So, I’ve never been the biggest Halo fan in the world. I thought the first one was a bit overrated when compared to PC FPSs of the time. Halo 2 was a true gem, but I never really got into the online aspect all that much. I believe online mode is where the true zealots for a game are born.

As far as FPSs on the 360, I can remember being really, really gung-ho for Gears of War last year, and only slightly less excited for Bioshock last month. However, I’ve taken a different approach with Halo 3 – I kind of ignored it for a long time. I decided against the beta, and I just glanced over news items rather than reading them in depth. The first thing that really got to me was hearing about the 4-player co-op play. Since then, the anticipation has been slowly building to a point where I’m really ready for the full Halo 3 experience. I can’t wait to try out the flamethrower and clobber some grunts with 3 of my friends as I inevitably save the entire world.

This year is certainly shaping up to be a banner FPS year, starting with The Darkness, then Bioshock, and Halo 3 and the Orange Box looming on the horizon. And that’s just FPSs! There are at least as many compelling titles in other genres on the Wii and 360, and the PS3 lineup is slowly working itself up (maybe I’ll find a good enough reason to buy one finally). This is truly a great year for gaming. Will it surpass last year? I dunno – it’s hard to top a year that has the hype of console releases, but hell, who knows…