Gamezine's Most Anticipated Games of 2009 - Part 3/4
Monday, January 26, 2009 12:07 PM
It's time for the third part of Gamezine's Most Anticipated Games of 2009.
You can find links to parts one and two at the bottom of this article, and at the end of this four part feature you'll be able to vote for your most anticipated games of the year!
- I AM ALIVE (Spring/Summer 2009) 360/PS3/PC
Ubisoft's first-person disaster survival game is looking very original, very ambitious, and a little bit Alone In The Dark. This isn't that surprising, as the game's developer made the previous game in the series (The New Nightmare). Still, we've yet to see any otherworldly terrors.
The aim of the game is for you to find your girlfriend, rescue her and unravel the mysterious plot (so mysterious that we've no clue what it's about). This could be one to watch.
When fans of your series make a petition about your game's graphics being a little bit too dark, you know you've got an obsessive fanbase. Blizzard have such a fanbase. Not content with relying on World of Warcraft, the mega-developer are busily creating the next episode of their hack 'n slash master-class.
Apart from a few classes and screenshots, we haven't seen much of Diablo III, and wouldn't be surprised if it slipped into 2010. This is Blizzard we're talking about after all.
- UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (AUTUMN 2009) PS3
Naughty Dog's first PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, showed that the developer wasn't only at the top of the technical tree, but also at the forefront of classic game design.
For the sequel, we hope the puzzles toughen up, the gameplay exhibits more freedom, and the plot's even more engaging. We already know the graphics will stun and with a Naughty Dog interview coming to Gamezine in the near future, we'll soon find out if the Dogs can cater to all of our wishes.
- BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM (TBA 2009) 360/PS3/PC
Batman-fever still hangs in the air following The Dark Knight, and hopes are high that Eidos and Rocksteady will be delivering our first decent non-Lego Batman game. Looking like a cross between The Chronicles of Riddick and Bioshock, it's certainly looking the part.
With genius Batman writer Paul Dini writing the script and Animated Series veterans Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker respectively, Rocksteady are already impressing the fans. Let's hope they impress the rest of us too.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII (TBA 2009/10) PS3/360
Doesn't look like this game will be out this year, at least in our part of the world. Japan will meet the PlayStation 3 version, which you can import, at the end of the year, with the Western releases coming sometime after April 2010.
At least we know it's going to have an epic story, great graphics and a lot of cutscenes. The only issues are when we'll get it and whether it'll be as great as we want it to be. The official website is open, so go and gawk at some new screenshots.
- ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES (TBA 2009) PC/360/PS3
Despite mutterings of financial troubles at Gearbox, anticipation is running high for the first Aliens-only FPS (apart from the rather tepid Alien Resurrection).
A decent story, a decent developer, a decent game that may-or-may-not be using Brothers In Arms-style squad control - this game could be worth getting excited over.
- ALPHA PROTOCOL (TBC 2009) PC/360/PS3
Obsidian's first original game is a combination between RPG and spy-thriller, and should be high on any RPG-fan's wish-list. Obsidian made Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 after all.
The game is using Bioware's Mass Effect engine and it's got a player-led storyline that looks very Jason Bourne. Splinter Cell meets Mass Effect? What's not to be excited about?
- BAYONETTA (TBA 2009) PS3/360
SEGA could have a hit on their hands as the creator of the Devil May Cry series (Hideki Kamiya) brings his muscle to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game Bayonetta.
It'll tell the story of the eponymous witch, Bayonetta, who has guns on her feet and hands. Kamiya says that "Bayonetta will blow the doors off the action genre," but we're not so sure about all the hair and nakedness...
- GRAN TURISMO 5 (TBA 2009?) PS3
Prologue was only a taster, choosing the centre of London as its playground. The full Gran Turismo 5 might come in 2009, and we've had a few hints that point to this possibility, but we're still doubtful. Polyphony Digital are perfectionists and never finish on time.
Hopefully PD will have sorted out the online and improved the download of updates. It was painful in Prologue.
That's our third 2009 selection. You can find the first after this link, and the second right here.
Excited by any of these games? If so, make yourself known in the comments section, and if you want to remind us of any 2009 games we might have forgotten (we don't think we have), don't hesitate.