It's rather interesting how games have changed over the years. We've gone from having little games of ping pong to have having full blown blockbusters that rival whatever the hell Hollywood pumps out these days. As the years go on, tech marches on and so do the games, with new worlds and universes either continuing or starting. So, without further ado, I shall say what are my five most anticipated games for next year.

Before I do, however, I have two honorable mentions: Asura's Wrath by CyberConnect2 and the 360 port of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings by CD Projekt. So, would you kindly read the rest of this list? :D

Number 5: Syndicate (EA, Starbreeze Studios).

Set in the year 2069, people now have the ability to have whatever they please thanks to chips in their heads. You can have what ails you: Medicare, money, entertainment, etc. Just one little thing: Prepare to surrender your free will and privacy to whatever corporation made it. You are Miles Kilo, a prototype agent for one of the corporations, EuroCorp and it's your damn job to make sure that EuroCorp comes out on top above everyone else.

Here we have a game that's been able to amazing things within the span of a few months: Get a release date, split what seemed to united fanbase into pieces and screenshots all over the damn place. This is the first time I've ever heard of Syndicate and to be honest, I have no interest in the name. What interests me is who's doing it: Starbreeze Studios. They have a pedigree for creating off the track FPS like the Riddick games and The Darkness and if they apply their unusual spin on the genre here, I think we've got a winner.

4. Bioshock: Infinite (2K Games, Irrational Games).

Columbia has gone to hell. Revolutions turned into wholesale slaughters for it's citizens, power mad manics run loose, racism is rampant and to make matters worse, there's a mechanical bird with a bizarre crush for woman named Elizabeth. Former Pinkerton agent Booker is trying to get Elizabeth out of the shitty wonderland that floats in the sky. But with all of these things in his way, can he do it? 

I skipped on Bioshock 2 because it looked like a sequel that didn't need to be made. Sure, from what I've heard, it was fun and the story was pretty good but I didn't feel like running to the stores to purchase a copy of it. This on the other hand......DAMN. Did Ken Levine take some drugs or something? If so, I want some! Featuring the same kind of weirdo atmosphere that the original had but in the sky, Infinite looks to mess with the player's sense of right and wrong once more. Here's hoping we a get another Ryan out of this one.

3. Mass Effect 3 (EA, Bioware).

War. The galaxy is in peril. Earth has already become a waste land at the hands of the Reapers and soon, more planets will. One person, one very specific person, has warned everyone for years of their return but no one listened. Well, it seems now they have come and it's up to Commander "Biggest badass in the universe" Shepard to punch them back in dark space. 

Yeah, it's hard not get excited for it. Hell, the inner ME fanboy in me is going nuts just typing about this. Bioware has earned a LOT of doubt from the screw up that was Dragon Age 2, so a lot of people are very fearful with how the game will turn out. Me? I could care less. All I care is to see the end of my Shepard, Charlotte, and her final KO to mecha Cthulhu. Just give me something good Bioware, that's all I ask of you. I'm Commander Shepard and this my favorite blog on extranet.

2. Hitman Absolution (Square Enix/Eidos, IO Interactive).

Agent 47 is on the run. After the events of Blood Money, he has entered a low point in his life and is trying to get himself back on top with the organization he once worked with, the ICA. Details are scarce but it all we know is this: Mr. 47 has returned.

Blood Money was one of the last games I got for the PS2. It was a game that would punish but reward the player for experimenting. It was a also a game that made me feel like what I had never played like ever: A bad guy. A villain protagonist, complete with style and efficiency. Cut to now and seeing more and more the game makes me feel like this is a true sequel. Granted, the game has some knocks going against it: David Bateson is no longer voicing 47, Jesper Kyd is not doing the soundtrack, 47 now has Detective vision but if IO delivers on their promise of making a stealth game that let's you fuck around like in the previous ones, I think we have nothing to worry about.

Welcome back, 47. It's time to get your crown back.

1. Max Payne 3 (Rockstar Games).

Max is down on his luck. After the events of the last two games, he's become a mess of man. Fired from the NYPD, drinking himself into oblivion, shooting the wrong people, etc. After an old friend from his police academy days comes in and tells him the he can get him out of the shithole and into a new life in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he declines. However, thanks to a series of events, he finds himself in a new place, unfamiliar to the dangers it has. He's been assigned to protect a wealthy family but when the wife of the family is kidnapped, Max is soon thrown into a into a violent spiral of chaos that maybe, just maybe, he can finally face his demons and be at peace with himself.

Here is a game that has had gone through has much hell as Max: Originally announced back in 2009, the game had came under a lot fire for Max's new look and with original developer Remedy not doing the project. On top of that, it was delayed several times due to other projects by Rockstar such as Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire. And Max's original voice actor, James McCaffrey, was not returning. Needless to say, the game came under a LOT fire from everyone. For me, I was.....puzzled. I played the previous two (The first is okay, the second is one of my all time favorites) but I just didn't know what to expect.

Cut to two years later and the pieces are falling into place. McCaffrey is back on Max (he's doing both voice and MoCap), Remedy is overseeing development, the game looks beautiful and Max's signature bullet time and painkillers are back. Max, dearest of all my friends, it's good to have you back.

So, what are your games, fellow spillios? :D