Gamers strapped for cash now face a new dilemma: What games do you get? Here’s a breakdown of some of the most anticipated titles coming out early 2010.

1. Bayonetta – From the stylish creator of the Devil May Cry series, Bayonetta oozes with flash and awe and never lets up.  It’s out right now, and has been receiving great reviews.  For those still on the fence on this try out the demo on XBL or PSN and see what all the fuss is about.
2. God of War 3 – It’s been a long wait, and come March 16th, Kratos fans will finally get to play the third installment in this epic trilogy.  I, for one, can’t wait to see how the story concludes.  The only hard part is knowing this game gets released just one week after another beast of a game which is…
3. Final Fantasy XIII – Square teased us with this game when the PS3 was first announced.  Years later, we find the game will be enjoyed by both PS3 and 360 owners.  Just a few months to go and we can finally see what Lightning, Snow, and all the rest of the gang are all about.  As long as there are chocobos and moogles, I’m in.
4. Mass Effect 2 – The second installment of this trilogy certainly has turned some heads.  Commander Shepard and crew face new threats and old ones, such as the Reapers.  According to Bioware, they hope to gain new audiences who loved RPGs, but just didn’t know it yet.  Hopefully they are right, as this series is truly something that needs to be experienced by more gamers.
5. Bioshock 2 – Andrew Ryan’s underwater utopia gets some more action in this sequel.  This time you take control of the very first big daddy, and finally get to explore the ocean outside of the city.  Will this game live up to its predecessor?

Honestly, the list of anticipated titles goes on and on.  Lost Planet 2, Singularity, Battle Field Bad Company 2, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, Dante’s Inferno, Super Street Fighter IV…the list goes on.  It looks like 2010 is another great year for gaming.  The question is, will we have the time and money to play them all?

This next one is an old favorite from Bad Dudes, also known as Bad Dudes Vs. The Dragon Ninja in the arcades. In it, you had to rescue President “Ronnie” from ninjas. Take a close look during the credits to see a burger in the president’s hand. I’ll let the rest speak for itself.

Both of these endings had me keeling over with laughter and disbelief. If only more games had endings like these.

A lot of that can be boiled down to the change in the gaming experience and length of levels. Before, game levels only lasted a few minutes, then it was over. That meant music could be incredibly melodic without getting tiring quickly. The nature of the music also added a lot more excitement to the games. Given the limited abilities of the hardware, incredibly deep, atmospheric immersion wasn’t really a factor in games, so background music that took a backseat wasn’t really something people thought about. It was all about excitement and catchy tunes. Just a simple search on youtube will prove just how much people liked those songs. So much so, that they do renditions that pay homage to them.

Currently gaming music has changed due to longer stages and deeper immersion. Hearing the same melodic piece play over and over for an hour straight as you make your way through a level would probably get really tiring. Instead, composers got smart and stuck to music that picks up during battles and back down afterward. This adds dynamics and variety to the mix. The current trend seems to be having one main, recognizable theme for the game, and adding variations of that one theme throughout. For example, Gears of War plays variations of the same theme throughout the entire game. Even the Metal Gear series is guilty of this. While they are great themes (and in the case of the Metal Gear theme, it is a fantastic and memorable one), it would still be nice to hear a variety of themes. In the past, there were different songs for each level.

To remedy the repetitive nature of that, why not vary those themes up throughout a stage and add climaxes, dramatic crescendos, etc. during battles? That would add variety throughout the levels and throughout the game, giving them multiple catchy themes like the old days, not just one. I understand that they are trying to make a song synonymous with a particular game, but I really do miss the old days of games with a plethora of catchy, melodic songs. Thankfully, some games like the Castlevania series, and even newer ones like Guilty Gear, still maintain that, but I wish others would catch on. At least this is still better than some others, who just play mindless, entirely forgettable techno drivel in the background. I’ll take sweeping orchestral scores over that any day. Let’s just add some variety and more melody to that from here on out, game companies. We want our catchy, exciting tunes back!

Luckily for me (and you lucky viewers), someone else has done this, too, and caught it all on lovely high res video.  The result is hilarious. Major props to the guy who made this video.  Rule #1 of online gaming: Don’t try to pick up women in a videogame.