P4P ever happens and they speed the game up, that could be my 2011 GOTY. 
 
 
and a bonus list -- my top 10 most anticipated 2011 titles
 
10. Catherine (PS3 / 360)
9. Mortal Kombat (PS3 / 360)
8. Radiant Silvergun (XBLA)
7. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 / Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (DS/3DS)
6. Ghost Trick (DS)
5. 3rd Birthday (PSP)
4. Xenoblade (Wii)
3. Outland (XBLA/PSN)
2. Hero 30 Second (PSP)
1. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

Part 1 here - 
http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/transience/my-most-anticipated-games-part-1-post-e3-2010-edition/30-53564/
 
12. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
System: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Ignition
Release Date: Spring 2011
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-el-shaddai/700573

First of all, watch that trailer. What I'm about to write will not make sense if you don't. (Coincidentally, it will also not make sense if you watch it.)

El Shaddai is unique if nothing else. Let's start with the fiction: it takes all of its cues from the Bible, and in particular the Book of Enoch. You are Enoch, a mortal called by god to heaven. When fallen angels choose life on earth over heaven, god -- or El Shaddai, since it stands for God Almighty -- is furious and wants to wipe out humanity with a great flood. Enoch has a chance to save humanity by bringing these fallen angels back to heaven with the help of the four archangels. He also has the help of Lucifel, or Lucifer if you'd prefer. However, this Lucifel is before he turns against god, and he's often seen talking to god on his cell phone.

Yeah.

Okay, so El Shaddai's fiction is completely messed up. But it's also compelling, something totally unique. One can assume that Lucifel will tempt Enoch away from god and that there will be lots of plot twists, likely with Lucifel ending up as the bad guy. This game is already messed up though so it's hard to say where it will go.

But the fiction isn't the most striking thing about El Shaddai: that would be the style of the game. El Shaddai is being made by ex-Clover employees. The director is the art director from Okami while the producer produced DMC, RE4, Viewtiful Joe and Okami. The game has a wild visual style. The environments are just completely out there and the sky just looks totally messed up. I don't know if the areas in the trailer are supposed to be heaven or what, but it has this impressionistic art style that's reminiscent of Braid. It looks like the end of the world. Occasionally the screen flashes all these wild colours and who the hell knows what's going on.

Gameplay-wise, it's an action game. You have a weapon called an arch which you use to slice up foes. I expect it to be a little more 'normal' there, with combos and parries and all that hardcore stuff people love. However, as the trailer shows, there are also these super spaced out 2d platforming sequences. Watching this trailer, I can't tell what the hell this game is. The music is pretty amazing and the visual style is messy and otherworldly. The main character is your standard androgynous Japanese crap, but in this case it actually works because angels are supposed to be androgynous.

I'm actually really really excited about this game, but I'm keeping my hopes as low as possible because I have literally no idea how it's going to turn out. That unknown quality of El Shaddai makes it pretty exciting. At the very least it's a game to keep an eye on.
 
11. BattleBlock Theater
System: XBLA
Developer: The Behemoth
Release Date: TBA
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/story-teaser-battleblock-theater/61499

I'm really not sure what this game is. The Behemoth have put out lots of little tutorial videos but every one looks different. It almost looks like a minigame collection that you play co-op and competitively.

But when I see From the creators of Castle Crashers, I'm sold. Those guys made the single best co-op game of all time. I like other games more than Castle Crashers, but everybody gets into it and anybody can have fun playing along with you. I can't say that about any other game. Castle Crashers is just simple enough to play while being fun enough to replay. They know what's fun and know how to make other people enjoy it.

So while I'm not 100% sure what BattleBlock Theater is, I can't wait for it because I want to have co-op goodness. These other co-op games will be fun for a little while, but Castle Crashers is a game I can replay for the 20th time and still enjoy a lot. That's not going to be true of Hard Corps or Lara Croft or Castlevania HD.

Plus, that story trailer above is pretty damn cool. 
 
10. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
System: XBLA, PSN
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: q1 2011
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-bionic-commando/700711

I was super psyched about the original Bionic Commando Rearmed, and it was a pretty good game: kickass music, great bosses, a really underrated and fun competitive 2d deathmatch mode, good weapons, feels good, etc. It certainly wasn't perfect, but Rearmed did a lot of things right and showed that if you really put effort into a classic revival, people will buy it. Rearmed was damn solid.

Rearmed 2... is weird. It's a sequel to a remake, which opens up all sorts of questions. Will it still be good now that they're designing their own levels? Rearmed was good but often felt like it was being held back by the constraints of the original. Now that they're creating their own levels, will they be good or will they outsmart themselves and go away from what worked in the original? I have faith in the design team here so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. It's always weird when you go from making remakes to making original content though. 4 Heroes of Light is a good example of this.

My other issue is a bigger one: this game seems like such a sequel, and I mean that in all the negative ways. Capcom is a great developer but god knows they've got a history of rehashing existing properties with little innovation. Rearmed 2 adds a jump button (this isn't as big of a deal as people are making it out to be, it's a minor thing really), a new ground pound technique and a couple new weapons, but overall it is the exact same game. I can't get as excited about this one as I did the original. It *should* be a better game than the original, but there's something cheap and uninspired about the whole thing that rubs me the wrong way. I'm sure I'll love it when it comes out but I'm not a huge fan of the sequel to a remake thing.

The one thing that BCR lacked was online co-op and I was hoping they'd add it to this. I really loved the competitive deathmatch mode and that would be a lot of fun to play online. Capcom hasn't confirmed it though which basically means it won't be in it. blah.

BCR2 should be good. 
 
9. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
System: DS
Developer: Square-Enix
Release Date; Unknown
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/japanese-debut-dragon-quest/64062

Pokemon does absolutely nothing for me. I have zero attachment to those little monsters and I don't find the gameplay particularly fun. I think I just started playing it too late and can't find the magical fun in catching a bunch of things I don't care about. I think you had to 'be there' for Pokemon and I'm too old.

But Dragon Quest Monsters? Yeah, that's my Pokemon. I can play DQM games for 12 hours straight and not even realize it. The monsters are far more appealing, I'd say. They animate wonderfully and the way they move gives them tons of personality. The breeding system is ridiculously deep and the 'campaign' is way more interesting than Pokemon could ever be. I'm just much more of a DQ fan than a Pokemon one.

Joker 2 is offering something huge: direct online battling. In Joker 1, you could join tournaments against AI-controlled teams, but it was broken and every good team was hacked to hell. It wasn't fun at all. WIth Joker 2, you can battle people online, something that's really critical given how DQM isn't the most popular series in America. Joker 2 also has over 300 monsters, way more than Joker 1 had. Seeing as I put 75 hours into Joker 1, Joker 2 might very well consume my life. This will shoot to the top of my list if/when it gets a US date. It sucks that it didn't make an appearance at E3, but DQ games always take a while to get a US date. Hopefully this makes it over here in 2011. 
 
8. Necromachina
System: XBLA/PSN
Release Date: q4 2010
Developer: Square
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA0r9E46IGU&fmt=22

Now here's something I didn't expect: Square getting the man who designed Strider to make a four player Strider game. On top of that, feelplus -- the people behind Lost Odyssey -- is the team programming the game. It's such a weird combination.

But there's no doubt about it -- this is Strider 3. The game looks like a Strider game. Strider 2 is the best sidescrolling game on the PS1 and one of the best sidescrolling beat-em-ups ever, so I can't wait to see how this turns out. Necromachina has experience points and different attack types and looks like a fairly deep beat-em-up type game. Will it be as good as other four player co-op games like Castle Crashers? Probably not. But I loooove Strider 2 and I'll give Strider 3 every chance in the world.

It's too bad this wasn't playable at e3, only in trailer form. I want to hear some impressions about how it plays. I have faith. 
 
7. Kid Icarus: Uprising
System: 3DS
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 2011
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-kid-icarus/101486

This is the one thing at e3 that blew me away more than anything else. Nintendo is launching their new system with.. a Kid Icarus game? Really? That's awesome.

I love the original Kid Icarus. Is it a great game? nah. Is it something I adore? hell yeah. I have a huge amount of nostalgia for this series. Just hearing the title theme brings me back every time, so when I saw this trailer I was like "oh hell yeah."

So now that I've said that: what is Kid Icarus: Uprising? That's a question that I'm not sure of and I don't think others are either. I have a feeling that it's nothing more than a rail shooter a la Star Fox 64 or something. There's a cursor going on all throughout the trailer. A rail shooter is something that would lend itself really well to the 3DS's 3d technology. The premiere launch title is going to be something that really showcases the system, not just a Zelda game with Pit instead of Link.

If this game is a version of Star Fox 64 with Pit as the ship, I'm going to be really disappointed.

I'm hoping that this is a game with two separate parts: flying parts where it's a 3d shooter and then land parts that are adventure-y like Zelda. If that's the case, I could really get into this game. I just worry that the only reason I'm a fan of this is because it's got the Kid Icarus name on it. Quite frankly, this is a new IP that has verrry little to do with the original Kid Icarus. Once you remove the nostalgia, what's left?

Really need to see more of what this game is. I might really adore it or I might lose all interest. We'll see. 
 
6. Persona 3 Portable
System: PSP
Developer: Atlus
Release Date: July 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXry4hCCLeI

Let me start by saying that the Persona series is super overrated. It's got its moments of fun, but it's got huge glaring flaws and is overall a frustrating experience. I have a thing for gameplay-heavy RPGs though so I put up with these flaws because of its addicting gameplay. I wouldn't call it anything close to the best thing ever, though.

So why is it this high? I'm not sure. Let me start by saying that I prefer Persona 3 to Persona 4. Persona 4 is a better game, but there are aspects of Persona 3 that I just prefer. I like the game's style a lot more. It feels more novel since Persona 4 copies the Persona 3 formula to the letter. I like the music way more. The pacing is a lot better thanks to the story not being as invasive. And I like the main character a lot more. Persona 4 has a better cast and a better battle system, there's no doubt about that. But I like Persona 3 more.

And that's the thing about P3P -- it's fixing a lot of what was wrong with Persona 3. Persona 4's gameplay tweaks have been added to P3P which should hopefully be a huge improvement. Navigation took forever in P3, but in P3P you don't actually walk around, instead choosing the icon of the person you want to talk to and a conversation automatically initiating. A lot of people will dislike this change but I prefer it because it streamlines running all around the school and the town. Battle fatigue has been revamped in good ways.

And then there's the new main character. You can play as a chick in P3P which will change the story and the relationships in the game significantly. I'm hearing that it's not the greatest set of changes, but I want to see how it plays out anyway. Plus, I never actually beat P3 or P4 since they get super repetitive and not really all that fun. I think I'll be much easier to handle it on a portable system though. I'll feel much better about playing it in bed than sitting around in front of a tv for hours and hours. If I get bored or annoyed, I can just throw it into sleep mode and pick it up again later.

The biggest problem with P3P? It's a gameplay-heavy RPG, which is something I'm totally into, but DQ9 comes out the same week. If there's one game that overlaps with DQ, it's Persona. Both are light on story and are monotonous turn-based affairs that can break a hundred hours. P3P is cool but DQ9 is the game I really want to play. I would have gone nuts for P3P anytime over the last 2-3 months when I haven't had anything to play. Oh well. I'll get to it eventually. 
 
5. The 3rd Birthday
System: PSP
Developer: Square
Release Date: late 2010 in Japan, probably 2011 in US
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-the-3rd/101621

I've got a thing for Parasite Eve. The original was wayyyy ahead of its time - put this game on the PS2 and I bet it would have gone somewhere. Parasite Eve did pretty well but it could have been really big; as it was, the system just couldn't handle what it was going for. It's the first real horror RPG that I played - while I'm sure there was some stuff like Shin Megami Tensei that had a dark edge, PE1 was practically a thriller. The only other game like that I played was Shadow Hearts and that game's fantastic. The game played slow (that walking speed, my god) and the CG, while great for its time, could have really benefited from PS2-esque graphics. PE2 was some kind of horror game that was a complete bastardization of everything that made PE1 great, but I always wanted to play it just for the story. PE1's fiction, while stupid as hell, was always kind of appealing.

Enter PE3. Or the 3rd birthday.

The first thing one needs to know about the 3rd Birthday is that it's being developed by Square's A team, headed up by Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura is the guy behind Kingdom Hearts and FF13; once he finishes 3rd Birthday he'll move on to Versus 13. I don't think Nomura's games are all that great, but it's good to see that 3rd Birthday isn't some throwaway title: this is Square's next real effort. I have high hopes because of that.

The game looks great graphically. Gameplay-wise it's said to be a third person shooter, but this is a japanese RPG company we're talking about. Yes, you shoot guns at creatures, but it's got lock-ons and you can run all over the place shooting people. It sounds pretty similar to the original Parasite Eve, actually.

The gameplay that I've seen -- which is relegated to the few seconds of that trailer -- looks a lot like Crisis Core. You get into an encounter, run around on a battlefield and dodge-roll out of the enemy's way. Crisis Core has lots of issues but the gameplay itself was pretty good. If 3rd Birthday is Crisis Core - FF7 fanservice + Aya Brea + Parasite Eve's twisted world, I'm sold.

3rd Birthday also has a system where Aya can possess enemies and use their abilities in battle. I'm not sure what this is but I want to play with it.

Overall, 3rd Birthday just has a style to it that really appeals to me. It reminds me of old Square. I think Square and the PSP are the perfect marriage because the production values and costs fit in perfectly with the kind of game they make. If you let them go overboard then it turns into an on-rails thing. If you keep it at that PS2 level there's a chance the game will be good. 3rd Birthday really looks good so it's one of the only pure Square titles I'm excited about. 
 
4. Mortal Kombat
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developer: Warner Bros.
Release Date: Spring s011
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-mortal-kombat/101130

http://i48.tinypic.com/2ugcfh1.gif

Mortal Kombat is back.

The developers of Mortal Kombat saw Street Fighter IV's success and took note. Before SF4, many developers felt that making a 2d game would be a cheap retro cashin. SF4 showed that you can make a 2d game that people legitimately love.

The result is that everything is coming back to 2d. MVC3 is coming back and now Mortal Kombat. MK is going the SF4 route and taking everything that gave the series popularity and brought it back. All of the currently announced characters -- there will be 26 in the end -- are from MK1-MK3. The story is getting rebooted too. Shao Kahn is about to kill Raiden and Raiden sends some kind of mental message back to his MK1 self and the story of MK1-3 plays out again. It's stupid as hell, but also kind of awesome. They are shredding all of the excess fat that has cluttered Mortal Kombat and just going back to what works. Is it a cashin? Yeah, sorta. They're playing to people's nostalgia and not really adding anything new. But at the same time, that's exactly what most Mortal Kombat fans want, including myself.

Mortal Kombat has always felt pretty 'stiff'. Things don't link together in MK like they would in other games. The focus was always on the style over the substance, but in this game it's got a robust combo system. You can link specials and juggle people in ways that you haven't been able to do in years. 'Dial-a-combos' are gone, replaced by a more legit combo system a la SF4. There's a super meter a la SF4. You can double tap to dash like SF4. And the fatalities are freaking sick this time around. There hasn't been a legit MK this generation and they're using the technical prowess to their advantage.

The gameplay I've seen looks like MK2 in HD. The game has MK2's look and style with MK3's focus on combos. It doesn't look overly broken which has been the case with most (if not all) MK games in the past. The backgrounds are really detailed and the game is really dark. Sweeps, uppercuts, roundhouse kicks and all the usual stuff is back. You can punch people into acid and pits and all the usuals. It may not be doing too much new, but bringing back MK is awesome. This was the game of E3 for me. Kid Icarus stole the show, but MK's gameplay demonstrations and fatalities and interviews showed me that they know what they're doing. Mortal Kombat is legit again. It feels like 1995 all over again. 
 
3. Metroid: Other M
System: Wii
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: August 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-metroid-other/101482

I'm a little bit worried about this game. Its reveal last year drove me wild - a 2d Metroid being made by Team Ninja? Wow. I will always remember 2009 E3 as the year Metroid owned the show since the two games that stood out the most for me was Other M and Shadow Complex.

Why am I worried? A lot of reasons. First of all, the design of the game looks to be very.. linear, I guess. Due to the wonky control scheme -- we're using the Wii Remote's d-pad in order to control the whole thing despite it being in 3d -- you have to have fairly straight paths for the game to work. If you look at this trailer, it's all narrow corridors. This would be fine if it was 2d, but it's 3d, leading the game to feel like it's on rails. It's reminiscent of Metroid Fusion in that sense and that game, while good because it had some classic Metroid gameplay and atmosphere, definitely sucked on the level design side of things.

The Metroid Fusion comparisons don't end there. The Federation unlocks powerups for you in the same way that Metroid Fusion did too. I prefer the idea of exploring and finding things like a Super Metroid or a Metroid Prime. Other M has a focus on story like no other game has had since Fusion and a lot of it feels very uninspired. It's not that I'm against the idea of Metroid being more story-driven -- I actually like the story stuff in Metroid Fusion and think the Metroid world is pretty interesting. I was looking forward to seeing more about it actually. But the stuff I've seen just doesn't look very good. The dialogue doesn't look so great and many first-hand impressions have said the same.

The main 'gimmick' of Other M is that if you point the Wii Remote at the screen, you go into first person mode and can use missiles. Most bosses will probably use the formula of stun enemy -> go into first person mode -> missile -> repeat 3x, kinda like a Zelda formula. I'm fairly allergic to first person gameplay, but to inject it into my 2.5d Metroid is almost like taunting me. That said, I'm okay with doing this since you can't move while using missiles, forcing you to play most of the game in 2d.

Thanks to the game's 3d and fast-paced nature, there's auto-aim on the enemies. Maybe the people playing it just suck, but I've seen a lot of gameplay demos where people get too close to enemies, then run away to the other side of the screen and spam the shoot button until things get close, then try to dodge and repeat the same going the other way. It looks pretty.. well, bad. It looks like Ninja Gaiden if you couldn't do melee attacks. I can't tell if this is a design problem or if people are just bad at the game. The story doesn't look great, the gameplay worries me and the controls are weird. That's ominous.

Now that I've said all that... it's Metroid. It looks awesome in motion, one of the best looking games in my memory. Sure, it's not the most technically competent but it looks so fluid in motion. Seeing a super fast paced Metroid excites me beyond belief. It's a direct sequel to Super Metroid with the beginning of the game being a CG flashback to the final boss of that game, one of the most memorable final bosses of all time. It's the first third person Metroid game since 2004's Metroid: Zero Mission, and if you haven't heard, I kind of liked that game a little bit. You probably don't know a bigger 2d Metroid fan than me. Maybe this game won't be able to compete with Super Metroid, but if it's still got great tension and that Metroid feel to it -- something many people have said it possesses -- then I could be in love despite its many shortcomings.

I also feel like I might be getting overly nervous for no reason. I just don't want them to mess up Metroid's glorious return to 2d, you know? 
 
2. Xenoblade
System: Wii
Developer: Monolithsoft
Release Date: Unknown
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/user-movie/xenoblade-world-field-trailer/344433

I've actually played a little bit of Xenoblade and had to force myself to turn it off because I wanted to experience the game in English. I didn't really have super high hopes, but based on what I've played of it now I cannot wait to see more.

For starters, this game got renamed to Xenoblade but that doesn't mean that it's a pseudo-philosophical bunch of nonsense like Xenogears and Xenosaga. Xenoblade is a gameplay-heavy RPG that emphasizes the world over everything else. The game's world has an enormous feel to it that's reminiscent of Dragon Quest 8; you want to check every last corner, find every last enemy, collect every last treasure.

The gameplay of the game is daunting at first because, well, it's an MMO. The game plays like FF12 - huge expansive areas, on-screen enemies, AI-controlled characters. Xenoblade goes even more into the 'single player MMO' feel by adding literally dozens of quests in every town. They're a lot like FF12's hunts. Since the world is the main hook in Xenoblade, quests are a great way to let you explore it. They work in tandem well.

Xenoblade goes even further down the MMO path with the battle system. There is no MP in Xenoblade -- instead, every spell that you have has a cooldown on it. You can use them at any time and you'll be restored to full HP at the end of a battle, but in battle you've got lots of buffs and debuffs that you can trigger at any time. Battles are more about managing your allies than performing individual actions -- your guys auto-attack when their ATB gauge is up.

I'm really allergic to MMO gameplay and huge expansive worlds in general (I'm not a big fan of FF12), but something about Xenoblade felt really exciting. I *loved* finding enemies to fight and checking the corners of every world. After the straight-line affair of FF13, Xenoblade's wide open areas feel so liberating. Xenoblade has a cool feature where there's an arrow pointing you in the right direction and how many steps it'll take to get there if you get lost. There's guidance without handholding there.

Even though Xenoblade is a gameplay-heavy RPG, that's not to say the story doesn't look appealing. For starters, the entire game world takes place on top of two dead gods. You spent the game traveling between these two gods and the map shows you being on top of their legs or chest or wherever. The atmosphere surrounding this is really good. I've gone out of my way to avoid knowing too much about the specifics of the story, but I've heard that the game does delve into the same kind of stuff that made Xenogears and Xenosaga so interesting. That's not to say that the game will become an on-rails experience where the gameplay is at the absolute mercy of the storyline, but it's said to be pretty interesting. I'm into that. 
 
One downside to Xenoblade is that your supporting characters are completely AI-driven. You can't issue any commands to them whatsoever and they may not do what you want them to do at all. I've heard stories of people waiting for the AI to do the right command before going into a specific strategy. That's concerning, especially in such a gameplay-heavy RPG. Hopefully this is an overblown concern because I can't imagine they would let this fly if it's that bad.

Another downside is the obvious thing to say about every Wii game -- it's in standard def and doesn't have the visual clarity of a Lost Odyssey or a FF13. The fields are so expansive and fantastic but they'd be so much better in HD. That said, it still feels great to traverse them and you get over it quickly.

Lastly, I'd be doing everyone a great disservice if I didn't mention the soundtrack. This thing is the most ambitious soundtrack of the last decade. From day 1, the music on the website has been out of this world. It's done by Mitsuda (Xenogears, Chrono Trigger) and Shinomura (Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve) The music is so breathtaking that when I first turned it on, I sat at the menu screen for five minutes to listen. There was a couple times in my short time spent with the game where I just stopped playing and got a huge smiles on my face when I heard great music. Recent games have not had great soundtracks - a lot of them go for the cinematic feel and are more movie score-ish, choosing not to get in the way of the game and the voice acting. Xenoblade is more the classic PS1 and PS2 RPG sountrack and it feels so good.

The most disappointing part of E3 was that Xenoblade was a complete no-show. It wasn't even on Nintendo's release schedule after being on the previous year. I've heard some unconfirmed reports that Nintendo still intends to bring the game over here, but I'm always hesitant when something I really want doesn't immediately get announced for localization. Xenoblade was the #1 selling game in Japan last week and the Xeno name has some recognition over here so hopefully that helps them decide to do it. If it doesn't come over I will be pretty pissed because this game looks like it could be great. With the complete lack of RPGs this gen, Xenoblade stands out as the one console RPG worth playing. 
 
1. Dragon Quest IX
System: DS
Developer: Square-Enix / Level 5
Release Date: July 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-dragon-quest/101037

I've talked and thought a lot about Dragon Quest 8 in recent months. There is something special about that game; its world hooks me in ways no other does and it's probably the most complete RPG I've ever played. Naturally, its sequel would be something that's super exciting for me.

Except DQ9 isn't really like DQ8. Instead of gorgeous cell-shaded graphics on the PS2, we've scaled back to the awful looking 3d of the DS. Instead of having predefined characters, you're making generics and choosing classes for them. DQ9 will probably have a similarly massive world, but I don't think it's going to have the same impact as DQ8 did. That's partially because of the hardware but also because of the scope they're going for here. This is more a traditional, classic DQ. It's reminiscent of DQ3 and that aspect is a little bit disappointing.

Fortunately though, DQ3 is actually my favourite DQ game. I love the class system. It's got a nostalgic pull on me that other games don't have and I always find myself going back to it when I'm bored. Given that I love the game it's directly referencing (DQ3) and the most recent DQ game (DQ8), DQ9 may end up being the best of both worlds for me. I also love that I can play it on a portable system. I would have preferred the PSP since that would give it the visual clarity that it will lack on the DS, but I don't think the DS will hinder it too too much. It's not like DQ is Final Fantasy and exists solely for its visuals. The monsters still look pretty cool and DQM: Joker managed to have an interesting world despite the DS's limitations. DQ9 actually looks better than Joker so I'm sold.

A lot of my anticipation for DQ9 is because, as mentioned before, there hasn't been a knockout RPG in quite some time and I'm hoping this can fill that hole for me. On pure anticipation I probably want Metroid and Xenoblade more, but DQ9 is out in just a couple more weeks and I really want to lose myself in an RPG. Despite all the time I spent talking about games, I haven't actually spent much time lately sitting down and playing them. I just haven't been able to find anything I'm into this year. DQ9 is going to be a 50-100 hour timesink that I should love and I cannot wait to be lost inside of it.

 

warning: I'm kind of biased towards 2d games
 
 25. Naughty Bear
System: PS3, 360
Developer: Artificial Mind and Movement
Release Date: June 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/snap-happy-naughty-bear/65095

I'm not usually one for mindless violence, but there's something about Naughty Bear's cutesy presentation that makes it even more messed up than usual.

Naughty Bear is an open-world killing simulator. The main character isn't invited to a birthday party and the other bears laugh at him, so he decides to kill them all. There are hundreds of ways that you can kill people and the trick is to do it in fun ways. Breaking their necks, Choking them, setting them on fire, even pissing them off so much that they'll kill themselves. The point of the game is to build up as many Naughty points as possible. It sounds a lot like Madworld, actually, only instead of blood squirting everywhere, you're killing cute bears that are begging for their lives.

I don't think I could convince myself to pay the $50 for this game, but it's a perfect rental. All the mindless violence will eventually get old, but until then it'll be fun setting traps for clueless bears and murdering them senselessly. 
 
 24. Trine 2
System: XBLA, PSN, PC
Developer: Frozenbyte
Release Date: Spring 2011
Trailer:: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-trine-2/700641

Trine was one of my big disappointments last year. The game got delayed endlessly with no updates, came out at a horrible price point and ended up just not being as good as I was hoping it would be. It was designed with a mouse in mind so the PS3 version never worked the way that I wanted it to, and I just don't like playing games with a mouse.

But the main problem with Trine was that there was no online co-op. The game was decent enough single-player, but playing with a friend would make it a ton better. Trine 2 was just announced yesterday and it's now coming to XBLA as well as PSN/PC, with, according to publisher Atlus, a "more reasonable price". The characters are also getting new abilities. If they tweak a few things, this game could be really good. I should be more excited about this game, but after the disappointment of Trine 1, I'm keeping my hopes low. If it surprises me, great.

For those who don't know Trine, it's a gorgeous, 2d puzzle platformer where you can freely switch between three different classes - a Knight, a Thief and a Wizard - on the fly. You can solve puzzles any number of ways - you can use the wizard to conjure a box and float across a gap or you can use the Thief and swing across using your grappling hook. It's got great atmospheric music and interesting puzzles. The gameplay isn't always great, but the overall presentation makes it a game well worth playing, especially if you've got online co-op. I might end up loving this game because of that. 
 
 23. Comic Jumper
System: XBLA
Developer: Twisted Pixel
Release Date: q4 2010
Trailer: http://www.giantbomb.com/comic-jumper-first-look/17-2190/

This game is nuts.

Twisted Pixel is one messed up developer. After making the completely insane Splosion Man, they've turned their eyes to comic books. The story is completely ridiculous and told as if it were an actual comic book, filled with panels and comic book cliches and everything. Comic Jumper takes it as far as to have four different comic book 'ages' -- Modern Age, Fantasy Age, Silver Age and even Manga. Each "age" has a totally different design and different kinds of objectives.

Comic Jumper's gameplay is nothing special, really. It's a sidescrolling beat-em-up that rotates between using your fists and using your guns. There are vehicle segments and minigames to break up the action, but for the most part you're sidescrolling.

It's the story and style of the game that makes Comic Jumper awesome. This game is just hilarious. The main villain, Brad, is the best thing ever. The talking star on Captain Smiley's chest is awesome too. There's a part in the first level where you punch a woman, jump on her and use her as a surfboard down the side of a building. Everything about this game is just hilarious.

http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/30712/tba-twisted-pixel-project/videos/comicjumper_gmp_twistedpix_61110.html -- what

I'm sure it would lose its luster after you beat it once or twice, but that first time should be a pretty awesome experience. Just watch the video, it's really unlike anything else out there. What a stupid game. 
 
 22. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
System: XBLA/PSN
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: Summer 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-lara-croft/700045

I've never played a Tomb Raider. I can't tell you if they're good or not, and quite honestly, I don't care. Tomb Raider came during that early 3d era where everything just looked miserable, and from the outside the only thing going for it were the size of Lara Croft's boobs. That's a good way to get me not to care about your game.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is not a Tomb Raider game. Lara Croft herself shouldn't even be in this game. It has next to nothing to do with Tomb Raider besides collecting treasures. It's not a 3d game. It doesn't seem to have a story.

Guardian of Light is an arcade game. It's an isometric action game similar to Gauntlet or Diablo. It's much more combat-heavy than the Tomb Raider series. This game doesn't focus on atmosphere or set pieces or anything like that, it's just a game where you shoot stuff and collect treasure.

The thing that sells me on this game is the co-op. Yeah, there's a lot of combat in this game, but there's also a lot of platforming and exploration. The second player can be this Mayan warrior dude named Toltec and both characters have unique abilities. You can see them in this trailer a bit - Toltec uses his shield to boost Lara up, Lara uses her rope to drag Toltec up after her, etc. There's lots of co-op elements in this game and I always loved the Gauntlet formula. I still don't know why we haven't gotten a proper Gauntlet Legends-type game on XBLA because it'd be a massive hit.

I don't think this game will be worth much single-player, but if somebody else buys it and I can play with them, I'm pretty sure I can have a lot of fun with this. 
 
 21. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
System: XBLA
Developer: Konami
Release Date: Summer 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-castlevania-harmony/700130

When I first heard about this game a couple months ago, I was really excited. 2d Castlevania coming back to consoles? A co-op Metroidvania? After Order of Ecclesia I felt that the DSvania thing was getting a little stale, so hearing that they were trying to mix it up was a great thing. They had just put out too many of the same game over the last five years, and they weren't even making new assets for them anymore. The same enemies you saw in Symphony and Dawn of Sorrow were the ones you saw in OOE. If you're not going to make new material, why not take a different approach? It sounds good.

That's until you sit down and really think about it. First of all, this game is reusing PS1 and DS sprites on a next-gen console. That's almost offensive. Second of all, there's no experience points - it's basically a loot game where you do a dungeon, get some treasure and increase your stats up that way. Third of all, in order to balance the game, you'd have to remove powerups. Everyone's got a double jump and their own unique weapons, but you won't be seeing bat form in this. You won't be seeing the "L jump" of later games. That powerup-based exploration is what makes Castlevania so good and it sounds like there will be very little progression in this game besides collecting better gear.

But the biggest problem is the speed of the game. My main complaint about Castlevania games is how slow you move. I always make jokes about how Alucard looks bored as hell while slowly plodding around the castle. You've got this huge sprawling castle that goes everywhere and you don't move quickly through it. It's a slow-paced affair.

That works okay in single player, but what about multiplayer? What about a time attack, since that's all this game really is? You're racing against the clock while walking slow as hell. I think this is going to drive me nuts.

And yet I have to play this game. It's a new Castlevania and Koji Igarashi has made some of my favourite games of the last 10 years. Sure, it's a quick cash grab and yeah, they'll probably try to charge 15 bucks for it. But it's Castlevania. And I love me some 2d Castlevania.
 
20. Dust: An Elysian Tail
System: XBLA
Developer: Humble Hearts
Release Date: TBA
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmSAQwbbig8

This game is made by one guy. Look at it. That's all the work of one guy, Dean Dodrill, an animator turned game designer on a whim.

Dust is reminiscent of recent Japanese action RPGs like Muramasa or Odin Sphere. It's got a deep combo system and gorgeous 2d visuals. Dust started its life out as an indie game until it won Microsoft's indie games competition at PAX last year. Now he has a full budget and the game has upgraded from a cheap $2 thing to a pretty spectacular XBLA game.

If there's a downside to Dust, it's the "furriness" of it - it's 100% not intentional, but our warped internet minds are so prone to see any anthropomorphic animal and react with disgust. If the wrong people get ahold of this game there will be some really awful fanfiction and fanart.

Game looks great and I want to support it because it's one guy and he seems like a super nice dude.  
 
 19. Portal 2
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developer: Valve
Release Date: 2011
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-portal-2/700586

I'll be honest: I don't think there needs to be another Portal. The original Portal was refreshingly unique and unusual, two traits that will lose some luster when it gets sequelized. I thought Portal 1 was the right length: it introduced its ideas, told a charming narrative and then got out of your way before it bogged you down in all the details.

Portal 2 is doing the same thing that most sequels would do: it's adding new weapons (a laser that you can redirect through cubes to kill turrets), new methods of travel (gels that let you jump higher and slide faster) and probably a bunch more before the game is finished. Playing with these items via portals makes them unique enough, but I really like the ultra-simplicity of the original game: you've got your portals, you've got your physics and that's all. You get a cube that you can manipulate in various ways, but that's it. You don't need fancy weaponry. It's just not what Portal's about. These gameplay videos look insane, and while they have a lot of potential, I think the charm of the original gets lost a little bit when you start doing this stuff.

But then I hear Glados's voice.

"We're a lot alike, you and I. You tested me, I tested you. You killed me, I... oh no wait, I guess I haven't killed you... yet. Well, food for thought."
"Oh, it's you. It's been a looooong time. How have you been? I've been pretty busy being dead. But I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster."

And I realize, "wait. Glados is still here and her quotes are better than ever. Valve is making this game, meaning that it'll have loads of polish, snappy writing and some incredibly smart design. maybe the idea isn't as novel as before, but it's still going to be fun, yeah?" 
 
18. Shank
System: XBLA, PSN
Developer: Klei
Release Date: Winter 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SNnlvjWuYo

It's Devil May Cry in 2d. It's got a really compelling visual style. It looks like a graphic novel and it's bloody as hell. Every hit looks satisfying. You can knock someone down by taking a chainsaw to a guy's face and then jump on top of them and shoot them in the face with a shotgun. Watching Shank, I kind of feel bad for the bad guys. It's that brutal.

One concern I have for Shank is that there's no Z axis - it's all side-scrolling. It's not a classic beam-em-up in that sense, it's kind of on rails. You'll have to use guns for crowd control because you can't walk up and down. The weapons look really fun though and juggling a guy in the air with your guns a la Devil May Cry looks like a good time. I've been looking forward to this one for a while now and it's coming along pretty nicely. 
 
17. The Last Guardian
System: PS3
Developer: Sony
Release Date: TBA
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-the-last/50352

The complete lack of information regarding this game over the past year has caused my anticipation to slip. Once we get some new information I'll probably knock this back up to the top 5 again. This not being at e3 really hurt Sony's press conference, I thought, as this is the one exclusive they have that I *really* want to see more of.

All I know about Last Guardian is that the creature in this trailer is going to be super endearing and knowing Fumito Ueda, he's going to put this thing in harm's way early and often. And it is going to suck to watch this awesome creature suffer. 
 
16. HardCorps: Uprising
System: XBLA, PSN
Developer: Arc System Works
Release Date: q4 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-hardcorps-uprising/700568

Okay, let me paint a picture here. Take Contra. Give it to the company that's made Guilty Gear and Blazblue, two games with incredible art direction. Add a life bar, a dash button, double jumps and air dashes. Give it online multiplayer.

That would be an awesome game, right? The best Contra game ever, perhaps?

Uprising is, without a doubt, a Contra game. It's got every Contra staple: the same weapons, the same level 1 boss, vehicles, everything. Arc System Works dares to change up the somewhat stale Contra formula by giving it all the things a modern-day 2d action game would have, and it looks to be much deeper and more awesome because of it. Contra purists will probably decry the life bar and say that they're making the game a whole lot easier, but if you kick it up in difficulty you can take less hits. I imagine that there will be an expert mode where you get the same old one hit kills.

I'm a big fan of this. It should really be a lot higher but I find it hard to get too pumped up over Contra. I bet I'll like it a lot when I play it but I'm not anticipating it like crazy like others are. I expect good things from this game. 
 
 15. Ghost Trick
System: DS
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: q4 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDprOzmmGOg

Ghost Trick is the new game from the guy who created the Phoenix Wright series. In some ways, the content is very similar: a murder has happened and it's up to you to put the pieces together. A large cast of kooky characters come along and turn a regular murder into the most convoluted crime scene possible, complete with lots of lighthearted jokes along the way. That basic premise hasn't changed much.

The mechanics of the game are light and day though. In Ghost Trick, you are the one murdered and you have the power to possess inanimate objects in order to solve the crime. It looks like you rewind time from the moment of the murder backwards to find out why things happened. I'm not entirely sure how the game works and I kind of like it that way. The pedigree is here and I trust the guys making it. Phoenix Wright had kind of hit a wall and something new needed to happen, so it's good to see a game like Ghost Trick pop up and change the formula up completely. The characters animate really well and it looks like it could be a pretty comical game. I'm looking forward to seeing more when it comes out at the end of the year. 
 
 14. Limbo
System: XBLA
Developer: Playdead
Release Date: Summer 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0qI3dLapy8

Braid.

That's the game everyone compares Limbo to. It's got a striking visual style and a somber feeling. It's said to have really inventive design similar to Braid. Limbo doesn't have a really crazy mechanic like Braid's time mechanic, but it does have an art style that's just wild. Everything is black and overbearing. It's atmospheric and all that good stuff.

Limbo is about a boy trying to find his sister. I don't know much more than that and I don't think I want to - I get the feeling that this game has some story twists on the same level as Braid does. Gameplay-wise, it reminds me of WayForward's A Boy and His Blob a lot - a regular old boy without any special abilities. You walk and you can do a little hop, but nothing compared to the superheroes of the video game world like Mario or Mega Man. The environment and how you interact with it is what drives the gameplay of Limbo.

I think the most striking thing about Limbo is the death animations. Most games turn death animations into hilarious blood splatters or have wild sound effects, but with Limbo it's just depressing. This poor kid shrouded in darkness just kind of collapses and the screen fades to black. That's the kind of oppressive atmosphere that Limbo sets up, and it's that atmosphere that's going to bring people to play Limbo.

I think this game is probably going to be excellent, and in a month we're going to hear people championing it and claiming it's the most refreshing, inventive game in a long time. You know, just like they said about Portal. And Braid. I expect some really high review scores and people talking about how it's "high art" and all that. It's tough to get too excited about a game with such simple mechanics, but I have faith that this game is really going to be excellent. 
 
 13. Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
System: DS
Developer: Square
Release Date: Fall 2010
Trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-final-fantasy/700280

Final Fantasy 4 DS is a fantastic game. It's the best RPG remake around and probably the best thing Square's done since FF10. The developer in charge of the remake, Matrix, went on to make their own Final Fantasy with the same concept: a decidedly oldschool adventure in line with the original Final Fantasies. It's a game where you control four generics and go on a quest to save the world. It's a game where story is minimal and the addicting gameplay is more important.

It's a game with a job system.

4WL is a funny game. Based on that description, you'd think it was emulating the original Final Fantasy, but it's actually more in line with Dragon Quest. It's got limited inventory space. it's got a battle system that's very Dragon Quest-y. All impressions that I've read are that regular FF fans come off disappointed but the DQ fans rather enjoy it - and I'm a fairly decent DQ fan, so I think I'll like this game.

That doesn't mean that I like everything about it though. 4WL has some rather peculiar gameplay decisions. The main one is the battle system: you don't actually target characters or enemies. (Again, something reminiscent of Dragon Quest games.) You pick a basic idea like 'heal' and then the game does the rest for you. It'll auto-heal the character that needs it the most, but not necessarily the guy that you want to heal. That's just bizarre. On top of that, the game is called 4 Heroes of Light but you spend much of the game having only 2 or 3 characters at a time. That's not what I would expect from a game of that title.

But still, I have a soft spot for gameplay-heavy RPGs that are high on charm. 4WL isn't the prettiest game, but it doesn't need to be and it does seem to have a good amount of personality. I wouldn't expect too many people to be crazy about this game, but for me -- somebody who thinks the Final Fantasy series hit its peak over 20 years ago -- this could be the perfect game.