I haven't ranked these games because they are on different platforms and very diverse categories. These games are some of the most anticipated games of 2009 and have large fan bases. They all look exciting and will provide tons of gamers with some high intensity fun!
Halo Wars - Halo Wars is a real-time-strategy (RTS) game built specifically for the Xbox 360 console. Players manage resources and create and maintain buildings and armies to complete objectives. There are two playable factions, the human UNSC and alien Covenant, with their own units, strengths, and special abilities. Players establish their armies by building and expanding bases; it is at these locations that units are trained and upgrades resourced. There are only a few base locations on each scenario or map, making base fortification and defense a key priority. Destruction of a player's last base results in defeat if a new base is not quickly reestablished. This is new territory for Halo, if they don't pull this off it could seriously hurt the Halo brand name. The game launches in the U.S. on March third, so get ready!
Guitar Hero: Metallica - Guitar Hero is such a clever idea, get a guitar and play while watching the screen patterns. Who would have thought it would be a global hit like it is? Guitar Hero 3 was awesome and then they brought out Guitar Hero: Aerosmith which focused on one band. I am more of a Metallica fan and interested in how many and which songs they will select from the Metallica song arsenal. I have started to burn out on Guitar Hero a while back but maybe this new version will spark my interest again. It comes out on March 29th.
God of War 3 - A game with great fighting and graphics, God of War is back and better than ever. This time the amount of enemies onscreen has been increased to 50 as opposed to the maximum of 15 in previous God of War installments. That is always good news. Only two weapons have been confirmed so far: the trademark Blades of Athena, and the Cestus, a pair of fist gauntlets shaped like lion heads. These new weapons appear to have the ability to smash through solid objects, such as rocks. Sounds like fun. The game comes out for PS3 only towards the very end of this year. So don't hold your breath.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - Okay I am stoked about this one! I am seriously considering buying a Nintendo DS just for this game. My friends say don't buy a system for one game, but I say rules are made to be broken. Besides, this game is badass! Listen to this: there is a drug dealing minigame a la Drugwars, which will allow players to peddle six types of drugs around the city. Players will make a profit by recognizing market conditions and demands based on geography and plying their wares accordingly. Wow, and I thought Scarface had a decent mini drug game. If that doesn't have you sold, you can use the stylus on the DS as a screwdriver to hotwire cars. After doing so, the vehicle's alarm can be set off, which can be deactivated with a special device. Different cars need different tools to be hotwired. Greatness. The game comes out March 17.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Bought and loved the first one. Have been a huge fan of the Call of Duty series and they haven't let me down so far. This is the sixth installment in the series. I see a pattern of them flipping back and fourth between world war 2 and modern warfare. Very smart, that way by the time the users are bored of one type the other game will be about to come out. Activision is great about improving their games by leaps and bounds. They provide some of the most realistic fps war games. Now that the Battlefield games have slowed down, they have cornered the market. The game comes out in the fourth quarter of this year.
Resident Evil 5 - Official Xbox Magazine gave Resident Evil a 9.0 out of 10, praising its "balls-to-the-wall shootouts and awesome battles." Sheva's A.I. was praised concerning how she is "vigilant about reviving you and is an able combatant," though criticized for its inability to be strategized with, making the final battle "maddeningly tough." That the enemies in the game come in all speeds was positively received. Of note were gun-wielding enemies which can fire blindly and duck for cover. The game's control scheme was criticized for not allowing the player to shoot and move at the same time. The new inventory system was also called into question, the review saying that many will hate it though it is "essentially game balancing-making sure you're never too well armed." RE5 was summarized as "an action spectacular with terrific production values" and as an "excellent co-op game." The Official Playstation Magazine gave the game a 5 out of 5 praising the controls and visuals. Xbox World 360 gave a much more critical review saying "East meets West with mixed results" and stating that its "A solid shooter which sadly falls short of Resident Evil 4's standard.". One of Xbox worlds main criticisms was Sheva's A.I. saying she is "responsible for both the best and worst Resident Evil 5 has to offer". The review also states that she will always choose the weakest weapon given to her and that when playing in single player that playing with Sheva is "a babysitting nightmare". However the game did receive 81/100, while complimenting the "great" Co-op mode. The UK based independent Playstation magazine Playstation World criticized the game for it's lack of tension and it's failure to significantly move the series forward. However it did give the game an 8 out of 10. Resident Evil 5 is set to release March 13th.
Diablo 3 - It's release date hasn't been issued yet, it may not be this year, but the sheer possibility leaves it hard to ignore. Simple and addicting, you can get hooked into this game just like a great rpg. Going from hellacious cavern to the next, fighting increasingly harder enemies, It doesn't get much better. Diablo 3 looks to make it even greater. Diablo 3 will retain a feel similar to that found in earlier games in the series, including a viewpoint reminiscent of the old isometric view. The trailer for the game looks awesome, it has new features, but retains the nostalgic feel of the first version. An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed. Quests have always been great for Diablo unlike some mmorpgs like Age of Conan that ruined the positive connotation of the word quest for me. Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests. For the first time in the series, in-engine cutscenes will be employed during key moments.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - This game will have stunning graphics using the unreal engine 2.5. There have been a lot of delays in the production so this game has been long overdue. It was recently pushed back to April and let's cross our fingers that the date sticks. The information about this game is as stealthy as the gameplay itself. Little is known, but a couple of trailers and screenshots that were leaked give us some insight. The trailer demonstrates a more civilian based Sam interacting with props (tables and chairs) to disable enemies. The events depicted in the trailer take place in Washington D.C, and several landmarks, including the Korean War Memorial, the United States Capital and the Washington Monument, have been seen in various promotional videos and trailers. On June 30th you can get your hands on a copy.
The Sims 3 - In contrast to the earlier versions, the houses and neighborhoods will be seamless, allowing players to explore and interact with their neighborhood without loading time. Twelve careers are available to pursue (law enforcement, crime, military, science, politics, journalism, business, entertainment, culinary, medical, athletic, and gardening). Each career has a workplace building in the neighborhood, which Sims travel to for their shifts. Sims can also apply for jobs within these buildings. Evidently they have beefed up the "create a sim" feature as well. You can change the obesity and muscle level among other things like facial features. The part I think is the coolest is this: Create-A-Sim now features over 80 unique traits to choose from. Some of these are Evil, Slob, Good Sense of Humor, Charismatic, Loner, Computer Whiz, Vegetarian, Frugal, Clumsy, Athletic, Hot Headed, Lucky, Insane and Flirty. It is not possible to give a Sim traits that contradict each other (such as Brave and Cowardly). The player can also edit many aspects of a Sims' personality, such as favorite hobby, color, music genre and food. A lot to explore in this one. Find it in stores on June 2nd.
Tekken 6 - One of the greatest fighting games of all time, right up there with Mortal Kombat. I figure this is a lot like when Star Wars re released the originals, there is a ton of anticipation here. It has been awhile since there has been a new Tekken game. Can you imagine playing this game in 1080p? Tekken 6 will boast the greatest number of characters ever seen in a Tekken game with a total of 42 characters (including the two Bloodline Rebellion characters). According to Namco, virtually all of the Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection characters will be returning with new additional characters. Don't miss out on this one, it comes out in October 27th of this year and by that time Japan will have nearly had it for two years!
Clarke Baldwin is a journalist who has worked for Dallas Morning News and other publications. You can find his site at Super Media Blog and a related story at Top 10 Upcoming Games 2009.
