Let’s take a walk down memory lane together, shall we? 2008 brought us 360 owners some amazing exclusive titles. For those of us that enjoy living someone else’s life, we had that opportunity with Fable II. We also got the next installment from Cliffy B, Gears of War II. With a few other exclusives, an entire library of XBLA titles (with more than 60 scoring above 75% on Metacritic - Braid, anyone?) and many cross-platform titles, we’ve been able to give our thumbs a regular regiment of exercise. Throw in the fact that Microsoft further embraced the community by opening up the XNA Creator’s Club, it’s obvious that Microsoft has not become complacent in engaging the hardcore gamer. Just to sweeten the pot (and help appeal to the casual crowd), Microsoft dropped the NXE on us just a few short weeks ago, adding a few refreshing fixes/adjustments and some awesome features. With all that in mind, these are my top five picks for 2009.
5) Ninja Blade (release date TBA, Microsoft Game Studios, exclusive)
Set atop the skyline of Tokyo, Ninja Blade will give me another opportunity to portray myself as something I’ll never have the chance to - a guy named Ken. And by “guy” I mean “ninja-that-slides-down-the-sides-of-buildings-and-cuts-apart-aliens-all-the-while-gaining-energy-to-upgrade-his-weapons-and-unlock-new-skills”. It does sound a bit like this game has been made and played before, but can you ever really get tired of button-mashing, hack-n-slashing adventures? No, I don’t think so!
4) Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Q2, Atari, multiplatform)
It’s been almost two years since Joystiq first caught whiff of a game based off of one of our favorite childhood toys (anyone care to make a G.I.-Joe game?) and it soon after became a whirlwind of drama. Though the drama still surrounds the game, the game is coming nonetheless. The game is set in 1991 (anyone looking forward to the fashion of the NPCs we can encounter?) and you are a new recruit to the ghost busting team. Many from the original cast of the movies helped in the making of the game and Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are penning the script for the game, just as they had for the movies. If you enjoyed the movies from your youth and always wondered what it might be like to be an actual Ghostbuster, this will be an opportunity to take advantage of!
3) Alan Wake (TBA, Microsoft Game Studios, exclusive)
Though not officially confirmed for 2009, Alan Wake has the potential of being a huge success. A sandbox title (think GTA IV), the protagonist is an author who finds inspiration after meeting his fiancee. After her disappearance, he suffers from a bout of insomnia and seeks treatment in a small town. As you might be able to guess, something goes terribly wrong, the dreams reoccur and he is haunted by the story of his recent hit book. Left with just a flashlight and a gun, he has to solve his own mystery. It sounds like a hybrid of the Silent Hill series, GTA IV and, since being developed by Remedy Studios (Max Payne), should have some overtones of Max Payne. Alan Wake has the potential to redefine some of the mechancics of the survival/horror genre - here’s hoping for a Q4 release.
2) Halo 3: ODST (Q4, Microsoft Game Studios, exclusive)
Giving gamers a different kind of Halo experience, Bungie will be releasing Halo 3: Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to play as one of MC’s friends, here’s your chance. Just like how Halo 2 was more of an expansion pack for Halo: CE, this installment in the series puts you in the shoes of one of these highly trained, slightly insane space marine that is fighting in New Mombasa between the events of the second and third games. “Why are you looking forward to another game from a tired franchise?” you may ask. Well, my response is that Halo 2 was such an overwhelming letdown. Bungie did a great job creating a cliffhanger story by not actually finishing the story of the 2nd game. I’m hoping that this alternate story will help connect the stories of 2 and 3.
1) Resident Evil 5 (3/13, Capcom, multiplatform)
Though not an exclusive release, this is definitely the top of my list! With each new bit of media that hits the ‘webs, my salivary glands flare up a little. I know the RE faithful among us might not enjoy the changes to gameplay the series has taken, and certainly the PS3 fanboys hate that the series has totally gone away from being exclusive, but both of these reasons (not to spite the fanboys) allow me to put this at the top. Who wouldn’t want to wander around in a graphically beautiful environment and fight off hordes of people that are infected by a terrible virus? The survival element, zombies and gameplay mechanics should make it easy enough to enjoy the story that Capcom has to give us.
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