To celebrate the beginning of Downloadable Suicide’s third year, I’m looking toward the future and sorting out which of 2010′s games I want to play. Only two games from last year’s post actually came out (Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, Dragon Age: Origins), but I’ve managed to play them both. This time I’ve tried to choose games that I’m pretty sure will launch this year, and I’ve added a section for games that might be announced.

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What’s (Probably) Coming Out

Battlefield 1943 (DICE, EA): I’ve been trying to play this on Xbox 360 since buying it on sale over the holiday, but I experience weird lag in most matches. It seems to be a problem with keeping players in sync — I call it undo lag: I take three steps forward, then I take two steps back. But that’s fine — I only wanted to take the one step anyway. Later, I shoot a rocket at a tank, then it turns out I didn’t. That’s fine, too. I get to try again. But it’s a real bummer when I actually wanted to do the thing that I tried to do. Still, when it works, and even though it’s a shooter on a console, Battlefield 1943 is fun. I’m excited to play the PC version, provided the networking issues don’t come with it.

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Final Fantasy XIII (Square-Enix): I almost want to play this more because it’s a JRPG without an action combat system than because it’s a new Final Fantasy game. Its combat system is actually somewhere between action and turn-based, but as long as I’m not constantly mashing buttons for 70 hours, I’ll probably love it. It’s Final Fantasy, after all.

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Skate 3 (Black Box, EA): Although Skate 2 wasn’t my favorite game of 2009 as its predecessor was in 2007, I definitely played it more than any other game. I’m sure to do the same with Skate 3, as long as the promotion of co-op doesn’t ruin the game for solo players.

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Alpha Protocol (Obsidian Entertainment, SEGA): Against my better judgment, I didn’t cancel my Alpha Protocol pre-order (for which I’d already been billed) when Sega announced its delay on the day it was meant to release. I’m bracing for disaster.

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Brink (Splash Damage, Bethesda): Splash Damage has a lot to prove with Brink. We know they can create a fantastic multiplayer game (though I feel as if I’m the only one outside of Europe who thinks so of Quake Wars), but can they create a world of their own and tell a story within it that makes us care?

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To Be Announced In 2010

Lost Odyssey 2 (Mistwalker, Microsoft): I’ve decided that Lost Odyssey is the best turn-based JRPG I’ve ever played. I want the series to continue; the characters are immortal, it only makes sense.

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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 5 (Atlus): Rumors say that this game will transition the SMT franchise to Playstation 3. If that’s true, this is also the game that will transition me to Playstation 3.

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Counter-Strike 2 (Valve Software): I just have a feeling.

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