2009 has been a good year for gaming so far, not a great year, mind you, but a good year nevertheless.
Now well into the second half of the year, the annual mid-year game slump is taking hold, which is great if you have a backlog of games to catch up on, but not so great if you don’t.
It’s that time of the year where publishers taunt and tease gamers with their planned Christmas releases, and drip feed us with sparsely dispersed tasty morsels such as Batman: Arkham Asylum which is due out next month.
Games that have rocked our faces particularly hard this year so far include Dawn of War II, Killzone 2, Overlord 2, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, inFamous and Empire: Total War (with the new patch of course).
While these and many others have been great games, none of them stand out as classics. We have not played anything that equals the likes of Bioshock for storytelling and atmosphere, or CoD4 for sheer multiplayer addictiveness. There have been no offbeat award winners to rival the likes of Braid, World of Goo or even Mirror’s Edge and Little Big Planet on a more mainstream level.
This leaves us thinking, or hoping rather, that the real Game of the Year 2009 candidates are still to come.
With StarCraft II and Bioshock 2 out of the picture for 2009, the playing field has emptied somewhat.
Of course that is not to say that there is nothing on the horizon, with the most obvious candidate being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which has barely had a day pass in the last two weeks without receiving media attention.
However, when it comes to new releases, we at MyGaming respect nothing more than quality fresh IP. Sure, sequels are great, but the real reason we love gaming is that it is constantly evolving and constantly looking for new ways to entertain.
New stories have to be told, and new gameplay mechanics have to be introduced in order for gaming, as a pastime, to improve and evolve.
With that said, these are the games still scheduled for release this year that have us wishing time away.
Borderlands
This unique looking RPG-shooter set against an industrial sort of Mad Max/Sci-fi backdrop has us more intrigued than any other release still to drop before January 1.
The bold and creative cell-shaded look, along with the open-world setting and a deep back story have us betting that Borderlands will be 2009’s best new IP. Borderlands will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Borderlands preview
Borderlands trailer
Borderlands screens
Aion
Previously called Aion: Tower of Eternity, now simply Aion, this Korean MMORPG is busy being made for international release. Scheduled to drop in late September, Aion is the MMO to watch in 2009 and it remains to be seen if it can succeed in a market that is so heavily dominated by the likes of World of Warcraft. Aion will be released exclusively for PC.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
OK, so it’s not fresh IP, but Dragon Rising still promises to make some bold diversions from the tried and tested FPS model. With an objective based open-world setting, impressive visuals and deep tactical simulation-combat based gameplay, Dragon Rising is looking very impressive indeed.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising screens
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising gameplay trailer
Dragon Age: Origins
This RPG is being developed by one of the most respected RPG developers in the world; Bioware.
Dragon Age is arguably the most anticipated RPG of 2009, largely due to the fact that it is coming from a developer with a pedigree that includes Mass Effect, Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic .
Individual classes and races will have their own unique stories which gamers will play through. In typical Bioware fashion, players will be able to issue commands to their party members. In-game decisions will affect the player’s surroundings and relationships with various NPCs and combat will be real-time but will include the pause-and-play tactical component that Mass Effect players will recognize.
Dragon Age: Origins is expected in October on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Modern Warfare 2 is projected to be the best selling game of 2009. With a longstanding pedigree of Call of Duty titles and a massive and fervent fan base, we have no doubt that this game will go on to fulfill its projected sales figures.
Coming off of the massive strength of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which is currently the most popular online FPS in the world, it is difficult to not get excited about Infinity Ward’s next venture into the Modern Warfare series.
Modern Warfare 2 is expected to release on Xbox 360, PC and PS3 on November 11.
Modern Warfare 2 single player footage
Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer footage
Notable mentions
Assassins’ Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Left 4 Dead 2.
So those feeling a touch uninspired by 2009’s releases so far should take solace from this list because in gaming terms ut seems 2009 has yet to kick off.
Update
We realized shortly after publishing this feature that we omitted one of our most anticipated games o f 2009; Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves.
The sequel to the critically acclaimed Uncharted Drake’s Fortune will be released in October on PS3.
Uncharted 2 first look
Uncharted 2 screens
Uncharted 2 gameplay footage
So what did we miss? And what does not belong on this list? Have your say in the forums
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