2007 was an amazing year in gaming, however 2008 looks ready to give it a run for its money. Some of the most notable ones to look out for are:

Fable 2
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto 4
Halo Wars
Spore
Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Mercenaries 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Ninja Gaiden 2

The final game is perhaps my most anticipated of them all, which may or may not launch this year: Alan Wake.

There's also sure to be a lot of unforseen great games. This is truly going to be a trying year for your wallet, albeit a great one.

After much thought and contemplation, I've decided that my favorite game this year is Assassin's Creed. It has come closer to a living breathing world outside of the storyline that any other game, and that's what sold me. That and the crazy sword fights and rooftop chase scenes. The story moved along in a steady manner that made you want to keep playing but didn't make you impatient, and the ending is one of my favorites of all time: a small cliffhanger but one that feeds you information about what's going to happen next (those who have beaten the game know what I'm talking about).

Honorable mentions:
Bioshock
Halo 3

Here's to hoping for a great new year and some great new games to go along with it.

Short version: It's good, buy it if you're crazy enough to not have bought it already.

Not-so-short (but still pretty short) version: Halo 3 really delivers on all the promises it made. The single player concludes the story, but ends with a possiblity that something else could be coming. Ending was pretty good, could have been better if they went into a little more detail, but it was fine.

Multiplayer is everything it should be. Feels virtually identical to the beta, just with more features. Saved Films and File Share are my new favorite hobbies, they're really addictive and it's fun to see the crazy stuffsome people have done. Forge isn't really my cup of tea, Irarely (read:never)play custom games, but the tool is surprisingly easy to use and the possibilities are virtually endless as far as custom maps go.

One of my few dislikes about the game are the matchmaking playlists, or rather the gametypes they play. I'm a huge fan of Shotty-Snipers, as well as some of the other types too, but there should be a little more variety to the types matchmaking puts you in. Also the map selection doesn't feel as strong as Halo 2s was, but there are still some very enjoyable maps present.

All in all it's a phenomenal game that backs up everything it ever said it was going to be.

So, in case you guys didn't know, Halo 3 comes out tonight. I know I know, you heard it here first. Picking my copy up at midnight and plan on playing as much as I can for the next week. Consequently I won't be around GS much, so I'll see you guys when the fight is finished!

My xbox is finally coming home tonight. It would be here already if the UPS guy didn't come by when I wasn't home. I have to go pick it up at their warehouse tonight if I don't want to wait until Monday. Technically it isn't mine, they gave me a replacement, but at least it works.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bioshock/news.html?sid=6178502&om_act=convert&om_clk=newlyadded&tag=newlyadded;title;1

So let's take a moment to analyze what our buddy over at Take-Two had to say.

"It is reported we are the top-selling title at GameStop, less than a month since launch. We have already shipped more than 1.5 million units. Clearly we have a new hit franchise on our hands."

Look at the last sentence. This implies that every game that sells well should be made into a franchise, and why shouldn't it? It's sold well, the fans like it, it's it's receiving phenomenal reviews, everyone loves it. Perfect material for a franchise. It sounds like a great idea that the publisher can capitalize on. So far it's all well and good, but let's read a little further.

"I would say probably roughly an every three year [release] schedule would be optimal. ... I expect we would apply roughly the same strategy to BioShock, because BioShock is shaping up to be a very important franchise"

This is where I start to have a problem. Keeping a franchise on a strict release schedule like that could be extremelydetrimental to the games' success. A grand example of this is Far Cry. Granted, the game has been relatively the same one, just taken from one system to another in a rushed mess to cash in on what started out to be a great, unique game. I can't help but think this is what could happen to Bioshock, or any other outstanding game that delivers on the hype and sells well.

Enough of the bad stuff, let's look at the good side of things. It brings the opportunity for more great games just like Bioshock (an obvious example being the Halo trilogy) to be made. Three years is enough time to put out a quality game.

Whichever way you look at it, it boils down to this: developers should not be forced to make more games in a franchise, not to mentionhaving a strict time-table to do so. If more mediocre games are released carrying the same name as the original, whatever kind of greatness that was there will be taken away, and destined to be remembered as a series that the publisher simply cashed in on.

Long story short, I've been looking into buying a Wii for some time. I've played it a good bit at other's houses and I think the controls and minigames are really fun.

The main reason I've held off this long is the lack of good games. It seems that Nintendo's focus is more on the arcade style games availble for purchase through microtransactions, which I'm not really into. A lot of the high rated games available for it I've already played on other systems.

I'm kind of at a loss for what to do here, on one hand I really want to get one, as the Wii controllers and functions are really cool, on the other, what am I supposed to play once I get it? I realize I exaggerate here, there are SOME games to play, but not enough 'must play' games that aren't available on other consoles.

A final factor is money. Money isn't the biggest deal, but that doesn't mean I want to blow a bunch on something I'll never use, money that could be spent buying great games for consoles I already own.

Nintendo, you may be on top of the gaming world right now, but you better start coming out with some good exclusives that display that dominance.

Red Ring of Death. Nuff said. I'll be lucky if I get my Xbox back before H3. Better now than in 3 weeks I guess.

Edit: And Bioshock. Sitting here. Begging me to play it. It's going to be a long 4-6 weeks. :(

Despite the changes to E3, I thought it was a success. From the at home viewer's point of view, I got to see just as many games as I would have if the show was like last year. Sure, it wasn't as flashy or loud, but the games were still there, and that's what matters. Overall I thought it was a great show and wouldn't mind seeing it stay this way.

One can only play so much World of Warcraft before wanting to venture forth and play games of different genres. I had had a hard time getting myself motivated in the past, but when I found this game, I knew right away it was the game for me.

Hotel Dusk is a plot-driven point and click adventure game for the DS. It follows the life of Kyle Hyde, an ex-cop gone salesman, for one night at the Hotel Dusk. When you arrive, you meet the other guests and slowly start to unravel the mystery of your old partner and uncover the other guests secrets.

Why more people haven't played this game is beyond me. Sure, it can be a little slow, and it could be downright frustrating if you're nota good reader, but for everyone else that enjoys a game full of good characters and a great story, this game is a must play.