By Lorin Baumgarten

Welcome to the new year Axeheads! As you have no doubt seen, the new year has brought changes to EpicBattleAxe.com. In my absence during the last few weeks, the new year has brought changes to my column as well. In addition to being located in the ‘Features‘ section of the new site (still working on a graphic though…), we have changed the name of the column to Gaming Matters (a punfully delicious name thought up by the pun-master himself). For the first installment of 2010 I thought we might harken back to last week’s episode of EpicBattleCry and also to an article I wrote last year. The harkening is back to the list that I published last year in my article titled One Epic Year. In that article I put forth forty-eight high quality games that had been released in the twelve months leading up to the writing. Now it is time to look forward and pontificate on what will be the most memorable games of 2010!!

There’s no doubt that 2009 was a memorable year, but will 2010 also deliver the goods? There are a lot of games with the potential to do this, but here’s a question – out of all of the possible blockbusters below, which title(s) do you think we will remember five years from now? The list has some big names, but which ones do you think people will regard as defining the year ahead? Check out the list, use the comments section below, and speak your mind! The more feedback the better, so don’t be shy.

Bayonetta

Dead Space 2 (??)

Personally, and not to skew the discussion, I see Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, and Red Dead Redemtion as being perhaps the most memorable out of the titles listed above. Why? Well let’s start with Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain looks to redefine narrative in gaming. Once again Director David Cage and the team at Quantic Dream are trying to move forward story heavy gaming and I , for one, am grateful. What the Quantic Dream team (get it – Dream Team? Take that Daniel Kayser!) gave us with Indigo Prophecy (or Fahrenheit for those of you in the EU) was a big step forward in story driven gaming. It was exceptionally well written and acted and possed an atmosphere and pacing as good as any game before it. The game was not perfect, however. Being a first attempt at a new type of gaming experience, the game play mechanics needed polishing. But it looks like Heavy Rain has provided that polish and the game is getting a lot of good press.

Next up is a game that I am very hopeful lives up to my expectations (because honestly, they are high). Alan Wake is a game that I might get a little gruff for having as one of my potentially most memorable of 2010, but I stand by it. I have all of the confidence in the world in Sam Lake (the game’s writer) and in the team at Remedy (remember Max Payne?). I couldn’t be more intrigued to check out their use of the episodic story device they have chosen to use in the game. I know that a few other games have used it in the past, but I am hopeful and confident that Remedy has refined and implemented the mechanic in a way as to make flow naturally and to not feel forced. Additionally, the episodic nature of the game opens up some very intriguing possibilities for future DLC, possibility even “seasons” of the game, a-la a TV show. And, oh yeah, let us not forget that the graphics and atmosphere look fantastic and that Sam Lake is among the elite when it comes to game writing.

And then there is Red Dead Redemption (one tumbleweed rolls across the screen). While there have been some good Western themed games over the years, there has never been a great one. If Rockstar Studios can create a game in Red Dead Redemption that is of the caliber of GTA IV, then I will roam the wild west for days and days. This is a game that has the real potential to define a genre, and there is no reason to think that Rockstar won’t deliver*.

With those as my top three candidates for most memorable of 2010, I must also give honorable mention to a little game from 4A Games that hasn’t been getting very much attention from the US media, Metro 2033. I quietly have very high hopes for this game, which is set in the post-apocalyptic tunnels of the Moscow Metro (subway). It is being compared to Bioshock in the European press for its ability to create a deeply immersive and detailed world and for very strong story and art direction. For whatever reason, though, the US press has given it little to no coverage. I think this is a game to watch.

Well there you have it. Those are my picks for most memorable games of 2010. What are yours? We want to hear it…shout it loud and proud in the comments below and let your favorite flag fly!

And don’t worry, I am excited for Mass Effect 2 also. You didn’t think I ‘d leave it out, did you?

*Editor’s Note: There kinda are SOME reason, but that’s because of an uprising at the developer dealing with unhappy wives, poor management at Rockstar Sand Diego, etc…Hopefully the potential of the game mentioned here will be the focus once it’s released.

Lorin Baumgarten is the founder/owner of Furious Gamer Radio and enjoys stuffing game manuals into both his pants and glove compartment to throw off police officers when being pulled over. He also likes cupcakes, beer, and beer-filled cupcakes.