The Playstation 3 is about two and a half years old at this point and has been subject to great accolades and controversy. However, what remains above and beyond the criticism is that it has truly delivered some incredible, hilarious, and satisfying gaming experiences for me. While I don’t have the time to play like I used to, there are still several games coming out in 2009 that I am very excited about. I decided to choose eight that I will most likely be purchasing and share, and invite you to write a list of your anticipated games in the comments.
Tekken 6. Don’t even get me started with this franchise. I’ve been playing Tekken off and on since its inception, but my fondest memories are of Tekken 4 & 5. I probably spent the most time on the PS2 playing Tekken 4, and a considerable amount of time getting my ass kicked in Tekken 5 Online (for PS3). I always played Christie, which is odd, but I can make her spin like a top. Tekken 6, which will include the new features of Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, will arrive on PlayStation 3 on October 27, 2009. Tekken 6 will have online modes, six new characters for a total of 42, tons of new features, and players are able to create and customize their own characters and take any in-game or created character online.
Modern Warfare 2 was officially announced in February and a release date was later set for November 10, 2009. No other information about the game has been revealed. However, as this is the successor to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which has sold over 10 million copies, we can assume this will be an amazing follow-up to arguably one of the best FPS games of all time. I put a ton of hours into Call of Duty 4 and had some very memorable experiences – at one point, I only used a knife to kill and would go on ridiculous sprees while my friends on Ventrilo were in awe.
God of War III is currently in development for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth chapter in the series chronologically, after God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War, God of War: Betrayal and God of War II. Best Buy has the release date as 12/31/2009, which might be inaccurate and may see a 2010 release. God of War III takes place where the end of God of War II left off, with Kratos upon Gaia’s back eager to exact vengeance on the Gods and make them “suffer”. As seen in the trailers, the whereabouts of the Blade of Olympus are unknown, even though Kratos had been wielding the blade at the ending of God of War II. Little information has been released on the battle between the Gods and Titans that will explain the end of Greek Mythology. A more recent screen shot shows Helios on his knees with a bloodied face, Kratos is also in the picture grasping the god’s head, about to tear it off with his bare hands. Seen in a gameplay trailer are iron or bronze boots with wings on them that greatly augment Kratos’ acrobatic abilities. The wings and nature of the boots suggest that Kratos, at some point in the game, battles and/or kills Hermes, before taking his boots.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2, to be released on Fall 2009, is the sequel to my favorite war-based game of all time. Battlefield: Bad Company was the best first person shooter I’ve ever played – multiple classes, tons of unlocks, and destructable environments. Nothing is sweeter than blowing away a wall and finding enemies inside that just realized they’re dead meat. Or how about the thrill of locking onto a tank or other vehicle with a JDAM missle and guiding it in to destroy them while you’re perched hundreds of yards away behind a bush. I’ve spent too many hours in that game and I hope that this sequel doesn’t disappoint. We also give props to the upcoming Battlefield 1943 for PS3 that is coming this summer, another title I will be sure to buy.
Uncharted 2, coming in Fall 2009 via publisher Naughty Dog, will feature new gameplay mechanics, such as stealth action segments, and will change the climbing mechanic to allow free movement over walls, in a manner similar to Assassin’s Creed. Uncharted 2 follows the adventures of protagonist Nathan Drake as he uncovers the mysteries behind 13th-century explorer, Marco Polo, and the ships that he “lost” while returning home to Italy. Following him on his quest will be Chloe Frazer, a new character voiced by Claudia Black of Stargate SG-1 and Farscape. Drake is looking for the Cintamani Stone, a crystal which is said to grant the holder of it a wish, but someone else is also seeking the treasure.
The game is also stated to have no loading screens. Drake himself will have a darker side in this outing, and the player will learn what makes him a thief, hence the title. Bruce Straley, the game director for Uncharted 2, has revealed that the artificial intelligence of the enemies will be updated to match the new action-stealth gameplay. Enemies will have peripheral vision, so that they will hunt for Nathan if he briefly appears in their vision cone. Additionally, the enemies will interact with the environment more, following Nathan as he climbs on buildings or jumps from ledges. In addition to new gameplay mechanics, the game engine will also be revamped to take advantage of Naughty Dog’s increased understanding of the PlayStation 3’s architecture. Naughty Dog are aiming to maximize the utilization of the Cell’s SPUs, as their estimates for utilization in the first Uncharted were around 30%. As a result, the game is expected to have more realistic environments and animations.
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game due for release in late 2009, developed by 2K Marin as the sequel to the critically-acclaimed BioShock. Set ten years after the events of BioShock, a number of towns around the world have been reporting kidnappings of young girls by attackers described as “thin”, with red lights often reported as either being worn by the attacker or spotted nearby in the sea. This single attacker, who is the Big Sister, one of the Little Sisters from the first entry in the series, has mechanised herself in a similar fashion to the Big Daddies — and has become the ruler of the underwater city of Rapture, which under her control has reached an equilibrium in which she “actively maintains the city’s infrastructure, and viciously hunts anyone down who disrupts the balance of power”; Tenenbaum, discoverer of ADAM and original creator of the Little Sisters, states that the Big Sister has begun kidnapping girls and turning them “into creatures… like her”.
Returning features from the first game include the ability for the player to regenerate (though not by the use of Vita-Chambers), and audio diaries. In addition to the single-player story, multiplayer will be a feature in BioShock 2, but this will not take the form of co-operative play.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix exclusively for the PS3, and is due sometime in late 2009. The game focuses on a mysterious protagonist who is the last heir of a dynasty ruling over the only remaining city to control crystals. Under unforeseen circumstances, he makes a stand against marauders seeking to take the crystal as their own. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, there is scarcely any information surrounding the gameplay and battle system of Final Fantasy Versus XIII because no formal footage has been shown by Square Enix of the gameplay online or within video game magazines.
Within recent Japanese gaming magazine interviews, Tetsuya Nomura (director) has stated that Versus XIII’s gameplay will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts battle system with some elements of a third-person shooter aspect similar to Square Enix’s Dirge of Cerberus. Versus XIII will depart from the light and magical aesthetic of his previous directorial games (i.e. Kingdom Hearts) and opt for a darker, bleaker world that is intended to counter previous Final Fantasy installments. In contrast to previous Final Fantasy titles, Versus XIII had a greater display of graphic violence with an instance of blood.
MAG: Massive Action Game is the tentative name for an upcoming MMO shooter exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in development by Zipper Interactive. The game will utilize a new server architecture to support online battles with up to 256 players in a server simultaneously, with users divided into 8-player squads. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game’s ranking system. Character statistics and development will also increase with frequent gameplay. The players most advanced in rank will be able to either direct the battle or participate directly in combat.
Basic battles with multiple vehicle options (from tanks and APCs to airplanes) will take place within ongoing, faction-based campaigns to encourage the player to actively play, with at least three factions being considered for inclusion; including American, European and Middle Eastern factions. The game will boast numerous classes for players to specialize in; including medics, commandos and field demolition specialists.
