The 50 Hottest Things in Gaming in 2009

Here's the ultimate list of things to look forward to in your 2009 gaming calendar. This massive preview of the year includes E3 2009, The Reinvention of Atari, the Return of Itagaki, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Half-Life Episode Three, Modern Warfare 2, Bioshock 2, Rare and loads more.

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Return of Itagaki
Expected News

Like we said, this list is of all things gaming in 2009, not just actual releases. And high on our list of events or things to look forward to is What Itagaki Did Next. Tomonobu Itagaki, who has sat down for interviews with Kikizo no less than six times, is somebody we want to catch up with now more than ever, what with the controversy surrounding his departure from Tecmo and Team Ninja. While the full story is likely to remain debated for some time - and with due respect our pals at Tecmo and Itagaki's former colleagues at Team Ninja itself - there's no denying that this interesting creator had profound impact on the studio's top-quality produce. It's safe to say he probably won't be doing a U-turn on this one, so what happens next? Maybe Microsoft will sign him up directly? The launch of a fully fledged Microsoft Game Studios Japan, perhaps? Who knows. We just hope that Itagaki continues to make the epic sort of games Team Ninja has long been known for, rather than poncing about with low-budget and low-risk tat for the Wii. Incidentally, another thing on this list which we'll just tag onto this entry is What Team Ninja Did Next - Sans Itagaki. Tecmo top brass have already said they'll continue the studio's top franchises (somewhat opposed to Itagaki who'd stated Ninja Gaiden II, for example, would be the last). We've got a feeling we might see Dead or Alive 5 this year, and maybe even the mythical Code Cronus (possibly a ninja-themed title). Watch this space. -AD

Afro Samurai
January 27, 2009 (North America) (PS3, Xbox 360)

In what could be the greatest pop culture cross-over since Alien linked arms with Predator, Samuel L. Jackson has lent his voice and attitude to a samurai anime series, which in turn has spawned a drop-dead cool, purist hack-and-slash, developed by Namco Bandai's Surge studio and published over 'ere by Atari. The titular Afro is out to avenge his father's death and become the owner of the Number One samurai headband - conveniently enough, the reigning Number One is none other than the murderer. In order to challenge said murderer, however, Afro will have to fillet thousands upon thousands of cell-shaded, fully dismemberable goons first with katana combos and slow-mo Focus attacks. Deliciously simple and heavy on the gore. -EET

Alan Wake
TBA (PC, Xbox 360)

Little seen or heard since its 2005 unveiling, Remedy's Midwestern third-person horror for Xbox 360 is beginning to assume an almost Duke Nukem Forever-esque ethereality, but that doesn't stop it making our top fifty. The premise bears an obvious debt to the Silent Hill series - a troubled horror writer travels to a pleasant backwater burg for some R&R, only to encounter threatening and quite possibly psychologically symbolic figures who shun light after darkness - but the free-roamable scale and raw technical presence of the town of Bright Falls, replete with real-time weather, day and night cycles, give this restless adventure a quality of its own. -EET

Street Fighter IV
February 17 (North America), 20 (Europe) (360, PS3)

We've actually been playing the PS3 version of this one for a while now, thanks to the general awesomeness of Capcom staff. We really, really like it. Having specifically requested the PS3 version so that we can use our SEGA High Grade sticks, which have helped make Virtua Fighter 5 the unbeatable brawler that it is, the only fighting game that can really challenge its popularity at Kikizo is this. It has enough 'wow factor' to win over the "innit crowd" (due credit to Alan Boiston for that terminology) and at the same time boasts all of the good stuff that seasoned and veteran players are after. We also have a major, throbbing boner for the art style, and the character roster is pretty much the most blatant example of high fan service and involvement we've seen in ages (Capcom surveyed the community to ask which classic characters should be added to the console versions). -AD

Muramasa: The Demon Blade
TBC 2009 (Wii)

The Wii doesn't get many column inches from the hardcore press, thanks no doubt to the maddening sight of the same three or four first party titles squeezing into the multiplatform top ten every sodding week, but one look at Muramasa will have you swearing never to use your Wiimote as a teaspoon ever again. Brought to you by Odin Sphere developer Vanillaware, this side-scrolling slash-em-up features sumptuous hand-drawn characters and bewitching layered 2D environments. Players take down feudal Japanese demons with a deadly array of combos, lifts and power moves, switching between two swords - one fast but weak, the other slow but devastating - on the fly. Another welcome plug for 2D gaming. -EET

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