Q1 2010 Releases: "Don't blow all your money over the holidays" Edition

[Velorath]

It might be a little early for this since we aren't out of the holidays yet, but a lot of Q1 release dates have been solidified lately (or as solidified as release dates can get).

Clicking on each games' name should link you to the relevent discussion thread where available.  Portable games have not been listed since I don't generally follow portables at all.  Also not every release from Jan to March has been listed.  Some due to not having a very solid release date (Modnation Racers for instance), and some due to what I figure to be a lack of interest here (the Army of Two sequel, or Red Steel 2 for instance).  Some of those may be added in later.  I might also add in pre-order bonus information later.


Bayonetta - PS3, 360 - January 5th




Darksiders - PS3, 360 - January 5th




Dark Void - PC, PS3, 360 - January 19th



MAG - PS3 - January 26th




Mass Effect 2 - PC, 360 - January 26th




Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom - Wii - January 26th




White Knight Chronicles - PS3 - February 2nd




Star Trek Online - PC - February 2nd



Bioshock 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - February 9th




Dante's Inferno - PS3, 360 - February 9th
 



Aliens Vs. Predator - PC, PS3, 360 - February 16th




Heavy Rain - PS3 - February 23rd




Napoleon: Total War - PC - February 23rd




Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - March 2nd




Supreme Commander 2 - PC, 360 - March 2nd (360 on the 16th)



Yakuza 3 - PS3 - March 9th



Final Fantasy XIII - PS3, 360 - March 9th




Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising - PC - March 11th




Resonance of Fate - 360, PS3 - March 16th



Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening - PC, 360, PS3 - March 16th



God of War 3 - PS3 - March 16th




Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight - PC - March 16th



Just Cause 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - March 23rd




Portable Games

Sands of Destruction - DS - Jan 12
Story by Masato Kato (Chrono Trigger/Cross) and gameplay by the guys behind Luminous Arc; looks to feature good ole turn based combat.


Puzzle Chronicles - DS, PSP, PSN, XBLA, PC - Feb 2
Another Puzzle Quest; this one with more Tetris style gameplay. Looks like they're actually animating the "battles" that take place as you fight, as well.


Ragnarok Online - DS - Feb 16
While not an MMO, this action RPG features 3 player online co-op and promises a good amount of character customization, along with randomly generated dungeons.


Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - DS - March 23
The SMT series returns to its roots with a new first-person RPG for the DS.



Edit: Portable games added courtesy of Rendakor.  Made portable games a separate section due to the fact that I like the way it looks when I open up all the spoilers in the console section.

Edit 2: Just Cause 2 and Yakuza 3 added.

[Ingmar]

Waaaait, ME2 is 2 discs? I am torn between  and  .

[schild]

Definitely turning these into referral links later. Also, 2010? Best year ever.

[slog]

Anyone been following Supreme Commander 2?

[Malakili]

Anyone been following Supreme Commander 2?

Only enough to know they are reworking the economy stuff so as to make resource management tolerable.  It'll probably be a bargain bin title for me to be honest.

[MisterNoisy]

No mention of Just Cause 2?  The first was enjoyable enough and the second looks like it's amping up the crazy some more.

[SnakeCharmer]

Also, 2010? Best year ever.

I wouldn't go that far, unless you're privy to some release information everyone else isn't. 

Definately better than '09, though.

[MisterNoisy]

I'd actually agree with schild.  Q1 2010 is going to be insane.  Turns out that MW2 was good for something after all.

[schild]

Also, 2010? Best year ever.

I wouldn't go that far, unless you're privy to some release information everyone else isn't. 

Definately better than '09, though.

I am, and it will be. Probably the best year for gaming since 1999-2000.

[Velorath]

No mention of Just Cause 2?  The first was enjoyable enough and the second looks like it's amping up the crazy some more.

Like I said, there's stuff I might add in later.  Just Cause wasn't a particularly well received title, which is why 2 didn't make the initial cut.  Neither did Army of 2 40th day, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, Blur, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, Everquest II: Sentinels Fate, Red Steel 2, Lego Harry Potter, Two Worlds 2, and a few other games for various reasons.

[SnakeCharmer]

I am, and it will be. Probably the best year for gaming since 1999-2000.

Fair enough.  

ME2, MAG, Heavy Rain, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and GT:5, and TOR (mildly interested), APB (very interested), and TSW (hopefully!) for MMOs...that's all I'm really looking forward to that I know of.

[schild]

I am, and it will be. Probably the best year for gaming since 1999-2000.

Fair enough. 

ME2, MAG, Heavy Rain, Splinter Cell: Conviction, and GT:5, and TOR (mildly interested), APB (very interested), and TSW (hopefully!) for MMOs...that's all I'm really looking forward to that I know of.

That's more good games than came out any year out of the last 4. Just to put it in perspective.

[Velorath]

Also, 2010? Best year ever.

I wouldn't go that far, unless you're privy to some release information everyone else isn't. 

Definately better than '09, though.

There's a lot of potentially good stuff coming in 2010 even beyond what I listed in the first post.  Some of it is actually scheduled for sometime in Q1 (I generally didn't include anything yet that hasn't at least been narrowed down to a particular month), and some of it is scheduled for later, but in addition to the games listed above, this year also brings us Mod Nation Racers, Dead Rising 2, the first part of Starcraft 2, Alpha Protocol, Alan Wake, and The Last Guardian among other stuff. 

Of course for better or worse, it's also going to bring us the PS3 Wand, and Natal.

[MisterNoisy]

No mention of Just Cause 2?  The first was enjoyable enough and the second looks like it's amping up the crazy some more.

Like I said, there's stuff I might add in later.  Just Cause wasn't a particularly well received title, which is why 2 didn't make the initial cut.  Neither did Army of 2 40th day, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, Blur, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, Everquest II: Sentinels Fate, Red Steel 2, Lego Harry Potter, Two Worlds 2, and a few other games for various reasons.

I though JC was pretty well-liked, despite it's obvious connections to last-gen gaming, and would recommend it to 360 owners since it can be had used (spinning treetops and all) for under $10 and will deliver stupid fun.  The franchise's stock went up when Mercs 2 turned out to be something of a clusterfuck and Pandemic got shuttered, since I really like the idea of raising hell in an open-world 3rd world country.   Hell, I enjoyed Ao2 and am looking forward to the 40th Day, but I attribute that mostly to having someone that I play with in co-op (co-op being worth +2 score on a 5-point scale in my book)  regularly.  Most of the rest I can see omitting, though.

[Rasix]

Why the hell would No More Heroes not make any cut?  Only reason to own a Wii.

Good god that line up is brutal.  There's no possible way I can sneak that past the wife.  I'm doomed.

6 sight unseen must buys and a whole lot of interest in most of the rest.  Gyah.

edit: I'm seeing Mass Effect 2 and getting a little pissed off.  All of my save games are on the 360.  I'd rather have it on the PC or PS3.

[MisterNoisy]

No doubt.  I look at that lineup and say, 'Welp, there goes $600.'

C'est la vie.

[Velorath]

Why the hell would No More Heroes not make any cut?  Only reason to own a Wii.

Good god that line up is brutal.  There's no possible way I can sneak that past the wife.  I'm doomed.

6 sight unseen must buys and a whole lot of interest in most of the rest.  Gyah.

edit: I'm seeing Mass Effect 2 and getting a little pissed off.  All of my save games are on the 360.  I'd rather have it on the PC or PS3.

I was just saying the same thing to schild about ME2.  I'd rather get the PC version, but will have to stick to the 360 for now. 

No More Heroes is something I'll likely add to the list eventually.  Just putting together what I did was somewhat time consuming.  It didn't get included in the initial post because... well, because the first one was a bit of a flop, and very few people here seem to be avid Wii gamers.  Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom only made the initial cut by virtue of the fact that it's part of the Vs. series which is fairly well regarded due to the Marvel Vs. Capcom games.  That and my knowledge of Wii games is only slightly better than my knowledge of portable games.

If schild or any of you mods want to edit in stuff that you feel should make the cut, I won't be offended.  Otherwise I'll take any suggestions and add them in when I have the time.

[MisterNoisy]

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom only made the initial cut by virtue of the fact that it's part of the Vs. series which is fairly well regarded due to the Marvel Vs. Capcom games.  That and my knowledge of Wii games is only slightly better than my knowledge of portable games.

TvC is the only Wii game that matters for all of 2010.

[schild]

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom only made the initial cut by virtue of the fact that it's part of the Vs. series which is fairly well regarded due to the Marvel Vs. Capcom games.  That and my knowledge of Wii games is only slightly better than my knowledge of portable games.

TvC is the only Wii game that matters for all of 2010.

Waiting for hi-def version. Guess my Wii will stay off for another year.

[MisterNoisy]

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom only made the initial cut by virtue of the fact that it's part of the Vs. series which is fairly well regarded due to the Marvel Vs. Capcom games.  That and my knowledge of Wii games is only slightly better than my knowledge of portable games.

TvC is the only Wii game that matters for all of 2010.

Waiting for hi-def version. Guess my Wii will stay off for another year.

Especially since NMH is already coming to the HD twins and invariably the sequel(s) will as well.

[caladein]

I see Mass Effect 2 (PC)... and then Bad Company 2 (PC) and Final Fantasy XIII (360) if they're not-crap on systems I'd like to play them on.

[Segoris]

I knew it was going to be a good year, but damn

[Malakili]

I'll be honest, but there isn't much on that list I'm really excited for.  My hope for 2010 is HL2: Episode 3 

[Rasix]

You are possibly a bad person.  Definitely a bad gamer. 

[Sjofn]

I'll be honest, but there isn't much on that list I'm really excited for.  My hope for 2010 is HL2: Episode 3 

None of them ring my bell either, but I'm fairly specific in which type of games get me excited. I can, at least, see why others are excited, surely that gets me a point or something.

[Rendakor]

Here's some handheld* love; feel free to edit it into the OP if you're so inclined.



Sands of Destruction - DS - Jan 12
Story by Masato Kato (Chrono Trigger/Cross) and gameplay by the guys behind Luminous Arc; looks to feature good ole turn based combat.

Puzzle Chronicles - DS, PSP, PSN, XBLA, PC - Feb 2
Another Puzzle Quest; this one with more Tetris style gameplay. Looks like they're actually animating the "battles" that take place as you fight, as well.

Ragnarok Online - DS - Feb 16
While not an MMO, this action RPG features 3 player online co-op and promises a good amount of character customization, along with randomly generated dungeons.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - DS - March 23
The SMT series returns to its roots with a new first-person RPG for the DS.


*And by handheld, I mean DS, since there isn't shit coming out for PSP besides another Lunar game.

Edited to add that Puzzle Chronicles is coming to multiple platforms.

[caladein]

*And by handheld, I mean DS, since there isn't shit coming out for PSP besides another Lunar game.

Persona 3: Portable will come out stateside... eventually.

[Rendakor]

This is the Q1 thread, not the Soon(tm) thread.

[caladein]

This is the Q1 thread, not the Soon(tm) thread.

True.  Any reference to "release dates" on "handhelds" sends me searching for a P3P release date.  When not found, there's much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

It's a sickness, I know.

[Azazel]

Bayonetta - PS3, 360 - January 5th
Probably.

Darksiders - PS3, 360 - January 5th
Pics look alright. Never heard of it. WTF is it?

Dark Void - PC, PS3, 360 - January 12th
Pics look alright. Never heard of it. WTF is it?

MAG - PS3 - January 26th
Possibly. I'll at least try the demo.

Mass Effect 2 - PC, 360 - January 26th
Eventually. But no rush.

Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom - Wii - January 26th
Oh, it's on the Wii. How cute.

White Knight Chronicles - PS3 - February 2nd
Looks JRPG-Tastic.

Star Trek Online - PC - February 2nd
Oh, I'm sure this will be good.

Bioshock 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - February 9th
Very Likely. $5 steam sale ahoy!

Dante's Inferno - PS3, 360 - February 9th
Looks God-of-War-tastic. Might have potential.

Heavy Rain - PS3 - February 16th
Pics look alright. Never heard of it. WTF is it?

Splinter Cell: Conviction - PC, 360 - February 23rd
Hopefully Worthwhile.

Lost Planet 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - Februrary 23rd
Also has potential.

Napoleon: Total War - PC - February 23rd
I've bought like 8 Total War games and bever enev installed any of them, aside from a day-long flirtation with Rome.

Aliens Vs. Predator - PC, PS3, 360 - February
Hopefully not as bad as Rogue Warrior. Potential. Please.

God of War 3 - PS3 - March
This is a given.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - PC, PS3, 360 - March 2nd
Lots of potential in both directions.

Supreme Commander 2 - PC, 360 - March 2nd (360 on the 16th)
Fuck RTS

Final Fantasy XIII - PS3, 360 - March 9th
FF does nothing for me personally.

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight - PC - March 16th
Fuck RTS

Gran Turismo 5 - PS3 - March (Japan)
And fuck serious racers, too.

[Stormwaltz]

Out of everything mentioned so far, I can only muster interest in ME2 (mostly because I worked on it), APB, and Napoleon: Total War.

Plus Jumpgate Evolution, if it makes it out the door this quarter.

[Hoax]

I'll be buying FF first day, possibly Dark Rain and SupCom2 first week depending on initial reactions around here.

For sure at some point:
I will buy Bayonetta eventually
Mass Effect 2

Possibly later:
I will buy White Knight eventually if somebody here says its worth it.

[Kageru]

Yay, a lot of stuff coming out with PC versions. Even though I'm sure a lot of it is going to be console ports. Especially "dark void" which for some reason screams out console in its appearance even if I'm not sure why.

I need to go buy mass effect and play it. Bio-shock as well. Sure they're both cheap on steam now. Lots of nice RPG action on the PC.

I have no interest in Battlefield : Bad Company, but if they don't price gouge on steam and have a full featured release for the PC I'd almost feel obligated to buy it.

Not many MMO's though. STO reeks of suck, WoW Cataclysm is not interesting because it's an auto buy... Wonder if we'll see SWTOR next year. The secret world would be nice but a lot less likely.

[Velorath]

Not many MMO's though. STO reeks of suck, WoW Cataclysm is not interesting because it's an auto buy... Wonder if we'll see SWTOR next year. The secret world would be nice but a lot less likely.

APB is still being aimed for a release early next year (their site says Spring), and FFXIV is supposed to be a 2010 release as well, though they haven't announced a release date any more specific than that.

[Yoru]

So far, I'm only really interested in Mass Effect 2. I expect there'll be something else that pops up in Q1, of course.