Editors' picks: The 20 most anticipated games of 2007
2007 is shaping up to be a big year for gaming. New consoles, more powerful hardware, and loads of promising titles are set to grace the fine year of ought-seven. Here are some of the top choices, hand-picked by our own game-hungry CNET editors.
This is the spiritual successor to System Shock 2 I've been waiting for. It takes place underwater and SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is nowhere to be seen, but the art deco style, the bizarre premise, and the truly creepy atmosphere make up for it. Any game in which you can get genetic augmentations from vending machines is one I'm going to be playing.
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
This one is obvious: Halo 3 is easily one of the must-have games of 2007. In addition to seeing Master Chief in high-def for the first time, I'm hoping that Bungie makes good on its promise to one-up Halo 2's single-player campaign and online multiplayer support.
--John Falcone, senior editor
--John Falcone, senior editor
Metal Gear Solid 2 was the sort of title that convinced people they just had to buy a PlayStation 2. Sony is hoping the latest sequel, MGS4, will do the same thing for the PS3, which is seriously short on compelling exclusives. If it looks as good as the trailers suggest, we're willing to look past the typically surreal and convoluted Metal Gear plot.
--John Falcone, senior editor
--John Falcone, senior editor
If you're one of the many millions of people who've enjoyed Will Wright's SimCity or The Sims, odds are high that you will like his next title, Spore. A game of evolutionary progress, Spore starts you off with a single-celled life form. From there, you progress through multiple stages of development until you've built an advanced civilization capable of space flight, at which point you take off into a galaxy inhabited by the planets of other Spore players around the world. Sounds like emergent gameplay at its finest.
--Rich Brown, senior editor
--Rich Brown, senior editor
Previews of this 3D shooter, the poster child for next-gen graphics, have blown audiences away since E3 2006. Our hope is that Crysis will deliver not only a bigger, better tropical island sandbox of destruction than Far Cry (developer Crytek's first title), but that it will also reinvigorate enthusiasm for PC gaming's visuals.
--Rich Brown, senior editor
--Rich Brown, senior editor
Nintendo's Mario games for the GameCube didn't quite satisfy my appetite for the next classic Mario game, so I'm hoping Super Mario Galaxy pulls though. Early reports indicate it's one of the better-looking Wii titles and that the control scheme is solid. It cannot be released soon enough.
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
The fourth installment of EA's over-the-top arcade basketball franchise, NBA Street Homecourt has been totally redesigned from the ground up for next-gen consoles (XBox 360, PS3). While jacking up the graphics, the producers have also imbued the game with a retro feel, so you get that whole new-meets-old feeling while unleashing your arsenal of freak skills on your opponents.
--David Carnoy, executive editor
--David Carnoy, executive editor
This will be the ultimate fanboy party game. The original Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee were awesome, and SSBB will only be better with Solid Snake and Pit from Kid Icarus in the mix. The fighting system isn't the most complex one out there, but who cares? It's fun!
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
The early versions I've played of this game just screamed "Diablo-esque action-RPG clickfest," and that's just fine for me. Online gameplay, magic spells, guns, all brought together by the makers of Diablo and Diablo 2? I'm sold.
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
OK, so I picked only games for Nintendo systems--but in my defense, I've got just a Wii and a DS right now, with my eye on an Xbox 360. It seems like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 will be either a big hit or a big bust, and it all depends on how well they nail down the controls. If this game feels realistic enough, it's going to be a must-have Wii title.
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
Oblivion is so huge, they could just keep on milking it forever--adding a castle here, a dungeon there. Instead, the Shivering Isles expansion is a whole different realm you can beam yourself to, populated by literally insane characters. Kind of an Alice in Wonderland take on the Elder Scrolls.
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
2K Sports has admitted that it really didn't deliver with its first next-gen baseball game last year, mostly because of time constraints. Well, this year's installment looks to be a lot more polished--it truly does look like a next-gen baseball game should. The only question is whether MLB 2K7 can outduel Sony's MLB 2007: The Show on the PS3. Sony's been keeping a tight lid on its title, but it should impress as well.
--David Carnoy, executive editor
--David Carnoy, executive editor
Chris Taylor's Supreme Commander is the spiritual successor to Total Annihilation. The original was all about massive scale futuristic warfare with tons of units on screen, all battling it out in real time. With Supreme Commander, expect even more units, some larger than any before seen in a strategy game. If fans embrace its multiplayer component, we expect Supreme Commander to be another classic in the making.
--Rich Brown, senior editor
--Rich Brown, senior editor
I'm not done with Twilight Princess yet, but that doesn't mean I still don't crave more Zelda. Hopefully the DS touch screen is fully utilized--I'm already excited about Link aiming and firing cannons. Phantom Hourglass should be the kind of game that will make me wish my subway commute was longer.
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
--Matthew Moskovciak, assistant editor
Motorstorm isn't really that groundbreaking--how many dune buggy racing games do we really need? But somehow, it's got just the right combination of controls, graphics, and fun--especially the over-the-top explosions--to make it the first truly must-play game for the PS3.
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
I played a build of this at a recent Xbox 360 event, and it may have been my favorite game there--it takes virtual tennis to whole new level. The game is also coming out on the PS3, and word is this may be one of the first games that shows that the PS3 has graphics superior to the Xbox 360's. I'll believe it when I see it.
--David Carnoy, executive editor
--David Carnoy, executive editor
The developers of EA's defunct MLB baseball franchise are hard at work on a new over-the-top arcade-style baseball franchise for 2K Sports that's supposed to come out this summer. While only one screenshot is currently available, the buzz is that the game is going to be a lot of fun--and it should look great on next-gen consoles, too.
--David Carnoy, executive editor
--David Carnoy, executive editor
It could be totally lame, but I have high hopes for the moody action/adventure/mystery game Alan Wake. It's from the same guys who did Max Payne, one of my all-time favorites.
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
--Dan Ackerman, senior editor
Star Wars meets Gears of War in a sci-fi RPG from the people who made Knights of the Old Republic. Dead Rising tempted me and Bioshock sweetened the pot, but Mass Effect is the game that's going to get me to finally break down and buy an Xbox 360.
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
--Will Greenwald, assistant editor
Virtual modern warfare never looked so real. Nvidia has been showing off this upcoming World War III real-time strategy game to demonstrate what its top-end graphics cards can do, so I have hopes for it when it releases--probably just before the holidays. The trailers for this one are definitely worth watching.
--David Carnoy, executive editor
--David Carnoy, executive editor
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