The Thirty Most Wanted of 2009: #15 to #1

We’ve revealed #30 to #16 of our most anticipated games of 2009. Now we’re on to the big boys. We’re talking about the fifteen most wanted games of the year. Of course, there’s no absolute guarantee of quality and as journalists we need to be objective. It’s just that when we think about these games it makes us will time to move faster. The only reason we wrote this list was to pass the time while we wait, rocking on the edge of our seats and tapping imaginary buttons. Screw objectivity: we want these games and we want them now, and here’s our top 15 countdown telling you why.

#15: Starcraft II (PC) Developer: Blizzard Publisher: Activision Blizzard Release Date: 2009 
Most Likely To: Turn South Korean nerds into celebrities

OK, so the Blizzcon announcement that Starcraft II is now a trilogy was not the best thing we could have heard, and the cynics among us have pointed the finger of blame firmly at Activision. Let’s not get carried away – this is still the ever-so-long-awaited sequel to one of the most beloved RTS games ever made. And it’s still Blizzard at the helm, a company that doesn’t make bad video games. Amazingly, despite the 10 year wait, there’s still a slight sense of ‘Starcraft 1.5’ about the embellishments being made to Starcraft II. Again, this is Blizzard and we think they’ve earned our faith.

#14: BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams (PS3/360/PC) Developer: 2K Marin Publisher: Take Two Interactive Release Date: Q2 09 
Most Likely To: Be the video game equivalent of Matrix Reloaded

We are very, very nervous about BioShock 2. The original was one of our favorite games of 2007, maybe even one of the best of the decade. It felt like a self-contained story; we got our closure and we’re happy with our memories of Rapture. So when Take Two announced they were making the inevitable sequel (which is actually a prequel), we found ourselves to be hesitant. We’re still in that stage of anxiety mixed with excitement, but if 2K Marin can produce a game that gets anywhere close to matching its predecessor then we’ll be more than happy to spend more time with our Big Daddy.

#13: I Am Alive (PS3/360/PC) Developer: Darkworks & Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft Release Date: Q2 09 
Most Likely To: Seriously divide opinion

This game is an unknown quantity at this stage, something underlined by the Ubisoft connection. Ubisoft have a habit of bringing out games that people really, really like or really, really hate and we have a sneaking suspicion I Am Alive could go the same way. It’s an action survival game where players will play a dude trying to make his way through Chicago, except that it’s been hit by the mother of all earthquakes. We know that there’s more to the plot than that, and Ubisoft have revealed there’s a more sinister mystery lurking underneath the natural disaster (not literally), but other than that we’re clueless. Still, right now I Am Alive is pretty distinctive in a year full of standard-fare sequels.