 To follow up on last week's weekly poll, I thought I'd make this edition of List 'em another Most Wanted Edition. Like last year, feel free to list the most anticipated games on your want list and feel free to explain why each one is important or interesting. Holiday 2008 promises to cram everything good in a 2-3 month span, doing 2D8 damage to our wallets while overwhelming us with so many games to choose from at the same time.
Now I have to admit, this year doesn't feel as exciting in terms of huge releases as last year did. The DS and PSP seem to have quieted down a bit. The PS2 is slowing down in new releases of note and first party titles for the three current systems seem a bit scarce for the second half of the year. With over 40% of our voters suggesting they'll only be getting 1-5 titles, I think it's safe to say many of you feel as I do. Or is that a sign of the economic downturn which has affected just about every corner of the globe?
In any case, here are my personal top 5 most anticipated titles of 2008:
- Samurai Shodown Anthology - I like SNK, always have. While I may still be trying to track down a copy of SNK Arcade Classics: Volume 1 without resorting to buying online, I'm very much looking forward to yet another compilation, this time my beloved SS series. I've been playing SS since II came out 14 years ago. I still pop a few quarters in when I spot a cab in the wild. With 3rd party arcade sticks for home consoles being of comparable quality these days, it'll be great to finally have a nice setup in my living room without using MAME. Available in a few months for the Wii, PSP and PS2, it's supposed to contain Samurai Shodown, I, II, III, IV, V, V Special and VI. Yep that's right, SSVI as well! That's a lot of bang for the buck and a lot of nostalgia all in one package.
- Viva Piņata: Trouble in Paradise - Those of you who have played or beaten the original VP, can attest to just how special and addictive this deceivingly childish looking game truly is. Micromanagement on a scale that rivals any of the Tycoon series of games while being something anyone regardless of gender or age can enjoy. It's actually one of the few X360 games I have every achievement for and a testament to how good RARE still is despite the biased criticism from longtime Nintendo fans who downplay their departure even to this day. While not on my top list, I'll also mention there's a DS version coming as well which may be a getter if it's anything like it's console counterpart. Candy incest and cannibalism runs rampart sometime in September is all goes on schedule.
- Two Worlds: The Temptation - Despite general scorn by gamers and reviewers alike who couldn't see past the bugs this game had (since been patched BTW), I enjoyed it tremendously. It rivaled Oblivion but in some ways was even better. It had a level of humor I found refreshing and was fun to go questing for hours on end (as long as you didn't use a horse lol). Ask Tynstar about that, me kept me amused to no end with his frustrations and curses at his horse's inability to even walk in a straight line while on XBL. Well the sequel promises to address many issues the first game had right off the bat and from the screenshots it looks a lot more fun with the added gameplay elements like boating and interacting more with the environment. This game may actually be my most anticipated of the year. But then again I'm always a sucker for "Western RPGs".
- Fallout 3 Oblivion with guns? Well that wouldn't be so bad now would it? I've been on a bit of a post-apocalyptic kick lately. Between re-watching Jeremiah again and reading novels from the Deathlands / Outlanders series, I've gotten a taste for a new game in that genre. Now I won't go out and buy that survival edition for $120 but I will probably get the next limited edition down. As usual Bethesda is sparing no expense for this title and voice acting is no exception. Ron Perlman and Liam Neeson are among those signed for major roles in the game.
- Just Cause 2 That screenshot at the top of this article, is courtesy of Avalanche Studios and their upcoming game Just Cause 2. It's a sandbox type game that takes place in South America and in my humble opinion, an easy source of mindless relaxing fun on so many levels. The first title lets you do so many things that I couldn't adequately describe it in a paragraph or two. Everything from racing, to urban assault in tanks, to paragliding and flying jets, airliners and helicopters. Base jumping, watercraft & boats, assassination and high speed chases you name it. A mix of Hitman. Crackdown and Vice City all in one. Sometimes I just like to fly around for hours in an aircraft, just because it's that fun. All that in a last gen game ported to the X360. So you can imagine how good a ground up new game for the same system would be! My only concern is whether that same freedom of movement in a non-linear environment will be in the second game. Some sources have said there will be no side missions. That may or maynot be a good thing.
So that's my top 5. But on the periphery of my gaming radar, the following games also interest me on a smaller scale: Zoids Assault, Fable 2, Spore, the various band/guitar games, Banjo Threeie, Sonic RPG and prob more I'm forgetting right now.
So now it's your turn folks! Name your "big list" and then in say 7 months or so, we'll revisit our choices like a cyber time capsule and see how everything turned out!
 Last year, specifically last August, I wrote a "List 'em" of my most wanted titles for the latter half of 2007. Now that the last one (Twisted Metal) has been released, I thought I'd revisit this list and see how things turned out for myself and everyone else who had listed theirs as well.
Here's the original post:
http://www.rfgeneration.c...st-Wanted-Edition-179.php
Here's how things turned out for me:
- Mass Effect - Fantastic game! Better than my most optimistic hopes could have imagined. The story and backdrop of the future was great, the whole experience felt like I was rewarded with 2 seasons worth of Babylon 5 or Stargate. The game did have a few bugs and framerate problems, but I couldn't care less, everything else overshadowed that. Best X360 game so far in my opinion, and one of BioWare's best ever. Hell I'll even buy the PC version, just because it's so good. Click the name if you want to check out a couple reviews on it.
- Twisted Metal Head-on (PS2) - This one was a bit slow out of the gate. Having been delayed until February 2008, it put a damper on my plan to do this list at the beginning of the year. In any case, it's out now and well worth the wait. This port of the PSP version brings the Twisted Metal series back to it's roots. Colourful, addictive and fun, it has all the feeling of Twisted Metal 2 and some of it IS Twisted Metal 2, albeit enhanced and remade for a modern audience. This was a great buy and one of the last great PS2 titles for that system this year. Well worth the $19.99, even without all the bonus features and documentary.
- Time Crisis 4 - The first of two on my list I didn't get. I had hoped the PS3 would have had a better selection of exclusive titles by now, but alas it does not. As much as I joke about the PS3 sucking so hard, I know someday it won't. When that day will come? Who knows. Could be this year, could be 5 years from now. The game didn't turn out quite as good as I had hoped, but still good enough to buy it if I had a PS3. I'm torn between getting it now and waiting for a PS3 or looking later on and hoping I'll find it. Time Crisis titles CIB are difficult to find on the best of days, this one will be no exception I'm sure.
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - With the Zelda series, I find it's really hit or miss. Some I like, some I don't but I do own most of them. After finding out that you'd be able to use the stylus for everything in-game, I knew this would be a fun game and a memorable one. When I got it, I played it every night for an hour or two until I beat it. Great game, easily among the best Zelda titles in the series. I even went so far as to get the registration bonus and limited edition strategy guide. The love child of Animal Crossing and Wind waker (which I ironically don't care much for) is among the best games the DS has to offer.
- Project Gotham Racing 4 - Somewhere down the line I lost interest in this game. Not sure where or for what reason, but I suspect it was the holiday rush and it kept being put lower and lower on my gaming priority list until it seemingly fell off the map. To it's credit, it looks like a nice game, and I'll probably buy it eventually when it reaches an agreeable price point. For now, we'll just chalk this one up to the increased trend to market games during the holiday season, which seems worse than ever. How does one buy half a dozen $60 games in the same week and still buy others that come out in the same month as well?
So overall I think the last half of 2007 ended well. Two Worlds and Front Mission DS get mentions here because they turned out to be pleasant surprises as well and were both on my "most wanted radar". Both excellent games in their own right that would make my top list for '07. So to everyone who posted a list in the original post and those who had their own list elsewhere, how was your fall/holiday 2007?
 So as a sort of experiment and a blog-esque time capsule, I thought I'd do a one-off "List 'em" and list my 5 most wanted games that should/will be coming from now until the end of the year. Four and a half months from now I'll re-visit this post and see how things turned out as opposed to how I had expected them to. Gaming industry analysts and journalists have been saying that this year's lineup will be one of the strongest in recent memory. Which means those with multiple new systems will be faced with some hard choices to spend their hard-earned cash this Christmas. So feel free to list as many or as few as you wish, or comment on the ones listed. It'll be interesting to see the scope of what people want this holiday season. So here goes (in no particular order after Mass Effect of course  ):
- Mass Effect - Oh boy, where do I even begin to put into words how excited I am about this game? First off, it's a Bioware title. That alone ensures a purchase in my book. Secondly, it's a non-linear RPG with choices that affect the outcome of the game. Which means it has more replay value than you can shake a stick at. I recently watched a 15 minute preview of it, it took another hour afterwards to get my jaw off the floor. I also have the first Mass Effect novel sitting beside me as I write this. I also seen the listing in the local bookstore's system for the second novel in the series called Mass Effect: Revolution. #1 most anticipated game for me, not only this year but perhaps the most important Xbox 360 title I may ever get.
- Twisted Metal Head-on (PS2) - Sorry no official website for that yet, that's a link to the original PSP version. It's a port of the PSP game from 2 years ago that will include material from the cancelled TW: Black 2 title. Always love playing Twisted Metal games. Although I share in the opinion that 1 and 2 are the best in the series to date, I do like all of them, yes even 3 and 4. Not a whole lot of info for this game yet, but regardless it's still very much on my radar.
- Time Crisis 4 - Always a fan of this series, it's the first PS3 game I actually have an interest in so far. The idea, is that they'll make the GunCon3 with two analog sticks for controlling your character while holding your handgun at the ready at all times. Newer TV owners will also be pleased to know that the GunCon3 uses motion sensors not scan-lines to detect signals. I have a standing rule that to me, a game system should have at least 6 great titles for me to buy one and validate the cost of a new game system. Well here's possibly the first one for the PS3, we'll have to wait and see.
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - The DS is a funny system to me as far as control. You've got stylus games, stylus/buttons, buttons, and many other configurations. I enjoy the games that use one type of control for everything. Clubhouse games, Kirby Canvas Curse and Animal Crossing to name a few all use the stylus exclusively to excellent effect and with little learning curve. This also seems to be the case for the latest Zelda. It seems like it's got all the fun and story of a handheld Zelda game, but with the ease of use that the DS's "Touch Generation" has. I wasn't a big fan of Wind Waker, but that visual style of game seems to work well for this one and really makes the DS look superb in it's capabilities. I suppose I could've imported it, but I can wait the 5 months for a localized release, especially as it comes out within a week of my birthday.
- Project Gotham Racing 4 I've been a fan of this series from day 1. I remember playing this when the Xbox first came out, I had a helluva time with the kudos modes. Rewarding reckless driving after so many games rewarded precision driving seemed a stark contrast and something to get used to. It was also one of the first games to offer custom soundtracks, a feature that has been a staple of Xbox games ever since. PGR4 seems to be upping the bar in all areas and the weather effects look phenomenal. To top it all off it has a Canadian track!
So we'll check back at around January 1st and see how things turned out. In the meantime feel free to post your own either here, or by starting your own blog. 
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