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PlayStation. Does the word send a chill down your spine? Does it caress your senses with wave upon wave of irresistible pleasure? No? Do you like PlayStation? Then you're certainly in the right place. Welcome to Podcast Beyond, your link to the IGN crew that pushes news, opinions and utter hilarity straight to your ears (and subsequently, your brain).
Next year belongs to the PlayStation 3. We've seen the stars aligning for a while, but now the picture is clear -- LittleBigPlanet 2, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, DC Universe Online, Infamous 2, Uncharted 3, Twisted Metal... we could keep going. With that in mind, the Podcast Beyond boys have assembled to talk about the games that will destroy next year, as well as the worst hangovers they've ever had.
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If the 2011 video game release schedule holds true, we're looking at a pretty amazing 2011. But what would make it even better? If these games were announced sometime next year.
My favorite game of all time is Chrono Trigger and I have suffered, really suffered, for a decade now waiting for a third game (Chrono Cross came out in 2000). Recently, there was a DS port with some new additions, which only served to tease me with the potential for a sequel. I know folks think Japanese-style role-playing games are dying, but Chrono Trigger 3 could change that. A great art style, awesome music, engaging characters, and a dozen+ endings is all it takes. Come on Square Enix, make my wish come true already! 
Criterion had a great thing going with Burnout. I'm no fan of driving sims, but I do love to crash me some cars. So a game that's all about crashing cars? I couldn't get enough. Then they had to go and make it an open-world game with Burnout Paradise. It was fun at times, but I much prefer the quick arcade fix of classic Burnout. Criterion just delivered Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, but it's only half fun – the police chase missions are amazing, but the straight racing stuff puts me to sleep. Enough time has passed; can we please have a proper Burnout sequel? 
2011 is set to be the year of Zelda, with Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time 3DS already announced. All that's missing is the addition of a new, traditional, 2-D Zelda game. I want the next A Link to the Past, sprites and all, where the enemies are challenging, every part of the world is touchable and there are no lame touch controls. 3-D's awesome, but it's a very different experience than a standard, top-down adventure, and it's been too damn long. We haven't seen a traditional 2-D Zelda game since Minish Cap in 2004, and the last console one was in 1991. It's time. 
Bungie has cut the Halo umbilicus, placing the franchise wholly in the hands of Microsoft's 343 Studios. A quick scan of the studio's job postings reveals that 343 is hiring every single person in the entire world. So I know they've been hard at work. Some of my co-workers think 343's first project is an HD Halo: Combat Evolved remake. I hope they're wrong, as usual. I'm looking for my favorite gaming universe to expand, not overwrite itself. Regardless, if 343 doesn't announce what it's working on soon, I'm going to throw my Dr. Halsey plush doll in a wood chipper. I'm not bluffing, people. New Jack & Daxter From Naughty Dog
Sure, the Uncharted series is amazing, and everyone is flipping out for Uncharted 3 in 2011. But really I'd be thrilled to hear that Naughty Dog is returning to the PS2 series that proved they were a powerhouse developer. The Jak and Daxter series hit a rough patch when other developers got their hands on it. If Insomniac can keep Ratchet and Clank alive, and Sucker Punch is bringing back Sly Cooper, there's no excuse for Naughty Dog not to bring back Jak and Daxter. Hopefully they can go back and just retcon Dark Daxter out of the canon. 
When I have a hankering for pure gameplay, it's hard for me not to return to the days of yore. The six Mega Man games on the NES, for example, offer some of gaming history's finest gameplay experiences, and Mega Man 9 and 10 more recently continued this proud tradition. What I really want more than anything in 2011, therefore, is Mega Man 11. Mega Man 9 and 10 proved that focused developers today can create awesome games with now-archaic tools of the trade. And they still rock, too. Forget the youth, Capcom. Keep delivering those hardcore titles that force the inexperienced to cry themselves to sleep at night. I'm begging you. 
Metro 2033 was one of the sleeper hits of 2010. Think of it as "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. lite". While it may not have had the mechanical depth of Fallout New Vegas, the depth of Metro's story – its thematic soul – was unquestionably present. A follow-up for 2033 is defintely called for. While consequences of Artyom's actions in the novel left little to the imagination, the two outcomes in the 2033 game has the potential to create a rich post-apocalyptic tapestry with a unqiue Russian flavor. 
I'm so ready for another Road Rash game. Do you remember this franchise? Riding motorcycles, hitting other riders with chains and swinging 2x4s? It was awesome. I poured hours and hours into this game on the SEGA Genesis and even went off the deep end for the N64 version (a multiplayer staple in the Miller household). Now that we have HD graphics, online lobbies and awesome driving mechanics, it's time to give the old girl the current generation love it deserves. Bring on the sweet rides, bloody injuries and devastating weapons. I want to see Clements go over the handlebars at 165 mph, and I want it to be because of me. New Project From Sony Santa Monica
Oh, Kratos. You hulking, ill-tempered, petulant Spartan. Now that the God of War franchise has come to an end, what will Sony Santa Monica ever do without you? I hope the answer involves dinosaurs, whales, unicorns or Barbie dolls , because I have faith this AAA studio is working on something, and it's going to be epic. Dinosaur of War, anyone? 
Will the new God of War please stand up?
Have you ever read an online message board? If so, you've undoubtedly read someone's desperate plea for a Final Fantasy VII remake. I am one of those pleading people. Final Fantasy VII is one of Square Enix's greatest creations, and one that would benefit from a graphical overhaul. The story is compelling to this day and the battle system would only require a minor amount of polish. Square Enix has undertaken remakes of several Final Fantasy titles in the past and is clearly interested in releasing products based off of past successes. I know that a VII remake would be extremely lucrative for the publisher -- it has nothing to lose. 
I don't know if it'll be Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 at this point, but I'm really hoping Valve decides to talk about what's next for Gordon Freeman sometime soon. Episode 2 ended on a major cliffhanger, and for a franchise that defined many aspects of the modern first-person shooter, it's been a suspiciously long time without any concrete information. I'm assuming the reason for the silence is that Valve's working on something big – like an entirely new game engine – for the next installment. Even if the game isn't going to be ready until 2014, can't we at least get a confirmation? Then I'll have an easier time acting out my Half-Life fan fic in my backyard, horrified spying neighbors be damned. 
In terms of likelihood this is way low, but come on, Nintendo! Pokemon is still a ridiculously fun game, but the dynamic has not changed much since it was introduced, and those of us who are a little bored by turn-based combat would welcome a change. Imagine instead of the ponderous battles that currently exist, you are dropped into an Archon-style arena with all of the Pokemon abilities at your disposal, and you duke it out in a high-energy button-mashing frenzy. Sure, you'd have to explain the Pokemon size difference, but surely it can't be too hard to pull off, considering these creatures live in tiny balls. Make it happen! 
In terms of 2011 retail games, all my dreams have already come true: Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age 2 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are all expected to be released next year. Yet one game caught my attention this year that I wasn't expecting; a little iPhone game called Game Dev Story. It had a charming presentation, addictive gameplay and it felt like a real accomplishment to get your games into the Hall of Fame. There was one fatal flaw though, and that was the lack of progression. After upgrading your office a few times and employing hackers you were done "leveling up." Give me a Game Dev Story that allows me to become the equivalent of a BioWare or Blizzard and I'll show you a game that can compete with the big boys. 
Nintendo's '90s NES sleeper hit StarTropics was about a kid with a yo-yo who traversed a weird, monster-infested island colony to save his archaeologist uncle from space aliens. Its Legend of Zelda-inspired gameplay was successful enough to spawn a single sequel, but StarTropics soon went the way of Kid Icarus and DuckTales -- fondly remembered, yet simultaneously forgotten by its creators. I, for one, would love a Wii sequel, complete with yo-yo slinging motion-control mechanics and more of StarTropics' offbeat humor. Just as long as Nintendo doesn't expect me to dip the manual into a bowl of water. 
If I had to point to one game that was the turning point for me, transitioning from a casual gamer to a hardcore gamer, Primal would be that game. It was the first game to contain a main character that I could really relate to and a story that didn't make me cringe. I believe it's one of the most overlooked and underrated games on the PS2 and would love to see it revived on the PS3. There's always room for another strong, believable heroine in games, and Jen was the ultimate example of this. 
Remember F-Zero GX for GameCube? It doesn't just look better than 80% of the current Wii library, but I think it'd be a perfect showcase for stereoscopic 3D gaming. The Nintendo 3DS hardware seems pretty well-equipped to handle an F-Zero game, so what better franchise to usher in multiplayer 3D gaming on the go? Yes, I know the game wasn't exactly accessible (in fact, it was brutally hard!), but perhaps we could at least get some of GX/AX's awesome tracks to return for an encore presentation. Or even better, grab F-Zero Expansion Kit's track editor from the 64DD version and let us dole out punishment by creating and sharing our own maddeningly impossible tracks. Make it happen, Nintendo! 
People need more totally impossible racing games.
Ever since the original Syphon Filter shot a bullet of awesomeness through my skull, I've been way into following Sony's Bend Studio. These boys in Oregon most recently have committed themselves to creating some of the most stunningly-detailed, fully-featured portable games on the planet -- I can't wait to see what's next. Rumors have been swirling for years about a new Syphon Filter on PS3, and maybe that will finally happen in 2011. However, I've instead got my ears perked up for juicy gossip (from multiple directions) that SCE Bend might be hunting for fortune with an Uncharted game for Sony's upcoming next-gen PSP. (And if that's true, IGN's Greg Miller called it!) Syphon Filter PS3 or Uncharted PSP2 ... Is it too much to ask for both? 
It's a rare occasion when I'm itching to go back to school, but Jimmy Hopkins and his adventures with the various cliques at Bullworth Academy are near and dear to my heart. We heard rumors at the end of 2009 from composer Shawn Lee that a sequel was in the works, but more than a year later, there's been no official world. Will Rockstar stick with the same cast and crew, or will we get a whole new cast of characters? (Whichever the case, I hope we at least get a Gary cameo.) I don't even care anymore -- all I know is I'm ready to go to P.E. class for the first time in my life. 
A Final Fantasy VI remake isn't a case of if but when – and here's hoping it's sooner rather than later. Square Enix has already proven what a little lick of paint can do for its back catalogue with the likes of Final Fantasy III and IV on the DS, but it's been an intolerably slow crawl to get to what's arguably the series' high point, Final Fantasy VI. The more recent Game Boy Advance re-release showed that VI's mature story and diverse combat – and playable Moogles! – feel as fresh today as they did back in 1994, and its steampunk aesthetic could find a perfect fit on the 3DS. Whats the one game you want announced in Let us know in the comments section. 
Every year is jammed-pack with gaming news, and 2010 wasn't any different. Since the industry is no longer dependent on E3 as its biggest press event, gamers are treated with news literally 24 hours a day year-round. In 2010, we saw Bungie sign a 10-year publishing deal with Activision, the announcement of Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect is finally coming to PlayStation 3, and many more!
Here are the 10 most-read news stories on IGN in 2010.
Halo is a pretty big deal, especially when it's Bungie's last-developed game in the series. In the February issue of Game Informer, fans got to know first about the Noble Team, a six-person squad of Spartans out to save humanity from the Covenant. We also got to learn about Noble 6, whom you control, as well as the rest of the UNSC team: Carter, Kat, Emilie, Jorge, and Jun. Read MoreHalo: Reach would be released that September and go on to generate over $200 million in revenue in one day.
The biggest story out of this year's Quakecon was unexpected to say the least. During one of the show's many panels, Bethesda Softworks designer Todd Howard revealed Fallout 3's biggest development secret which most fans never picked up on: The game has no real-time ladder climbing. Howard admitted his team tried rigorously to include them, but the ladders ultimately had to be cut due to scripting issues with the game's character AI.Hopefully Bethesda has figured it out by the time The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim comes out next year. Read More
Nintendo continually tries to 1up itself, and the 3DS is a statement to that. Rather than simply upping the graphical power in the new handheld, Nintendo took another big step: 3D technology that doesn't require glasses. The announcement came on a random March date, but the device was fully unveiled and playable at E3 2010 in Los Angeles.We still don't have a solid release date or price just yet, but expect more details coming out of Nintendo's press event in New York City next month on Jan. 19. Read More 
Activision confirmed Sledgehammer Games, an all-new, wholly owned studio lead by Dead Space creators Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, will indeed be creating a new Call of Duty title. This upped the publisher's internally owned Call of Duty teams to three in total, with Sledgehammer joining Treyarch and Infinity Ward. Activision recently confirmed another Call of Duty title is shipping in 2011, but it's unclear at this time if it'll be the project Sledgehammer has been working on, which is rumored to include space marines, or Modern Warfare 3 from Infinity Ward. Read More Tucked away inside Activision's countersuit against Infinity Ward executives Jason West and Vince Zampella is the direct mention of the still-unannounced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The suit alleges, among other things, that West and Zampella purposely delayed pre-production of the title to increase leverage in their agreement with Activision over the Modern Warfare brand. A third game in the series should come as no surprise, however, since Modern Warfare 2 helped rake in over $1 billion in revenues. Read More
West, Zampella and a number of Infinity Ward employees have since left to join EA at Respawn Entertainment.
Turn the page to see the top five stories of 2010.
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