Upcoming games to look out for

Like most years, 2009 has started out slow with in terms of big games being released.  But, alas, January is over and the games are about to flow.  Tomorrow, the sci-fi horror shooter F.E.A.R. 2, which has received mass praise after its demo was released, ships out for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.  While I didn't write an article about it on here, I was thoroughly impressed with the F.E.A.R. 2 demo and can't wait to get my hands on it.  For those who only have a Wii and still want a fun and gory experience, do not worry.  Sega has you covered with the all new House of the Dead: Overkill.  We only hope that they have improved the voice overs from the past games.  That's not all to expect from Sega this week though, for you fans of classics, Sega has created the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PS3.  This is not another Sonic compilation game!  This game includes 40 (THAT'S NO TYPO, FORTY!) classic Genesis games, oh, and did I mention it's only $30?  You want a list?  You got it: 

• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Beyond Oasis
• Bonanza Bros.
• Columns
• Comix Zone
• Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head
• Dr. Robotnik's MBM
• Dynamite Headdy
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco II: The Tides of Time
• E-SWAT
• Fatal Labyrinth
• Flicky
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe I
• Golden Axe II
• Golden Axe III
• Kid Chameleon
• Phantasy Star II
• Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
• Ristar
• Shining in the Darkness
• Shining Force
• Shining Force 2
• Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic and Knuckles
• Sonic Spinball
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3
• Streets of Rage
• Streets of Rage 2
• Streets of Rage 3
• Super Thunder Blade
• Vectorman
• Vectorman 2

There are more games than this that will be unlockable as well.  Finally a classic game collection with good games!  But this week isn't the end of it!  Oh no, in two and a half weeks (Feb 27th) Killzone 2 ships out!  Based off the demo (whether you preordered it or downloaded it from the European PSN store), this is going to be a system seller.  The PS3 has had a hard time getting a legitimate system seller like Microsoft's Halo series.  Metal Gear Solid 4 is probably considered its strongest "system seller" at the moment, but a lot more people would go for an fps then a stealth third person action/shooter.  Killzone 2 is a solid shooter with insane graphics (best looking game yet? maybe...) and great action.  If the new multiplayer scheme is a winner, Killzone 2 will be a system seller for sure.  

If that wasn't enough, psp owners will finally get to dust off their fancy little portables come March 3rd when Sega releases Phantasy Star Portable.  The Phantasy Star series has a pretty strong following and his title will hopefully bring some life back into the psp.  It is basically a new and updated version of Phantasy Star Universe with a nice wireless multiplayer feature.  Does Sega stop there?  Nope!  They recently announced Phantasy Star Zero for the Nintendo DS which is a prequel to the hit title Phantasy Star Online that was released years ago for Sega's Dreamcast, then eventually Xbox, Gamecube, and the PC.  No date has been released for that game yet though.  Wii fans not happy with the gory'ness of House of the Dead, well Capcom has you covered with Dead Rising: Chop til you Drop which is coming February 24th.  Also, for you fans of fighters, Feb 17th marks the day of Street Fighter IV for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Also on March 3rd, Halo Wars for Xbox 360.  Microsoft's hit fps goes rts with this prequel to the hit Halo series.  A demo is currently available on XBL.  March 13th brings Capcom's survival horror series Resident Evil back to life with Resident Evil 5.  The demo for that is already out on PSN and XBL for download offering a look at two different levels.  If none of the games mentioned in this article appeal to you, then there's something wrong with you.  In the next month, there's something for everyone coming out.

-CA

2008 Gamers USA GOTY Awards!

Well folks, they're finally here!  The votes have been tallied and here they are.  After much deliberation between the four of us, we have all settled on the following:

Best Party Game - Scene it? Box Office Smash! (Xbox 360)

Honorable Mention - Boom Blox (Wii)

Best Portable Game - Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS)

Honorable Mention - God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)

Best Music Game - Rock Band 2 (multi)

Honorable Mention - Guitar Hero: World Tour (multi)

Best Downloadable Game (does not include games avail. on disc) - Braid (XBL)

Honorable Mention - N+ (XBL)

Best In-game Environment - Dead Space (multi)

Honorable Mention - Fallout 3 (multi)

Best Fighting Game - Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii)

Honorable Mention - Soul Caliber IV (multi)

Best Shooter - Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Honorable Mention - Resistance 2 (PS3) and Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

Best RPG - Fallout 3 (multi)

Honorable Mention - Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS)

Best Horror Game - Dead Space (multi)

Honorable Mention - Silent Hill: Homecoming (multi)

Best Sports Game - Tiger Woods '09 (multi)

Honorable Mention - Skate It (Wii)

Best Racing Game - Burnout Paradise (multi)

Honorable Mention - Midnight Club: Los Angeles (multi)

Best new IP - Dead Space (multi)

Honorable Mention - Little Big Planet (PS3)

Best Sound - Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Honorable Mention - Dead Space (multi)

Best Graphics - Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3)

Honorable Mention - Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) and Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

Best Downloadable Content - Burnout Paradise (multi)

Most Satisfying Hype - Grand Theft Auto IV (multi)

Most Disappointing Hype - Wii Music (Wii)

Most Malicious Gore - Dead Space (multi)

Honorable Mention - Fallout 3 (multi)

Most Side Stories/Jobs - Fable 2 (Xbox 360)

Honorable Mention - Grand Theft Auto IV (multi) and Fallout 3 (multi)

Game That Left Us Begging For A Sequel - Dead Space (multi)

Honorable Mention - Fallout 3 (multi)

Most Unique Control Scheme - Mirror's Edge (multi)

Most Life-Consuming Game - Fallout 3 (multi)

Honorable Mention - Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) and Grand Theft Auto IV (multi)

Highest Replay Value - Fallout 3 (multi)

Best PC Game - World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Honorable Mention - Spore

Best Nintendo DS Game - Chrono Trigger

Honorable Mention - Ninjatown

Best PSP Game - God of War: Chains of Olympus

Honorable Mention - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core

Best Wii Game - Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Honorable Mention - Boom Blox

Best Xbox 360 Game - Fable 2

Honorable Mention - Gears of War 2

Best PS3 Game - Metal Gear Solid 4

Honorable Mention - Little Big Planet

GAME OF THE YEAR HONORABLE MENTION - Grand Theft Auto IV (multi) and Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)

GAME OF THE YEAR!

FALLOUT 3 (multi)

After hours of playing and many a sleepless night, this new addition to the Fallout franchise quickly became an instant favorite of all of us here at Gamersusa. The revamp to the franchise was Bethesda's difficult but satisfying task. Doing a good job of rebuilding Interplay's baby, Bethesda has definitely proved itself to, pretty much, the entire industry. Fallout 3 literally starts you off at your character's birth and lets you build yourself from the very beginning. The story does not stop there; Fallout 3, in addition to a main storyline, has many arduous and somtimes hilarious tasks. From finding an old lady her violin to dealing with people who think they're supervillains, there's no end to the outrageous side-tasks. Bethesda has taken a brand new approach to the RPG genre, by mixing action/adventure, RPG, and FPS elements. One of the most noteable being the Vault-Tech Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.), a 'slo-mo' way of meticulously defeating various foes, which lets you pick out parts of the body individually in order to cripple them. With a wide variety of weapons, tools, foodstuffs, and plenty of skill books, Fallout 3 lets you play the way you want to play, which is why it made our Game of the Year. So, in closing, if you haven't played it yet, go buy it!

-gmusa staff