Fallout 3

Seems like we have the most info on RPG’s in this lineup. The Fallout franchise returns to Bethesda’s hands and they’ve spent over two years making it into a cataclysm of, well, Fallout. The second game in our list that’s had political uproar (this one over a picture…my goodness, don’t politicians have anything better to do?), Fallout 3 was one of those titles we saw a brief glimpse of last year and expect to see a whole lot more. With a fall release, we know that like Fable 2, players get a dog, but this one is more ferocious, can disappear for weeks at a time “on mission”, and if not treated right can die. And never come back. The much darker world of nuclear fallout is enough to make any gamer jittery with delight, and that’s without the hundreds of different possible endings that can happen. Watch for our preview of this one…it’ll be a doozy.

Rock Band 2

Remember a little game called Rock Band? The one that’s been outselling Guitar Hero 3 since February, and has since made Activision want to get in on the full blown band gaming? Well, it’s coming back with a vengeance, featuring not only a full brand spankin’-new tracklist, but an online World Tour, Battle of the Bands mode, a drum trainer (pfft…real players don’t need that. Hell yes I can beat it on medium!) and wireless instruments. Everything that seemed to be not quite there is coming, so that polish we complained about is looking to get fixed. Set for release later this year, it’ll be a direct competitor with Guitar Hero 4, and it should be a good bout.

Resident Evil 5

Coming from last year’s E3 with a wave of both political and “OMG” blogging, Resident Evil 5 is our resident racial epidemic (see what I did there?). For the last year the race police has believed that the Resident Evil series going to Africa and seeing many Africans infected with the T-virus is, well, racist. Obviously it is because in the majority of Africa there are Japanese people. Duh. But for gamers, remembering how amazing Resident Evil 4 was, both on the PS2/Gamecube and Wii is enough to stir their blood more than any political or racial commentary could. Details are still sketchy, but this next-gen title is Capcom’s baby, and we don’t see anything but excellence coming from them.

Gears of War 2

So what if he’s not CliffyB anymore? Last year we met in a bathroom, how much more exciting can the guy be? After the fallout of Gears of War’s non-lasting impression and the hasty return back to Halo 2’s online play, the Blezinski has promised a better, more wholesome multiplayer experience. A few leaked gameplay videos later, we hear lots of excitement but it’s still questionable…can’t judge a game until you’ve played it, or whatever the quote is. We know for sure that the campaign and co-op modes will be excellent, as they were before, this time with hopefully more story. It may be a holiday 08 title, but hey, it’s pretty, bloody, and it’s still got guns with chainsaws.