Blockbuster's Marshall Julius takes an excited peek at the many-splendored videogames set to blow us away over the coming year.
No matter what gets you going as a gamer, there's lots to get excited about in 2009, a near-infinite variety of console and PC pleasures guaranteed to thrill every imaginable age, taste and skill level. Whether you enjoy building civilisations or destroying them, nurturing pets and people or killing on a massive scale, racing through wild environments, solving mind-messing mysteries, beating opponents to a pulp or preparing delicious virtual meals, your every whim is certain to be catered to. A welcome blend of franchise favourites and eager-to-please newcomers await you in the coming months, and so, to whet your appetite, here's a brisk, enthusiastic preview of the titles we can't wait to get our hands on.
Coming soon to a PC near you, EA's
The Sims 3 offers endless creative possibilities and unexpected moments of surprise and mischief. Besides being able to customize your Sims' appearances, you can now choose multiple personality traits, including kleptomaniac, evil and insane! Play God with your Sims, setting their objectives and shaping their destinies, then turn director to shoot, edit and share movies starring your creations. That should keep you busy.
Combining old school fighting thrills with next generation technology, Capcom's
Street Fighter IV (
Xbox 360 and
PS3) blends traditional 2D six-button gameplay with spectacular 3D settings and characters. Familiar characters return re-imagined for the Noughties, battling besides such brand new brawlers as free wrestler El Fuerte, mixed martial artist Abel and female super-spy Crimson Viper. Plus there are new special moves guaranteed to get your heart racing, including the promising-sounding Focus Attacks, Super Combos and the revenge-fuelled Ultra Combo system. I can't wait!
Sony's
Killzone 2 is also just around the corner, a cracking first-person shooter that promises to make the most of the
PS3's awesome processing power. Boasting lifelike and adaptable artificial intelligence from enemies as well as fellow soldiers, the game sees you waging war in highly detailed and atmospheric alien environments with a host of new weapons and vehicles. Lock and load, soldier!
Featuring claustrophobic environments, a brooding soundtrack and a multitude of shocks and surprises, Sega's
Aliens: Colonial Marines is a squad-based, first-person shoot-'em-up that retains the atmospheric look and feel of the original films while making the most of next-generation technology to create an entirely new interactive Aliens experience. Playing alone or with up to three mates on the Xbox360, PS3 or PC, you'll face off against some of the nastiest, acid-spewing beasties ever conceived in a game so exciting, it's scary. And remember: in co-op mode, everyone can hear you scream!
Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's
Halo Wars allows gamers to direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions and more, each group having their own strengths and uses in battle. Covenant forces are also waiting for players to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the
New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield. Strategic-minded players who react well under pressure will, I'm told, emerge victorious.
We've also not too long to wait for Capcom's creepy
Resident Evil 5, the sequel to one of the highest-rated videogames in history, available to play on the
Xbox 360, PC and
PS3. Promising to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, this fifth instalment sees Chris Redfield and new partner Sheva Alomar battling biofreaks in Africa. Best of all, the two-player co-op online mode means you'll never again have to hunt monsters alone.
A new and totally original entry in the critically acclaimed series,
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars promises new levels of interactivity to its sprawling open environments, thanks largely to its
Nintendo DS platform. An epic tale of crime and corruption that should be every bit as rude and violent as previous entries, the game "...will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense GTA experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo's handheld platform," says Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. Fingers crossed, then.
A fitting sequel to PC classic Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay of the original,
Diablo III, promises Blizzard, is set to become the definitive action role-playing game. Players will create a hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unravelling an epic storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, they'll grow in experience and ability and acquire items of incredible power. Which'll be nice.
One of the games I'm most excited about playing this year is Eidos's
Batman: Arkham Asylum, for the
Xbox 360, PC and
PS3. Boasting the voice talents of
Kevin Conroy and
Mark Hamill, who played Batman and The Joker in the classic Warner Bros telly 'toon, the game features an original story penned by five-time Emmy award-winning Batman legend Paul Dini. With intensely realistic graphics and a gothic, moody and extraordinarily detailed setting,
Batman: Arkham Asylum promises to set a new standard for superhero action adventures, and I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on it.
Though there's not a lot of information available about it right now, I'm sure devotees of the franchise's previous dozen adventures will be waiting impatiently for
Final Fantasy XIII, developed for the
Xbox 360 and
PS3. Providing tangible, intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics, the game promises fans a next generation experience unlike any other.
Based on the spectacular trailer and product details at Sony's website,
God of War III looks like the game to beat this year, a single-player
PS3 adventure which sees the vengeful Kratos raining carnage and destruction upon the Gods who've betrayed him and the entire Ancient Greek world. Armed with deadly double-chained blades, you'll take on mythology's darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles and generally having a fine old time.
Arriving just in time for the franchise's 25th anniversary, Atari's
Ghostbusters: The Videogame, developed for the
Xbox 360, PS2,
PS3,
Nintendo Wii,
DS and PC, tells a brand new story, as penned by original scribes
Harold Ramis and
Dan Aykroyd, and reunites original cast members
Bill Murray,
Ernie Hudson, Aykroyd and Ramis, lending not just their voices but their likenesses too. Set two years after the events in
Ghostbusters II, the game sees Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces. Players will have the chance to chase, attack and catch ghosts in a funny and frightening battle to save New York from its latest supernatural plague, and as a die hard fan of the original movie, I'm really looking forward to proving that I ain't 'fraid of no ghost.
Billed as a dark, emotional thriller where decisions can have dramatic consequences, Sony's
Heavy Rain aims to take "...brave new steps in the games industry in both content and gameplay. An adult thriller with a complex plot where you play and shape the storyline rather than be a mere spectator." Unconventional but intuitive,
PS3 owners are promised an exciting, atmospheric adventure "...unlike any other. A game where your mind, emotions and human nature will be put to the test like never before," a dark interactive entertainment that certainly sounds intriguing.
A stylish, cinematic and totally bonkers actioner, Sega's epic
Bayonetta, for the
Xbox 360 and
PS3, sees players assuming the identity of a wildly powerful witch who faces off against countless angelic enemies in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated action. Outlandish finishing moves are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows from one fight to another. With magnificent over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions,
Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, says Sega, bringing to life its dynamic, fast-paced combat. See it to believe it!
Expected around springtime is eagerly anticipated family-friendly title
Wii Sports 2: Resort. Much more than just a sequel, say Nintendo, the game is the first title to make use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which plugs into the base of the Wii Remote controller to provide an incredibly realistic motion experience. Quite what that means though we'll have to wait and see. Including sword play and water scooting, the game guarantees a grand, good time for all ages and abilities and I'm sure I'll end up playing it with my kids for ages, at least until they get bored of beating me.
Though not much is known yet about this next title, I couldn't resist at least giving a mention to Activision Blizzard's
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to Infinity Ward's award-winning, first-person shooter. Expected around Autumn, it's gonna be a blast!
The last half-dozen games on my list are expected around winter, all of them promising Christmas presents, starting with Sony's
Gran Turismo 5, for the
PS3. In its 10-year history, Gran Turismo has redefined the racing genre, creating the most realistic, in-depth and fun driving simulator around. An HD dream for virtual racers around the globe, this one's guaranteed to get your motor running.
Also from Sony for the
PS3,
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees fortune hunter Nathan Drake returning for another pulse-pounding quest, following from his first adventure, Drake's Fortune. Down on his luck, Drake is lured back into the treacherous world of thieves and mercenary treasure seekers he had sought to leave behind. When a mysterious artefact propels him on an expedition to find the legendary Himalayan valley of Shambhala, he finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a fugitive war criminal who's after more than just the fabled riches of the lost city. Armed with a plot that sounds like a new Indiana Jones movie, Among Thieves sounds like a great, sprawling, immersive adventure.
The sequel to 2K Games' best-selling and critically acclaimed first-person action-adventure,
Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams has a lot to live up to when it's finally released for the
Xbox 360, PC and
PS3. I have a feeling, though, that it'll end up surpassing all of our expectations.
Not much is known either, yet, about historical adventure
Assassin's Creed 2, coming eventually to an
Xbox 360, PC or
PS3 near you. Hopefully it'll build on the strengths of the original medieval tale, and make up for the few flaws of the original while it's at it.
As a long-time Tekken fan I'm really looking forward to the next instalment of Namco Bandai's pre-eminent fighting franchise,
Tekken 6, for
Xbox 360 and
PS3. Rendered in vivid high definition detail, the game offers intense gameplay modes, new features and environments that guarantee blistering fight action, lightning-paced brawls and bone-crunching punch-ups. What's more, a character customization feature will further intensify the fighting action and multiplayer gameplay modes will allow players to take their fighters online to compete for world domination.
Finally,
Xbox 360 owners, don't forget to set aside a hundred hours or so for role-playing sequel
Mass Effect 2, because according to BioWare's senior manager Matt Atwood, "People are going to be blown away. The teams are just so brilliant and the story writing is simply so good that straight from the beginning of
Mass Effect 2, you're going to be in awe." Bring it on, I say.
Bring it all on!