OK, slightly separate from the 2007 prediction thread, this is just a thread about games that are coming out this year you are looking forward to and why.
If I had to pick one game that I think is for sure going to be amazing in 2007, it'd have to be Super Mario Galaxy. I mean, as much as I want Smash Brothers Brawl, I more or less know what to expect from it. It's been over 10 years since the last real Mairo platforming game came out, which gives them plenty of time to do absolutely insane things with the gameplay style. Unlike most of the games that are being hyped up right now, we've actually seen Super Mario Galaxy gameplay running, and even a year before its release (if it really hits in spring) it looked great. The whole space setting gives them the opportunity to mess with all kinds of crazy physics and perspective stuff. Plus, you know Nintendo will pull out all the stops and show off all the possibilities of the Wii's control scheme with a Mario game. The trump card, of course, is that Miyamoto is leading the design team, and think about how many bad games that dude's made, ever. I'm pretty sure it's all of zero.
But since I mentioned it earlier, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is probably second on the list for me. Considering how massive an improvement Melee was over the original, I've got high hopes that Brawl will turn out to be an even more polished game that brings tons of crazy multiplayer fun. Sure, fighting game purists may look down their noses at it, but who's playing traditional fighting games anymore, really? Smash Brothers is pick-up-and-play fun and chaos, and I can barely wait for another installment. Plus, online play. You never have to worry about the availabily of your friends in order to play a crazy game of Smash Brothers. If this game comes out in June as rumored, I will play it nearly nonstop all summer.
As I've been saying a bunch on Gabbly, BioShock looks absolutely mindblowing. The game's atmosphere is unparalleled, and the RPG elements really add a layer of depth I find intriguing as someone who isn't interested in the traditional twitchy FPS gameplay. Not to mention the promises of a level of environmental interaction that we've never seen before in any genre. Though I've mentioned I don't think this game will do well, those of us who do end up buying it will probably get a really amazing experience.
Assassin's Creed. Stealth action + open world + crazy Spiderman climbing and badass execution styling? Yes please.
Crackdown. As someone who never really 'got' GTA, I'm stoked to see a game with more action. The sandbox concept lends itself particularly well to a superpowered character. It's a bit of the shame that the humor, which was the only part of GTA I ever really liked, is gone from this game, but in return for gameplay that doesn't get boring after 10 minutes I won't miss it too much.
God of War 2. Jaffe might not be on board anymore, and it might be a PS2 game coming out in 2007, but it's more chances to cut up fools in Kratos's unique style.
Rogue Galaxy. It's made by the dudes who made Dark Cloud 2, one of the most overlooked PS2 games ever. It's worth buying just to encourage those dudes to keep making crazy RPGs.
Mass Effect. Bioware makes good games. I'm all the way into the idea of a more action-oriented sci-fi RPG, and the interstellar diplomacy thing sounds pretty awesome too.
Stranglehold. Sure, deep and meaningful it may not be, but it looks almost like a properly executed Matrix game, which is good enough for me.
Spore. One of the few games that might make me upgrade my PC. I just wonder how combat/strategy oriented it will end up.
Fire Emblem 10 - I may not have any idea how the Wii controls will work with a Fire Emblem game, but I loved all 3 Fire Emblem games that made it to US shores, and I'm sure the addictive, complex gameplay will still hold.
Bue Dragon. It's the dude who made Chrono Trigger, and I'm hearing a lot of positive reviews from people who imported the Japanese version.
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I missed out on Minish Cap, so I'm looking forward to getting the portable Zelda on. Plus, the touch screen stuff seems really well integrated and I think the Wind Waker visual style works a lot better on the DS.
There are a few others that I'm interested in (Heavenly Sword, Lair, Warhawk, Final Fantasy XIII, Supreme Commander), but don't own the platforms they're being released on, so they'll have to be pretty great for me to cough up for them.
So everybody else talk about games that look sweet and why you think they'll be awesome!
