Colour Me Excited

Well now, why am I excited exactly? Well there's one amazing and utterly astounding reason to why that's so.

VIDEO GAMES

Truly one might assume I'm over-reacting but to tell you the truth I. AM. NOT.

So here's the low-down on a few games that have caught my eye this year. Oh and btw if you don't have a Playstation 3 for some of these games, either go get one or bug off. THANK YEW. :D

THE MOST ANTICIPATED GAMES OF 2008

1) Resistance 2
The first Resistance was the defining game for the PlayStation 3 for some time, offering up a fantastic single-player campaign and a killer online system, which has arguably yet to be matched on the system. Insomniac's promises for the sequel are extremely high, but the studio has delivered every time out, so I'm expecting them to nail it again.

2) Killzone 2
While some of the design elements and intense shootouts look like great fun, I'm more interested in this for the technical aspects to see what the PlayStation 3 can really do. The lighting effects and animation quality look absolutely amazing, and if it takes off like we expect it to, the game should raise the visual bar across the system. Let's just hope the gameplay is as strong as the graphics, and that Guerilla can deliver a great online experience to boot.

3) Grand Theft Auto IV
I'm supposed to fill this space with a bunch of text, but what's the point?

It's Grand Theft Auto IV.

On the PlayStation 3.

Does anything else really need to be said?

4) Farcry 2
Far Cry and Crysis engage a part of my brain that's just not touched by many other games, so when I heard about Far Cry 2, I knew it was going to be one of the game's that I wanted to get my hands on this year. The open-ended combat seems more focused and flexible than in other similar "go where you want" shooters and the improvements in AI should make this a very challenging game indeed. I also love the fact that we're finally getting away from the tiresome jungle and heading to the plains of Africa. Judging from the visuals, it looks like Ubisoft is pulling out all the stop for the new engine as well.

5) Starcraft 2
After 10 short years, Blizzard is finally bringing back its StarCraft franchise. While many will babble non-stop about how popular it is in professional gaming circles, I'm not particularly drawn to that aspect. Of course I enjoy the multiplayer and appreciate a well-balanced RTS, but I'm never entering into professional gaming leagues, so I'm as much interested in the single-player campaign as I am in how it plays online. And the single-player for this game looks pretty interesting, taking a sort of point-and-click adventure approach as you move through ships, consult NPCs, and plan which battles to engage in next.

6) Prototype
Prototype brings a different hero with a different set of abilities but the same basic appeal. The city is yours for the taking as everything from climbing buildings to taking the shape of those around you is possible. Talk about exploring New York. Then there's the plot which should pack as much intrigue as a full-hour of the X-Files. Conspiracy theories and reality-bending action? Yes, please.

7) Tiberium
Evolving the tactical shooter experience by taking core gameplay compulsions like commanding, choice and dominating your enemies and delivering them in first-person, EA looks like its giving birth to one handsome baby. Some of the weapons and mechanics are truly innovative for a first-person game. This is a game that has the potential to really make a mark on the canon of sci-fi fantasy fiction. The new game has been subject to rigorous preparation, and promises a mix of tactical action and gunplay, with players in control infantry, armour and air squads in their travels through the Command & Conquer universe. Sign me up!

8) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
If you need more proof that video games are reaching the same league as movies these days, just take a look at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the upcoming action game from LucasArts. The Force Unleashed will get almost the same full treatment as a movie, given that it will be supported by a wide variety of ancillary products, including a novel, action figures, a miniatures line, a comic book, and more. However, at the heart of all this is a game that will let you play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice, a budding and powerful young Sith tasked with hunting down the last of the Jedi knights. This is looking like one of the most exciting--and easily the most beautiful--Star Wars games ever.

9) Army of Two
Tag-teaming with a buddy has never been so fun. Top it all up with a war, political turmoil and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world, it becomes a pure master-piece. Now, who wants to be MY ever snappy partner in crime?

10) Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
One departure from more traditional first-person shooters is that the player is not a soldier; in fact the main character has no connection to the military. The player is Dan Carson, an average construction worker and instead of trying to win the war single-handedly, like in some other war-based FPS games, the main objective is simply to survive total war. Sounds particularly fun. Plus you get to kill the villains of WWII.

Well so these are my most anticipated games of 2008. Don't get me wrong there are loads of other impressive games about to be released in the coming year. In fact, just go wait outside a game store 'till they get a new shipment of games. ;D