2008: The Gaming Year Ahead

This year we also reflect on a few projects that may possibly stretch the boundaries of gaming (hope, hope). Some of them are in early stages of development, while others are well on the way.

	LittleBigPlanet For a while now, we've been hearing a lot about Sony's unconventional community-based PS3-exclusive, LittleBigPlanet. The game made several successful appearances on various press events, but it was recently uncovered that Sony pushed back the release to 2008. We like the idea and we can't wait to try it out.
	Spore The busy bees down at Maxis, led by video game legend Will Wright, are still focused on the creation of Spore, a game Will hopes will be his next major contribution to video game evolution. Well, Will, we're with ya. Spore, by the way, is a management/creation game that lets players create and control various forms of life. You can genetically modify your creations and then contribute to their evolution, until you've created an entire race of unique beings.
	Viking: Battle for Asgard Creative Assembly's next endeavor should bring on a unique mix of Total War style gameplay and classic third-person action. On the surface, it seems like an average console action game in-the-making, but considering Creative Assembly's reputation and the appealing setting, we think Viking: Battle for Asgard has true potential.
	Left 4 Dead The multiplayer shooter scene is in dire need of new ideas and so far it seems Left 4 Dead stands out from the crowd in that respect. From the creators of CS: Condition Zero and CS: Source (as well as the Xbox version of Counter-Strike), this game is being hailed as online team-based shooter and is in development for the PC and X360. We won't miss this one in 2008 and neither should you.
	Tom Clancy's End War - Ubisoft's strategy, Tom Clancy's End War, which will hopefully "turn heads" thanks to the addition of a new-fangled voice recognition system. Players speak orders and units act accordingly. EndWar is being made for consoles from the ground up, but the developers are still toying around with many ideas at this stage. If all goes well, however, this should be one of the top real-time strategies next year.

Still Pretty Much Hush-Hush

Each gaming year has its ups and downs, ultimately leading to the inevitable high point, which, as a rule, occurs during the fall when the market is jam-packed with new releases. Next year will, most likely, be no exception. However, a lot of the projects are still very much under wraps. While we're not entirely sure on the status of certain titles, most of them are already in the works. We therefore hope to bring you more about each game as soon as 2008 kicks off. In any case, you should be on the lookout for these:

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Rage
• Call of Duty 5
• Dragon Age
• Tomb Raider: Underworld
• Silent Hill 5
• Supreme Commander 2
• Resident Evil 5
• Deus Ex 3
• Tiberium (C&C FPS)
• Uncharted 2
• God of War 3
• Lost Planet expansion
• and, yes, Duke Nukem Forever

Possible announcements in 2008

If you're wondering why we left out potential games like KOTOR 3 or Diablo 3, you'd better check out our recent feature, which covers the current and future state of MMOGs.

In addition, a new Prince of Persia game has been rumored, after John Mechner (creator of the original game and designer of recent PoP games) revealed details about the upcoming Prince of Persia movie and graphic novel.

Hints were dropped about a new MechWarrior game with Jordan Weisman's recent acquisition of the rights to MechWarrior, Shadowrun, Crimson Skies and other FASA works.

If that's not enough for you, we've also heard reports about a possible Terminator game, following Halcyon's (owner of the Terminator franchise) formation of a gaming subsidiary. This new studio would supposedly handle a video game adaptation of the company's forthcoming film "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins." This one even has projected platforms (next-gen consoles, PC and mobile) and an expected release date - summer 2009.

If you're the type of gamer who prefers beat-'em-ups, there are a few games you should bear in mind - for one thing, titles like Capcom's recently announced Street Fighter IV, Namco's Soul Calibur IV and Nintendo's colorful Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

At any rate, you could say the gaming industry starves for originality. It saddens us to see but a handful projects that promise to deliver breakthroughs in design and gameplay. Once again, sequels and franchise milkage take precedent over innovation and creativity. There's hope, mind you. In anticipation of something fresh and innovative, the ever-watchful eye of the geek community now gazes towards veteran development studios like Blizzard, BioWare and Bungie, who are just about ready to make their next move. (And they are SURE to innovate, right? What with the pressure from their parent companies and the gigantic budgets that will revolve around their future projects. Spot the sarcasm in the tone please. - 2Lions)

As always, if you disagree with some of our choices or you feel we've missed something, by all means fill our comments section with your ideas and suggestions.