On Stranger Tides!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is an upcoming 2011 American adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in thePirates of the Caribbean series. In the film, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is joined by Angelica (Penélope Cruz) in his search for the Fountain of Youth, confronting the infamous, real-life, legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The plot draws inspiration from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, which also inspired the LucasArts game The Secret of Monkey Island. It is directed by Rob Marshall, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

The movie is being distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and will be released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2011, Australia on May 19, 2011, and the United States and Canada on May 20, 2011. The release will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D, as well as in traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats.The film was first announced in 2008 and principal photography started in June 2010. The release is the first in the series to be directed by Rob Marshall and not Gore Verbinski. It is also the first movie in the series which features fictional versions of historical characters such as Blackbeard, George II of Great Britain, Henry Pelham, John Carteret and Ferdinand VI of Spain. It will be the first Pirates of the Caribbean film to be released in 3D and Jerry Bruckheimer's second 3D film, following the 2009 movie G-Force. It is also the fifth Disney film to use Dolby 7.1 surround sound. While previous films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have been filmed in the Caribbean Sea, On Stranger Tides was filmed mainly in Hawaii.

MASS EFFECT 3

The Mass Effect series is arguably the best sci-fi experiencein the last few years. That's across television, movies, books – you name it, BioWare's role-playing franchise has it beat. While the first certainly had technical issues, Mass Effect 2 is in every sense the pinnacle of modern role-playing game design. A vivid cast of characters, accessible and fun gameplay, and an epic scale combine to create one of the most enthralling journeys of the times.

Mass Effect 3 Trailer

With Mass Effect 3 the story continues, and hopefully in a way that tops even the masterpiece that is Mass Effect 2. This time the war is back on Earth, and while a lot of questions still remain about how the game will work, what BioWare's keeping the same, and what will change, we still consider Mass Effect 3 to be the new Return of the Jedi. We can't wait.

STAR WARS: THE OLD

It's really too bad Star Wars Galaxies didn't cut it. The world needs a great Star Wars MMO like an assassin needs a target. Considering BioWare's reputation and the amount of resources that are being dumped into The Old Republic's development, we all have high hopes. This is one of the few games on this list that has actually been playable for more than a few minutes. Five hours with the game is proof that it isn't all hype: there's definitely something to look forward to here.

The Old Republic Video Preview

Of course MMO development is about as risky as it gets. About eleventy billion things can go wrong at any time, especially around launch time when what'll undoubtedly be millions of players flood the servers. For now, while the combat style is most certainly a safe play – if you've played World of Warcraft you'll know what to expect in this department – the story presentation and character interaction could make for a one-of-a-kind game.

SHOGUN 2: TOTAL WAR

It's been over a decade, and The Creative Assembly is still burning the midnight oil with the Total War series. Rather than continue to build on previous versions of the revered strategy series and make bigger and more complex games with each release, Shogun 2: Total War is being slimmed down. It'll be a more manageable, focused game with some cool mechanics for progression on the battlefield. Also, considering the original Shogun is one of the most respected entries in the franchise, it's nice to a return to Japan with some updated visuals.

Shogun 2: Total War Battle Report

So far The Creative Assembly has been saying all the right things. This doesn't seem like an impossibly ambitious and all-encompassing project like Empire. Instead, it sounds like a welcomed back-to-basics approach that focuses on what's made the Total War series one of the best in video games. Coupling Civilization-style turn-based empire management with large-scale real-time tactical battles, Total War has always been a strategy fan's dream game. We're all hoping everything goes right with Shogun 2.

Diablo III

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise. The game, which features elements of the hack and slash and "dungeon roaming" genres, was first announced on June 28, 2008, at Blizzard's World Wide Invitational in Paris, France.

COD8: MW3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is an upcoming first-person shooter video game. It will be the eighth installment in the Call of Duty series. Due to a legal dispute between the game's publisher Activision and the former co-executives of Infinity Ward - which caused several lay-offs and departures within the company - Sledgehammer Games will assist in the development of the singleplayer, and Raven Software will develop the multiplayer. The game is said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release of their previous game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Sledgehammer is aiming for a "bug free" first outing in the Call of Duty franchise, which also sets a goal for Metacritc review scores above 95 percent.