The State of Gaming: 2010

Sure, 2009 had it's hits:

  • Fallout 3
  • Left 4 Dead
  • Dead Space
  • Rock Band 2/Rock Band Beatles/Guitar Hero World Tour/Guitar Hero 5/Lego Rock Band/Band Hero
  • Fable 2
  • Call of Duty: World at War
  • KillZone 2
  • Halo Wars
  • Resident Evil 5
  • Batman Arkham Asylum
  • Halo 3: ODST

They are all just some of the great games of 2009 but most of them came out right at the beginning of fiscal year 2009 (and the end of calendar year 2008) Fiscal year 2010 got started off with a bang with Uncharted 2, Ratchet and Clank: A Crank in Time, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed 2, and Forza 3, (not to mention the PSPGo, who was released on the very first day of fiscal year 2010) but will include:

  • A New Wii?
  • Project Natal?
  • Sony PS3 Motion Controller
  • Left 4 Dead 2
  • Modern Warfare 2
  • Halo Reach
  • Splinter Cell Conviction
  • Bayonetta
  • Crackdown 2
  • Gran Turismo 5
  • God of War III
  • BioShock 2
  • Mass Effect 2
  • Metal Gear Rising
  • Max Payne 3
  • Deus Ex 3
  • Dead Rising 2
  • The Saboteur
  • MAG
  • Final Fantasy XIII/XIV
  • Star Wars The Old Republic

Those are just a few of the really exciting games that 2010 will have in store for us. 2009 seemed to reflect the economy, some bright spots, but the biggest news came not from the games coming out but the fact that the price was dropping. All three major home consoles saw price drops in 2009 and two of them saw a redesign. The PS3 went slimmer while the 360 shed the Pro bundle to leave the Elite as the standard console. Many releases were pushed back from the start of 2010 more into the middle of the year (meaning pushed back from the holidays of 09 to the Q1 of 2010), resulting in what will most likely be a fairly hot beginning to 2010, with a really hot middle, we'll know better how it will end closer to E3 2010.

Sony:

While it's not necessarily known if Natal or a new Wii will make it out in 2010, Sony has said their motion controller is set for a Spring 2010 release and it'll be interesting to see how the market responds to it. Sales of the PS3 have been going strong since the release of the slim unit as well as the price drop and should continue to do well throughout the year. With sales of HDTV's growing it'll be interesting to see if PS3's see a jump in sales as well due to it's Blu-ray player. The PSPGo hasn't sold all that well, however the PSP continues to sell decently.

Notable upcoming exclusives:

  • God of War III
  • Gran Turismo 5
  • The Agency
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • DC Universe Online
  • Agent
  • The Last Guardian
  • Mod Nation Racers
  • Ratchet and Clank: A Crank in Time
  • MAG

Microsoft's 360:

It has seen good sales and have the luxury of having a bigger installed base than the PS3. While Microsoft has said no to an external blu-ray player, most purchasers use the 360 for one thing: gaming. Microsoft's next big move is Project Natal, however it's undated and unknown (but forecasted) to be out in 2010 (however it has also been forecasted to hit fiscal 2011 aka holidays 2010)

Notable upcoming exclusives:

  • Forza 3
  • Alan Wake
  • Left 4 Dead 2
  • Mass Effect 2
  • Crackdown 2
  • GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony
  • Fable 3

Nintendo's Wii:

It may get a revamp sometime in 2010, however it's not guaranteed or even announced. Nintendo has always seen strong holiday sales and this year should be no different and hopefully they'll be much easier to find than in previous years. At it's new $199.99, the Wii has seen a jump in sales but it's nothing amazing, hopefully the holidays will boost sales.

Notable upcoming exclusives:

  • Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • New Super Mario Bros Wii
  • Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles
  • Need for Speed Nitro
  • Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
  • No More Heroes 2
  • Red Steel 2
  • Monster Hunter 3
  • Metroid Other M
  • A bunch of kid's games that nobody else really cares about.

So the years outlook is good and I look forward to it much more than I did 2009, and am hopeful that a slowly recovering economy means a great year for gaming.