Games of 2010 – January Edition
With 2009 wrapping up and exciting new releases dwindling, we can take a look ahead to see what the 2010 gaming gods have to offer us.
January
Mass Effect 2 (January 26, 2010) Xbox 360, PC
Mass Effect 2 is the upcoming sequel to 2007 Mass Effect. This action RPG takes place two years after the conclusion of Mass Effect, and follows Commander Shepard and his crews galaxy gallivanting ways as they try to stop new threats and new enemies.
Army of Two: The 40th Day (January 12, 2010) Xbox 360, PS3, PSP (January 8th for Europe)
Army of Two returns in all of its fist-bumping glory in the new sequel, Army of Two: The 40th Day. Gameplay is said to be enhanced in the cooperative third-person shooter that includes abilities to feign surrender in order to outflank enemies and use human shields. Multiplayer play is also significantly upgraded including client-server connections, increased participants and region-free play.
Bayonetta (January 5, 2010) Xbox 360, PS3
This action game featuring a sinewy, glasses-wearing witch, was directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya. The game is currently available in Japan. Bayonetta takes place in a fictional European city with the main character a witch who awakens after 500 years with no memory of what had happened. Her abilities include shapeshifting and gun-shooting as she fights angelic and warrior-like enemies.
Darksiders (January 5, 2010) Xbox 360, PS3
This PS3 and Xbox 360 game, developed by Vigil Games, takes inspiration from the apocalypse and Battle of Armageddon as described in the Book of Revelations. In this combat game, players take on the role of War, one of the four horsemen. The world has met an early demise, and War is blamed for this occurrence and stripped of most of his powers. He is sentenced to walk the desolate earth forever. War determines that while he is down there he should find out why the apocalypse has come early and also find the missing horsemen.
Dark Void (January 12, 2010) PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Dark Void is an action adventure game that follows a cargo pilot, William Augustus Grey, who crashes in the Bermuda triangle and is teleported to a parallel universe. Here he meets humans, called Survivors and must help them battle an alien race known as the Watchers. He is fitted with technology to help aid the fight including a hover pack.
MAG (January 26, 2010) PS3
MAG, or Massive Action Game, is a MMO shooter for the PS3. The game takes place in 2025 where the world is globalized and nations armies are not allowed to leave their borders. Private Military Corporations (PMCs) come into favor. The game uses new server architecture that supports online battles with up to 256 players. Users are divided into 8-player squads, four squads forms a platoon, and four platoons form a company.
No More Heroes 2 (January 27, 2010) Wii
No More Heroes 2 is an action game for the Wii system, and a follow-up to 2008’s No More Heroes. Protagonist Travis Touchdown returns in an equally nutty, adult tale. He has fallen from the ranks of the assassin’s group UAA (United Assassins Association), and is prodded to return by a former fellow agent.