I don't know if 2008 can really match the same quality of games 2007 threw at us, but here are five titles that look like they'll give the best of 2007 a run for their money...

5. Star Wars:The Force Unleashed

This gameplay looks amazing, with some interesting AI yet to be seen in this franchise. And, getting to release our inner dark side is looking better by the day. So, why isn't this my number one? Well, one big reason. The Star Wars franchise. KOTOR was smart enough to take their story well outside the current Star Wars lore. Making a story in between episode 3 and 4 means one thing...GUIDELINES, from you know who. You know him...he's the guy who keeps revamping and sabotaging our favorite childhood movies. And, while Lucasarts has maintained a stance of independance on this project, it is Lucasarts, which means that as cool as this game could very well be, it also might be weighed down by the big guy at the top, which has the potential to restrict just how amazing the story might be, and instead might use this game to justify loose ends or sloppily bridge events in an attempt to justify the franchise. I really hope this is not the case, but after seeing Hayden Christiansen needlessly inserted into the end scene of 'Return of the Jedi' on the latest DVD release, I wouldn't put it passed them. Hopefully, this game won't suffer from the weight of Lucas' involvement. Sadly, I've seen it happen so many times lately, that I almost expect it, which might make what could be the coolest concept this franchise has had in years, and turn it into yet another stale installment. But, concerns aside, the project looks great so far, and is coming soon, so I'll damn well buy it the second it comes out.

4. Killzone 2

I sold my PS3 recently to a coworker, cause I never used it. Killzone 2 might be my reason to by another one. I don't know what the story is definitely, and in shooters, it rarely seems to matter as much as engaging gameplay. And Killzone 2 has some of the coolest looking demos I've seen. Stunning graphics, a gritty environment, and some amazing physics make this game look like Sony's answer to "Gears of War." The only questionmark I have about this game, is the actual combat gameplay. I've read a little about the combat system, and while it seems solid, it also hints that there is a potential that it could become either too complicated for it's own good, or one note and dull if it becomes either too overpowered or too unnecessary. Time will tell on that one, but the trailers now say this game has the potential to kick some serious butt.

3. Grand Theft Auto 4

This is my 'well duh!' entry. I think the whole world is waiting for this game to come out, and early trailers, with a look and feel thet's doing a good job reminding us all of GTA3, and loads of improvements made along the way, make this look to be as good as all us GTA3 fans are hoping for. The big question hanging over this games head? Will it be enough? Let's face it...GTA3 was a long time ago, and Vice City and San Andreas were ok, but did little to live up to the same sense of truly gritty freedom we remember from GTA3. Also, in that time, ALOT of games have flown through our systems, and last year alone, offered some truly exceptional ones. So, for me, the question isn't whether or not this will be better than GTA3. It's very obviously looking to be. The real question is this...will that be enough game to truly be a great game with other games setting the bar higher on a daily basis?

We'll find out in April.

2. Lost Odyssey

Ok, flat out admittance...I LOVE turned based RPG's! And, it seems like developers feel like most people don't, cause I can't remember any highly anticipated turned based RPG's coming in the last 3 years. Most all are jumping ship to the action combat system, which is fine for market appeal, but honestly, I have shooters for action. And, with the strongest franchise in the turned based RPG world, Final Fantasy, revamping their combat in their last installment, it looked like turned based RPG's were going by the wayside.

And then came Lost Odyssey.

From the moment I heard about this game in '06, I've tried to ignore the hype. Then I saw the screens! And then I heard who was heading the project! And then I heard who was composing the musical score! And then I saw the trailer! And then I saw the gameplay footage! And, then I purchased my preorder!

Lost Odyssey is looking to be the true successor to Final Fantasy 10. When Square merged with Enix, producer Hironobu Sakaguchi jumped ship. And, that franchise has not been the same since. In the meantime, Sakaguchi courted Microsoft, and developed Mistwalker with the sole intent of making a next gen successor in the spirit of the last great japanese RPG he headed. He picked up his long time composer Nobuo Uematsu for the score. With more screens and footage realeased every day, it's becoming obvious that Lost Odyssey is looking to be the game japanese RPG fans have been waiting for since Final Fantasy 10.

The question for this game? Will fans be responsive to the old school turned based mechanics? If the story is as good as the game looks, you bet we will!

1. Far Cry 2

HOLY GOD! 50 square kilometers of Savannah to explore! A truly open environment! No waterfalls or mountains acting as subtle 'corridors' to cage you in! No silly premises, no Trigens, no mutants...just a rough environment, that you're free to shoot up, stealth through, or explore at whatever speed or approach you wish.

I've said it before...when Crytek sold this off to Ubisoft to work on Crysis, no one knew what that meant for a sequel. Thankfully, Ubisoft had enough respect for the project to hand it over to their Montreal Studio to have free reign to deveolp whatever they needed for this sequel to succeed and honor the wide open path it's predecessor created. So, they made a new game engine that, in some ways, looks even more stunning than CryEngine2. And, not only did they abandon silly sci fi premises, they abandoned the walls completely. They gave us just over 31 square miles to play in, conspire in, gather missions within, and shoot up, torch up, and tear up.

Early gameplay footage looks just as promising, with some very realistic AI that evolves from the best of Far Cry. Take a shot at someone and miss, and they'll run after you, hop in a jeep after you, and will not stop till either you, or they, are dead. This game is taking the best from the realistic approach to open ended combat and freedom of movement Far Cry had, while abandoning the goofy sci fi premise that drew attention away from it's strengths.

While I was a big fan of Crysis, and feel it did well to live up to the hype, I also wanted more out of it, and feel they abandoned the open ended approach slightly to keep the pacing and story moving. That, and things like Koreans saying 'frush him out!' did a little to break the illusion of the world for me a bit. Far Cry 2 looks like they took everything I loved about Far Cry when I played it, abandoned everything I didn't care for, and expanded the world farther outward, making it more engrossing, more interactive, and in the process, potentially more engaging and immersive in the process.

And, arguably, it's even better looking than if Crytek HAD headed the project.

The big quesiton? Can they really fill 31 square miles of landscape with enough meaningful content to make it worth my time to explore? Damn, I can't wait to find out!

Again, I'm sure I missed some big ones, but these are the games I've been waiting for since I heard about them. Though, of there is anything I missed that looks equally cool, post a comment and a link, and bring it to my attention. I can never have a shortage of games to look forward to :)