1. Dark Souls

2. Bioshock Infinite

3. Assassin's Creed: Revelations

4. Uncharted 3

5. The Last Guardian

6. Final Fantasy XIII-2

7. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

8. Gears of War 3

9. Battlefield 3

10. COD Modern Warfare 3

11. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

12, Kingdom Hearts 3 (I'm sensing a '3' theme here) - whenever it decides to come out

13. Star Wars: The Old Republic

14. Rage

Any others you can think of??

32 medals so far in the Winter Olympics, 8 more than the 2nd place country, Germany.

Go USA! Defeat the world!

I remember being a bit younger and owning a Nintendo 64. I did not follow video games quite as closely then as I currently do. There were 3, maybe 4 games a year being released that were "must-buys" because they looked so incredible. I'm talking about the "Super Smash Brothers" and the "Jet Force Gemini"s. Nowadays, you need but glance at the home page of gamespot to glimpse the bevy of amazing games being released in the near future. The last few years have been especially great in terms of creating new IPs or bringing back old franchises and making them look beautiful and sophisticated. The first quarter of this year seems no different.

1. Well, I would have put White Knight Chronicles in this spot, but after reading and watching reviews, I've made the decision to give this game a rent, as opposed to a purchase.

2. Heavy Rain - An absolutely stunning game. I've been following this one since that first tech demo came out in 2006, the one featuring the pretty woman with the lilting accent, explaining how her life turned out differently than she had imagined. How good did it look then? And now the game is less than a month away from being released, and it continues to dazzle. Indigo Prophecy is a wonderful game, a very different game, and if Heavy Rain can follow in its footsteps, we will have many delighted people out there. The only difference: Heavy Rain seems to be receiving a great deal more publicity than Indigo Prophecy ever did.

3. Final Fantasy XIII - Whose list would be complete without this? I've perused the English review of the import on RPGfan.com, and the lack of NPCs and cities are mentioned as the main weaknesses. The intense and never-ending dungeon crawling are explained as well. Now, I've always enjoyed wandering around the cities, talking to inconsequential shop-owners and children, just to hear what they have to say. Remember Gold Saucer? Cleyra? Burmecia? Luca? Bhujerba? I wish Square Enix would have taken the extra step to include bustling metropolises, but perhaps that would have taken away from the game's visual and auditory achievements. I've been drooling over the visuals of this game for 3 or so years, and the wait is almost finished. If this is the most epic dungeon crawler ever created, with a story we've come to expect from FF, and a complete cast of characters to match the story, I will be a very content person when the credits begin to roll.

4. Bioshock 2 - Another game that'll be hitting store shelves momentarily. A commercial was shown for this game a few days ago, and I stood transfixed. Supposedly, an upgrade in graphics from the original is missing, but with another chance to explore the screwed-up environs of Rapture, I don't particularly tend to care about a graphics upgrade. The original's graphics were so amazing in the first place that a graphics upgrade isn't really needed. The ability to use weapons and plasmids at the same time is an intoxicating idea, as is the game's protagonist.

This isn't the end of the list of wondrous new games being released this year. This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. We have other games such as Splinter Cell: Conviction and HALO: Reach being released in the near future. What games are you most looking forward to? I know I didn't name nearly enough new titles.

Howdy y'all, long time, no talk.

So I'm thinking about what games I want for Christmas. I have a PS3 only, so I won't be asking for ODST or anything. Anyways, I know I want Assassin's Creed 2. I've watched my friend play it, and he loved it, and I definitely want to play it on an HDTV.

But I was wondering: what other game should I ask for? It's basically between Dragon Age: Origins and Modern Warfare 2, but any other suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks,

Tyler

I can't believe Cloud lost to Kratos! Now, I love my God of War games, but they don't compete with any of the Final Fantasy VII titles. And I think it slightly ironic that a voiceless character (Gordon) beat out Solid Snake. I don't really think that's right either, but at least that was a closer competition.

Of the heroes left, the only one I'll be happy with as a champion would be Link. It'll probably be Link vs. Mario in the final. Ah, but of course, Link is also a voiceless character, so it's also ironic that he's always near the tops of these tournaments.

Who would you have liked to see as champion?

I just wanted to say hey to everyone out there who gets on gamespot over the summer! How's it going? I'm really weird: when I'm at school, I'm online all the time, but when I'm home on a break, I never go on the computer. I think that's opposite from just about everyone else.

So, I've never been one to watch a bunch of anime, but I've always liked it, so my friend and I started watching Code Geass. It's really awesome, and I think it might act as a gateway to introduce me to the worlds of other awesome anime series. I'm nearing the end of the first season, and I await the start of each subsequent episode with bated breath.

Anyways, once I get down with Code Geass, I might progress to Death Note. Anyone have any amazing suggestions for a really good anime that's available to watch online for free? I don't care if it's subbed or dubbed, really, just as long as it's there for me to watch. Thanks!

MareInfinitus

...I had my favorite games (#15-#11) written in a kind of sidenote at the very end. If I had made a top 15 list, these games would have filled those spots:

#15 - Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

#14 - Fable

#13 - Kingdom Hearts 2

#12 - Final Fantasy XII

#11 - Final Fantasy VIII

FINAL FANTASY X

This is, in my opinion, the greatest game of all time. I may just be biased because it was the first Final Fantasy game I ever played, but I really think it subtlely outshines all the others.

First, the obvious one is graphics. It just looks so great. And the CGs are mouthwatering at times. I'll never forget the CG where our protagonists grinded down the cables from the airship onto the waiting walkways of Bevelle. So amazing.

Sound. Sound effects are quite believable. The music brings back so many memories for me. Some really amazing tracks highlight this one, including various compilations of the Hymn of the Faith and Suteki da Ne. One music track, Assault (played during that CG I described earlier), is my favorite FF track of all time. Number 1. This is a game where none of the music gets old for me. Even the repeating tracks of places like Luca and Mt. Gagazet stay sounding awesome all the way through for me.

Yuna is probably my favorite video game character of all time. Auron is an incredible badass. Tidus becomes likeable very quickly. Wakka throws balls at enemies. How can characters get any better?

A revamped battle system and a great leveling-up system that allows for an intense amount of customization keep things interesting at all times. Sometimes, when I finish Yuna's section of the sphere grid, I move her over to Tidus's so she can become agile and strong. And the CTB gauge at the top right of the screen during battle allows for some great strategy in the more difficult boss fights.

I don't think I've ever played such a complete game. It has everything going for it. And that's why Final Fantasy X is my #1 game of all time.

If I had made a top 15, these games would be my #15-#11.

#15 - Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

#14 - Fable

#13 - Kingdom Hearts 2

#12 - Final Fantasy XII

#11 - Final Fantasy VIII

FINAL FANTASY IX

You all might be noticing a trend here. Yes, my #5-#2 top games have been RPGs. You may have expected this game to turn up somewhere. And it's a very difficult battle this game fights with my #1 favorite game of all time. It was a hard decision to make on whether to put this game as #2 or #1. But it deserves a spot in the top 5 of any gamer who has ever been privileged enough to play it.

In a turn from the other PS1-era Final Fantasies, FFIX used a more cartoony approach to their graphics. But this doesn't detract from the game at all. I always enjoyed the graphics of this game, and they really are something to behold. Environments and characters are all wonderfully detailed. Backgrounds look amazing. Even the expressions of characters can be seen.

But this game really excels in the music and story departments. The music is likely my favorite of any game. Too many unforgettable tracks. And Nobuo Uematsu used his favorite process of taking one main song from the game and creating several different music tracks from the tune of that song to give a varied but familiar feel in each area. Not to mention the main theme of the game, accompanied by the CG intro when you turn the game on, are the best ever created in my opinion.The story is deep and realistic and quite mature. Things may seem funny and light, but they can change in a heartbeat.

Then you have your cast of characters. One of the greatest casts ever created in a video game. Dagger is a great heroine. Zidane is a very likeable protagonist. Vivi is one of the great mysteries in terms of character development, but he adds so much to the franchise that he was even included in Kingdom Hearts 2! And I have a miniature Steiner on my keychain.

Everything about this game is created so flawlessly. I feel giddy every time I think about it or play it. And that is a great thing.

FINAL FANTASY VII

For those of you who have played this game, it needs no explanation. It's fantasticness speaks for itself. Top notch graphics at the time, amazing sound, one of the best soundtracks ever. And the most memorable villain (and final boss theme) ever created in a video game. Hands down. Those of you who disagree are wrong. Haha.

Most remember this game for its story. Its story really is something else. It's just so...different...from any other story. It's so mature. And it's not an easy game to get into. It really demands your patience and your time and your strategic thought. It's a difficult game to get into, honestly. But once you do get into it, it's so worth it. Because the story goes off in all these wild directions, and you never know what to expect. And then you get these heartwrenching moments that take you completely by surprise (you know what I'm talking about). And you have one of the greatest cast of characters ever made, and definitely the most famous.

Everything about FFVII is done so well and is so polished. It really has maybe the best narrative ever created in a video game. And it's spawned a great universe of other games and merchandise. I hope all you RPG fans have played this game. It's not to be missed.