2010 is here and boy do we have some great game titles coming out this year! Since gaming with friends is one of the best ways to enjoy a video game, I have decided to compile a list of my most anticipated multiplayer games of 2010. And the games are…

MAG:
Platform: PS3
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Developer:  Zipper Interactive
Online Multiplayers:  Up to 256 players

After playing and really enjoying MAG at E3 and reading many reviews on how great the final version of MAG is, I am thinking about buying it. Most everyone that I know that has played MAG has raved about how kick a$$ it is. A game that takes teamwork and has lots people to shoot, SIGN ME UP!

“In the near future, governments are supposedly at peace. A shadow war, fought by private military corporations, emerges. You are dropped into this unprecedented war – the first to have battles of 256 real players on a global battlefield. Prove yourself alongside your 8-man squad and become an elite fighter or earn the right to lead a squad, platoon or ultimately an entire army of players. Your calling awaits.” –Gamestop

Bioshock 2
Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date:  February 9, 2010
Developer: Take 2 Interactive
Online Mulitplayer: 2-10 players

I don’t even think I need to tell you all how awesome the first Bioshock was as I am sure you all have played it and know for yourselves. So to add multiplayer to a game that was already great can only make it that much better. Hurry Bioshock 2, I want to play you NOW!

“Set approximately 10 years after the events of the original BioShock, the halls of Rapture once again echo with sins of the past. Along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture. You are the very first Big Daddy as you travel through the decrepit and beautiful fallen city, chasing an unseen foe in search of answers and your own survival.” -Gamestop

Battlefield Bad Company 2
Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date:  March 2, 2010
Developer: DICE
Online Multiplayer: 2-24 players

The Battlefield Franchise has always brought us great games and I am expecting great things from Bad Company 2. There were a few things that bothered me about the first one that I really hope they fix for the second game, the biggest being able to host private matches. I mean come on, what game doesn’t allow you to host private matches! I played the demo for a bit and being able to blow up EVERYTHING was awesome! But besides that, the gameplay was smooth and the graphics looked beautiful. The motion of the character did seem like it needed to be tweaked some but other than that it looks like a very fun and enjoyable game.

“Get ready for the most spectacular FPS multiplayer experience ever! Battlefield Bad Company 2™ brings the spectacular Battlefield gameplay to the forefront of next-gen consoles and PC - featuring best-in-class vehicular combat set across 8 huge sandbox maps each with a different tactical focus. New vehicles like the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and the UH-60 transport helicopter allow for all-new multiplayer tactics in the warzone, extensive tuning ensures that this will be the most satisfying vehicle combat experience to date.” -Gamestop

Splinter Cell: Conviction
Platform: PC, Xbox 360
Release Date:  April 1, 2010
Developer: Ubisoft
Online Multiplayer: Co-op Mode

This has been a long awaited game for me. I am a HUGE fan of the Splinter Cell franchise and after having a chance to play it a little, I can truly say that Splinter Cell: Conviction will be the best SC game made to date! The new style of play and co-op mode will have us glued to our consoles for a while!

“Coming exclusively to the PC and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction is the highly anticipated sequel in the multimillion-selling Splinter Cell series and one of the most critically acclaimed Xbox franchises of all time. An investigation into his daughter’s death unwittingly leads former agent Sam Fisher to discover he’s been betrayed by his prior agency, the Third Echelon. Now a renegade, Fisher finds himself in a race against time to thwart a deadly terrorist plot that threatens millions.” –Gamestop

Lost Planet 2
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date:  May 4, 2010
Developer: Capcom
Online Multiplayer: Up to 16 versus, 4 player co-op

This will be a great game to play both co-op and versus with friends. Games are finally getting it right by adding 4 player co-op modes thanks in large part to Halo 2.
“Lost Planet 2 is loaded with extensive multiplayer modes. The intense and action packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to 4 players online to clear mission objectives with friends. The grappling hooks that made the gameplay in Lost Planet a true 3-D experience are back, allowing gamers to gain tactical advantage by quickly scaling buildings. No action game would be complete without an arsenal of weaponry, and Lost Planet 2 has a huge variety of hardware for you to unleash on unsuspecting enemies. Machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers, lasers, sniper rifles, grenades and a host of other weapons are scattered across the game. However, Lost Planet 2’s biggest weapons come on two legs: the heavily armed and armored robotic Vital Suits return in greater numbers and variety than the first game. There are VS that transform into other vehicles, hold up to three players and some that even take multiple players to operate.” -Gamestop

Halo: Reach
Platform: Xbox 360
Release Date: September 1, 2010
Developer:  Bungie
Online Multiplayer: TBA

Halo franchise is in need of some fresh new blood to make it shine once again like it used to. Let’s hope that Halo: Reach is the game to reclaim the top.  Bungie tends to think so “We’re keeping the faith that Reach will be nothing short of a minor revolution.” –Bungie

Now I know there are a ton more great games coming out this year that I did not list such as Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy XIV Online, World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Demon’s Souls, and Star Trek Online to name a few. These all seem like great game but for me personally the ones up top are my personal most anticipated games. What are yours?