Since gaming has been pretty bleak this summer with the only highlight of my gaming calendar in July and early August being Lego Harry Potter: Year 1 -4, I think it was time to look ahead and report on what games to watch out for on the run up to Christmas 2010.

From the looks of the upcoming games you’ll see below, 2010 is very much a year of the sequels. I personally don’t have a problem with this, as long as it was a good game to begin with and they don’t screw it up, I’m perfectly happy playing a second or even third generation of a game. That aside, I’ll begin.

Mafia 2

I’m eagerly awaiting my copy of this game to arrive next week, not just that it will be my first new game for about a month, but if you played the recently released demo, you’ll be excited too. The game is very similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto series, however, I personally think it brings with it better graphics along with a totally different environment based in the 1940′s.

In the game you play as Vito, a poverty stricken Italian American. In an attempt to gain wealth and respect, he joins the Mafia and you must climb the chain of command to reach Vito’s end dream of getting away from his life of poverty.

Halo: Reach

It won’t come as a surprise that Halo: Reach is a must play for Xbox 360 gamers. As one of the most anticipated games of the year, not only because it’s Halo but also because it’s the last Halo game that Bungie will be making before it’s passed over to the Microsoft based company, 343 Industries. With less than a month before the release of the game, I would get any pre-orders in now as I suspect it will be tough to pick it up in the shops.

Where all the previous Halo games has been sequels or taken place between the original Halo series (games 1 to 3), Halo: Reach takes place before even Halo 1. You play as a Spartan with Noble Team which is a group of Spartans, each with different deadly talents and unique gear. Along with your team, you must defend planet Reach from the oncoming Covenant force who are looking to achievement their ultimate goal of destroying Earth.

Bungie certainly go out with a bang with this game bringing an epic storyline, great new multiplayer features, stunning environments and even the ability to totally customise your Spartan’s armour to match your personality.

Dead Rising 2

For all those gamers out there with a hack and slash fetish, Dead Rising 2 is perfect. Once again, you are surrounded by hordes of zombies all trying to eat your brains, fortunately, there are a huge selection of weapons and improvised items for you to fight your way out.

This new game follows a completely new character, Chuck Greene, a former Motocross champion, who is visiting Fortune City. The whole purpose for his visit is to compete in a new game show called “Terror is Reality” where you are tasked with surviving a zombie filled environment all in the aid of winning some cash. However, while you’re in Fortune City, a zombie outbreak occurs and you’re no longer in a controlled environment, you’re now surrounded by thousands of brain munching zombies.

If you loved the first game, you’ll love this one because not only does it include more blood, guts and more weapons, it also brings thousands of zombies to the screen at one whereas the old game it was merely hundreds. Juicy.

Formula 1 2010

The Formula 1 game is back! After a year break, the high speed motor racing game has returned and it’s got a full bundle for 2010. With superb graphics, advanced physics and even an online multiplayer, Formula 1 2010 looks to be the best F1 game so far.

Players will be able to race against all of the drivers and teams featuring in the 2010 Formula One World Championship. You’ll also be able to go wheel to wheel on all of the 19 tracks that feature in the 2010 tournament, each one more spectacular than the last.

I can’t wait for this game to be released, I’ve got Forza 3 which does professional street car racing, Dirt 2 which covers rally, and soon Formula 1 2010 which will bring another completely different dimension to racing games.

Medal of Honor

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the release of a new Medal of Honor game however this 2010 release looks set to be a fantastic come back to the first person shooting genre.

Where previous Medal of Honor games have been based on past wars, this latest game in the series will take gamers into the modern day and to the front line of Afghanistan to be precise. You play as a Tier 1 operative, a select team of army personnel who aren’t afraid of any task, just give them a gun and they’ll get the job done.

Once you’ve battled your way through the single player campaign, based on real life events, you’ll be set for playing the intense multiplayer which is expected to be top notch considering it’s been built by DICE, the company being the Battlefield Bad Company 2 multiplayer. Pre-order from Game.co.uk and you also get access to the Battlefield 3 Beta.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2

The sequel to one of the best Star Wars based games is being released this year, Force Unleashed 2. The story continues from the original where you play as the secret apprentice of Darth Vader, Starkiller. You play in the years between Star Wars: Episode 3 and Star Wars: Episode 4 A New Hope which is largely unknown so you can expect more creatures, characters and more intense light saber battles.

Although the first game was good and brought yet another amazing Star Wars experience, it did seem quite short. However, this new game is expected to be even better with a longer storyline and improved environment and physics. The force is strong in this game.

Fable 3

For the third time, you are being called back into the world of Albion. However, this time, it’s 50 years later and the world of Albion we left behind in Fable 2, has completely disappeared. This time it’s the industrial revolution that is taking hold over Albion, however, thinks aren’t well under the new leadership. It’s your task to take over and lead a revolution against your evil king brother. Once you’ve achieved your end goal, the game is not over, you’ll then get the opportunity to carve Albion into you ideal city and it will be up to to decide whether you want to create harmony, or hell.

The Fable 3 franchise is a truly revolutionary series. When it was first released, it gave you massive customise unlike any other game. The third version of the game is no different and lets you control your environment even more. Not only will you be able to customise your character more than ever before, but you’ll also be able to make huge impacts on the world around you by what you do in the game.

For all you hardcore Fable fans out there (like me), there is a limited edition Xbox 360 controller being released in a fashionable gold. And remember, this game is an Xbox 360 exclusive, so not for you Playstation owners.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

It wouldn’t be a real run up to Christmas without another Call of Duty release would it? This latest game in the series seems to be Treyarchs version of Modern Warfare 2. Whether it will sell at the same volumes that Modern Warfare 2 did is to be expected, so really it’s not a surprise that Activision have once again slapped on an  extra £5 onto the price tag. Not a huge amount admittedly, however, if you times that by 10 million (that’s just what sold in North America) you’re talking about a hell of a lot.

Just like Modern Warfare 1 and 2, Black Ops takes place in the current day. However, this latest version of the franchise will allows gamers to explore the world unlike before by allowing you to play both underwater and in the skies. All in newly designed maps and high spec graphics.

Despite the extra £5 price tag, this game will still be one of the biggest releases of 2010, whether it will raise over $1 billion like the previous game, we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m sure the £130 Prestige Edition will help though.

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

Time for our final game before Christmas. It’s time to return to Italy as Ezio, however, this time you are stronger and more powerful than before as you are a Legendary Master Assassin. In the third installment of the game, you must travel to Rome to battle against the hated Templar Order, this time though, you have made some friends and you’ll be able to call on the aid of your Assassins partners to help you in battle.

One massive new feature to this game is the addition of a multiplayer. Where all the previous games have been single player only, this latest game will allow you to join friends online and choose between a number of unique characters, each with unique deadly weapons. At last you’ll be able to see who is the best at scaling the buildings of Rome.

Hopefully with this new release, we’ll also be able to fit together more of the puzzle pieces that is the back story of the game that has been running through the entire series of the game. In Assassins Creed 2 the story was blown wide open and so many questions have been raised so I look forward to finally answering some of these in Assassins Creed: Brotherhood.

That’s pretty much it for game releases up until Christmas 2010. I think it’s going to be an extremely busy few months in terms of gaming. Don’t forget, that the list above is just games and doesn’t include hardware. Remember that there are massive releases like PlayStation Move and Microsoft Kinect which brings motion controllers to both consoles, each in a different way.

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