10: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Last time a Counter-Strike game was released was almost 8 years ago, back in 2004. Despite its age, a lot of gamers still play Counter-Strike, it’s one of the purest shooters on the market today, and even the decade old Counter Strike 1.6 has an avid player base. This year, we’re getting the long awaited sequel, called Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which will hit all major platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X. Release date: May.

9: Max Payne 3

No other games have been able to pull off the neo-noir style like Max Payne and Max Payne 2. Max Payne 3 will bring many changes, chief of which is the setting: Max Payne has left New York and, as Rockstar puts it, has “drifted from bad to worse”. Release date: March.

8: Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is the final game in the BioWare’s sci-fi series, and as expected, continues from where Mass Effect 2 left off. Mass Effect 3 will feature refined combat, and will offer a multiplayer co-op mode as well. Release date: March.

7: Mario Party 9

The Mario Party series spans 14 games, and 2012 will see the 15th entry in the franchise — a franchise that has sold over 50 million units worldwide. Mario Party 9 for the Wii brings back the usual cast of Mario, Luigi, and some 30 other playable characters. On top of that, Mario Party 9 will feature 30 mini games as well. Release date: March.

6: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is set between Metal Gear Solid 2 and MGS 4, and follows Raiden, a Katana-wielding cyborg ninja. Let’s repeat that again: you’ll be playing as a Katana-wielding cyborg ninja. What else is there to say? Release date: November.

5: Hitman Absolution

We haven’t seen much from the Hitman series for over half a decade since Hitman: Blood Money was released. The new game is called Hitman Absolution, but details of the story and setting are vague at this point. All we know is that it’s built using a brand new engine, and that Agent 47 is finally back in action. Release date: July.

4: Halo 4

Halo 4 is the first Halo game not developed by Bungie, which means the pressure on developer 343 Industries is immense. Halo 4 is set right after Halo 3, and marks the return of Master Chief as the main protagonist. Release date: September.

3: BioShock Infinite

The prequel to what’s arguably one of the best games of the 2000s, BioShock Infinite takes place several decades before BioShock, and centers around the floating city of Columbia. Release date: September.

2: Diablo 3

It’s been over a decade since we’ve last seen anything from the Diablo franchise. Diablo 3 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, and focus on dungeon crawling and hack and slash gameplay. With five different character classes, tons of dungeons, and PVP combat as well, Diablo 3 is the most anticipated RPG of the year.
Release date: July.

1: Grand Theft Auto V

There are popular game franchises, and then there are popular game franchises. And then there’s Grand Theft Auto, a series that has sold over 120 million copies to date. Grand Theft Auto 5 returns to Los Angeles, or rather “Los Santos”, as the fictional city is called. Expect tons of missions, cars, weapons, and may, just maybe, a bowling mini-game. Release date: October.

According to the Associated Press, one of the bastions of journalism out there, Valve’s shooter /slash/ puzzle game Portal 2 is the best game of 2011. Associated Press made a list of top 10 games of 2011, a list which includes Skyrim, Deus Ex Human Revolution, but lacks heavy hitters like Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. The full list:

1. Portal 2
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
4. Bastion
5. Batman: Arkham City
6. InFamous 2
7. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
8. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
9. Rayman Origins
10. Dead Space 2

What do you think? Any of your favorite games in 2011 that didn’t make the list?

Co-op gaming has become one of the main traits of this generation of games and consoles, whether online of offline, playing through the single-player campaign with one (or several) of your friends is a far superior way to experience the campaign. We’ve put together a top 10 list of cop-op games you must play with your friends.

10: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Nintendo’s classic Super Mario tale comes to the Wii with a wonderful 2.5D visuals and for the first time on the Wii, a real multilayer Mario game, with the ability for several players to go through the camping together.

9: Halo 3 / Halo ODST

Halo 3′s (and Halo ODST’s) wonderful competitive multiplayer (deathmatch, team deathmatch etc.) overshadows the excellent co-op mode, where up to four players can play together as a squad throughout the campaign. The upcoming Halo Reach is set to expand on the co-op features as well.

8: Little Big Planet

One of the most original and inspiring PS3 games to be released, Little Big Planet is like a much better looking Super Marion Bros. Wii, with some intricate puzzles and levels, and simple, intuitive gameplay where seasoned gamers can play with newcomers. It’s a must-own game for any PS3 owner.

7: Left 4 Dead / Left 4 Dead 2

Valve’s survival horror shooter is a game where co-op is the main feature — and where teamwork is an absolute must. You rely on your buddies to survive hordes of zombies and enemies. Both the original Left 4 Dead and the sequel offer tense, high-paced action for up to four buddies to team up, either offline or online.

6: Army of Two / Army of Two The 40th Day

The quintessential buddy-co-op shooter, where you team up with a friend and take on missions, and it’s where teamwork has an even bigger importance, as some parts of the missions cannot be solved by yourself — you have to rely on your buddy, or if you’re alone, sadly, the AI.

5: Rock Band / Guitar Hero

The games that revolutionized music-based games — or rather, invented them — offer several players to participate in a band, each with an instrument. However, the high cost of the accessories, which can amount to hundreds of dollars for a complete set, is a turnoff for most gamers.

4: Crackdown / Crackdown 2

A futuristic Grand Theft Auto — by the creator of GTA — Crackdown was a sleeper hit in 2007, and one of its main attractions was a wonderful co-op feature where players could together, in the huge city, fight through the missions. Even better, players could just pop in and out and join a mission while you were playing single-player (if you allowed them, of course), and help you out. Or just make things more fun.

3: Borderlands

Gearbox’ stylistic shooter, which combines FPS and RPG, offers up to four gamers to play together through the campaign, take down enemies with tons of guns and share the loot as well.

2: Gears Of War / Gears Of War 2

One of the pivotal games on the Xbox 360, Gears Of War was the first real co-op third person shooter on the console, or at least, the best one. With a strong storyline and awesome set-pieces, Gears Of War and its sequel are the best co-op games you can find on the Xbox 360. Expect Gears Of War 3 to continue the co-op feature that the previous games established.

1: World of Warcraft

Without a doubt, the game that took the MMORPG world by storm. Currently there are over 12 million active WoW players, and hundreds of thousands of guilds, where players group and take on the quests together. Granted, this is true to a vast majority of MMORPGs, but because of World of Warcraft’s massive success, it’s the best co-op game you can play with your friends — and you probably already have.

The decade is coming to an end (actually it has already come to an end in certain parts of the world), and this year was the year that downloadable games saw some quality titles released, which didn’t go the usual retail way. We’ve compiled our top 10 downloadable games of 2009. We did not include DLC or expansions as part of retail games (like GTA 4 DLC etc.).

10: Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic (PS3)

The original Rag Doll Kung Fu was a hit on Steam when it was released way back in 2005, and the new PSN version, which featured brand new and rather stunning HD visuals, however, a short single-player campaign kept it from being a must-own title for PS3 owners.

9. Bejeweled 2 (multi-platform)

The original Bejeweled was nothing short of a sensation when it came out in 2001, and has sold millions of copies on all sorts of platforms. The sequel, while keeping many of the same gameplay elements, is a worthy successor and should be in any puzzle-player’s collection.

8: Splosion Man (Xbox 360)

Downloadable games are often where developers take big chances in terms of gameplay, and developer Twisted Pixel Games certainly took some chances with Splosion Man, where your character simply explodes whenever you do something. Anything, really. It’s one of the most entertaining downloadable games of 2009, sadly though, it’s an Xbox 360 exclusive.

7: Trine (PS3, PC)

Easily one of the most beautiful games of 2009, including the retail blockbusters that were released as well. It’s not only a great single player experience, but also features co-op for up to three players, who can take on the puzzles and challenges together.

6: Trials HD (Xbox 360)

Remember the original, and highly addictive “Motocross” game Elasto Mania, released way back in 2000? A spiritual successor named “Trials” was released online years later, and now, Trials HD on Xbox 360. It’s easily one of the most addictive games you’ll find on Xbox Live.

5: Plants vs. Zombies (PC, Xbox 360, other)

Developer PopCap seemingly cannot do anything bad, each game seems better and better, more and more addictive. Plants Vs. Zombies is a new take on the Tower Defense genre, and if you know the concept, you’ll know just how addictive it can get. Throw in Zombies and the usual PopCap humor, and you got yourself hours upon hours of fun.

4: PixelJunk Shooter (PS3)

The PixelJunk games have been highly successful and have attracted a decent following among fans. Their latest game, PixelJunk Shooter, released only last month, features some interesting gameplay mechanics not seen before in gaming. The use of water and fire (or rather, lava) in the levels is crucial. For instance, blow a hole in a reservoir and the spilling water will cool the lava, forming a rock which can be used to solve a puzzle etc.

3. Flower (PS3)

If games had cult-classics like movies (which games do, to some extent), Flower for the PSN would be the first member to join that club. It not only features stunning visuals and artwork, but an amazing ambient soundtrack and controls that make Flower one of the most innovative games of 2009, if not the most innovative game of 2009.

2. Fat Princess (PS3)

Team multilayer games saw something new with Fat Princess, an interesting take on Capture the Flag game mode — where instead of flags, you got Far Princesses — with a cute 3D cartoon style. It had all the bells and whistles of multiplayer games, with different classes, awards and rankings and much more, but unlike most other games, it had style.

1. Battlefield 1943 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Nothing short of a game which challenges most games released at $50 price-point in retail. While it was a cut down version of the Battlefield formula, it still featured exciting multiplayer action, great visuals and fully destructible environments. It’s one of the best multiplayer games of 2009, and for $15, it’s worth it for anyone with an Xbox 360 or PS3.

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2009 has been a great year for video games, and while sales have overall decreased and Modern Warfare 2 has pretty much been everywhere these last few months, here’s a look back at the top 10 most surprising things that happened in the video game world in 2009.

10: Duke Nukem Forever, 3D Realms bids farewell

Many will not count this as a surprise, but given that nothing was ever official, and that the game was in and out of development for 10 years, nobody knew how it would end. And yet, nobody expected that 3D Realms, once one of the most recognized developers in the world, would file for bankruptcy, can the project, get sued by 2K Games, counter sue 2K Games, and so on.

The outcome of this battle between 3D Realms — now only a company which manages Duke Nukem IP — and 2K Games might take years to conclude.

9: No Half Life 2: Episode 3

At this year’s E3, everyone was expecting Valve to unveil the third and final episode of Half Life 2, after all, it’s been two years since the Episode 2, and it was only a year between EP 1 and EP 2. But sure enough, there was no Episode 3 for 2009, instead, quite surprisingly, Valve announced and released Left 4 Dead 2 — a move which sparked outrage from the Left 4 Dead community, a game which was released only a year ago.

Left 4 Dead 2 didn’t bring any drastically new features compared to its predecessor, and overall it’s been a disappointing year for Valve (aside from a lot of sweet Team Fortress 2 updates).

8: PSP Go. Revealed. Released. Disappointed.

Sony finally unveiled something that was supposed to catch up to the DS, both in terms of functionality and features, and at first sight, it looked great: better screen, smaller form factor, no UMD — lots of on board storage. However, reality has been different for Sony’s new portable console, making it anything but a “best seller”. The main reason? Its price. $250. For $50 more, you can get a PlayStation 3, which features a Blu-ray player.

Gamers clearly spoke with their wallets.

7: 1UP sold, EGM shut down

Publisher Ziff Davis has struggled for the past few years, and in the beginning of 2009, it sold game portal 1UP to Hearst’s UGO Entertainment division, and, even more surprisingly, shut down Electronic Gaming Monthly, once the go-to magazine for gamers and all things game related.

The magazine was in print for 20 years, and the final issue was released in January 2009. All 30 employees from EGM were let go with the closure.

6: Wii price cut to $199

“We’re fine”, Nintendo kept insisting throughout most of 2009, but when Microsoft lowered the price on the Xbox 360, then upped the features and storage, and when Sony finally revealed a PS3 slim for only $299, Nintendo suddenly had a tough time convincing gamers to shed $250 for a Wii, which was far too underpowered, featured no multimedia capabilities, and has far less storage than its competitors.

Nintendo finally lowered the price to $199 in the second half of 2009.

5: Modern Warfare 2 PC is a pure console port

File this under “a total slap in the face for PC gamers”. Not only did Infinity Ward shock many by revealing that Modern Warfare 2 would not feature dedicated servers, it would also feature all the limitation found on the consoles. Like the 18-player limit for online multiplayer. 18. What is it, 1992? 32 players have been standard on the PC for a long time, most games even support 64 — Modern Warfare 1 supported 48.

The PC version of Modern Warfare 2 was nothing but a port from the console counterparts. A good port, one might argue, but still, 18 players? Come on…

4: Pandemic studios shut down

One of the most iconic developer studios in the world, Pandemic, was shut down by EA earlier this year, only 2 years after the company acquired Pandemic. The noted developers from Star Wars Battlefront, Mercenaries and The Saboteur were let go because EA cited that employees cost three times as much in California as in Canada, for instance.

We can understand the business side of it, but still, a sad entry to 2009.

3: Lots of studios go belly up

It wasn’t just Pandemic that was shut down in 2009, a ton of game developers had to go belly up during this troubled year. Among them, 3D Realms, Atomic Games, Midway Newcastle and San Diego, Factor 5, Empire Interactive, Deadline Games, GRIN, among others.

The bad news was topped by EA Games, which cut over 1,000 jobs, 10% of its workforce, this year. In total, analysts estimate that 12% of the workforce in the video game developer industry in North America were let go, some 6,300 jobs.

2: StarCraft 2 features no LAN support

When Blizzard revealed that StarCraft 2 would not have a LAN multiplayer feature, gamers were angry. Korean gamers were pissed. Instead of LAN, SC2 will use Battle.net, meaning the end is in sight for LAN parties. Whether the removal of LAN is a measure against piracy, or just a way of pissing off professional Korean StarCraft players, remains to be seen. No matter what, it’s a huge disappointment.

Meanwhile, the petition to add LAN to StarCraft 2 has reached almost 250,000 signatures.

1: PlayStation 3 Slim

The news was rumoring for a while, but no firm evidence was ever presented, and Sony always denied the existence of the PS3 slim. Until they confirmed it. And boy was it sweet news. The PS3 slim, not only smaller, lighter and more power efficient than the previous console, it also retailed at an all new, low price of $299.

The introduction of the PS3 slim, coupled with its price tag, officially kicked off the second leg of the current-gen console wars, and as a result, Sony is finally back in the game.

The PS3 is trailing at a distant third, behind the Xbox 360 and well behind the Wii. We’ve gathered out top ten reasons the PlayStation 3 is failing at the moment.

10: Too many and confusing SKUs.

Since the PS3 was released in 2006, there have been seven official SKUs in production, with differences in everything from the amount of USB ports, to backwards compatibility, to WiFi, to flash card readers and even Super Audio CD support. With so many SKUs, it’s no surprise that gamers are confused.
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