Xbox 360 Game News, Reviews, and Columns - XboxFocus

Top Five Anticipated Games of 2008

by XboxFocus Staff March 21st 2008 2:49 PM CDT14 Comments

2007 kicked ass. The year offered up some of the best Xbox 360 titles to date, and it was one the best gaming seasons for the industry on the whole. From the epic blockbusters like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, to elegant single-player affairs like Mass Effect and Bioshock, 2007 had nearly everything (except a console RTS!).

Still, while we can lament on the past year for ages, we cannot wince at the future. While it may not be as bright as 2007, this year's lineup of games is nothing to turn a cheek to. We here at XboxFocus are pretty pumped up for 2008, and we decided to list the five games we think you should keep your eye out for the most. We had all the staff list their most anticipated games and from those lists, and some minor debates, this list was compiled. Quick Note before we start though: Resident Evil 5 has been excluded due to its release in 2009. However, if the game were to release in 2008, there is no doubt the game would sit towards the top of our list.
It has been eight, long, strenuous, years since we've seen Banjo & Kazooie doing their thing on a console. Finally, the wait is going end with Banjo Threeie, an Xbox 360 exclusive. While the title we have posted above isn't the official name Rare has given to the next installment of the series, we're pretty confident that it will be thanks to hints from Banjo Tooie. But whatever the title is going to be, the fact is that this long overdue sequel is finally coming, and we can't be more excited for it.

Nearly everyone who works at Xbox Focus had an Nintendo 64 when we were younger, thus we remember just how great of a run Rare had in the late 90's. Banjo Kazooie was one of those titles Rare kicked out while in its prime, and anyone who played it knows how timeless the platformer was. While it was followed up with a solid sequel, it has been a while since Rare has put the same magic into a game as they did with the original Banjo-Kazooie. We're praying it returns the developer's Xbox 360 sequel.

Right now there are only two results Banjo Threeie wind up being: 1) a return to glory and 2) an epic flop. There is no in-between as seen with Perfect Dark Zero, a game that also attempted to ressurrect a Rare franchise on the 360. There are no console launch excuses this time for Rare, as Banjo Threeie has to be perfect, and we're pretty sure Rare will come close to doing so.
LucasArts' upcoming Star Wars project is the company's biggest project to date. Spanning from video games, comics, novels, and action-figures, this multimedia mega-project is going to be nearly as big as a theatrical Star Wars release. Not only that, but the entire project is going to answer some of the biggest questions Star Wars nerds have been asking regarding the universe' canon between Episodes III and IV of the saga. How do the remaining Jedi perish? How did the clone troopers turn into storm troopers? Will Jar-Jar die in a flaming inferno as we all dreamed of in 1999? Oh, and yeah: it will all be G-Canon material (that means George Lucas approved).

But besides all that, the actual game at hand will be putting the player in a more sinister role. Instead of working with the light side of the force, the player will manifest in the dark, as Darth Vader's apprentice, being sent out to destroy all the remaining Jedi. While the story is clearly the emphasis of the game, we're eager to see how its gameplay works out. If it's something turn-based like Knights of the Old Republic, we'll be dissapointed, because we're expected real time, andrenaline pumping, lightsaber duels. With all the crap planning to go down in this game though (and the fact it looks downright beautiful in HD), it makes you wonder how much of a focus the actual gameplay will be.
While the four year wait seperating Fable and Fable 2 may seem like a lot in the real wolrd, consider the fact that the actual time difference in game's universe is over 500 years! Yeah, not too much of a direct sequel.

Doesn't matter though. We're excited for all the new gameplay additions Fable 2 is promising, and add in the fact that the world of Fable is advancing into a more colonial age (primitive guns can be seen in trailers), the fresh feel to this Fable adventure is welcome. Also, with the long development period, this game is going to have alot (and we mean ALOT) of content. Currently the official quest total is amounting at over 150, all with unique storylines and characters to distinguish each. Add in the fact that the world of Fable 2 will be a living, breathing, society and you can understand how gigantic this game is going to be.

What is also intriguing about Fable outside of its monstrous size is what new combat abilities will be featured, which not only showcases 80 different spells, but also offers up a plethora of mideval weapons as well as advanced weapons like firearms. So yeah, this game is going to have ALOT of content in it, and knowing that this game may be one of those endless titles like 2006's Oblivion is very reassuring.
Grand Theft Auto IV has been held in a cloak of mystery every since it was revealed back in E3 2006. With hardly any gameplay footage shown, and sparse trailers released, we're not yet convinced that GTA IV is going to be the best Grand Theft Auto ever, but we're sure that we're pissing in our pants as we wait for it's release. Rockstar is relying heavily on its name to garner excitement up for gamers' return to Liberty City, and while we can take the bait for now, we can easily let go of the line if GTA IV doesn't prove to be an amazing gaming experience.

What little media we have been shown however does look phenomenal. If Liberty City and its characters prove to be everything Rockstar is making them out to be, we're confident in this game. However, the mystery surrounding GTA IV has us worried at the same time, and this odd mix of excitement and paranoia has us locked in for the game's release.
Was there any doubt that we would have this game on the top of our list? The original Gears of War was a masterpiece, and it is what literally carried the Xbox 360 until last year's fourth quarter wave of games. There is no doubt in our mind that Epic Games will perfect the original formula as best they can with Gears of War 2, and we can't wait until November when we get our hands on it. While Epic has been tight on details (as all we have seen is some neo-communistic support trailer) but they know what we expect. And that is nothing less than the best offering the Xbox 360 has offered to date, and if Gears of War 2 fails to live up to that hype, then consider it a dissapointment. Yeah, no pressure at all.

Don't be mistaken, those aren't the only five games we're dieing to play. Titles like Guitar Hero IV, Tom Clancy's EndWar, Ninja Gaiden 2, Dark Sector and Fracture are all titles we're also keeping our eyes on and drueling over. Contrary to popular believe, 2008 may not have that epic lineup of games that 2007 boasted, but we have a good feeling that this year will end up as good as last's.