The Count | Top 5 Anticipated Original Games Of 2009

GamerNode - The "Top X Anticipated Games of 20XX" has become an annual requirement for just about everyone in videogame journalism nowadays; this article proves that I am apparently no different in that regard. To be at least somewhat unique, I've decided to split the typical top ten list into two parts this year: sequels and original titles. Moving on from the predictable list of sequels, here is my list of the most anticipated original IPs of the coming year:

Trine (PC, PSN)

Trine is a very interesting puzzle/platform game set in a beautiful 2.5D fantasy world. Players take control of three different characters to overcome obstacles and beat back an army of undead, often manifesting objects out of thin air to solve physics-based puzzles, or using a Bionic Commando -like grappling hook to swing across large chasms. The burly, hammer-wielding Warrior, the deadly accurate and agile Thief, and the platform-conjuring Wizard can be swapped out at any time, depending on the task at hand. Little else is known about Trine, but from what I've seen so far, it definitely looks like a keeper.

Prototype (PC, PS3, 360)

If the sole purpose of gaming was to make players feel empowered, then Prototype may very well be the most successful work of electronic entertainment of all time. In this game, Alex Mercer wakes up in a morgue, defying death from the outset. He has no memory of his past, but has been endowed with supernatural strength, speed, and agility, as well as the ability to absorb the skills, knowledge, memories, form, and appearance of the people he kills. From instantly learning how to maneuver a helicopter or tank, to unlocking the secrets of his and the virally infected New York City's history, consuming victims like this can prove to be very useful. Radical Entertainment claims that there will be over 750 unique superpower combinations in this sandbox of destruction. What's more, Mercer can easily pull off a T-1000 impression, impaling enemies with spikes or clubbing them to death with weapons made from his own "biomass." I want what he's got.

Alan Wake (PC, 360)

Alan Wake, the newest offering from Max Payne creators Remedy Entertainment, looks to redefine the way we look at videogame horror. Billed as an action thriller, this grisly game is the story of author Alan Wake, a novelist whose frightening fiction begins to creep off the pages and into his life. The funny thing is that most of the plot for his story came from his own dreams to begin with. Drawing influence from the Silent Hill and Max Payne series, Alan Wake is set in what the developers claim is a 38-square-mile portion of rural Washington, in a town that the titular protagonist comes to realize plays host to more than its fair share of paranormal and otherwise terrifying activiy. Themes of dreams, reality, light and darkness are prevalent here, as Alan's level of consciousness can be ambiguous, and even when he is awake, the various sources of light found throughout Bright Falls are his main sources of protection. That, and a .44 magnum.

Brutal Legend (PS3, 360)

Tim Schafer is one of the few videogame designers whose every thought somehow seems to transform into gaming gold, so it should come as no big surprise that his studio's first project since Psychonauts scores high on the "do want" list of many gamers. Jack Black will lend his voice and likeness to this comedic action/adventure game about a roadie who must raise an other-dimensional army to save humankind from eternal servitude...to demons. In an open world where everything is fashioned out of heavy metal (music, not steel), this Tenacious D -like character can be truly heroic, and with each subsequent mission, his hard-rocking warband grows stronger and larger. From what we know so far, Brutal Legend is set to be one of the most over-the-top absurd games out there, befitting both Schafer and Black -- and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Heavy Rain (PS3)

After Quantic Dream's last game, Indigo Prophecy, it's hard not to put Heavy Rain at the very top of my most anticipated games list. Billed as a game made for adults, this story-driven adventure aims to affect players on a mental and emotional level like no other. Heavy Rain is a malleable film noir thriller in which decisions players make will have serious repercussions in the game world, be those consequences immediate or long-term. Much of the gameplay will focus on this thoughtful interaction with the images on-screen, rather than dexterous controller manipulation. The heavy themes involved will play out via the game's already-stunning visuals and audio. For anyone seeking the next step in gaming, Heavy Rain may very well be the ticket.

'Twill be a good year:

There are a lot of really exciting new IPs on the way in 2009. This list just represents a small portion (arguably the most intriguing, so please do argue) of that bunch. Games like inFAMOUS, Dragon Age: Origins, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Alpha Protocol, Flock, and many others are very promising, too, making 2009 look like yet another great year to be a gamer.

The Count | Top 10 Most Anticipated Non-Sequels of 2008

The year 2007 was an incredible year for the videogame industry. I'd even be willing to go out on a limb and say that it was one of the best ever. Needless to say, 2007 had many great games, but 2008 may very well be set to top it. As a matter of fact, this article started as a list of just about 30 titles. I can't begin to tell you how much difficulty I faced trying to narrow it down to only a third of that, but I probably would never have completed the task without setting some requirements.

1) Unless the game has been distinctly labeled as a 2008 release, it didn't make the cut (or else you know Resident Evil 5 would take the number one spot).

2) The second requirement was imposed late in the article-writing cycle, not only to make things easier on myself, but also because I thought it'd make for a more interesting, less predictable list of games. Original IP only; No sequels! That's right, there go all of my "safe" answers like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, GTA IV, or Super Smash Bros Brawl. Not even Star Wars was exempt from this mighty ban.

Anyway, get your own weapons ready (preferably flamethrowers), because I'm sure each and every one of you will find some reason to hate me over the course of the next couple of pages. Ready...aaaaaannd...GO!

10) Army of Two (360, PS3) -

I've said it before, and I'm sticking by my story; cooperative play enhances the gaming experience in nearly every situation. EA's Army of Two shows that at least somebody agrees with me. The game is based entirely off of tandem combat and obstacle navigation, making players rely on each other much more than your standard co-op game. Gone are the days when a shout of "cover me" or "I'll take the left" encapsulates the entire tag-team strategy. In Army of Two, the team must act as a unit...or fail. As a bonus, interactions between the leading duo can be pretty funny, even in the game's somewhat grim setting.

9) Saboteur (PC, 360, PS3) -

Pandemic Studios have certainly shown the gaming community that they know how to deliver open-ended gameplay in a sandbox of warfare. Although Pandemic's Mercenaries 2 (a sequel) has been hogging the spotlight as of late, it's their OTHER 2008 offering that has landed on today's countdown. Set during WWII, Saboteur tells the tale of Sean, an Irish race car driver and general tough guy seeking revenge on a particular group of Nazis. The stealth action will take players from the city of Paris to the coastline, and into the mountains of Germany on a free-roaming tour of Europe. Film noir and pulp action influences are evident throughout, and the war serves only as a backdrop to a completely original story, so don't worry about playing the same old WWII game yet again.

8) Dark Sector (PC, 360, PS3) -

We all loved Gears of War, right? How about Resident Evil 4? I though so. Dark Sector is a third-person action game that borrows heavily from these two triple-A titles, sporting an over-the-shoulder view in a dark and gritty world, and even using Gears' pop-and-shoot gameplay mechanics along with plenty of context-sensitive actions. Digital Extremes has worked arm in arm with Epic Games in the past (Unreal Tournament 2003, 2004), so it stands to reason that Dark Sector would be influenced by their masterpiece. In Dark Sector, players will have a small arsenal of firearms at their disposal, along with the powerful glaive - a boomerang-like blade that not only minces enemies to pieces, but can also be imbued with various elemental properties to inflict even more damage or solve environmental puzzles. Add to that some stealth elements and huge boss battles, and you've got a winner on your hands.

7) Left 4 Dead (PC, 360) -

Turtle Rock Studios has a vision. That vision is to take the near-perfect competition found in Counter-Strike and apply it to cooperative zombie warfare. Left 4 Dead pits a team of four players against an ocean of zombies who are just dying to munch on your gray matter. It's up to these survivors to protect each other long enough to escape the outbreak. Additionally, four other players can join in as beefed-up, commanding members of the zombie hordes. This is a game of true survival, with limited ammo, creepy locales, and a massive amount of enemies. It's like Dawn of the Dead...on the Source engine...with co-op...and counter-op. Need I say more?

6) White Knight Story (PS3) -

White Knight Story wowed gamers with it's beautifully rendered scenes and nearly flawless animation when its debut video was shown at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show. Since then, only a few new pieces of footage have made it into the spotlight, but everything about this game screams, "play me!" The combat is especially refreshing, and seamlessly blends real-time action with pre-defined tactics while maintaining a new-yet-familiar RPG feeling. This all comes as no surprise, of course, considering JapanStudio and Level 5 (Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII) are behind the project.

5) LittleBigPlanet (PS3) -

Speaking of refreshingly original games, LittleBigPlanet is really unlike anything I've seen before. Aside from how wonderfully stylish the game looks, it also presents gamers with new ways to approach the games we play. Not only do players have a variety of methods by which they can physically interact with their environment (woohoo for physics!), but the game is actually a miniature game creation studio, allowing players to design and share content with others over the Playstation Network. This game has the potential to be endless, and it's all about fun.

4) Dead Space (360, PS3) -

The survival horror genre has seen a large amount of growth over the past few years, expanding into new settings, new subject matter, and even new realms of gameplay mechanics. Everyone seems to want a piece of the survival horror pie, and EA is offering up Dead Space - a deep space sci-fi fright-fest. The development team is taking the the concept of fear very seriously, researching horror movies and making sure to run the gamut of ways to scare people. They want gamers to be afraid to play. The protagonist is an engineer with no combat training, and the vessel on which the game takes place isn't exactly overflowing with weaponry. This is going to be a bit of a challenge; custom-built tools of war are surely in order. On top of everything, the game features top-notch visuals that bring the situation to life, and will quite possibly bring nightmares to your slumber.

3) Brutal Legend (360, PS3) -

It's hard to imagine that a game put together by Tim Schafer and his team at Double Fine Productions could be anything but incredible. They did, after all, create the surreal and captivating Psychonauts. Well, these wild imaginations have run wild once again, grabbing Jack Black and a handful of rock idols along the way. In Brutal Legend, roadie Eddie Riggs finds himself in an open world of all things heavy metal. The elder metal gods have created a place where spiders "spin guitar strings out of silk, and if you chop a tree down the cross-sections are perfect tires, and there are V8 engines growing underground. ...all these things are just waiting for you to discover." Of course, humanity has been enslaved by demons, and Eddie is charged with building an army against them. You can bet that the cast will be colorful, and the tasks will be insane. It's got that Schafer magic, and that's enough to land on my list.

2) Prototype (PC, 360, PS3) -

Another open world game, this time set in New York City, Prototype tells the tale of anti-hero and amnesiac Alex Mercer (the Prototype), the Infected (a mutant race that has invaded the city), and the U.S. military (you know them...sortof). Little else is known about the details of the game's story, but as for gameplay, Radical Entertainment is claiming "more gameplay per square foot than you've ever seen." Mercer is a total badass - a shapeshifter with the ability to "consume" human victims in order to increase his powers. These include turning his hands into giant blades, armor-plating his skin, assuming the form of other individuals, and acrobatically navigating the city like no human being could ever hope to do. The city itself will evolve as the game progresses and the mystery of the whole situation unfolds, making for a truly dynamic experience.

1) Spore (PC, Mac) -

Oh, Will Wright... Casual gamers and uber-nerds alike have all found reasons to absolutely adore him. From SimCity to The Sims to Sim-anything-else-you-can-imagine, Will was there to show us the way. His newest project, Spore, is what one might call an "evolution sim." Players act as grand puppeteers, guiding organisms up through the generations, eventually taking control of entire societies, and even worlds. The game features a massive amount of procedurally generated content, from the creatures that populate the game universe, to the very place itself. Furthermore, Wright has dubbed Spore a massively single player game, because as players progress, their creations will begin to show up remotely in other users' worlds. They become AI-controlled parts of those other players' games, tagged with their creators' information. It is quite an interesting concept - something Spore just seems to be full of.

Well, there you have it. Amidst all of the big-name sequels and heavy hitters coming in 2008, there is still a wealth of original content on the way. There is a lot to look forward to this year, and hopefully I've even been able to introduce you to a few lesser known titles. Feel free to make comments, ask questions, throw cans, spew venom, or what have you. I will be here to receive it all.

-Eddie