2009 was a great year for gaming and we already have our own people choice for the Game of the Year running. There are hardly a few days remaining for 2009 and 2010 will be upon us in no time. I know it’s very early to predict what will be the Game of the Year for 2010, But here are eight very strong candidates that may be crowned Game of the Year in 2010.
Note: A probability meter is mentioned in the article for each game, which indicates the chances of the game winning. Also this list might not have mentioned your favorite game, but you can always list that in the comments below.

God of War 3

Probability: 9/10

God of War franchise has to be one of the major and the biggest franchises out there. The hype of third part of the game is at an all time high. I doubt that you people should have any complain by seeing this game on top of our list. Kratos’s actions are brutal like ripping off heads or tearing a Mortar apart, this game will have tons of blood and action. Through this game the developers will finally explain why the Greek mythology ended. We just can’t wait for this game.

Heavy Rain

Probability: 8/10

From what we’ve seen so far, this game looks phenomenal and unique in every way. Quantic Dream has been very careful about keeping the story secret. Even though it is a single-player game, watching the events unfold is just as intense and exciting for an audience. All the news regarding latest developments it is evident that the game developing process in running very smoothly and everything is right on track. Being a major PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain promises to deliver on its expectations and that coming from the developers of Quantic Dream’s background we are confident too.

Halo Reach

Probability: 7/10

Halo. The word is so special. Whenever or wherever it gets mentioned it gets accolades and achievements. The last release, ODST was a stellar of a game, and against what many people say that it’s just an expansion, it wasn’t, but the truth is ODST managed to better Halo 3. Halo: Reach is a prequel to Halo that takes place during the Battle of Reach.

Dead Space 2

Probability: 6/10

Ok, so we all knew Dead Space 2 was coming there just hasn’t been any official word yet. Just rumors for the sequel release. Well Xbox 360 World magazine has a teaser for its next issue which will be out December 22nd. The teaser shows the character you played in the first Dead Space (Isaac) with a big number 2 next him. If the sequel can create the same magic as Dead Space than I see no reason in seeing this game as a major contender for the Game of the Year award.

Gran Turismo 5

Probability: 6/10

Announced way back in E3 2005, Gran Turismo 5 is going to be awesome, but having said that game will be carrying huge expectations since the game has undergone a huge development cycle. If the final product is somewhat similar to what we had in GT PSP than it will be unfortunate, but we hope that it won’t be the case when the game hits in 2010.

Mass Effect 2

Probability: 9/10

Commander Shepard returns for the sequel to the 2007 Xbox 360 hit: Mass Effect. According to the developers, Shepard is on a suicide mission in the game. Expect some major game play changes like automatic regeneration of health, better weapon and inventory management and many fluid animations. This is one major game for the Xbox 360 in 2010.

BioShock 2

Probability: 8/10

Bioshock 2 will take place ten years after the original Bioshock and players will assume the role of a Big Daddy. If the sequel can be anything closer to what the original achieved, than we will be in for a major treat. The real beauty of the original lied in the way that the game allowed the customization of the weapons, the amount of plasmids you can use, plus you can use the environment to your advantage. We will see how this will pan out and is one of the major games to hit 2010.

The Last Guardian

Probability: 6/10

Team ICO has a pedigree of great PlayStation 2 games like Shadow of the Colossus and ICO so going by that The Last Guardian should not be anything less than stellar. The developers at Team ICO are hard at work for the last four years and when 2010 hits that should make it five years. Early trailers indicate a small boy riding a griffin like creature. Judging by that we can see a lot of platforming sections and puzzles that the previous two games were known for.