But it is also not unheard of for Microsoft to pull a real surprise out of nowhere during their press conference (they did so last year with the new Xbox 360 redesign ), so don't be shocked if it happens once again. While we have taken a few stabs at what that big surprise might be, we’ll know for sure on June

3. Fable
Peter Molyneux has become something of a joke to some gamers. He's become infamous for promising incredible things in his adventure Games online guide and failing to deliver on such a level that it's spectacular. Nowhere was this more apparent than with Fable for the Xbox. Peter promised incredible things, like "trees that grow in real time", "rival factions that go to war with you", "characters that age over time" and so on. With all this and more going into one game, Fable had to be one of the best things ever, ri

Known for its quirky, often surreal style, the Timesplitters series is regarded as one of the most entertaining FPS series' in gaming. Relying more on humor, parody and an abundance of monkeys than on an intense, realistic narrative, the series has carved out a distinct style for itself that gamers have been wanting more of for years. Developer Crytek UK has been open to the idea of another title , Timesplitters 4 may be primed for announcement at

The gaming world learned a very important lesson with the release of Halo : those men and women at Bungie know what they're doing. After taking the shooter franchise to the absolute heights of video game fame and profitability, they left the project in Microsoft's hands to try something new. We've known for some time that Bungie was working on something , but only recently has it become very likely that the next PC (possibly virtual-reality) game from the developers is currently titled Desti

Without many first party exclusives this year, Microsoft’s gamer interest has waned a little ever since Gears of War 3 (sure to make a press conference appearance) was pushed into Fall 2011. What would be great to see from Microsoft is a lot of first party exclusives to help equal the content gamers were seeing offered this year from S

This isn't always the fault of the gamers setting high expectations, though. Sometimes the companies behind these games promise great things and just cannot/do not deliver. Other times, something goes wrong and the game isn't as good as it could've been, or deadlines get out of control and a game is rushed out unfinished. For one reason or another, sometimes games just fall victim to h

There’s something odd about an HD port built for a console which itself has games that are being ported to a superior console. Let’s reflect on Fable Anniversary for a second: it’s a 2014 Xbox 360 remake of an Xbox game from 2004. We’re in an age where people are demanding for spectacular looking games like Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us to be ported to Xbox One and PS4, and this is an Xbox 360 port of an original Xbox game. As such, judging it is fairly hard to do after spending countless hours over the past few months scrutinizing next-gen ports like Tomb Raider, Madden 25 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, when Fable Anniversary would be a resounding success if it matched the 360 quality of any of them. Still, while a remake of Fable might have been better suited for release before Fable II or as a three-pack with its sequels on Xbox One before Fable IV (please?), the sheer fact that Lionhead and Microsoft care to do it at all is great fan service for players who have had to deal with an antiquated game — classic as it may be.

A special mention goes to Daikatana which was originally on our list but replaced by a more recent overhyped game. List some of the games you've played that you felt were disappointing in some way due to overh

Well, not exactly. For starters, none of the three things mentioned made it into the game. Yes, your character did grow up, but via a timeskip rather than over time. You could choose between good and evil, you could get married, you could make your character fat or thin, but it ultimately didn't mean anything. The ending was still the same and your choices really didn't change much of anything. All the choices seemed tacked on for gimmick's sake. Still, Fable has its fans who enjoy it for what it is but it didn't contain everything Molyneux said it would, and that's why it makes it onto the l

There's no need to justify the announcement of Grand Theft Auto V as one of our most expected, but the sheer mystery surrounding the nature of the game can't be overlooked. While Rockstar took a break from the Grand Theft Auto franchise, they managed to release both Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire : two titles that are helping to redefine maturity in modern gaming. So with GTA 5 , can we expect the developers to return to the immature and crude roots of the series, or try something

When you do eventually decide to stop snickering over the fact you have to purchase condoms in order to prevent a coinpurse-draining pregnancy in any of your wives (or to avoid nasty STDs from Albion’s ladies of the night), you will be happy to learn that the Quests in this game are varied and entertaining. Even the simplest quest will occasionally blindside you with a deeply profound choice. This is where the morality system really shines, but some would say it is unbalanced. To become a truly evil character you need not leave the first town you are set down in, but to actually max out as a good character will take you a significant amount of hours. To me, unlike the unbalanced economy, the ease of being an evil character and the difficulty of being a good character are as realistic as it can be. It is much easier to rob and steal than it is to take daunting quests and help improve the world you live in. It is up to you to decide whether you will take the instant gratification and ease of an evil character or the more rewarding and difficult path of a pillar of heroism in the society. The quests in Fable II embrace this fact and, while not giving you enough overtly good options, make the game incredibly replayable. You will never, ever be at a loss for something to kill time with in Albion.