1) ModNation Racers

We are currently living in the golden age of racing, wide a plethora of outstanding racing games covering sim, arcade and everything in between. Burnout, Forza, Gran Turismo and Mario Kart are arguably the elite franchises in the genre, with bestsellers  established best selling franchises, and others like Midnight Club, Need for Speed, Motorstorm, Grid, Dirt, Fuel bringing variety and potential to the table as well. Throw in all the kart racing shovelware and garbage titles that seem to populate the bargain bins, plus retro classics and PSN/XBox Live titles and upcoming new entries like Blur and Split Second and the choices are so numerous, you have to bring something really unique to the table to make an impact.

How about blending the fun of Mario Kart with the user creation tools of LittleBigPlanet? Yes, that’s definitely something unique. And that’s what makes ModNationRacers my most anticipated title.

LittleBigPlanet was the first game of this generation to really push the user creation aspect as it’s primary selling point, and in many ways, ModNation Racers is LittleBigPlanet’s spiritual successor. But unlike that game, ModNation Racer’s design tools actually look fun and easy to use. In the first public demo at E3, the developers were able to run through the creation of a full track in under five minutes, including a fairly significant amount of detail. So easy, even a child can do it!

In addition to creating and sharing your own tracks, there’s also extensive customization for your car and your racer, allowing you to create the visual experience that you want. And I presume there will be additional DLC packs to come, a la LittleBigPlanet, providing more tools, backgrounds, objects and more.

All of which would be meaningless if the actual racing isn’t up to snuff. And from what I’ve seen so far, it looks solid. Have to wait til I get my hands on a copy of the game to find out for sure.

As a plus, the combination of kart-style racing and simplified track design tools look to be perfect for families to enjoy together. At GamerPops, that’s a huge plus in our book, and puts ModNation Racers firmly at the top of my must-play list.

2) Final Fantasy XIII

Have you heard? There’s a new Final Fantasy game coming it. It will have a convoluted plot, wardrobe-confused male heroes, female combatants wearing a bikini to a knife fight, and gloriously over the top cinematics. There’s really not that much more to say. It will either appeal to you, or it won’t. To me? It appeals.

And XBox 360 owners can hope for a commemorative disc holder to store the 84 DVD’s this game will probably be shipped on.

3) Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare, the developers of the original Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and the upcoming Star Wars MMO are behind Dragon Age, a fantasy swords and scorcery RPG coming to the PS3 and PC. Which is fantastic for fans of non-Japanese RPGs on the PS3, since I believe Dragon Age brings the grand total to one. Again, not much more to say here. If you like swords and scorcery, or you like the quality of previous BioWare titles, you’ll want to look into this. Otherwise, keep moving.

4) Bioshock 2

Bioshock will be remembered as one the greatest gaming experiences of this generation. Combining iconic new characters, a clever plot featuring real ethical choices and one of the best-realized environments in gaming history, Bioshock was an instant classic, so it seems inevitable that a return visit to the underwater metropolis of Rapture is a must.

There are, however, a couple of very significant question marks. First, the title is being developed by a different studio than the first, which is never a good sign. And it’s being done without the direct involvement of Ken Levine, who was crucial to guiding the original. Second, will the addition of a multiplayer mode improve the game experience? Or will it feel as though it was tacked on and diverted resources from the single player experience. Based solely on the greatness of the original, Bioshock 2 will be worth checking out.

5a) New Super Mario Bros Wii

For many of us, it was some version of a Super Mario Bros game that brought us into gaming, and carried us through numerous systems. And while Mario successfully made the leap to 3D with Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy, there’s a part of most gamers that still yearns for the opportunities to play Mario in 2D. Which is where New Super Mario Bros Wii comes in, offering up to four-player (local only, of course) multiplayer of classic side-scrolling Marioness. And maybe if this is a success, it will finally convince Sega to go back to strict 2D with Sonic the Hedgehog.

5b) Brutal Legend

This is the ironic choice. Because this game, and second-coming-of-Jesus Tim Schafer, have been so ridiculously overhyped by the gaming media, I have to admit I’m vaguely interested in checking out the game, just to see if it can possibly live up to the buzz. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Maybe I’ll have wasted the cost of a rental.