Xbox Gaming in South Africa

It's the new year, so its about time we take a look at which Xbox games you should keep your eye on in 2009. I'm sure we'll see a good deal of announcements in the coming months, but from what we've seen so far, I've compiled a list of 16 games which I feel will make a splash on the Xbox console in 2009. Lets get started...

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (November 10)
Although the unstable Rand/Dollar exchange might be causing us South Africans a fair amount of strife, we can find solace in one certainty: a new Call of Duty game will be released come Summer, and 2009 is no different. Expect the ever popular series to continue later this year with the help of Call of Duty 4 developer, Infinity Ward. [Update: Confirmed for November 10]

2. Alan Wake (TBA)
The Xbox 360 exclusive, Alan Wake, was MIA in 2008, making way for (hopefully) a 2009 release. The psychological action thriller is being developed by Remedy Entertainment, the same people behind the Max Payne series, and from the little information we have so far, it definitely rates high on my anticipation meter.

3. Prototype (June 12)
Prototype is one of those new IPs that's hard to ignore. With shapeshifting and super-human abilities, you must use disguise and destroy tactics to make your way through a "rich story line of conspiracy, deception and deadly shape shifting action". Sounds good to me, as long as they can keep the bugs at bay.

4. Resident Evil 5 (March 13)
(Zombies + Shooter) * Co-op = fun

5. BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams (Q4 2009)
Considering the success of the first Bioshock, it came as no surprise when Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams was announced in early 2008. Information is hard to come by for the moment, but 2K developer, Charles Schechbeck, described it as "part of a prequel and at the same time is a sequel". Deep.

6. Halo 3: ODST (TBA)
Anything stamped with the word Halo is normally an instant hit, and for good reason. I expect the standalone expansion for Halo 3 will keep fans happy, while bringing on new gamers with the new protoganist (a Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) and change in gameplay elements.

7. Halo Wars (February 27)
While we on the topic of Halo games, this is another no-brainer. The real-time strategy based on the Halo world is hoped by many as the equivalent of Starcraft on the PC. RTS games have never done well on consoles, mainly because of the control system, but you never know, you just need one innovative game to get it right and the flood gates will open.

8. Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion (Q4 2009)
One of the big announcements at TGS 2008 was the Xbox 360 version of Tekken 6. The highly acclaimed fighting game will make its first appearance on the Xbox platform later this year.

9. Mafia II (Q4 2009)
So the first game didn't do so well on the console as it did on the PC, but hopefully that will all change in the sequel. There's a lot of potential in this sandbox-style third-person shooter video game, and although it has tuff competition in the way of GTA IV, it has enough potential to make waves.

10. Race PRO (February 13)
There's some great racing titles on the Xbox 360, but other than Forza Motorsport, few are able to compete in realism against the likes of Gran Turismo. That's expected to change with Race PRO's release next month. Lets hope so!

11. Dante's Inferno (TBA)
Take the team from Dead Space and let them create a third-person action adventure adaptation of the medieval epic poem, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

What? you want more? Well you gotta wait like the rest of us, but don't tell me that doesn't sound intriguing.

12. skate 2 (January 23)
The Tony Hawk series has, for a long time, been top dog when it comes to skateboarding simulations, so when skate was released in 2007, I'm sure the folks over at Activision weren't too worried. That's until they saw the sales figures of course - skate outsold Tony Hawk's Proving Ground 2:1. The gloves are off this year, and skate 2 looks ready to battle. Start saving now as it comes out later this month.

13. Batman: Arkham Asylum (TBA)
A new, dark batman game fusing combat with detective work looks very promising indeed.

14. Wolfenstein (TBA)
The epic sci-fi shooter, Wolfenstein, will finally hit the Xbox 360 console. Can't wait!

15. Street Fighter IV (February 20)
Another classic series comes back to life, this time with the fighting game Street Fighter IV. A remake of Street Fighter II in many ways, this title looks to keep its 2D combat style, while enhancing the experience through 3D backgrounds and other gameplay tweaks.

16. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (April 24)
The original game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, was released way back in 2004 and received a great response from gamers. However, it was not backward compatible, leading to The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena being developed for the next-generation consoles. A bumpy development cycle, which saw a change a publishers, actually had a positive impact on the game, and allowed the developers enough time to develop the title into a sequel rather than just a remake. As long as there aren't any more delays, we could see another hit.

Well, that wraps up the games that have me excited for 2009. Its looking good so far, and as long as the Xbox Live Arcade side comes through with some winners, 2009 should be a great year for gaming!