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Gino D:

Biggest Disappointment: Nintendo

Runner's Up: Too Human, Spore.

Comments: Well, I could easily give away a game as the biggest flop this year (Too Human, I'm looking at you!), but generally speaking, Nintendo not releasing more first-party titles this year is the biggest disappointment of all. Don't get me wrong, Mario Kart Wii and Brawl are pretty much up there, but I was expecting Nintendo to roll out a bigger and more substantial library for the Wii and DS to compete with other first-party titles of the other major players.

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Isaac C:

Biggest Disappointment: PlayStation Home

Runner's Up: Haze, Wii Music

Comments: Home isn't a game, but it's so disappointing that I'm putting it in here anyway. Boohoo for you, but it's true. I'm sure it has a bright future ahead of it, but its launch is purely dismal.

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Karl B:

Biggest Disappointment: Fallout 3

Runner Up: Sadness

Comments: Fallout 3 - It's a good enough game if you judge it on its own merits, but I wanted a true Fallout 3 sequel dammit, not a glorified Oblivion mod. Sadness - STILL no gameplay footage. What the hell, Nibris?

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Glenn M:

Biggest Disappointment: Chrono Trigger DS

Comments: Chrono Trigger DS is hardly any different from the PS1 remake... seeing the 3D look in the trailers got me thinking that it might have a few scenes in 3D, but no..why go hyping it up when all we're gonna get is the same game on a different platform? If it's to have Chrono Trigger on mobile, emulators would've done the job a long time ago - and for free..

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Chris C:

Biggest Disappointment: Resistance 2

Runner Up: Age of Conan

Comments: Understand that Resistance 2 is by no means a bad game, not even an average game, it's just not what I was hoping for. The multiplayer and co-op aspects are brilliantly put together but the single player game just feels... bland, like an afterthought.  Explosions erupt all around you, chaos ensues, aliens, humans engaged in epic combat on a massive scale, it's mad and it looks gorgeous... but it never really comes alive.

As far as Age of Conan goes, it's actually a pretty damn good MMO now, but for months after launch it was a challenge just to play for any period of time without a crash to desktop. So much potential. Please Lord, let Star Trek Online be perfect.

What say you guyses?

If you look at some of the upcoming games, most of them seem to be sequels, prequels, or spinoffs of already established franchises: Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Patapon 2, BioShock 2, Resident Evil 5... the list goes on. And I've heard too many complaints out there saying that devs seem to be getting less creative and are opting for the tried-and-tested approach.

Guess what though? It's not so much as going the safe route, but to a developer, it's about making the most of your assets and changing the playing field among their competitors. The best explanation I could find of this "why are there so many sequels all of a sudden?" phenomenon comes from Insomniac Games' Ted Price:

"Developers can hit the ground running with sequels. The game's story and art style have a solid base, the tech and tools are stable and the basic gameplay mechanics have gone through plenty of tuning in the first game. It's certainly a liberating experience when you're no longer arguing over the main character's name, or waiting for basic systems to be implemented. The end result is usually a game that's bigger, more polished and has more innovative features than the original game." [Full Article]

And sequels aren't a bad thing either. If you look at how sequels have been for the past year (MGS4, GTA4, CoD4, Gears of War 2, etc.), they've more than proven that not all sequels suck donkey balls - given that the devs deliver in their promise to bring a game that's "bigger, more polished, and has more innovative features than the original game," to quote Price again. So... if this trend of actually upping the ante with a sequel continues into 2009 and beyond, then by gods!, can you imagine how so much cooler something like God of War 3 would be?

Now if sequels aren't your thing, there are still a handful of new IPs to look out for too: Heavy Rain and Hydrophobia are just two games that I personally want to keep close tabs on. But in short, to answer my own question: no, I don't think new IPs are a dying breed. It just seems like it because most of the popular games this year have been sequels, with some of the new IPs (I'm not saying all) having to follow in the shadow of the bigger sequels: MGS4, GTA4, Fallout 3, and a handful of others on the GotY lists.

Here's a thought I want to leave you with though: isn't it strange that most of the good new IPs out there are coming from small studios and independent devs? Look at de Blob and Braid. And then there's LittleBigPlanet - their team in Media Molecule started out so small, it's quite surprising how they managed to pull off the entire LBP phenomenon.

Seemingly, this is where the playing field now lies: if you want good sequels, look to the established devs and major players in the publishing biz: Konami, EA, Capcom, Square Enix, Sony, Microsoft, OK fine, maybe even Nintendo despite their skimpy first-party library in 2008. But for new IPs that will make an impact? Look to the indie devs and small studios for those diamonds in the rough.

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution is a watershed game, offering players a chance to experience the epic empire-building world of Civilization in an all new accessible, visually immersive, and action-packed world specifically designed for the console and handheld gamer. Delivering Civilization’s renowned epic single-player campaigns featuring vast re-playability and unmatched addictive gameplay as well as revolutionary features like real-time interaction with leaders and advisors, extensive multiplayer capabilities and integrated video and voice chat, it will completely transport the Civilization series to a level of gameplay that fans have never seen before.

Release Date:Wed, 31 Dec 2008

Kitty Luv

Release Date:Wed, 31 Dec 2008

Gino D:

Most Underrated: Prince of Persia

Comments: Just to make a distinction "Underrated" != "Overlooked". The way I see it, underrated games are those which should have gotten better reviews and ratings than they did. Like Prince of Persia. Yes, it did get some quite glowing reviews for its graphics and art direction, but I thought the gameplay wasn't all that bad at all.

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Isaac C:

Most Underrated: Grand Theft Auto IV

Comments: Because it deserves a 15/10.

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Mabie A:

Most Underrated: World of Goo

Comments: World of Goo's gameplay and graphics are really impressive. Too bad it didn't get the media mileage it needed to catch people's attention. I do however applaud the indie devs, 2D Boy, for coming up with IP as innovative as this. Goes to show that you don't need complex gameplay and convoluted dramatic story lines in order to have fun.

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Karl B:

Most Underrated: Valkyria Chronicles

Comments: Valkyria Chronicles - This strategy-slash-action-RPG title mostly went unappreciated when it hit North America, but in my opinion it's hands-down the best (and best-looking) RPG title the PS3 has so far.

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Chris C:

Most Underrated: Crash Commando

Comments: It came out just a few weeks ago and it's simply the best multiplayer action game you'll find on PSN, as a matter of fact, it's in my top 10 for game of the year. I can't remember the last time I had as much fun with a game, fast frantic and wonderfully balanced, this is pure arcade fun. Unfortunately, no one's talking about it and few know anything about the game, I hear a demo's on the way, one can only hope because Crash Commando deserves a much wider audience.

Do yourself a favour, spend the 10 bucks and download Crash Commando, it's worth it.

Gino D:

Publisher of the Year: Electronic Arts

Comments: Damn. As much as you might hate to admit it, EA owns your soul. They've got a massive share of the market, with relatively high sales all year. Their spammage of multi platform releases might not be to the taste of many a gamer, but you can't deny that they've been raking in the dough.

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Isaac C:

Publisher of the Year: Electronic Arts

Comments: I know a lot of you will disagree with me on this, but EA made a lot of significant changes this year that changed my opinion of them. First they took Mirror's Edge and Dead Space, two rather risky titles, a far cry from their "rinse and repeat" formula of yesteryear. Despite poor sales of these games, they decided to take on Brutal Legend anyway, another risky game that's sure to get critics all agog, but might leave sales wanting. I admire EA for taking those first steps away from their heartless, capitalist image.

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Mabie A:

Publisher of the Year: Ubisoft

Comments: I name Ubisoft publisher of the year simply because they are the only publisher left this year who can still afford to acquire other companies left and right while everybody else is closing down or laying off people. For what it's worth, that should count for something when talking about management skills, right?

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Karl B:

Publisher of the Year: Electronic Arts

Comments: It all boils down to new IPs - Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, and next year's Saboteur, just to name a few. It looks like the money-grubbing and crap-churning EA of the past is history. I just hope the company doesn't start to backslide suddenly.

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Glenn M:

Publisher of the Year: Nintendo

Comments: For selling Wii and DS hardware like candy in preschool, Nintendo deserves top marks for hitting a new market right on the money...

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Chris C:

Publisher of the Year: Electronic Arts

Comments: Atari comes a close second, but seeing EA do a complete 180 and lead the charge this year with a bunch of new, well made, innovative IP's was a class act. They say a leopard can't change its spots, but the New EA proves that saying's wrong, whatever bug bit EA, let's hope it's infectious.

So guys, what are your thoughts?

Former Free Radical designer posts, pulls renders from long-rumored third installment in LucasArts' series.

Harmonix, developers of the smash hit Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, deliver Rock Band 2, the next step to the platform that lets audiences of all ages interact with music in an all-new way. Rock Band 2 lets players vicariously jam out as some of the best guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers of all time.

Rock Band 2 delivers the most authentic and ambitious music game to date—by challenging rockers to master lead guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals with a polished, streamlined, and amazingly fun and challenging experience. Rock Band 2 features a track list that puts all other music games to shame with more than 100 ondisc and free downloadable tracks from some of the most hallowed bands of the rock pantheon.

• The best band game on the market just got better thanks to a slate of innovative features from Harmonix, the preeminent music game studio! Take your band on an online-enabled World Tour mode, record albums, tackle the addictive Set Challenges, or even compete against other bands, either in your living room or halfway across the world, in the “Battle of the Bands” mode…plus all of the modes you know and love from the first Rock Band game!
• Innovative hardware updates! Rock Band 2 will ship with 2nd generation hardware: more durable, wireless drums with an expansion port to support cymbal pads and improved wireless Fender Stratocaster guitars—with multiple colors—that will let you rock harder and longer then ever before.
• Rock Never Dies! Compatible with ALL past and future downloadable content—even tracks you downloaded for Rock Band back in 2007—so you can play a never-ending, face-melting set.
• Learn to play drums! Rock Band 2 pushes music simulation farther than it’s ever gone with a tool that actually teaches you how to play the drums in real life—or you can just have fun jamming and playing along to songs like an animal in the Freestyle Drum mode.

Release Date:Tue, 30 Dec 2008