Top 5 Games in 2005
1. Mother 3 (Earthbound 3): After years of disappointment, we have yet another glimmer of light on the horizon with Miyamoto's recent comments that this game is in works. I'll believe it when it is in my hands, but there's absolutely nothing I could want more than this game. Imho, Earthbound (SNES) is the greatest game ever made and I'd die happy if I could see this series continue... and get a release in the US! Mother 1+2, where are you!?
2. The Legend of Zelda: <Insert fake subtitle here>: I think it goes without saying that the Gamecube is about to wrap up next year, and this game will likely be the cherry to top off the library. I'm extremely excited about the possibilities of this one and Miyamoto has a way of throwing interesting gameplay quirks to make each experience refreshing. Definitely tappin' at my door.
3. Wanderer and the Colossus: Recently there has been a backlash against ICO, and I have no idea why. ICO is, without a doubt, one of the most artistically inspired games ever made... and not only that, it distills storytelling into its purest form which perfectly highlights the strengths of the gaming medium. And the gameplay rocked too, imho. But that's beside the point. We now have the spirtual successor to ICO coming out, and I couldn't be more elated. I'm sure it'll remind me all over again why I love games.
4. Gran Turismo 4: A sequel to one of the greatest racing games ever made. It goes without saying that this one looks to build upon the already phenomenal gameplay of the first and propel it to amazing heights. 650+ cars, 50+ tracks, some of the best visuals this generation and a robust and realistic physics engine which rivals anything in the gaming world. My bet is that if you're a sim fan, you're probably not going to be disappointed. And if you're not a sim fan please ignore this release and stop hating on sim racing games. That's a public service announcement.
5. Fire Emblem GC/GBA: Ok, so I'm cheating by including both Fire Emblem games in here... but I'm very thrilled at the possibility of yet another Fire Emblem game. Us Americans have been shafted for too long on that front, as FE(GBA) has recently proved they are some of the finest strategy RPG games on the market. I hope there's enough new here to keep me compelled, but certainly my standards for that aren't too high. Just give me an awesome challenge and I'll love it.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Kingdom Hearts 2: Yes, the first one was heavily flawed. But my hopes are high for this one, as I do love the whole concept a lot and I thought the battle system could be the start for something nice. I also love Disney movies. This one seems bigger and seems to have a grander scope, so I hope this fulfills its promises. And I hear gummi blocks are back... that makes me want to punch someone in the balls.
God of War: I don't know too much about it, except that it's like some crazy Devil May Cry/Ninja Gaiden epic that takes place in some mythological era. And that it works. I heard that it works well. I hope I can add this one to my "upcoming franchises to watch" list in due time. Killzone disappointed me so...
Lumines/Meteos: Ok, I put this in the same slot because they're both puzzle games from the same general people... but the main reason they're here is addictive properties. As anyone here knows, a great puzzle game has the ability to suck ones soul out for weeks. It happened for Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. It happened for Tetris Attack. It happened for the original Tetris, and it happened for some others are varying points during their gaming lives. And damn it if Lumines and Meteos don't look to do this again on the handheld front. Lumines has an awesome, unparalleled handheld presentation and a deceptively deep gameplay system, according to accounts. And Meteos has an off-the-wall premise and (seems to have) the same intensely addicting properties as Lumines. I can't wait.
Resident Evil 4: I had almost given up on survival horror, but then this one appeared and suddenly it looked as if all might be saved again. Fantastic visuals, a slightly different direction than the previous games in the series and a updated control scheme (finally?) lend me to believing that we can finally change things with this incarnation. The demo was also brilliant, so I hope it extends itself well into a full product.
Final Fantasy XII: This is the first Final Fantasy game I'm anticipating since 8. Why is that? No more random battles. Ogre Battle people working on it. Final Fantasy Tactics people working on it. Basically, it's taking pieces from everything I love and trying to lure me back in stride. I will not be disappointed, you hear that SQUEENIX?
Top 5 Gaming Announcements in 2005
1. The PSP Price Point/Launch titles in North America and Europe: Ok, the shot that was heard around the world was all good in well for Japan... but damn it, it's not going to do us much good 'ere in the states if a similar price point isn't announced. What will Sony have up its sleave? Recently SCEE announced launch titles for Europe, and it was actually fairly surprising since it came out of no where. Will America get similar treatment shortly after New Years? That's the rumour! My bet is 199.99 with a 32MB memory card included for the base package. As for games... please be there Lumines, Wipeout Pure and Medievil!
2. Revolution Revealed: I placed this in number two for one reason - the unknowns. There have been wild speculation about how this system will take a decidedly different route from the norm in terms of how games are played on home consoles. Everything from no D-Pad to holographic technology to gyration technology... the amount of possibilities are endless. And it is these unknowns that make the inevitable end product all the more exciting. Will it even meet a percentage of the expectations or will it end up blowing even the most jaded of us away? Nintendo now has to prove a lot if they will ever come back from the abyss.
3. PS3 Revealed: The only reason I put this above Xenon is that this cell-based project has been in the works for quite a while and the technology is supposed to be some sort of quantum leap forward. Ha. Like I believe that shiz. Still, it has me interested just enough that I want to know what Sony is hiding. How will the Nvidia factor REALLY end up affecting the system? I'm no technophile, but what bar will be set with the PS3? It should be interesting times.
4. Xenon Revealed: CES is around the corner, but there has been speculation that we might not see it there after all. Ah well. But it will be revealed at some point in 2005, and Microsoft has proved it has a competent grasp of the industry with its moderately successful Xbox Live. The questions I want to see most answered is how the new online plan will be integrated, if there will be multiple versions of Xenon at launch, and if it will be backwards compatible. And, of course, it'll be interesting to see if Microsoft can offer a good challenge for Sony's much-heralded Cell-based PS3.
5. The Surprises of the End Generation Push: And in keeping with my theme, I thought that the many game surprises we'll end up seeing come E3 will be enough to fill many pages. Usually when generations are about to end we see great title after great title - many of which we may or may not have been expecting. In the other thread we see rumblings of Jak Racing, but what else can be at hand? What awesome DS experiences can we expect? What will PSP pull out from its rabbit hat? Can Gamecube manage to throw out one or two last surprises before it goes out (GiFTPiA, Homeland for US/Europe?)? Is someone going to be able to squeeze any more juice out of the PS2, and if so will they do it with some big franchise we haven't heard about in a while? And what about Xbox? It has Jade Empire and Conker and Forza, but what last firework does it have before the Xenon comes crashing the party? Should be fun.
That is all!