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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Nintendo Big Name Reveals
June 2009

Some of the most memorable announcements I've ever witnessed have been on the stages of Nintendo conferences. I remember the excitement and atmosphere at the unveiling of both GameCube and Game Boy Advance at Spaceworld 2000. And who can forget the debut of the first ever Zelda: Twilight Princess trailer, well before the introduction of the Wii platform it eventually graced alongside the Cube edition. Fan response to this reinvented Link was unlike anything I've ever seen at a press conference. (It's interesting that once Mario Galaxy was FINALLY shown for the first time, it was granted no such spectacle - bizarrely, it was just a few seconds as part of a Wii software montage). My point is that new Nintendo announcements for things like Mario, Zelda and Metroid are a big deal, and we reckon 2009 will be the year where fresh unveilings happen. Nintendo of America cheese Reggie Fils-Amie has stated that new installments of these god-like IPs are on the way, and frankly we even agree with him on the point about impatient fans; Mario Galaxy is barely a year old for example, and when it did finally arrive it had 10/10 written all over it. Maybe they'll choose E3, maybe they won't, but at some point in 2009 we expect to hear more about what Nintendo's been working on in terms of stuff we actually give a shit about. We'd be surprised to see any further new Nintendo hardware announcements in 2009, but either way the Iwata residence is going to be one to watch. -AD

Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
TBC 2009 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Whether you thought the first one was a bona fide breakthrough in open-ended design or merely an echo of System Shock 2's achievements, there's no denying that the sunken art-deco utopia of Rapture is one of the greatest gaming environments ever rendered. And you can expect plenty more where that came from. Sea of Dreams is, we're told, both a sequel and a prequel, which suggests that narrative high jinks akin to That Plot Twist are in store. While the absence of 2K Boston's guiding hand may set alarm bells ringing, Bioshock devotees will be pleased to know that new developer 2K Marin has many of Ken Levine's old crew on the books. Would you kindly keep an eye on this one? -EET

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360)
TBC 2009 (Japan)

There are some who call Japanese RPG titling conventions wilfully obscure. Step forward exhibit A, the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII collection. Both its flagship games, XIII and Versus XIII, run on Square Enix's Crystal Tools engine, and both take place in worlds part-created by the godlike Crystals. Despite this common mythology, the two games are in many respects poles apart. Where XIII is all glittering chrome, violent purple hair and youthful high spirits, Versus XIII is bleak, bloody and relentlessly downbeat. The XIII combat system is an update of the trusty Active Time Battle formula, now with the option to chain commands; the Versus XIII variant is still firmly under wraps. If there's one thing they both should have in common, though, it's brilliance. Check our recent interview with the creators here. -EET

E3 Renaissance
June 2-4, 2009

I didn't even bother going to E3 in 2008, I have to say, and it proved to be a sensible decision to have opted out. The new formats to the show in 2007 and 2008 were an interesting experiment, but 2008's event, despite returning to the LA Convention Center, was all the more soulless; an empty carcass and a reminder of what the show used to be all about. I think everyone has realised it was a bit of a blundersome affair, and in 2009, E3 seems likely to be heading back to classic form. Running from June 2nd-4th, the show is officially going to be open to all "qualified computer and video game industry audiences", which indicates a return to the scale of the E3 we know and love. It seems that issues with the ESA may no longer be a sticking point, and major players like EA have stated they want to help fix the show. It seems like 2009 could be the year everyone stops squabbling, pulls together and figures out how to make E3 the name-taking, ass-kicking show it was pre-2007. Ten years since the first E3 I attended, E3 2009's a show I'll be making the effort for. -AD

God of War III (PS3)
Q4 2009

Ancient Greece's Mr T is back, and he ain't pitying no fool. God of War was the PS2's crowning glory, a brutal, cinematic slash-em-up perfectly pitched between gratifyingly simplistic and arduously technical, wrapped in visuals worthy of an Xbox at full stretch. Early trailers for number three might not be quite as dazzling, but there's the matter of giant wolfshead knuckledusters to consider, plus what appears to be a ninja wall-run. These additions aside, the game is worth keeping tabs on purely to see what sizzling morsel of hyperbole David Jaffe will come out with next. Like a painting in motion, Dave? We'll believe it when we see it, and we hope to see more soon. -EET

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