2010: Is the best still to come?

As we leave the first half of 2010 behind us, it’s time to look at what else there is to get excited about in the remaining months of the year. Here are 20 of the most promising releases still to come.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – PC – July 27

Make no mistake; this is going to be the biggest RTS release we’ve seen in many years. StarCraft is so popular even those of us who aren’t real-time strategy fans like it. Prepare for hours of online battles.

Mafia II – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – August 27

This is the long awaited sequel to the genuinely mature sandbox title of 2002. Without a GTA title this year, if you want an organised crime open-world fix, this is looking like your best bet. We have some lingering doubts over whether there’ll be enough to do outside of the main story, but it’s still looking extremely sharp.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – August 27

Playing as a psycho in a game that features a weird handycam visual style might sound odd, but from what we’ve played it makes IO Interactive’s title stand out from the crowd. Potentially the dark horse of 2010.

Halo Reach – Xbox 360 – September 14

It’s a Halo FPS. Little else needs to be said really. The big deal here is that this is the game Bungie has been working on for many years, and isn’t another stop-gap release like the excellent, but short ODST.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Xbox 360 and PS3

We love a bit of hack ‘n’ slash action, and Konami’s next-gen rebirth of the Castlevania series is exactly that. It looks incredibly smart and could well breathe new life into one of gaming’s classic franchises.

Metroid: Other M – Wii – September

One of Nintendo’s finest franchises returns this September, but development is being handled by Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame. A mixture of action platforming and first-person shooting makes this one of the most interesting games still to come in 2010.

Formula 1 2010 – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – September 24

Any racing game from the guys behind DIRT and GRID would get our attention, but this just so happens to be the officially licensed F1 game. It looks incredible and we can’t wait to start hot lapping Monaco.

FIFA 11 – Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii

FIFA 11 might struggle to offer anything truly significant after the excellent FIFA 10 and World Cup, but it’s undoubtedly going to be one of the best sports games of the year.

Dead Rising 2 – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – October 1

Zombies are cool. Fact. Being able to chop them up using a variety of weapons just makes them cooler. Dead Rising 2 looks to better the original in every way, and it has a very good chance of being our go to game for violent rampages.

Medal of Honor – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – October 15

This is EA’s big attempt at trying to claw away some of the sales CoD manages every year. With an impressive looking campaign and a separate multiplayer mode made by FPS specialists DICE, it could be EA’s most successful FPS in years.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 – Xbox 360 and PS3 – October 29

The Force Unleashed was good fun and sold millions of copies, but it wasn’t quite as good as it could have been. The sequel, cannily titled The Force Unleashed 2, looks to right the original’s wrongs and impress with its stunning visuals and realistic physics.

Fable III – Xbox 360 and PC – October 29

Who doesn’t want to forge another relationship with a pet dog? Fable II was one of the best games of 2008 and this Xbox 360 sequel will offer even more interaction with characters, human and animal. Will you be good or evil?

Gran Turismo 5 – PS3- November

For a small number of people Gran Turismo is boring, but for the rest of us it’s the greatest driving game series of all time. GT5 has been a long time coming, but it looks utterly incredible and has the content to keep you gaming for months.

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC – November 9

Biggest selling game of 2010? It may well be. While not being made by FPS darlings Infinity Ward, World at War dev Treyarch is more than capable. Every time we’ve seen Black Ops it’s looked great. Hopefully the final game will live up to the hype.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm – PC

Cataclysm is going to change the world of World of Warcraft in what may well be the biggest expansion the record breaking MMO has ever seen. If you’re more likely to raid than shower, you’re probably looking forward to this more than any other game due this year.

LittleBigPlanet 2 – PS3

Making things in the original LBP was hard, so thankfully the guys at Media Molecule have made it a lot easier in the sequel. You’ll also be able to let you mind run wild, as you’re no longer limited to platformers. Hell, make an RTS if you want.

Vanquish – Xbox 360 and PS3

Platinum games has already brought us Bayonetta and MadWorld, so it’s fair enough to expect big things from third-person shooter Vanquish. It looks a bit crazy, but that’s part of the appeal.

Epic Mickey – Wii

The last great Mickey Mouse game we remember is Castle of Illusion, and that’s going back a fair few years. Epic Mickey finally looks to be bringing everyone’s favourite mouse back, in what could be the best Wii game of 2010.

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood – Xbox 360 and PS3 – November 19

It will have only been a year between the release of Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood, but that doesn’t seem to have hampered quality. The E3 2010 demo was superb and we can’t wait to jump back into Ezio Auditore’s shoes.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit – Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii – November 19

Need for Speed from Burnout dev Criterion. ‘nuf said. Hot Pursuit was one of the best arcade racers on the PS2 and the next-gen follow-up is in great hands. Open world car chases have got us very excited.

Crysis 2 – PC, Xbox 360 and PC

The most stunning video game of all time? It may well be, and it’s coming to consoles as well as PC. The jungle of the original has been dropped in favour of a beautiful virtual New York and there’s full 3D TV support. Our most anticipated FPS of the year.