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It’s 2010, a new decade, a new age. Who could forget their first holiday to Mars or the first time they crashed on their hoverboard? Finally those crude helper robots of the past decade are finally behind us but remember that road wasn’t easy. Let us take a moment to remember the tragic Y2K5 mass robot malfunction.

Admittedly the first decade of the futuristic sounding two thousands haven’t started off in the way people once thought. You’ll be surprised to hear that all the above, never actually happened. It’s incredibly difficult to predict what gadgets we’ll have in the future – 1970s sci-fi has proved this – but while we can’t predict 40 years in the future we do have a good idea of the forthcoming twelve months. So with out further ado, here are our top ten most anticipated games of 2010.

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10. Final Fantasy XIII

It’s Final Fantasy, why wouldn’t we be excited? The new instalment for the series that’s older than most gamers and the first to appear on “next gen” consoles is arguably the most anticipated iteration so far. Finally the world’s biggest RPG franchise is receiving an HD facelift and we’re waiting to get our hands on Lightning and the rest of the crew. As a huge fan of the whole series to date, I’m interested in how this episode sets itself apart from the others while retaining what got them to the ball.

Square are known for their beautiful cut scenes and wonderful character design and from the trailers we’ve seen so far the tradition is being upheld, Final Fantasy XIII looks stunning. Despite having to wait a few months after our Eastern counterparts – who have already played it to death – and after reading many early reviews, the excitement hasn’t waned. Why? Because it’s Final Fantasy. -Daniel Lipscombe

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9. Fallout: New Vegas

In my heart Bethesda will always be the creators of The Elder Scrolls series first and everything else second. Playing the post-apocalyptic, Fallout 3 has made me open my eyes to Bethesda’s excellence outside of swords and bows.

I don’t think I’ve ever spent more on downloadable content than I did in Fallout 3. So naturally when I heard rumours of Fallout: New Vegas, I went hunting for any tidbit of information I could find. Sadly not much can be found as Bethesda seems to be pulling a Bungie and is keeping tight lipped about the project.

What do we know? It’s set in post apocalyptic Las Vegas, it’s slated for a 2010 release and it’s being developed by some of the same people that worked at Black Isle Studios – the minds behind the first Fallout. What do we hope for? Fallout: New Vegas will be just like Fallout 3 but with more blackjack. -Adrian Marchisio

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8. Super Mario Galaxy 2

This is a tough one, I don’t want to sit here typing superlatives about how the original Super Mario Galaxy was one of the best games of all time. Let’s just agree on that one, because it is.

It’s because of that wonderful adventure, that I didn’t feel instantly excited about a sequel. My first thought during that long Nintendo press conference at E3 2009 was – what if they mess it up? Hang on a minute – this is Nintendo and video that followed the announcement soon but any fears to bed. New additions to the formula that would have made Einstein proud, include a drill, the ability to slow down time and Yoshi… in space. The original restored some lost faith in Nintendo and I’m fully expecting the follow-up to do the exact same thing – and judging by the last year it couldn’t come a second quicker. -Sam Morris

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7. Heavy Rain

“We aren’t shy to admit that we are massive fans of QuanticDream’s work”

That was the opening line of last year’s Heavy Rain entry in our most anticipated of 2009. It seems that Heavy Rain has been in production for ages but with every question, lead producer, David Cage answers, I get a little more excited. After the ambitious genre crossing, The Nomad Soul and the compelling narrative of Fahrenheit – until the last few minutes – let’s hope that it’s third time lucky for a game that has aspirations to change the way we think about gaming in general. Heavy Rain promises more lofty ambitions from this outward thinking French development team. -Sam Morris

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6. Fable 3

There isn’t much known about Fable 3 as yet, except that it’s coming in 2010 and that it follows on very closely from Fable 2, 50 years on in fact. What makes this game so exciting is its history; the original Fable was met with such a wonderful reception that when its sequel appeared several years later, the Fable franchise was lauded as one of the best western RPGs in years.

Industrialisation has reached Albion and everything we’ve come to love is changing, the fairy tale aspects will be pushed to the outskirts as technology takes over and I think we can expect some wonderful marvels in this sequel. Talk of hot air balloons and cable cars make Fable3 sound expansive and different to its predecessors, and we will step into our ancestor’s shoes with gusto. I can’t wait to go to war in Albion – I just hope I can walk the worn paths with a trusty companion by my side. -Daniel Lipscombe

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5. Mass Effect 2

The first Mass Effect blew our minds a few years back with its amazing storyline, great audio and stunning depth in gameplay. It introduced us to a universe where humans are not the most technologically advanced race around, in actuality we’re barely a blip on the galactic radar. Mass Effect told a story of one human as he teamed up with various aliens in an attempt to save every free being from annihilation. The climatic close didn’t seem to lead to a sequel but here we are.

I just saved the universe? Well apparently I was wrong! In less than two weeks we will see a return of Commander Sheppard as he tackles a greater challenge than before. There’s no doubt that I’ll be in line for this expansive RPG on day one, Modern Warfare 2 will just have to make room. -Adrian Marchisio

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4. Skate 3

Skate 2 must easily be up there in my top 5 most played games. Not just on the 360 but on every console that I have ever graced with my thumbs. The game managed to combine a revolutionary control style with addictive gameplay, topped off with a great online mode. Throughout both titles Skate has developed a huge community both on the internet and in the game. People began to set-up their own skate teams and competitions, even making their own skate videos by using the replay function.

Black Box (and EA) has built upon this with Skate 3 by basing the entire game around team play. Whether it’s offline or online, you are almost always going to be skating and competing as part of a team. The addition of online co-op could be one of the games biggest selling points as I have had to help and even do challenges for friends when they were completely stuck – something that will be supposedly fixed thanks to the new difficulty modes.

Keep it easy for new players or flip it to hardcore for the veterans. On hardcore the realism factor has been raised, something the fans have been wanting for ages. Add in a few new tricks, a completely new city, bolstered on-line modes and a brand-spanking-new park editor to give an exciting prospect for fans and newcomers alike. “Team Up, Throw Down” in May 2010. -Steven Wright

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3. Halo Reach

No matter what Bungie do right, Halo will always have its critics. What they have done right, among many other things, is create a rich world full of history and Reach could just be the game to exploit all of it. Set before the original Halo: Combat Evolved, Reach is going to allow you play as part of a squad of Spartans. It’s a big, bold move from Bungie to move away from the equally admired and ridiculed Master Chief, a move that they did well with in ODST.

Throughout the trilogy there has been regular complaints about the lack of humanity in the characters, but Bungie have recently dropped details about the game saying that there is going to be a war journalism approach – with gritty camera angles and a more serious approach to the story. The Covenant will be scarier, alien and threatening, similar to the first game. Health bars are back alongside a depleted shield. Bigger battles have been promised with double the enemy to fight, including more vehicles. All this, rendered with an improved graphics engine and facial animations, should make this the biggest story yet.

Halo is also known for its brilliant multi-player and Bungie will not let us down with Reach. Ever secretive, they have not given out any information, but there is a lot of talk of class based combat, similar to Modern Warfare. We will have to wait until the Spring and the greatly anticipated online beta to find out, and I for one, cannot wait. -Steven Wright

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2. Crackdown 2

Crackdown was the black horse success of 2007, most people bought it purely for the Halo 3 beta, but the majority of said people found a marvelous sandbox game to play while they waited for Bungie’s servers to come online. Crackdown is the ultimate playground, a city humming with people and cars that could be taken to the top of the highest building and thrown around at your own leisure.

Crackdown 2 sees to follow on where the original started, but this time rather than just exploring to take down criminals, we’ll be chasing down monstrous creations at night that will test our abilities. One of the biggest hooks about the original was the co-op play and this is back with a vengeance in the sequel, now bringing four-player co-op. So grab a few mates and start jumping off of buildings, slingshot some cars across the city and get looking for those agility orbs. -Daniel Lipscombe

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1. Bioshock 2

I know I’m not the only one to constantly drone on about how narrative in games is always subpar when compared to graphics, gameplay, audio and just about every other component that goes into a making a game. That’s why when the first Bioshock game came out I was pleasantly stunned with it’s well thought-out story that twisted and turned every step of the way.

In the sequel you get a chance to play as ‘Subject Delta’, the first Big Daddy in the underwater utopia of Rapture. Set ten years after the events of Bioshock, Rapture is now under the control of Sophia Lamb – whose point of view couldn’t be more conflicting to the founder, Andrew Ryan. These two bullet points alone show how 2K Marin are ready to make this game, its own.

Now with multiplayer that has been positively received by most of the press coverage, Bioshock 2 is clearly going whole hog this time. It’s only marred by the fact that everyone’s opinion on it is – there shouldn’t be a sequel. I used to agree with them, but the more we heard about the game, the sooner I wanted to don my giant drill and diving suit and prepare for another epic Art Deco inspired romp around the corridors of Rapture. -Sam Morris