This year South Africa’s rAge saw a number of hotly anticipated titles on display, with hands-on demos as well as developer presentations for all attendees to enjoy.

MyGaming’s favorites for the weekend, in ascending order, were:

5. Brutal Legend

Brutal Legend lets players take on the role of Eddie Riggs (with Jack Black doing the voice over), an unlikely super hero armed with just an axe. Using the power of rock-and-roll, players battle their way through a fantasy world inhabited by ridiculous monsters. Read MyGaming’s hands-on impression of the demo.

Local release date: October 16

4. Assassin’s Creed 2

Before rAge, our collective anticipation for Assassin’s Creed 2 could probably have been stored in a thimble.  Not being a huge fan of the first game, I expected Ubisoft would play it safe with the follow up and end up delivering more of the same.

While this initially appears to be the case, there are some interesting changes have been made and it may well be worth giving this franchise a second chance.
Firstly, the new location, Venice, changes the entire look and feel of the game. While the visuals do not seem to be a step up from the first game, the manner in which the buildings of Venice and its canals have been rendered is impressive.

Players can now swim through the canals, and even use them to drown their enemies. The combat system has been overhauled, and there is a lot more going on now than there was in the previous game. Other additions such as a day and night system, the ability to hide among regular pedestrians in the street, and the ability to fly Leonardo Da Vinci’s original flying machine make Assassin’s Creed 2 one to look out for, for fans as well as critics of the original game.

Local release date: November 20

3. Operation Flashpoint 2

I was disappointed when I first saw Operation Flashpoint running at rAge. The blocky textures and poor details levels were at odds with the gameplay footage currently doing the rounds online. Thinking it was demo code, I soldiered on and apart from the decidedly PS2 looking visuals, I had a lot of fun with the game. I learned later that day that the stand in question was actually running the demo using SD cables, and therefore, the display was a far worse representation of the game than what anyone using an HDMI cable would experience.

A disappointing oversight from the organizers, but not enough to ruin the overall experience of Operation Flashpoint 2. If anything, the promise of enjoying this game at HD resolutions next week has me more excited than ever.

Local release date: October 16

2. Uncharted 2

Uncharted 2 comes a very close second to Borderlands on our anticipation-o’meter.  Early hands-on experience with the game showed off impressively detailed textures, exciting and varied cinematic gameplay as well as solid gun-play and interesting puzzles.

Definitely destined to be a contender for game of the year, Uncharted 2 is a must buy for PS3 owners and possibly a very good reason to get your hands on the recently released PS3 Slim. Read MyGaming’s hands-on preview.

Local release date: October 16

1. Borderlands

Without a doubt, Gearbox’s open world first-person-shooter/ role-playing hybrid generated more buzz at this year’s expo than any other game. While the likes of DJ Hero and Tekken 6 certainly maintained busy stands, it is Borderlands that has most people counting the days until its release, illustrating perhaps that it pays to be bold and innovative in game development.

Read our hands-on impressions of Borderlands for a detailed account of the playable demo code that was on display at rAge.

Local release date: October 23

Other notable mentions

Tekken 6, Avatar, DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Forza 3, Red Steel 2

Discuss the five best games at rAge 2009