WRUP - New Year

+ Mass Effect 2

I had a great amount of distaste for this game initially. You may have heard me complain a few times. They've hacked away far too much. However, the more I play and get sucked into the story, the less irritated I am over the design choices. I'm slowly but surely becoming very happy with the game, and looking forward to Mass Effect 3.

+ Halo Reach

Still playing multiplayer rather regularly. Just downloaded the Noble Map Pack, so I need to get acquainted with that.

+ Super Street Fighter 2 HD (XBLA)

Just downloaded it the other day. Like a blast from my childhood. Everything feels as it should be. Loving the high res sprites too. Now I just need to remember how to play..

+ Fable 3

Not played it yet, but I've got it. Just need to finish up with the above and I'll start on it.

+ Layton + Phoenix Wright 3DS

Is this coming out this year? I don't know. But when it does come out, the universe will probably explode. In fact, this is probably a 2012 release. This game is what the Mayans were predicting.

+ Mass Effect 3

If they can bring back some of the RPG functions they cut out from the first Mass Effect, it'll make me extremely happy.

+ Golden Sun DS

This ones already out, but I haven't bought it yet. I will soon though, and I'm sure it'll be glorious.

+ Zelda: Skyward Sword

I'm really not all that excited for this unfortunately. Its here because its a mainline Zelda and therefore I must buy it. But after Spirit Tracks I just don't know how much confidence I have in the Zelda team...and this one just doesn't seem to have much appealing about it. We'll see.

+ Bullet Storm

It'll probably just be a generic shooter, but there's something about it I really like. Can't quite place my finger on it, but this games just looks exciting.

+ Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light [360]

Initially avoided as I'm not too keen on top down shooters, but with 50% off over Christmas, I thought "why not". In co-op, it is a lot of fun and the puzzles are creative and well thought out. The free Kane and Lynch pack brings hilarious dialogue into the mix. Hearing Lynch shout out 'F***' complete with bleep at the sight of a large dinosaur makes it worth the price.

+ Final Fantasy XII [PS2]

Despite me buying it at launch in Feb 2007, I've still yet to complete this amazing game. Being FF13's literal opposite, it's huge with big open-world-like places with lots to do. I'm nearing the end but it amazes me how much stick this game gets. It's almost perfect.

+ Forbidden Siren [PS2]

My brother bought it recently so I've not had much chance to play on it much. From what I've played though, it is really good. Dodgy controls aside, it really is quite scary. Controlling a blind man through the eyes of a dog does get annoying though.

+ Call of Duty: Black Ops [PS3]

Loved the campaign and story. Much better than MW2's over dramatised mess. The online though has been a bit of a nightmare. A recent patch actually made connections horrible which they quickly tried to fix and since then, the odd match loading screen causes my PS3 to freeze, another problem I share with others. Another thing for them to fix. Really poor effort. Great when it does work.

+ Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Loved everything about Oblivion so I hope they continue down the same path. More than 5 voice actors would be welcome too.

+ Golden Sun Dark Dawn [DS]

Not able to commit time to another RPG so will get this once I'm done with FFXII. From what I've seen and heard, Dark Dawn will most likely end up my favourite DS RPG! Though it may have a rival in...

+ Pokemon Black or White [DS]

They've finally shaken up the tired formula and really innovated with these new entries. With all Pokemon being new with wonderful looking battle animations and loads of other great additions, I really think these will bring a fresh new beginning to the Pokemon series. The 3DS games will be special.

+ Tomb Raider

They seem to be going all out with this reboot. Instead of trying to compete with Uncharted, they're moving into new territory. Hopefully all the fresh ideas they being really invigorate the series.

+ Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

I found Peace Walker's focus on missions and team management dull and a waste of time really. I don't want to be taken away from the action every 5 mins to assign soldiers I've beamed up into the air to roles such as chef and medic. Hopefully they don't change Snake Eater too much. Will make it the first proper 3D MGS on handheld.

Goldeneye 007 (Wii):
It's pretty good so far, actually has the action and the feel of Bond. Played a bit of multiplayer and completely wtfraped everyone on my first go.

Call of Duty: Black Ops(PC):
Pretty good single player, although the enemies seem to respawn for no reason, and the AI is pretty stupid. I also had an occurrence where I had to throw a grenade at one to kill him after putting a whole clip in.
Multiplayers not bad, got used to it pretty quickly, and I got from Level 1 to 7 in my first match (it was Headquarters).

Epic Mickey: Just started it and it's pretty good so far, the camera isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as reviewers seem to be exaggerating.

Fallout New Vegas (PC):
I was playing it and was pretty happy until this morning, I went into the hotel where Benny is staying, and my character froze due to the man at the front desk not asking me the question about weapons, and I have to go back to a save state which is 5 levels back . So I'm not happy at all.

Pokemon Black/White: Just that it's a new Pokemon game .

The Last Story: If it comes out over here, it looks awesome.

Portal 2: Enjoyed the first, and this should be just as good, if not, better.

The 3DS in general, even though I'm probably not going to get it till Christmas (money).

And Skyward Sword should be good as well

Uncharted 2 (PS3)
I got this game for the story alone simply because I loved the first game and had heard so many good things about this one. Battered the single player mode (slowly working through Crushing difficulty), but then I discovered the online modes. This game made me buy a headset and I'm simply addicted to Uncharted online now. I play it almost every day. It's definitely one of my favourite games in a very long time.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (PS3)
Like Ifrit, I also bought this when the price cut came. I was planning on buying it just before the cut anyway, after impressive reviews, but jumped on it when I saw the price drop. It's the type of game you can play in small bursts. Doing a level here and there. I haven't beaten the game yet. Instead, I keep replaying levels over to get all the upgrades etc, and unlocking weapons. I hope they continue with this type of Lara Croft game, because I'm really impressed with it.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene (PS3)
Bought this when it dropped to 5.49 on PSN too. Just for the hell of it, I thought it would be worth the price, and while it's not as gripping as something like Pac-Man DX (which is the same price), it's still pretty fun and challenging, with some pretty cool tunes. Can play your own tracks from your PS3 HDD too, and it will create a level based out of it, making for endless stages. Yet to beat it all, but a pretty decent shooter, if a little plain in the graphics department.

Assassin's Creed 2 (PS3)
Just got it last week and played it for a couple of days. Having a lot of fun with it at the moment, and the story seems quite good so far. Will definitely get around to beating it this month I should think.

Uncharted 3
I'm a huge fan of this series now, having beaten both games. I can't wait to see what Uncharted 3 turns out like. And now that I'm hooked on Uncharted 2's online mode, that's contributed even more to me wanting U3.

Tomb Raider
Same as what Ifrit said really. I've always been a fan of Lara's games, and plan to go through Underworld again soon. It's a shame in a way that Eidos/Square feel they need to reboot the franchise because I really thought the last game was great, but I think it's a good decision if it means bringing more people back to the series. I think after Uncharted's success, people will flock to it rather than another samey Tomb Raider game. Hopefully this reboot will be something special.

Zelda: Skyward Sword
Like Jacob, it has to be said that I haven't been looking forward to this one so much. All that seems new is the motion plus action, which probably won't be enough on its own. Zelda as a whole really needs a shake up. Nintendo need to look right back to Majora's Mask and the Oracles games to get an idea as to what we need. Hopefully it will be something like those games, but I'm not getting my hopes too high. However, it's on the list simply because it's Zelda and will still be a good game, no doubt.

Monster Hunter Tri

I'm currently having a blast with Monster Hunter Tri. I totally love it. I have it since Christmas and I'm very close to hitting the 100hr mark already. It's a ton of fun, extremely addicting and challenging. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd hit 1000hrs at some point, especially because I'm a die-hard completionist and will likely be wanting every armor set and weapon I can get in the game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

I got this for Christmas too but I'm far from done with it which has very little to do with the diffculty. It's Monster Hunter Tri taking up all my playtime right now. I'm at the very beginning of World 8 right now which certainly has a very Metroid-feel especially the music which is completely awesome. I'm not sure how I'm gonna handle completing it with 100% here. Getting a Gold Medal in every level is gonna be a big problem if I can't even make it through some them without dying once. I'll see.

Sonic Colours

Not playing yet because it's probably going to arrive tomorrow. I saw it for 28 € on Amazon and snatched it instantly which really paid off as the price is at 45 € now. It's going to be my first Sonic game ever and I'm sure I'll greatly enjoy it.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

I guess it won't surprise anyone that Skyward Sword is my most anticipated game of 2011 going by my username alone. I'm glad that Nintendo is keeping the hype low this time even if that means less to no footage or information for us. It really benefits the game more as people won't have completely ridiculous expectations like with Twilight Princess which didn't disappoint me at all. It did anything but as it was yet again another fantastic Zelda game.

Anyways, I'm dying to see more of the game. The artstyle is one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen and fits the Zelda universe perfectly. Gameplay is going to be excellent as well with Motion Plus not only giving combat much more depth, it's also upping the difficulty quite a bit since you need to hit specific spots in a specific way to be successful. I'm also really interested in the mixing up of the formula that was hinted a while ago.

Okamiden

Okami is probably my favorite Wii game even beating Super Mario Galaxy 2. It simply had something magical that I didn't experience in any other game yet. Okamiden is, according to Famitsu, extremely similar to Okami and I couldn't be any happier with that.

The Last Story

There hasn't been an announcement for a western release yet but a game like this surely won't stay in Japan, just for the similarities with Final Fantasy alone. I'm really digging the combat system, the graphics, the music(!!), pretty much everything. It will likely rival Baten Kaitos as my favorite RPG of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Even though it's "just" a remake, I'm still more than excited to play it. Ocarina of Time wasn't my first game but it was the game that got me into gaming and heavily influenced my life for the past 8 years. Playing an improved version both graphically and otherwise on a handheld in 3D? I really can't say no to that at all.

Xenoblade

Like I said above, Baten Kaitos is my favorite RPG of all time and this game is coming from the creators of it. I really really hope it's going to make its way over to the West.

Pokémon Black/White

I've bought pretty much every Pokémon game until the beginning of 2010, including the Mystery Dungeon and Ranger ones. Just when I thought I should stop doing that and buy other games instead, Black/White came around the corner and this time I'm actually excited for them. One thing I'm not doing this time though, is reading every spoiler possible. I won't read anything Black/White related till I have played it myself as I really want to be surprised this time.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

They are really taking their time with getting this to Europe but that doesn't make me any less excited about it. I really appreciate creativity and excellent looking artstyles and this game is full of it and will put a constant smile on my face while playing it.