Massive Nerd

Well, I suppose there's good news. Publishers didn't release so many games in 2009 that I have no hope of playing them all. (I think there's still a few 2008 titles missing from my shelf)

The BAD news is that it's because they were all delayed until 2010.

I have the first few months planned out. I'm firmly in the world of Ferelden until late January, when Mass Effect 2 comes out. Hopefully I'll get my fill of that by March, when the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XIII finally comes out.

The rest of the year is wide-open, though. I'm looking closely at several titles:

Bioshock 2
Bayonetta
Darksiders
Dragon Quest IX
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Transformers: War for Cybertron

This will also probably be the year I finally pick up a PS3. I'm very interested in Heavy Rain and White Knight Chronicles.

Of course, I HAVE to bring the Massive back sometime soon. I'll likely be splitting my time between two games this year.

Cataclysm looks to be fixing many of the problems I currently have with WoW. Additionally, I will DEFINITELY be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. I MAY even sneak into Final Fantasy XIV a bit on the weekends if my girlfriend decides to move on from FFXI.

Are there any big games I missed that you're looking forward to, reader?

With the year dwindling away, I thought I'd take a look at what went well and what... didn't.

Wins

3: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Name the last good Batman game. Go on, I dare you. Anyone? Bueller? Right. Arkham is the first Batman game in, let's just say, ever to even be playable. Not content to just make a FUNCTIONAL game, Rocksteady Studios went and made a GOOD one. Not only did they make it GOOD, they made it RIGHT. Bringing in Kevin Conroy, Mark Hammill and almost the entire voice cast from Batman: The Animated Series was a brilliant move. This wasn't just a bunch of guys making a game, it was a bunch of fans creating a labor of love. I hope for a similar treatment on Transformers: War for Cybertron. The developers have already said they can't have Optimus Prime without Peter Cullen.

2: Modern Warfare 2

Anyone who listened to my segment on For the Lore knows that I LOVE this game. I applaud Infinity Ward's risk-taking. Story-wise, this is perhaps the most immersive game I've ever played.

1: New IPs

2009 is the best year in recent memory for new IPs in games. Brutal Legend, Borderlands, Dragon Age, Shadow Complex and Torchlight are all properties I look forward to spending more time with in the years to come.

Losses

3: WoW failing in China

Blizzard can survive without the income from the Chinese market. However, there are LOTS of people in China who want to play games. This is income that many smaller (and I'm using that term relatively) companies rely on to help turn a profit. Not being able to reach a deal in China could cause some borderline-successful games to fail down the road.

2: Aion

Despite what many have said, I STILL think Aion is a fun game, and I would still be playing if I weren't dedicating my time to other pursuits currently. That being said, it looks like the game is on its way to a slow death here in America, joining the ranks of Warhammer, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Age of Conan and many others as games that just cannon exist in the current WoW-centric MMO market.

1: Console Inequality

Modern Warfare 2 and Borderlands are horribly undersupported on PC. Dragon Age's console versions are inferior to the PC version. Differences in graphics and controls are to be expected. However, removing features, slow content, lack of support and dumbing down features for a "lesser" audience? That's not good business. Release an equal product or hand the ports off to a company that will. In today's market, game companies cannot afford to alienate large portions of their fans.