Your 2010 gaming future
In my opinion, 2009 is a contender for best gaming decade ever: Batman Arkham Asylum, Killzone 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Forza Motorsport 3. And let’s not forget the hardware, PSP Go, innovations on Xbox Live and the rise of the iPod/iPhone as a brand new gaming platform. So what about 2010? It may sound like the title of a Sci Fi movie.. okay, 2010 is the title of a Sci Fi Movie, but how will the next twelve months of near-future shape up for gamers? Here’s my top five futuristic tips on what to look out for:
Jason’s Top Five Guide to Your Gaming 2010
5. Mass Effect 2. As I write, we are only weeks away from it’s release, but Bioware’s action role-playing game has the right DNA to be a champ for 2010. A new combat system, upgraded AI programming and two-discs – yes, two-discs! The visuals look on a par with the best that COD can offer and with a sprawling storyline (did I mention it comes on two-discs?) and some of the best close-quarter battle set-pieces I’ve ever witnessed in a game, we could still be talking about this game come next Christmas.
4. Diablo III. Yes, it’s back to Sanctuary (the dark world of the Diablo series). But this time a custom 3D game engine will give the experience a next gen facelift. One of the main factors behind putting this title in my list is that it comes from Blizzard, who have not put a foot wrong in recent years
3. Online Console Marketplaces: Could we be about to witness a mini-homegrown game gold rush, something akin to the Apps fest’ on iPhone? All three console networks are set to offer more than just downloadable content and pay to play arcade games. With the success of left-of-field offerings like 1 vs 100 clearly so popular, we could be about to see everyone wading in with offers, competitions, avatar rewards and (on the PSN side) themed areas and online games like the Red Bull Races. Expect the guys who make a killing with Apps games to port them to consoles.
2. Call of Duty 2010. COD: MW2, at the time of writing, had sold 11 million copies. Activision has confirmed they’ll be adding something to the COD stable this year. Whatever it is, I wager we’ll all be playing it.
It’s been said he has a crystal ball – related or not, Jason has been future gazing.
1. Natal. I should talk about the wider theme of Motion Control. 2010 is the year when all the consoles will be getting a bit of Wii action. Sony has showcased ARK, their magic wand style controller. Rumours of Nintendo releasing a wave-around DS are rife and of course, millions of iPhones & yes iPads will be wielded in pursuit of gaming pleasure. But I think what Microsoft are offering in the shape of Natal could be a game changer. I’ve only seen what the rest of you have, carefully controlled online videos from last year’s E3. But I do have a secret agent working behind the scenes at Microsoft who tells me that the rumours you can move your hand behind your back, and still have Natal pick it up, are true. Body mapping? Voice Control? Hell yeah!
Have you seen Jason’s blog yet? More on games, gadgets and seriously random geekyness. www.jasonbradbury.com
