Halo™ 2 is the sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved. In Halo 2, the saga continues as Master Chief—a genetically enhanced super-soldier—is the only thing standing between the relentless Covenant and the destruction of all humankind. Well that's the official line on it.. the unofficial line is 'we want it and we want it this year PLEASE!'. Highly anticipated just doesn't begin to cover it. Possibly the most anticipated game of all time over any format. Yes even more than Frontier: Elite 2 on the amiga ;o)
HALO at BUNGIE.net

Will it appear, won't it appear, these are the questions we're all asking ourselves when we think of what is 'Half Life 2'. With stolen code and pirate copies apparently adorning russian video store shelves it's not hard to see this title has been dogged by numerous problems early on, but we remain ever hopeful and excited by the mere thought of it's imminent release. Much of the excitement surrounding Half-Life 2 has been due to the new technology Valve has created for the game. Dubbed "Source" its new graphics engine, showing mega-realistic physics, gorgeous water effects, controllable vehicles and the list goes on. Excitement level HIGH!
PLANET HALF LIFE 2

DOOM 3 is essentially a "retelling" of the original DOOM. You play a space marine at the Union Aerospace Corporation on Mars. When someone inadvertently opens the gates of Hell, only you can stand between hordes of otherworldly demons, oooh scary stuff. It was rumoured DOOM 3 would appear on the 10th Anniversary of Doom in December 2003 but hardly surprising when it didn't appear. Apparently though, Doom 3 isn't going to just be a chain gun fed gore fest, it's going to be plot heavy with a story penned by 7th Guest author Matthew Costello... ooh goodie! Should be out Spring/Summer 2004.
DOOM 3 .com

PS2ers don't often get to scoff at their Xbox owning friends, but Gran Turismo 4: Prologue is one of those occasions where it can so easily happen. All reports relating to the Sony released preview levels suggest this is going to be one of the best racers over all formats (Project Gotham 2 included) and it has online play! The tracks are apparently the most beautifully crafted ever seen and the cars are there in their multitude. The handling too is said to be some of the best yet seen in a racing game. It seems that if you love racing games and don't have a PS2 you might just find yourself buying one for this game alone, if the promise is anything to go by.

Enter the world of Fable.. and that is truly what it is a world. Just like 'real-life' all of your actions affect your life. Your character evolution is in your hands and every move you make will mean something to your character, be it good or be it bad. Fable is rumoured to offer more than other RPGs out there in that it allows for scope as yet unseen. Marry, have children, learn, grow old (wait a minute! It's all sounding a little Harvest Moon!) but it promises a completely immersive experience. We've all been waiting a long time for this one, here's hoping it lives up to all the hype when it finally gets a release mid/late 2004.
FABLE.com

The Movies is the latest outing for famed game designer Peter Molyneux. The Movies allows the player to run a movie studio from the dawn of the industry until the current Summer blockbuster era. You'll play a movie mogul and the game encompasses everything that means, you'll have control of a studio lot, hiring the talent, making the sets, supervising scripts for production. Overseeing the creation process and the filming of a blockbuster movie. You'll control it all. For movie buffs this sounds almost too good to be true, you'll in essence actually get to make your own movie from start to finish as you see fit and release it to the public! Will it gain you an Oscar or a Razzie, well I guess that's down to you!
The Movies Official Site

Japanese developer Level-5, the company behind Dark Cloud 2 are the genius behind True Fantasy Live Online, a title that boasts not only a unique colorful look with it's cell shaded and one has to say truly gorgeous graphics, but also buckets of personality. Yes even the screenshots are enough to get you excited, they truly are that good. Graphics aside Level-5 have tried to implement a new interactive style of social world. You begin the game with your own personalised home that you can customize as you like with treasure and belongings from your adventures or goods from craftsmen. You also have the ability to invite people into your house for guild meetings or to discuss your next adventure. All up this title is sounding like something that could even be too good to be true, here's hoping it lives up to the hype.
TFLO Official Site

Orcs march from Isengard, the Dead awaken in the Barrow-downs, and Nazgűl thunder across the land from Mordor. Amidst the rumor of war, eager adventurers can seek their fate in the great events of the Third Age. Hundreds of thousands of people will enter the perpetual world of Middle-earth for the very first time. Prepare yourself to choose a path amongst the races of Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits. As the forces of Sauron fight to extinguish all that is good, will you heed the councils of the Wise? Or will you add to the corruption of Middle-earth? And so is the speil on the official site. Although this is obviously in our most wanted (based on the hype and want of this title) we can't help but wonder and worry that this may fall into the overhyped / underdeveloped genre of previous most waited for games. It is looking fantastic at the moment, but only time will tell.
Middle Earth Online Site

It could be said that Battlefield 1942 changed the way the industry viewed the genre. With the addition of controllable vehicles, arcade-like physics, huge battlefields and countless strategies to hand made the game a more intense gaming experience. And so when news arose of a sequel the excitment meter couldn't help but go into overload. The setting of Vietnam, the setting for countless Hollywood movies was seen as a brilliant move by most given the saturation of this era into the psyche. A soundtrack was licenced featuring all the big protest hits from the era which only serves to add to the overall atmosphere. So prepare to see a fleet of choppers appear to the tune of Whiter Shade of Pale some time in the coming months.
Battlefield Vietnam Official

Lets face it, you either fall to one side or the other with the Sims, you either love them or loathe them, there seems to be little in the way of mid ground surrounding the titles. As 'God Games' go however the Sims has been an amazing phenomenon, almost cancelled by EA it has stormed the gaming charts and spawned no less than 7 expansion packs. With the previous success of the licence 'The Sims 2' has a lot to live up to. Things have certainly moved forward with the advent of gene mixing, gay marriage, old age and of course the inevitable... death. Also new to the mix however is the advent of 'Sim Memory', yes your sim people will now remember experiences and this will affect their personality throughout life. All up we're hoping for big simming things for this title!
The Sims 2 EA
The Thumb Bandits Sims Special Editorial