Most Anticipated Games of 2009: 30-21

And in the blink of an eye 2009 is upon us, and games like Gears of War 2, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Animal Crossing: Let’s go to the City seem like a distant memory. Now, as is the way with the world, we turn to the future without having given the past the time it deserves. Fable 2 creator Peter Molyneux says nothing in 2009 excites him. Well that’s not how we feel. And in an attempt to get all that excitement off of our chest, allow us to present our week-long Most Anticipated Games of 2009 feature, where we compile the 40 games that make us wet with excitement just at the thought of playing them. Here, in the second instalment, we run down from 30 to 21. Read on, and let the hype begin, or check out 40-31 here first.

30. Halo Wars, Microsoft – Xbox 360 – February 27

Yes, we wish it was coming out on PC. Yes, we wish we could shove a keyboard and mouse into our 360 and play the game with that instead of the controller. But it’s not, and we can’t, and we have to get over that fact. And, now that we have, we’re actually rather excited by the prospect of exploring more of the wonderful Halo universe and eking out juicy info on the origins of those mysterious Forerunners. That, and sending a squad of Spartans off to make a mockery of an entire Covenant army. While PC gamers will baulk at the suggestion it’ll be as good as StarCraft II or Dawn of War II, as far as console RTSs go, Halo Wars has got the potential to top them all. We’ll know soon enough. The game’s due out on February 27.

29. Empire: Total War, SEGA – PC – March

While we’ve always loved the Total War series here at VideoGamer.com, there’s always been something missing: 3D naval combat. Lucky for you, developer The Creative Assembly has read our mind. We played around with some ships out on the ocean late last year and had a great time, not only because it was so much fun but also because it looks so damn good. If you’ve been teetering on the edge of that PC upgrade, Empire: Total War might be the game to make you take the plunge. We can’t wait and, if you’re an RTS fan, we suspect you can’t either.

28. Ghostbusters, Atari – Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and PS2 – June

After catching the classic movie on UK Satellite channel Watch over Christmas, the Terminal Reality developed third-person zapper shot up our anticipated list. We saw the game at Atari’s recent Atari Live event and came away quite impressed, and the fact that the original cast is returning means we’ll finally get a sequel (of sorts) that we’ve wanted for years. Our heads are telling us that Ghostbusters might end up being a good but not spectacular 7/10, but as long as they nail the essentials we’ll be there day one.

27. Alan Wake, Microsoft – Xbox 360 and PC – 2009

What do we really know about psychological thriller Alan Wake? Not a great deal. For a long time we thought the game might have died, consigned to the annals of video game history as one that got away. But a stunning recently released trailer put paid to that thought. Now we’re genuinely excited about the game not only coming out in 2009 (it still hasn’t got a release date) but rocking when it does. Alan Wake’s got so much potential we’re barely able to contain ourselves. It’s developed by Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish company behind the excellent Max Payne games, and, if the trailer is anything to go by, it’ll be the best-looking game ever made. Come on guys – time for that announcement.

26. Deus Ex 3, Eidos – PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 – 2009

If you loved the original Deus Ex you’re likely to be anticipating Eidos’ next instalment with as much joy as dread. Deus Ex was a landmark game because of the way it allowed you to play how you wanted (tied into your character attributes), with a superb script and characters that walked the line between good and bad complimenting the experience. The sequel, Invisible War, wasn’t nearly as good and sadly left a rather bitter taste in the mouths of many fans. We’re hopeful the third game will be a strong return to form, and if so will be reason for fans and gamers in general to get very excited.

25. I am Alive, Ubisoft – Xbox 360, PS3 and PC – 2009

We know next to nothing about I am Alive – even our friends at Ubisoft don’t seem to know much – yet we can’t wait. Chicago is devastated after an unknown disaster of epic proportions, and it’s up to you to survive. That’s what we know, but being Ubisoft’s big release of 2009 we’re expecting something quite special. While some of the publisher’s next-gen output hasn’t been as good as we’d have liked (Assassin’s Creed), some of it has been superb (GRAW, Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia), and pretty much all of it has looked brilliant. We’re hoping I am Alive ends up being 2009’s Prince of Persia.

24. Bayonetta, SEGA – Xbox 360 and PS3 – SEGA – March

If you like Devil May Cry but always wondered what it’d be like to fight as a long-haired, half-naked woman with glasses, Bayonetta might be for you. Every time we’ve seen Bayonetta it’s made us want to play it, and the combat looks incredible. The big hook is that your character, Bayonetta, uses her hair to form clothing and her weapons, so big attacks leave her rather exposed. It’s all rather titillating for school boys, but considering Devil May Cry 4 tried to show as much skin as it could by using the most ridiculous camera angles imaginable it’s good to see another developer trying to go one step further. Either way, given that it’s being developed by the brains behind the original DMC, there’s a good chance that it’ll be great.

23. InFamous, Sony – PS3 – 2009

Open world? Check. Great visuals? Check. Intriguing storyline? Check. Potentially triple-A PS3 exclusive? Check. Of Sony’s announced PS3 exclusives due this year InFamous is the most low key, but after a chat with game director Nate Fox at Games Convention 2008 we think this might be the sleeper hit of the fist half of 2009. Of course, it’s easy to get excited based on a few short demonstrations and a developer waxing lyrical about his game, but we’ve got a really good feeling about this one. And it comes from the studio that brought us three excellent Sly Cooper games on the PS2. How could this go wrong?

22. Bizarre’s Racer, Activision – multi – 2009

Although shrouded in mystery, Bizarre’s next racer is on this list because of pedigree alone. We reckon PGR4 is one of the finest racers ever released and there’s nothing to suggest the studio’s next game won’t be just as good. We’re hoping the Activision Blizzard published title won’t suffer from multi-platform development strains, and that the publisher hasn’t lead the studio down a path far from the sim/arcade hybrid it’s known for. If Bizarre has been left to do as it pleases, we’re hopeful that we’ll have the best racer of 09 on our hands.

21. Brutal Legend, EA – Xbox 360, PS3 – 2009

This one has divided the office somewhat. Naysayers point out that the idea is dumb and will likely result in a mess of a game, but those naysayers have probably never played developer Double Fine’s superb Psychonauts. That game sounded dumb too, yet is one of the best platformers ever released. A rock fantasy in which the genre’s clichés come to life during an epic adventure sounds like perfect video game material to everyone else. We were very sad when this seemingly got lost in the Activision Blizzard aftermath, so we’re very happy EA stepped in to take over.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for 20 to 11.