This past week Kotaku recapped the year that was in video games, on subjects both naughty and nice. And before we know it, seven days will have passed, and we'll all begin working on another 365-chapter story of video games, how they're made, and who plays them.

For now, we invite you to revisit these retrospectives. And we thank you for choosing to spend a part of this holiday with Kotaku. From all of us, happy holidays, and a very merry Christmas to you.

2009 in Review
The Controversies
The Shows That Were
The Sports Video Game Report
The Disappointments
The Year, NSFW
The Trailers

Featured Stories
One Man's Year Making Assassin's Creed II
The Man Who Never Wanted To Make 'The Citizen Kane of Games'
The Batman-Maker Who Didn't Know The Meaning Of GOTY
Motion-Control Gaming Grabs The Spotlight

Bayonetta's Got It, Flaunts It:
Without a doubt, Bayonetta was the high-amp vamp of gaming in 2009, and she hasn't even hit North America yet. In Japan, the ass-kicking, pistol-packing, hair-whipping witch with the naughty librarian look earned critical acclaim from no less than the Japanese director of the cinematic tour de force "Would You Like To Get An Enema Until You Poop?" Stateside and elsewhere, she emerged from relentless early comparisons to another gun enthusiast MILF, Sarah Palin, to become the undisputed cosplaying rookie of the year.

GTA: The Schlong and the Damned
The year's first major NSFW story came out of Rockstar, which broke new ground in Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned by becoming the first video game to show flaccid congressman dong. Fahey then bravely examined the historical importance of this depiction by providing a recap of nudity in games, "the good, the bad and the ugly." Hey, two out of three is bad.

Cussing-Outs and Swearing-Ins:
NSFW doesn't just mean T&A. Bad language also qualifies, and we had hilarious highlights for that, too. Grandma Hardcore, the game-playing senior citizen, spewed filth-flarn-flarn-filth-flarn over Brütal Legend. Ice-T (in a video featuring his NSFW wife, Coco) went apeshit playing Modern Warfare before demanding a Snapple to quench his thirst. And Ozzy Osbourne, talking to Fahey at Blizzcon, was just, well, Ozzy.

Just Two Words: Demon Tits
BioWare RPG's are eminently serious affairs, but the sex factor in Dragon Age: Origins' pre-release publicity got a little silly. The game gave us gay hookups with elves, brothel encounters with livestock, and everyone doing it with their underpants still attached. And, of course, Demon Tits.

Sheva-va-voom
Bayonetta and Dragon Age were far from the only titles ramping up the sex appeal. Resident Evil 5 opened the year with Sheva, and enabled gamers to instantly center the camera on her chest. This is especially useful once you unlock her secret tribal costume.

Boob! Headshot!
In October, two elite Counter Strike teams from Russia face off, but the event's promoter throws in a little "force multiplier" - a room full of strippers, disrobing and gyrating beside, over and on their monitors. The team forZe kept its focus and defeated rival Virtus.pro.

Attachments and Oddities
A product called the "Joydick" needs zero introduction, and I'll spare you from the description. And a tiny title offered over the Xbox Indie Games channel, which turns your controller into a rumbling vibrator, added console peripherals to the list of hiding-in-plain-sight sex toys. Slightly less sexy: The handcrafted Pokémon menstrual pad for $8 whose up-side I couldn't correctly identify. Finally, a lawsuit over virtual sex toys in Second Life gave us a darkhorse candidate for the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year: "Fuck Coffins."

Things Seen and Never Unseen
Mario and Peach made a tape that, like much of porn, has sex but is soooooo far from sexy. The Mushroom Kingdom's top plumber also laid some pipe with Lara Croft in this unaccountably weird video from, where else, Germany, which also featured Pong sex. In that vein, have you ever wanted to see a Tetris piece masturbate? No? Too bad, here it is.

The Second Sexiest Game of 2009
Left 4 Dead instantly spun off a robust modding community; too bad it chose to use its powers for evil, giving us the Nude Zoey Mod. Because, hey, nothing's hotter than blasting apart the leprous undead with a saucy deshabille look. It wasn't L4D's only brush with the naughty-naughty. Horny infected took to the personal ads for our Valentine's Day prank, where they hooked up with a horde even more mindlessly disgusting - the Craigslist casual encounter lurkers. Finally, porn gave the zombie FPS the ultimate compliment, a sex flick punning the title, named "Left 4 Head."

Munn's the Word
G4's "Attack of the Show" co-host took (most of) it all off for Playboy in June, despite a relentless haranguing from a Playboy stylist to try going commando under imaginary pants. Munn refused, saying the outfits they had in mind would have made her vadge "look like a Honeybaked Ham." Way to work it, Olivia! Geeks were in high dudgeon, because there is no other kind of dudgeon, over Playboy's beyond-the-pale exploitation of their hormones. Or just that it was a Tuesday. Many made the shocking declaration that she just wasn't hot enough, although Munn, as of press time, had no plans to do any of them.

Porn O'Plenty
In September, Vivid Entertainment's CEO says his firm is interested in getting its seminal works (ha ha, get it?) available for download over the PlayStation Network, an offer Sony ignored discreetly (in a plain brown wrapper.) But he's far from the only figure in adult entertainment to make the games crossover in 2009. Bobbi Starr, the X-Rated Critics Organization's regining "Superslut" finds work at E3 as a booth babe for Dirt 2. Porn legend Ron Jeremy joins actresses Krissy Lynn and Andy San Dimas (taking the whole use-your-address-as-a-porn-name motif a little seriously) in Fairytale Fights trailer promos of a viral nature, but not the one that sends you down to the free clinic. Finally, adult star Raven Alexis, an avowed World of Warcraft enthusiast, closes out the year with her five-step plan to winning the heart of a gamer girl - provided, of course, you know one in real life.

Things that should have been great, but were average. Things that should have been good, but were awful. Whether through accident, misstep or a good old-fashioned cock-up, here are what I think are the biggest disappointments in video gaming of 2009:

The PSPgo
It could have been a revolution in video gaming. The dawn of the digital-only era, a rebirth for Sony's flagging portable. Instead, it's done little but underwhelm.

First, there were strong suspicions it re-purposed the casing from an existing Sony device, the Mylo. Then some retailers refused to carry it. Then a promised UMD exhange program washed up on the beach, while digital versions of existing games were slow to materialise.

Oh, and it didn't help it was priced at a ridiculous $249.

In short, Sony have provided existing PSP owners with almost zero reason to purchase something the company badly needed to convince them to purchase. And consumers have responded, sales of the PSP having gone nowhere since the machine's launch.

Maybe they'll get it right with the PSP2!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer is, when it's not being exploited, wonderful. There's little to disappoint with that part of the package. But the game's singleplayer...oh boy.

The original Modern Warfare was a colossal entry in the field. It contained thrilling set pieces, an engaging storyline and memorable characters. All the game's sequel needed to do was provide more of the same, and millions would be happy.

But no. Infinity Ward tried to get clever. Tried to turn what had been a reasonably realistic tale of Modern Warfare into a Michael Bay movie. A rugged, lovable SAS Captain became a monologue-happy madman. The "your player is dead" trick was over-used to the point of becoming laughable. The "No Russian" level was an exercise in poorly-envisaged shock tactics, and the game's storyline would have confused Hideo Kojima.

It's not a terrible game by any means, as it still has its moments - particularly when repelling the Russians from the US - but when you look at the gulf in what could/should have been and what we ended up with, it ranks as one of the year's biggest disappointments.

Ghostbusters
It's not enough that this was a Ghostbusters game. It was, in theory at least, supposed to be a third Ghostbusters film, written by the men who wrote the movies and starring the vocal talents of those same, gifted actors. What could possibly go wrong?

Try almost everything. Developers Terminal Reality seemingly had little idea how to build an enjoyable game around the experience of being a Ghostbuster, so instead settled on a series of limited, repetitive and frustrating mechanics to get us through. Boring PKE section, tiring ghost wrangling, boring PKE section, tiring ghost wrangling, etc etc.

The only thing to look forward to was the vocal talents of the film's stars, and even that was found wanitng, only Dan Aykroyd putting any real effort into a bland and forgettable tale.

Maybe it was our fault for getting so excited about a Ghostbusters game, maybe it was Atari's fault for digging up the license in the first place, who knows. But when you make a game based on such a treasured franchise, and get serious Hollywood talent involved, it needs to be better than this.

DJ Hero
Few people seem to comprehend how significant a failure this game has been for Activision. And how big a disappointment it's been to everyone else. This isn't some Guitar Hero spin-off; it was an expensively-backed assault on a market the mega-publisher believed was being excluded from its Guitar Hero franchise.

This was to be the phenomenon for hip-hop and dance fans that Guitar Hero had been for everyone else. Activision guessed right that, yes, that's a big market, and one worth capitalising on. What they got wrong was...everything else.

DJ Hero had to be "cool" to sell, and thanks to it's faux-rave setting, it wasn't. It needed to be hip-hop, and it wasn't. It needed to be dance, and it wasn't. What it was, courtesy of the decision to focus solely on "mashups", was a confusing, bland, fence-straddling mix of music styles that ultimately appealed to neither fanbase.

The publishers decision to focus much of the game's marketing efforts on DJ Shadow was perhaps most telling. This game needed to be "Endtroducing". All it was in the end was "The Outsider".

Killzone 2
Again, not a bad game. Just disappointing.

Consider the amount of money and work that went into the game. The amount of expectations placed up on its shoulders. The scope of its marketing, all the attempts to turn Killzone into Sony's own Halo, an evergreen sci-fi franchise for the core market.

In some areas, it succeeded. It certainly looks, and sounds, expensive. It should be praised a lot more than it is for successfully implementing a working cover system in a first-person game. And Brian Cox can make anything bearable. But only to a point; the rest of the game is equal parts forgettable and offensive, poor characters propelling you through a dreary wasteland of a game, populated solely by clichés and a world so depressing you wish Rainbow Brite would pop in and make a cameo.

Halo succeeds in much the same way Uncharted and Modern Warfare do: they serve as the gateway to a franchise, to a lifetime of fandom. They are summer blockbusters, games that not only excite, thrill the senses then leave you madly in love with a world and its characters. How else could so many people adore Captain Price, for example? Or the mute, faceless Master Chief? But in Killzone, who do you love? What makes you remember the game aside from an endless parade of grey buildings and a guy who swears too much?

Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 4 is one of the greatest games of all time. So this game had a lot to live up to.

And it didn't come close.

While Res 4 maintained the series' antiquated movement and control scheme, its levels and pacing were designed so perfectly that they managed to cover them up. Resident Evil 5, on the other hand, with its expansive shoot-outs and slant on action, exposed them for the relics they are.

It's a game of two minds. It so wanted to be a 21st-century run-and-gun title, with co-op play throughout and exciting action sequences, yet was so hamstrung by "tradition" (ie slow, plodding controls) that it was unable to take the plunge and finish the job Res 4 began: leaving the Resident Evil series behind.

When you follow a game as great as Resident Evil 4 with something as compromised as this, it's a disappointment.

Honorable Mentions
Tony Hawk Ride - The way the series finally dragged its rotting corpse over the shark would have been disappointing to die-hard Tony Hawk fans...if there were any left.

WiiWare - If the Wii is the most successful console of the current generation, why is WiiWare - its digital shopfront - so awful? There needs to be more games on this service. Well, more games people actually want to play.

Madden - EA Sports' FIFA series continues to innovate, and show the world an annual sports franchise can also be a great game. So why does Madden get away with continually releasing what is essentially the ninth version of the same game?

Duke Nukem Forever - Had gone beyond a joke, so it wasn't crushing to see it finally give up the ghost, but still...news of its ultimate demise was still a little disappointing. There'd always been hope, no matter how small, that one day it would have made it to a shelf. (thanks TheHeeyyy!]

That about does it for me, but what about you? What were you most disappointed with in 2009?

In many ways 2009 was like most for sports games - every major team sports title put out a new version; Madden sold a ton for EA Sports; cover athletes were leaked and/or announced; titles such as EA Sports' FIFA and NHL followed their own strong traditions, while ones like THQ's UFC Undisputed broke new ground. Kotaku's roundup of 2009 is not of the routine stories however, but the ones that had the most lasting impact on this year, and should into next year, too. We invite you to continue the discussion in our comments.

The Race is Over for NASCAR
In early February, EA Sports announces there will be no sequel to NASCAR 09, ending a series going back under various names to 1998. The title's biggest problems were in the franchise's poor sales and limited growth potential. Later, EA Sports boss Peter Moore reveals that the NASCAR development team has been repurposed to its upcoming EA Sports MMA, and the publisher has no plans to restart the racing franchise.

Lawsuits Threaten College Titles' Realism
In May, former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller files a class-action lawsuit alleging that the NCAA and EA Sports use and/or profit from the use of college athlete's likenesses in video games, without their permission. Keller's complaint points to the two-faced nature of the college sports authority, which requires its athletes' adherence to strict amateur codes while reaping millions off, in effect, their labor. But compensating Keller, or any other athlete, for the use of their likenesses while they are still in school would render them ineligible. Keller's suit points out how easily identifiable he and other players are in the NCAA games - indeed a cottage industry has cropped up to rename roster files, which are disseminated via the EA Sports Locker feature in both its football and basketball titles. Later in the year, former UCLA standout Ed O'Bannon also sues on the same grounds, but said he would use the suit to create a trust fund that could compensate players after they graduate, to preserve the value of the products in which they appear without violating their rights or eligibility. Neither suit has yet gone to trial, but NCAA Football and Basketball without realistic rosters would seriously damage both titles.

Mixed Martial Arts: The Sport of the Future
UFC 2009 Undisputed by THQ debuts in May and is immediately that month's biggest seller, helping put a gold star over mixed martial arts as the newest it-franchise for sports gaming. Although THQ has the UFC license for foreseeable future, rumors that EA Sports has eyes for the sport come true at E3 2009, when EA Sports MMA is announced. Voluble UFC boss Dana White unleashes invective at EA, saying the publisher years before had told his outfit, "You're not a real sport," and "EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts." White also warns fighters they "won't be in the UFC," if they sign on to EA Sports MMA. EA Sports boss Peter Moore doesn't respond directly to White, but says he's backed MMA in video games going back to 2000 on the Dreamcast. Meanwhile, EA Sports MMA signs names such as Fedor Emelianeko, Randy Couture, Jason Miller and, ultimately inks a deal with MMA promotion house Strikeforce. Word spreads that UFC 2010 Undisputed is due in May - and EA Sports declines comment on a rumor that EA Sports MMA won't be out until September.

Trash Talk on the Court
NBA 2K10 is again the consensus leader among pro basketball titles, but NBA Live 10 is a significant improvement over previous years' lackluster offerings. This year, it becomes easily the most competitive, and heated, rivalry among published sports titles. It gets personal when EA Sports is praised for putting out a comprehensive patch that it says was built with community feedback. A representative of 2K Sports, in a post later taken down, goes into a forum to question whether such a patch could have been built and passed certification so quickly - which implies EA Sports began work in advance of the game's release and knew it was shipping substandard code. The NBA Live team returns fire on its blog with a wave of screenshots showing people offering NBA 2K10 for sale on Craigslist, insulting its quality, and pledging allegiance to NBA Live.

Catch a Tiger with Tail
Golf superstar Tiger Woods' failure to keep it in his pants is the subject of a hilarious machinima re-enactment from China, but as the scandal wears on it starts getting less funny and starts costing more money. As Woods' major corporate sponsors such as Accenture and Gatorade begin dropping him or scaling back his appearances, the question is put to EA Sports, which has the golfer at the front of both its console golf title and an upcoming free-to-play online version. At first EA Sports stands by its man, but later issues a second statement that, reading between the lines, is a little more qualified in its support. Woods is taking an indefinite leave from the PGA Tour heading into 2010, and it becomes clear that as long as he is away from the course, EA Sports will face these questions.

Iced Hockey
Not a poor game, but not exceptional in its later years, the consensus still places 2K Sports' NHL franchise a distant second to EA Sports' NHL in 2009, and that seems to be enough for the Take-Two leadership. In December, the game is conspicuously left off a corporate filing that announces upcoming dates and platforms for other sports titles in 2010. Asked if NHL 2K has been canceled, a 2K Sports spokesman replies only that no plans have been made for that property, which is taken as a "yes," by most. Furthermore, the same listing shows NBA 2K10 - by far 2K Sports' best team property - as "TBA" for the platforms to which it will release. This likely means the end of that series' brief Wii experiment.

Baseball Been Bery, Bery Bad to Take-Two
This was a terrible year for horsehide under the 2K Sports brand. MLB 2K9 wasn't just a regression from the series' previous offering, it went out the door with a staggering number of glitches in the product. Terrible graphics and even comical player faces also contributed to the savage reviews it received. Spinoff titles like The Bigs 2 and Front Office Manager, concocted to help offset what one analyst thinks is the $40 million paid for MLB exclusive licensing back in 2005, failed to sell according to expectations. In December, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick singles out the company's baseball franchise for blame when the company announces it will miss earnings projections. Two weeks later, Take-Two announces a $137.9 million loss for the fiscal year.

Just like the automotive industry revels in glitzy trade shows and product reveals, so too do gaming companies. And 2009 saw some major changes in the way the video game industry showed itself off to the world/its customers, with movements in Germany, depression in Tokyo and the return of a dear, expensive friend in Los Angeles.

And that's before we even get to the other shows, like the Game Developer's Conference (which got back to being a conference for game developers), PAX (proving people power wins out over marketing power) and BlizzCon (which shows Blizzard are masters of preaching to the converted).

These shows serve many important functions. Those open to the public, like TGS and GamesCom, let hundreds of thousands of people get their hands on games sometimes not due out for months. Those like PAX and BlizzCon are invaluable for hardcore fans, allowing large groups of gamers to converge and share a passion for a pastime that in many cases still exists on the periphery on popular culture.

And E3, well...it was just nice to have the old girl back.

Electronic Entertainment Expo [June]
Having reduced both its size and scope in recent years, 2009's E3 saw a return to the bombastic days of old, with big stands, big screens and big money everywhere you looked. And while it may have lacked the sheer raw thrills of previous shows - with actual announcements thin on the ground - it was still hands-down the media highlight of 2009.

Here's hoping next year some companies other than Microsoft decide to show something both new and exciting.

Want to relive the memories? You can check out our complete E3 2009 coverage here.

GamesCom [August]
Having "stolen" the honour of being Germany's biggest games show late in 2008, GamesCom made good on its promise of improving on the experience Leipzig had boasted in previous years, attracting over 200,000 members of the public and helping establish the show as a major event on the global circuit.

With the European market increasing in both size and importance, and just about every major publisher (Nintendo aside) committed to attending, GamesCom should be even bigger in 2010.

History fans can read up on our complete GamesCom 09 coverage right here.

Tokyo Game Show [September]
Poor TGS. Once a vibrant and exciting event, showcasing the latest and greatest coming out of Japan, the Tokyo Game Show has declined in both pizzazz and importance in recent years. 2009's show was particularly disappointing, with announcements few and far between, though with the Japanese development scene largely in a similar decline, the show itself can't be blamed for that.

Of course, it doesn't help that the country's largest and most successful developer, publisher and hardware manufacturer (Nintendo) continually refuses to exhibit there.

Here's where you can find our complete coverage of TGS 2009.

BlizzCon [August]
Strange show, BlizzCon. Every year, it gets bigger and bigger. But every year, it's appeal remains limited solely to those who slavishly follow all things Blizzard. Which, granted, is a lot of people, but then, for many more, the week goes by without incident.

Like I said, strange show. There's nothing else so laser-focused out there. This year's was marked by things like an appearance by Ozzy Osbourne, the reveal of a new WoW expansion, and lots of cosplay. Lots.

Blizzard fans can read up on everything that went down during BlizzCon 09 right here.

Penny Arcade Expo [September]
The future of game shows. The Penny Arcade Expo, held every year in Seattle, attracts tens of thousands of gamers purely so they can just...hang out. Immerse themselves in a weekend of gaming culture, from demos to panels to concerts to art exhibitions. Attendees aren't there to be sold something, they're there to have fun. A rare thing in this industry.

Over 60,000 people attended PAX in 2009, and with the organisers holding two events in 2010 - one in Seattle, one in Boston - it looks set to become the biggest game show in the US after E3.

We, of course, were there, and you can catch up on our complete coverage of PAX 09 right here.

Game Developers Conference [March]
There was a while there - 2007 especially - where the Game Developers Conference was in trouble. It had become less about developers hanging out and sharing ideas and more about the big sell, as publishers took over the show and made it a mini-E3.

Thankfully, perhaps thanks to the emergence of other shows to take the weight off (GamesCom, PAX), GDC could return to a semblance of normality, a place where the interesting news came from interesting people having a chat, not a publisher taking to a stage to announce a consumer product (though there was still no shortage of announcements).

Forgot how it all went down? Our GDC 09 coverage can be found right here.

Comic-Con [July]
Comic Con. It's for comics, right? Nope. It's grown over the past few years into a nerd extravaganza, covering everything from movies to toys to...video games. And in 2009, there were plenty of games on show, Kotaku's lone correspondent run off his feet while trying to get his hands on them all.

As games get bigger and louder, and the money to be made from them grows more lucrative, they should form an increasingly important part of Comic-Con. Which, considering the amount of non-comic stuff on show, might be due for a name change in the near future.

Here's everything Mike saw, and did, at Comic Con 2009.

That's what we thought. But what about you guys? What did you think of the shows of 2009?

Kicking off Kotaku's review of 2009 are the headlines that generated the most heat, if not light, from the preceding year. The conflicts fracture along familiar faultlines - legal claims; violence and in-game content; marketing and etc. And by no means is this an exhaustive list. There were plenty of other decisions, indecisions, gaffes, gambits and shrewd calls made by the games industry - a dynamic capitalist enterprise, of course - and we invite you to continue the discussion of them in our comments.

Knuckleheaded
EA's press promo for Godfather II backfires when the brass knuckles it sends (including a pair to Crecente) turn out to be illegal in many of the states to which they are shipped (including Colorado). It's also illegal to ship them in California, where EA is based. EA asks for all of the knuckles back. Godfather II then backfires when the game sucks.

One Fallujah the Cuckoo's Nest
Konami tiptoed up to the "too soon?" line by announcing "Six Days in Fallujah," a combat FPS based on the deadly 2006 American operation to pacify the region in Iraq. Then developer Atomic Games took a flying leap over the line by mentioning it had consulted with insurgents on the game's initial design. By the end of the month, Konami dropped the project like it was a hot, nuclear-waste infused pop-tart. Atomic continued to insist the project was alive, while shopping it to other publishers. But by the end of the year, Atomic president Peter Tamte seemed to have gotten further with his idea for a "family-friendly" game about Marines pacifying Beirut, instead. That one is scheduled for a January 2010 release. Apparently, in video games, it's all about location, location, location. [Thanks to commenter ashleyillman001 for reminding us of this one.]

Our Legal Team Goes to 11
Activision's lawyers file a face-melting suit against studio Double Fine over Brütal Legend, whose publishing shifted over from Activision to Electronic Arts earlier in the year. Activision seeks to halt the game's release on grounds that Double Fine missed a key deadline when it was accountable to Activision. EA, not sued, still tells Activision STFU, and that they're just jealous in the manner of "a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." Double Fine countersues, alleging Activision was trying to kill off Brütal Legend, seeing it as a threat to Guitar Hero. Ultimately, the two sides settle out of court, and Brütal Legend makes its declared release day.

Turn Out the Lights, the LAN Party's Over
StarCraft is a longtime staple of LAN parties, but that tradition will end with StarCraft II. In late June, Blizzard tells Kotaku that the title will not support local area network gaming, and will instead steer players over to "our upgraded Battle.net service." One of the reasons given is that it cuts down on piracy. Predictably, Starcraft enthusiasts head to the Batpoles to draft a petition. Instead of making fist-shaking demands and threatening boycotts, what comes out is more of a polite "please?" The effort has gathered 244,510 signatures to date. But at Blizzcon, executive v.p. of game design Rob Pardo tells Fahey that "Only from the press," is Blizzard still taking flak for the decision. "Everyone else has accepted it."

Edgy Edged Edginess over Edge
Tim Langdell had a terrible reputation within the games industry prior to this year, but his pissing contest with Mobigame over the word "Edge" represents a coming out party. Langdell, excoriated for his aggressive defense of the trademark "Edge," which he registered years ago, has Mobigame's acclaimed title for the iPhone removed from the iTunes App Store in May. The controversy and terrible publicity result in Langdell's resignation from the board of the International Game Developers Association, and ultimately Electronic Arts suing to cancel Langdell's trademarks, over a dispute regarding 2008's Mirror's Edge. Mobigame's game resurfaces as "Mobigame by Edge" later in the year.

Who Sold Out Whom?
At E3 2009, Valve's announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 ignites feelings of betrayal and marginalization in some who bought the original Left 4 Dead barely seven months before. Immediately a boycott group forms on the Steam forums, vowing not to buy or play the new game. Some 10,000 people join it in the first few days. Stern criticisms include: "The fiddle-based horde music is extremely disliked, though the differently orchestrated music is otherwise welcome." In September, Valve shrewdly co-opts the boycott's leadership, flying two of its organizers to Valve HQ to get some hands-on time with Left 4 Dead 2. Both immediately sing its praises. On launch day in November, most in the boycott stick to their guns, but many cave in and play anyway.

Dante's Fiasco(es)
The Dante's Inferno marketing team was apparently on a rampage to execute the most boneheaded campaign of any title in 2009. After sending a bunch of fake religious zealots to E3 to protest the game there, pissing off real religious zealots with the stereotype, they cook up the "Sin to Win" whopper of Comic-Con. Basically, Comic-Con goers were encouraged to "commit acts of lust" by having their photos taken with booth babes, then submit the photos for judgment and a chance to win a "sinful night with two hot girls," plus other amenities. Outrage catches on, and the Dante's Inferno team apologizes. A real booth babe rips them a new one, and a gay man wins a runner-up prize for submitting his picture with a "booth bear."

Made from Scratch
It's a story that combines 2009's trendiest douche moves - lawsuits, and layoffs. In April, Activision is sued by publisher Genius Products and peripheral maker Numark Industries over its acquisition of 7 Studios, conveniently and coincidentally developing a rival game to Activision's own DJ Hero. A court in L.A. orders Activision to give over all the code from the competing title - Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. The two sides settle on a cash-for-code prisoner exchange, and Scratch is rebooked for an early 2010 release. DJ Hero, despite reasonably good reviews and a full-bore marketing campaign, disappoints in sales, which doesn't look good for Scratch next year. Finally, once 7 Studios is no longer useful to this corporate psychodrama, Activision lays off half of its workforce.

Sambo No Amigo
Scribblenauts, the wildly creative DS hit developed by 5th Cell, encounters an unintentional problem with racial sensitivity when writing the word "sambo" creates a watermelon on the screen. In the minor video games market known as the United States, both are overtly racist images with a history going back decades. 5th Cell points out the game is developed for multiple countries and languages, and that the watermelon summoned is in fact a "fig-leafed gourd," by which it is apparently known as "sambo" in Spanish. The game's publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive issues a more comprehensive apology, expressing deep regret for the word's inclusion. Internet tough-guy commenters who don't see what the trouble is with the word "sambo" are invited to say it around their black friends. None has any.

Shut Your Hole
Courtney Love, wife of self-martyred pop star Kurt Cobain, announces via Twitter she's gonna "sue the shit out of Activision," over its insensitive use of her hubby's likeness in Guitar Hero 5 - which includes his avatar singing songs not performed by Nirvana, which means in someone else's voice. Activision's response is all, "Um, RTFA," and points to the contract she in fact signed granting the use of Cobain's likeness as a "fully playable character." Jon Bon Jovi backs Love, saying he nothankyou.jpg'd Activision's offer of an appearance in the same game. Then Gwen Stefani, not one to be out-dramaqueened, and her band No Doubt file a lawsuit similar to Love's. Activision returns fire, suing No Doubt for failure to perform due diligence and breach of contract. Congratulations, everyone now looks bad.

A Lack of Dedication
In October, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling goes on a podcast with hardcore Modern Warfare fans and announces the creation of the matchmaking service IWNet. You then hear the gears turning in the podcast hosts' heads: But ... that ... means the end of ... dedicated servers ... right? Right. Immediately, petitions and boycotts are announced, gathering some 20,000 signatures in the first day. Infinity Ward sticks to its claim that IWNet will be an improvement. By launch day, the boycott is effectively over.

Video About Gamers' Insensitivity Not Acceptable
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher - and noted Modern Warfare enthusiast - Cole Hamels (pictured) reminds us that "grenades are for pussies," in a faux-public service announcement brought to you by "Fight Against Grenade Spam." That, of course, makes the acronym FAGS and all, or at least partial, hell breaks loose. Infinity Ward, the producer of the video, is upbraided not so much for a veiled homophobic slur, but for a clip that portrays the game's community as dominated by uber-macho, insult-spewing assclowns. Infinity Ward removes the video the next day.

No Russian Was Harmed in the Making
Leaked gameplay footage of Modern Warfare 2 shows that players will - in the guise of an undercover mission - join terrorists as they invade an airport, kill and commit atrocities against civilians. Activision immediately points out the mission is skippable, both before it begins and at any point during it, and is "designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism." The game, already classified for sale in Australia, is the subject of brief demands to have it reclassified and effectively banned, but they go nowhere. The sequence is removed from versions sold in Russia, and modified in the Japanese and German versions so that players shooting any civilians are given a "game over" screen. The Japanese version courts additional controversy when the mistranslation of "Remember, no Russian," - instructions to the terrorists not to speak in that language - comes out as "Kill ‘em, the Russians." In the United States, Totilo goes on MSNBC to plead for national calm and mainstream outrage fails to materialize.Modern Warfare 2 goes on to sell more than 4.7 million copies in the North America and the U.K. - on the day of its release.

Frumps on the Barbie
Australia's lack of an R18+ classification for video games comes back to the fore when Left 4 Dead 2 is refused classification by the nation's Review Board. Valve's reaction is, in order, to be "pretty bummed," then to appeal the refused classification and then finally publish a spitefully power-sanitized version just for Australia, which might as well have been titled Imagine: Zombiez.

Frumps on the Barbie II or: Australians vs. Predator
Luke attempts to set us all straight on what is and what ain't banning in Australia. But the country's image, that it's a nation of pantywaists tenderly sensitive to depictions of certain manly acts - such as decapitations - persists. And it seems to be having a cumulative effect. Aliens vs. Predator, at first banned - oops, I mean, refused classification - is reconsidered and then, amazingly, classified MA15+ making it good for sale. Then the government asks for public input on changes to the country's game ratings system. Finally Luke, waking up today and reading this last paragraph, bludgeons me to death with a didgeridoo, over the Internet, the end.

Nier is being developed by Cavia, the Japanese studio behind Drakengard and Umbrella Chronicles, but unlike most of Square Enix's other titles coming out of Japan, Nier is being targeted at a worldwide audience. Saito says Square USA & Europe were involved in the design process, helping come up with a character and and a setting that will hopefully be as popular in Japan as it is in the West.

Which, from what we saw yesterday, may be a bit of a stretch.

Although the game is still early in development, and we weren't allowed any hands-on time with the title, what we did see was hardly encouraging. Despite the worldwide design process, Nier looks like a cliched Japanese brawler, only with the added tedium of RPG-style exploratory sequences bookending the combat areas (Saito says the game will be 70% action, 30% RPG exploration).

I mean, there was just nothing to the game. There was talking, running around an empty field, some awkward slashing, wash, rinse, repeat. Combat looked stilted, dialogue of a standard you'd expect from a Square Enix game translated into English. The small group of people who will slavishly buy every average Japanese action game just because it's a Japanese action game may find something I'm missing, but the 10-minute demo did absolutely nothing to mark this game as something worth remembering, even if you do like hitting things with a giant sword.

As a disclaimer, this was early code, and who knows, maybe Cavia will pull out something truly extraordinary at a later date. But first impressions are important, and this game didn't leave a very good one.

The game has been farmed out to Madrid-based developer Mercury Steam and brings together a star studded cast that features Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle. This is the game's latest trailer.

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?
To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console.
And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Sony, your promises are being checked today.

Background: The Sony press briefing occurred on July 15, 2008 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. This showcase lasted more than 90 minutes.

To Start With….
Jack Tretton, president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America: "As many of you have already written, 2008 is the year of the PS3."

Verdict: Subjective. You sort it out.

Resistance 2 Will Be Fantastic
Ted Price, president and CEO of Insomniac Games describes Resistance 2's campaign, promises eight-player co-op, competitive modes and community features: "Bottom line, Resistance 2 offers more than any shooter in 2008."

Verdict: The features were accurate. The rest is also for you to decide.

Gaming Will Be Huge In 2008

Tretton: "NPD has been estimating that the gaming industry revenue will soar as high as $23 billion in 2008."

Verdict: Not Jack's fault nor research group NPD's that the figure NPD wound up calculating for the year was $21 billion.

PS3 Gaming Discounts Coming

Tretton announced that Resistance, MotorStorm, Warhawk, Call of Duty 3, Fight Night Round 3, Need For Speed Carbon, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassin's Creed, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden would all be sold as greatest hits games at discount for the holiday.

Verdict: True.

Buzz Coming

Tretton announced the impending launches of Buzz on PSP and Buzz PS3 for September, along with downloadable packs.

Verdict: Yep, this happened.

And For The PS2…

Tretton said a Lego Batman PS2 would arrive in the fall for 149 dollars.

Verdict: Yes, he got this too. Impressed yet?

One Log-In For All

Tretton: Starting this fall, all PlayStation users will have a single sign-on so no matter where they sign in. All their PlayStation information will go with them.

Verdict: Yep.

More On Clank, Soon

Brian Allgeier, lead designer on Ratchet & Clank, discussing the surprise announcement of a downloadable summer sequel: "Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty will give more information about Clank's disappearance."

Verdict: Well, yeah. But not that much more information.

Booty In The Summer

Tretton says the new Ratchet is coming this summer.

Verdict: Jack doesn't flub predictions like these.

PSN Has The Following…

A PSN trailer reel shows Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty, Crash Commando, Fat Princess, PixelJunk Eden, Pain Amusement Park, Flower, Siren Blood Curse, Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic.

Verdict: And wouldn't you know it? All these games except Fat Princess are now out.

GTTV - Not The Keighley Version - Is Coming
Tretton: Polyphony Digital is launching the pay per view distribution of GTTV [Gran Turismo TV] and Gran Turismo Prologue with a wide variety of content .. this content will be available starting August 1 via Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.

Verdict: On target.

Home Will Be Fantastic

Tretton: I absolutely assure you that when PlayStation Home is publicly available through our expanded beta program your patience will more then be rewarded"… he then mentioned commitments from Ubisoft, EA, Activision, LucasArts, Nike support… and says we can play Warhawk and Uncharted spaces… and a demo reel showed am Uncharted space, a Resistance space with Chimera in tanks, Warhawk.
Verdict: To the outside eye, it may appear that Tretton slipped here. After all, we haven't yet seen a LucasArts space and the Resistance one is only going live this week. But, hey, that's pretty good!

Movie Store Coming Today

Tretton hyped the launch - that day - of the PlayStation Network Video store. "This content is portable after you download it to your ps3 you can transport it to your PSP as well."

Tretton: True.

And A New PSP…. Bundle

Tretton: Starting in October, we'll be launching our family friendly Ratchet and Clank Size Matters entertainment pack.

Verdict: Accurate, of course.

Resistance Retribution Coming

A trailer shows Resistance Retribution for Spring 2009.

Verdict: But it came out in mid-March. That's winter. Liars.

PSP Has The Following Games

PSP reel of highlights "for this and next year" - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Madden NFL 09, Loco Roco 2, NBA09 The Inside, Super Stardust Portable, Lego Batman The Video Game, Patapon 2, Buzz Master Quiz, Valkyria Chronicles.

Verdict : Finally! A flub. Sort of. Valkyria Chronicles would be coming to PS3, not PSP. Wrong reel!

PS3 Getting Life

Tretton: "We're set to deliver an entirely new experience that ill allow fans to see worldwide news in real time through a network-connected PS3 and TV in their living room with live news, weather and live webcam feed. We call it Life with PlayStation, it will be available by the end of the month…"

Verdict: He implied July. It launched in September.

MMOs Coming To PS3

Tretton mentions The Agency, Free Realms and DC Universe Online as coming to PS3

Verdict: Could be true. Just hasn't happened yet.

New PS3…. SKU

Tretton: "Starting in September we will launch 80GB PS3 that has the same functionality as the 40GB PS3. And we're giving consumers twice the storage capacity for the same price… $399.99."

Verdict: True. Always-true-Tretton, we call him.

PS3's 2008 Line-Up Has This…

PS3 lineup reel beings playing as Tretton says it "will actualize what I've been saying here today, that 2008 is the year of PlayStation 3." It shows Little Big Planet, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Metal Gear Solid , Quantum of Solace, SOCOM Confrontation, Ghostbusters The Video Game, Soul Calibur IV, Resistance 2, The Agency, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, Mirror's Edge, Resident Evil 5, SingStar, Guitar Hero World Tour, NBA 09 The Inside, Buzz Quiz TV, Killzone 2, Fallout 3 and others not named.

Verdict: Mostly on target. But… the Agency? That didn't come out in 2008.

Kratos Is En Route After The Holidays

Tretton: "Yes it's true, God of War III is coming to PlayStation 3." Says InFamous and MAG are post-holiday as well.

Verdict: We shall see. They certainly didn't come out early.

Note: Sony did not mention the upcoming screen tweak that would bring us the PSP 3000. They hit all their other big upcoming news.

To Sum Up....Wow. We are humbled by the accuracy of Mr. Jack Tretton. We'd almost give him and Sony an A. Except... almost none of these were big guesses that were hard-to-believe, were they? Microsoft reached a little further, got a couple more wrong.... That evens out. Sony, you get a B.

This feature will be back in a year. Please stay tuned.

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?

To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console. And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Microsoft was yesterday. Nintendo, your E3 2008 promises are being checked today — exhaustively.

Background: The Nintendo press briefing occurred on July 15 at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. This event lasted exactly an hour, and you might remember that it didn't go over very well.

Shaun White "Exclusive"

After demoing Shaun White Snowboarding with the help of Shaun White, Nintendo's executive vice president of sales and marketing, Cammie Dunaway, says: "All of you can have as much fun as I just had when this game arrives exclusively for Wii by year end."

Verdict: Hmmm. Yes, the version of Shaun White Snowboarding that you can play with the Wii Balance Board proved to be exclusive to the Nintendo Wii last fall, but there were Xbox 360 and PS3 versions later in '08 too, you know.

Mario and Zelda Folks At Work

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "Our internal team which creates Mario games and the one that makes Zelda games are both hard at work. They will bring new titles to Wii."

Verdict: Expected to come true someday. Not yet.

Animal Crossing Is Coming

Animal Crossing creator Katsuya Eguchi details the features for the fall's Animal Crossing City Folk, including a new city, Wii message board interaction, the ability to send messages to cell phones and PCs too, support for the Wii Speak mic.

Verdict: All these features were included when the game launched.

Wii Speak Is On Its Way

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils Aime says: "Animal Crossing is on its way to Wii by the end of the year with the Wii Speak option."

Verdict: Yup. He was right!

Lots of DSes

FIls-Aime: "By the end of our current fiscal year next March we expect that total DS worldwide sales will grow to almost 100 million systems."

Verdict: Indeed. Nintendo announced that the company achieved this milestone in March, just weeks before the end of its fiscal year.

Three Key Games

Nintendo declined to show a reel of upcoming Wii games, instead showing three that would be out later in the year: Star Wars The Clone Wars, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, Call of Duty: World at War.

Verdict: And, yes, those games came out.

Big Franchises on DS

Dunaway: "An even more imaginative interpretation of the [Guitar Hero] franchise called On Tour Decades is on the way… the DS is also the only gaming-dedicated platform where you'll find Will Wright's Spore this year."

Verdict: The new Guitar Hero came out, as did Spore Creatures. And, no, Spore on PC does not count as Spore coming out on a gaming-dedicated platform. Nor does Spore on the Wii, which is coming out this year, not last year.

More Pokemon

Dunaway announces "the next invasion of Pokemon," the release of a new Pokemon Ranger for November 10, 2008.

Verdict: Accurate. It happened.

GTA in the Winter

Dunaway: "We can announce today that a custom version of Grand Theft Auto called Chinatown Wars arrives on DS this winter." She added that the game will feature new characters and the "same free-ranging gameplay GTA fans have come to expect."

Verdict: Depends on when you think winter is. If you thought this meant the Christmas holiday, you were wrong. If you thought this could include March 17, a day that's just barely on the winter side of the vernal equinox, then you and Cammie were spot-on.

DS Non-Gaming Experiments

Dunaway describes experimental DS functionality that will inform you where your luggage is when you get off a plane and where a good restaurant might be. She says "this is all being tested," which isn't a promise that it will come out, but...

Verdict: Again, not a prediction, but also not something that has been released to the public yet. The only thing like it is the DS compatibility with SafeCo Field, which Dunaway also detailed.

MotionPlus Is Coming

Fils-Aime: There will be one Wii MotionPlus accessory and extended jacket packaged with every Wii Sports Resort. And of course others will be sold separately.

Verdict: This hasn't come true yet, but is on the verge of doing so in July.

Wii Sports Resort This Spring

Fils-Aime: "We began our presentation today with a single image in mind: smiling facings. And we believe there will be a lot more of them when Wii Sports Resort launches globally next spring."

Verdict: Ouch. Biggest mistake of the press conference. The game i slated for a June release in Japan but will definitely miss the spring in the U.S. and Europe, where it is scheduled for July.

Wii Music Will Be Fantastic

Fils-Aime: on Wii Music: "It's safe to say it will generate a lot of smiles - new smiles - in a whole new way."

Verdict: Subjective, but sure, why not? We'll give you this one, Reggie.

Wii Music Fulll of Instruments

Nintendo's chief game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto says that In Wii Music you're going to be able to play more than 50 different instruments just by moving your body, that you can save videos of your performance and , play each part of a song before combining your performances into an ensemble piece.

Verdict: Yes, Wii Music let gamers do all of that.

Note: No mention was made during the press conference of what would become the best-reviewed Wii game of 2008, World of Goo. Nor did Nintendo mention the fall (in Japan) launch of the DSi. So, arguably two of the proudest parts of Nintendo's 2008 future were not hyped at E3.

To Sum Up.... Nintendo's press conference was lambasted by hardcore fans, though not entirely for the reasons that the company can't score that well in this one-year-later review. Nintendo got the Wii Sports Resort date wrong, but stuck to accurate predictions otherwise. The problems were that the company just didn't promise that much stuff — not compared to Microsoft the day before. And what it did promise didn't prove to be as bold as exciting as, say, the company's Wii Fit announcement of the year before. As an honest conveyor of Nintendo's quality and quantity of game offerings for the next year, it was only good enough to merit a C.

Next Victim: Sony.

[PIC] - MTV Multiplayer

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?

To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console. And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Microsoft, your E3 2008 promises are being checked today — exhaustively.

Background: The Microsoft press briefing occurred on July 14 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This showcase lasted more than 90 minutes.

Big Money From Hardcore Games

Don Mattrick, Microsoft's senior vice president of interactive entertainment business (i.e. he's the Xbox boss), starts hyping Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable II and Gears of War 2: "Combined these games represent over a half a billion dollars in projected sales. And they will drive console demand in the coming year."

Verdict: Let's see. Gears sells two million in its first week, so that's about 120 million right there. Fallout 3 sells 4.7 million copies in less than a month, so that's about 282 million. We're over 400 million and we're not even at Fable or RE5, so we'll stop counting now. Good first prediction, Don Mattrick!

A Lengthy Fallout

Bethesda lead game designer Todd Howard demos Fallout 3 and says: "This is a huge game with over 100 hours of gameplay."

Verdict: Sure, that sounds about right, though the main content in the game could be finished in about 40 hours.

Fallout DLC TBD

Howard: "We're going to be doing substantial downloadable content for Fallout 3 and it will be exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows."

Verdict: True! All three DLC packs are now out for both platforms, and are not out on PS3.

Resident Evil 5 Release Date Confirmed?

Jun Takeuchi, producer of Resident Evil 5, says Resident Evil 5 "will be available in a simultaneous worldwide release in North America and Europe on Friday the 13, March 2009." (Screen showed March 12 2009 for Japan).

Verdict: Incorrect, sir! RE5 came out a week earlier than promised in Japan, on March 5.

Fable II Would Be Awesome

Peter Molyneux, creative director of Lionhead Studios, hyping Fable II: "You've never experienced anything like the dog in a game, but what I want to show you is the ability to play co-op over Xbox Live" [Verdict: OK, kind of hard to disagree]….The story will be great. [Verdict: That's subjective, Peter] … Your son grows. Your children will grow up with you [Verdict: Possibly misleading; those kids don't grow up]… Fable 2 will be out in October of this year [Verdict: Correct!]

Gears of War 2: For The World

Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games: "Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide November 7, exclusively on Xbox 360."

Verdict: True if you count the U.S. and Europe as the world; untrue if you consider Japan part of this planet.

Sony To Be Crushed

Mattrick: I'm so confident in our momentum and our bright future that I'm willing to declare here today that Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3.

Verdict: Too soon to say, but so far so good for Microsoft.

A New - sort of - Xbox 360 Coming Fall 2008

John Schappert, vice president of Xbox Live, software and services: "I'm excited to announce today that for the first time in history a consumer electronics device will be completely reinvented through software… When people around the world turn on the Xbox 360s this fall they will be greeted by an entire new interface, an entire new dashboard, creating a brand new Xbox through the magic of software."

Verdict: The New Xbox Experience did indeed go live in the fall, transforming the Xbox 360 from the inside out.

Avatars Will Be Great, Omnipresent

Brendan, last-name-less Rare software design engineer, describing the NXE's Avatars: "You'll see them in the dashboard when you turn on the system. [Verdict: True] You'll see them in your friends list. [Verdict: Yep] You're going to see them in games all over the place and you'll see avatars on websites. [Verdict: We're counting Uno Rush and a Kingdom Kieflings once apiece, ok? Seems that we've got Avatars in a little more than 10 games so far.]

Avatars Will Have Lots of Clothes

Chris, last-name-less Rare producer: "Really, the number of clothes is ultimately going to be limitless. You can expect to see new clothes released in the same way you'd go into a shop and see summer fashion and the winter fashion, you're going to see the same thing here."

Verdict: True. New clothes keep getting issued for Avatars.

Prime Time Is Coming Soon

Schappert: "I'm going to take us to a new channel, Xbox Live Prime Time which we are unveiling today and rolling out this fall [Verdict: No, make that some forthcoming month in 2009]… This fall you'll be able to play along with all of Xbox Live either as the One, the One Hundred or one of the thousands that watch and play this huge prime time game. And the best part, you'll all be able to win real prizes… Instead of just checking to see what's on TV this fall you'll turn on your Xbox 360 to see what's on Live. [Verdict: Whoa, whoa, slow down there John. Xbox Live Prime Time still isn't live, nor is its launch game show, 1 Vs 100, which is, at least, now in beta.]

XBLA Games Coming

Schappert Announced Geometry Wars 2 for "next month"; Galaga Legions announced as 360 exclusive for "next month," Portal Still Alive coming in the fall "with brand new levels and achievements," coming to Xbox Live Arcade.

Verdict: All accurate predictions.

And South Park Too

Announcer in short promo for South Park Xbox Live Arcade game: "Coming exclusively in 2009…"

Verdict: No sign of it yet, but there is plenty more of 2009 to come to keep from the unnamed Announcer to be known as a Liar.

Community Games coming

Schappert: We will launch Xbox Live Community games this fall as part of the New Xbox Experience.

Verdict: True

Netflix 360 Will Be Big

Schappert: "Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets members who are also Netflix subscribers instantly watch more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes more than doubling our current content offering."

Verdict: Seemingly accurate, though we haven't counted to ensure that more than 10,000 movies and shows were added.

Netflix Watching Will Be Communal

Schappert: "I'm thrilled to announce that you can share your movies and tv shows with your Live party. We all can watch TV and movies together."

Verdict: Uh-uh. This was cut.

GTA DLC Will Be Huge Part Of 360 Fall '08 Line-Up

Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development (but at the time he was running the gaming part of Xbox: After hyping coming of Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Pro Evo, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, Need for Speed, which all came out, [Verdict: True], he said, "The release of the first downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV later this year promises to be another huge event for Xbox 360 and Xbox live." [Verdict: Ugh. We think he meant to say "February 2009," not "later this year."

Lots of 360 Games Coming

Kim: All told, by the end of 2008 more than 1000 games will be available for the Xbox 360.

Verdict: Too tired to count this one, but we are not encouraged by the fact that the ESRB as of today lists only 703 rated games for the 360. Was he counting Community Games?

Fun Games For Families Too

Kim announced Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Viva Pinata, BK XBLA, Scene It Box Office Smash, You're In the Movies — all of these games are coming this holiday exclusive for Xbox 360. Also from Kim: "You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Vision camera when it ships this holiday.

Verdict: Correct!

Guitar Hero World Tour Will Be Great, Launch New Rock Stars

Kai Huang, co-founder of Red Octane, out to hype Guitar Hero World Tour: "On disc we're going to ship with the greatest number of master tracks ever from some of the best bands of all time, more than 85 songs with tons more at launch and beyond [Verdict: True].. Our new music studio in Guitar Hero: World Tour is going to for the first time let people make and share music from around the world. This is going to revolutionize the way people create, share, discover and play new music. And with GH Tunes when that launches it's going to be the premiere online distribution platform from where a community of aspiring artists are going to become the next big rock stars." [Verdict: Kinda hard to verify, but we're going to say…not yet?]

And GH Will Have REM

Huang: "Guitar Hero World Tour owners will be able to download an REM track pack featuring three songs from their new album before anybody else."

Verdict: True

And Metallica

Huang: "Metallica is joining forces with guitar hero in a huge way… for the first time in music and vg history. Metallica's highly anticipated new album death magnetic is going to be offered as downloadable content in its entirety at the same time the album is released. First for Guitar Hero 3 in September and then again when Guitar Hero World Tour launches in the fall."

Verdict: Not only true, but proven to be an understatement with the recent launch of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Lips Will Be Fantastic

iNis founder Keiichi Yano, hyping the holiday launch of the Xbox 360 karaoke game Lips: "It's breaking new ground by being the first game that lets you sing from your own music collection. It's going to be great. Imagine plugging in your Zune or your iPod into your Xbox 360 and singing along to all of your favorite songs. [Verdict: True, though not without complaints from reviewers that not all iPods synced with the game] Lips is also going to be the first game ever to feature these wireless mics that light up with your music performance. And these guys are also motion-sensitive so I can do stuff like this (cymbal hit) even when I'm not singing. So it's going to be fun Lips will ship this holiday featuring best songs from many regions and genres inclusion rock hip hop country r and b, pop a lot of your favorite artists you guys love to sing to. [Verdict: The rest was spot-on.]

Lips Will Be REALLY Fantastic

Kim: Lips is definitely going to be the gotta-have-it gift for this holiday for everyone.

Verdict: Oh, come on. Lips might have been fantastic, but he didn't really mean that, did he?

Rock Band Sort of Exclusive

Kim: Rock Band 2 will premiere exclusively on Xbox 360 this September.

Verdict: True, since he meant it would be a timed exclusive.

Rock Band 2 Will Have Rose, Dylan, ACDC

Alex Rigopulos, co-founder, Harmonix, discussing Rock Band 2, said, there would be 84 songs on the disc, every single one of them a master recording. He said Axl Rose's Shackler's Revenge will premiere in RB2, as would Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue and ACDC. And, he said, "the soundtrack will also include 20 bonus tracks available for download in the fall."

Verdict: All accurate.

Rock Band 2 Will Also Have Fine Print

Rigopulos: "We've made all of the downloadable tracks from the original game forward-compatible into Rock Band 2.. furthermore, if you own the original Rock Band you'll be able to export almost all of those tracks into the Rock Band 2 game as well. So no need for disc-swapping… by the end of this year I'm happy to announce there will be over 500 songs available for play in Rock Band 2.

Verdict: True, just note that he said "almost."

Square-Enix Will Have Three RPGs For Xbox 360

Yoichi Wada, president of Square-Enix: dropped some release dates for Infinite Undiscovery — September 2, in NA, 9/5 in Europe, 9/11 in Japan and Asia — Star Ocean for the spring, and Last Remnant for November 11 with a TBD for it coming to Games For Windows.

Verdict : Wada nailed it.

Make That Four

Wada: "An Xbox 360 version of final fantasy xiii , the latest in the final fantasy series, that has more than 85 milion units shipped worldwide, is planned for release. We believe that releasing an xbox 360 version for Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide a game to even more fans in the two regions in North America and Europe."

Verdict: No reason to think this won't happen.

Note: No mention was made during the press conference of 2008 games Too Human, Braid or Dead Space, despite the latter two becoming two of the most acclaimed games on Xbox 360 in 2008.

To Sum Up.... Microsoft did a decent job predicting things, but whiffed big on Rockstar and 1 vs 100. We weren't promised any full games that we didn't get. And most of the hype for upcoming games' features was fair. Plus, they did the awesome thing of predicting that they would conquer Sony, which should be fun to follow in the future. For the sheer number of future-looking statements and overall accuracy, we're giving them a B.

Next Victim: Nintendo

[PIC]

The most unpopular President in America's history has taken the White House, leading to heretofore unseen levels of civil unrest. On the island of Ibis, experiments with Third Energy technology have brought bloodthirsty long-extinct reptiles forward through time. The Allied Nation Task Force has invaded North Korea after a ruthless general with a cache of nuclear weapons at his disposal took over the country, and an untrained member of an elite military taskforce prepares to enter an offshore clean-up facility on a mission to rescue some very important hostages.

This isn't a 2009 one would find plastered across CNN or debated on Fox News. None of these events have happened or will happen, but to some of us they're even more familiar than reality. This is the 2009 that countless gamers have experienced on their computers or via their consoles since 1987 – more than twenty years worth of 2009.

The Real Year So Far...
2009 is already shaping up to be an eventful year in real-world history. The first black president in American history has taken office. The global economy is in a shambles. Violence continues to plague the Middle East. Satellites are colliding in space; a massive earthquake has ravaged parts of Italy; and real-life Somali pirates are running rampant.

Though the world may seem like an increasingly dark and dangerous place, it could be a great deal worse. Just take a look at some of the major events that have occurred in video games set in 2009.

Light Years Ahead
Writing games based in the future is very much like throwing darts. The closer you get to what you're aiming at, the more accurate you become. A game based in the year 2009 written in 1987 is bound to offer a much wilder interpretation of what the world looks like than one written in the year 2000. It's a phenomenon we like to refer to as the reality curve, readily demonstrated in the games that portrayed 2009 as an age of highly advanced technology.

	Mega Man (Capcom 1987 - Nintendo Entertainment System): Mega Man fans will argue back and forth for hours concerning the actual dates in which the various games in the series take place, but we've decided to take a far simpler approach. With the first three games taking place in the year 200X, it's pretty safe to assume that at some point this year in the video game universe, Dr. Wily has unleashed another army of evil themed robots, each with their own specific strengths and weaknesses for the titular blue bomber to exploit, such as "Allergic To Squirrels Man" and "Shoot Me Right Here Man".
	Dino Crisis (Capcom1999 - PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, PC): Renowned scientist Doctor Edward Kirk, thought dead for years, turns up alive on the island of Ibis, where his experiments with Third Energy technology have resulted in a rift in time and space, which allows vicious dinosaurs to invade. This is exactly what happens every time a scientist pokes about with time. You'd think they would have learned this by now.
	Incoming (Interplay 1998 - PC, Dreamcast): In 2008, aliens attack our lunar base. By June of 2009, we're prepared to strike back. A rather straightforward vehicle shooter from Rage Software, Incoming presents a rather optimistic view on how the people of the world would react to alien invasion. In reality we'd need to form several committees and commissions to investigate the nature of the threat and countries would argue over who got the first shot at the invaders. Eventually the whole situation would be resolved by Naval snipers.
	Abuse (EA, Bungie, Red Hat 1996 - PC): In this 2D shooter, protagonist Nick Vrenna becomes falsely imprisoned in a facility where scientists are experimenting with a nanotech virus called "Abuse". A riot occurs, turning the prisoners into monsters, but luckily our hero is immune. Fancy the only man immune to a terrible virus winding up at the same prison where the virus is accidentally released. What are the odds?

Years Of War
War never changes. If this is true, why bother setting a game with a war setting in the near future? For some titles it's a simple matter of keeping up with a pre-established chronic logical order. By the time Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released in 2001, the previous title in the series had already established events up to 2005, so 2007 and 2009 were used to advance the story.

Another reason to give a military-themed story time to breathe is to distance it from current world events. The first nine years of the 21st century have seen more than their fare share of major terrorist acts and armed conflicts. Setting a game even a few years in the future, as was the case with Rainbow Six: Lockdown, adds a much-needed air of fiction to the proceedings.

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (LucasArts. 2005 - PS2, Xbox): Mercenaries takes place in an alternate North Korea, after the ruthless General Choi Song leads a successful coup against his father President Choi Kim in order to keep the country from reuniting with South Korea. The revelation that Song is stockpiling nuclear weapons causes the Allied Nations Task Force to step in and topple his regime, only to have Song himself escape with the launch codes for missiles currently under production in secret locations. The player takes the role of a mercenary, tasked with tracking down Song and his secret underground army before the weapons are ready to launch.

Mercenaries effectively uses the four year time jump along with the change of location to help distance events in the game from events in Iraq and Afghanistan that influenced the development, though certain similarities still shine through, such as the use of the "Deck of 52" to keep track of Song's henchmen. Major movers and shakers in Song's organization are represented by face cards from a deck of cards, much like the system Coalition forces used in Iraq while tracking down members of Saddam Hussein's government. You can hardly blame them - the concept has major motion picture written all over it.

Army of Two (EA, 2008 - Xbox 360, PS3, PC) : The story in EA's Army of Two actually spans sixteen years, from 1983 to 2009. Over the course of the game the pair slowly uncover a plot to privatize the military, leading to a final confrontation in Florida between the mercenaries Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios and their commander at the Security and Strategy Corporation headquarters.

Rainbow Six: Lockdown (Ubisoft, 2005 - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC): The anti-terrorism theme has been quite the popular one this decade, for obvious reasons. Rainbow Six: Lockdown is an excellent example of how a game uses a near future setting to sidestep association with current events. In the year 2009, counter-terrorism unit Rainbow must stop the Global Liberation front from unleashing a man-made nanotech virus called "Legion", which has a mortality rate of "Yes". Team Rainbow triumphs in the end, once again keeping the world safe for squad-based shooter players around the globe.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Konami, 2001 - PS2): Chronologically the fifth game in the wildly popular Metal gear series, Sons of Liberty actually begins in 2007 with Solid Snake, only to jump to 2009, putting players in control of the wet-behind-the-ears Raiden as he takes on a mission to rescue the president and other hostages from the Big Shell cleanup facility. Raiden eventually learns a great deal about himself, the shadowy Patriots, and how to get around a gigantic enemy fortress while covering his private parts, eventually foiling a terrorist plot to take over New York City.

The time jump in Sons of Liberty's instance, was the combined result of established continuity and series creator Hideo Kojima's diabolical plan to replace Solid Snake with a naked blond man.

Shattered Union (2K Games, 2005 - PC, Xbox): 2009 is just the beginning for Shattered Union, a turn-based tactical game from PopTop Software that based a "What if?" scenario on the oft-challenged results from the 200 and 2004 presidential elections. What if the wrong man for the job had been elected? David Jefferson Adams is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States at the beginning of the game. This leads to a large amount of civil unrest and, eventually, domestic terrorism. The assassination of the president via low-yield tactical nuclear weapon after his second term begins in 2013 leads to the second American Civil War, which the Europeans and Russians can't help but get involved in. You know how those Europeans are, always interfering with international affairs they have no business in.

An Eerie Year
Unexplained supernatural phenomenon has always been a cornerstone of fiction, and interactive fiction is no different. So pervasive are tales of ghosts and spirits in our society that the theme can be transplanted into any setting, from a Victorian-era vampire tale to monstrous aberrations in the depths of space.

Despite having the entirety of human history and beyond to choose from, many game developers choose to set their scary stories in the near future or present day. Why? It's a simple matter of familiarity. It's much easier to stir strong emotions or present a believable setting for supernatural goings on when the player is somewhat familiar with the world in which the events take place. Even better, setting a horror or suspense story a few years in the future allows the developer to intersperse the unfamiliar with the familiar, adding to the player's unease almost imperceptibly without taking them out of the experience.

Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, 2009 - PS3, Xbox 360): Capcom has done an excellent job thus far of keeping their Resident Evil series up to date with reality, hence Resident Evil 5 being the only title in the timeline actually released in 2009. This almost means that it's one of the more realistic games set in 2009, despite the bio-terrorism angle.

The current day temporal settings along with the remote locations games in the Resident Evil series traditionally take place in add a certain sense of realism to the survival horror franchise. On one hand, the events depicted in the game could almost certainly never happen. On the other hand, if they did happen, would we know?

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (Atlus, 2006 - PS2): In a modern Japanese city, a group of high school children do battle in the space between one day and the next in order to prevent the end of the world. The player plays the role of the nameless protagonist, returning to the city after 10 years and joining the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, a group consisting of teens that remain conscious during the Dark Hour, a secret time between days infested with shadowy creatures.

For North American players, Persona 3 was a role-playing game mixed with a quirky time-management school activities. For Japanese players who could better relate to the school structure presented in the game it was something a bit more personal, heightened by the near-future setting.

Left 4 Dead (Valve - PC, Xbox 360): Does Left 4 Dead take place in 2009? The writing is on the wall, literally. Scribblings on the walls in certain levels give us our only hint to the purposefully story-light setting of Valve's co-operative survival horror masterpiece. All we know is that somewhere in Pennsylvania something terrible happened, the dead walk the Earth, and you've got to make your way to safety. The date in this case is almost inconsequential. Instead of blasting us with heaps of story based in October, 2009, Valve has left it completely up to the player to decide what events led to their predicament, which should make October of this year quite interesting for fans of the game.

Indigo Prophecy (Atari, 2005 - Xbox, PC, PS2): Indigo Prophecy begins in January of 2009, where a series of grisly murders is being perpetrated by citizens seemingly possessed, driven to mercilessly slaughter innocent strangers. What begins as a crime drama quickly becomes a supernatural thriller, culminating in a series of events that will change the face of the world forever.

The Year In Review
Over the course of twelve months, the end of the world has been narrowly averted on five separate occasions; six major threats to the Earth's security have been neutralized; and the United States has been set on a course that will eventually lead to a new Civil War. On top of all of that, Dr. Wily's evil robots have spent the better part of the year raining down specifically-themed destruction.

Technological advances have served us well in the defense of the planet against evil robots and invaders from outer space. Unfortunately, at the same time they've also resulted in the creation at least three different deadly viruses, several different flavors of robotic war machines, and the temporal displacement of flesh-hungry dinosaurs. Technology also could have been the cause of the zombie uprising in Pennsylvania, though no reporter dare get close enough to investigate, even if they have covered wars, you know.

The worst thing about all of these tragic circumstances? For the most part each one is the result of some sort of human failing. Greed, over ambition, lust for power, scientific irresponsibility - we brought all of this on ourselves. The only possible exception is the alien attack, but knowing humans we probably did something to tick them off in the first place. It's what comes from being the top of the food chain (not counting aliens and dinosaurs). With no natural enemies, we have to create them ourselves.

As Years Go By
While 2009 was certainly an eventful year in video game chronology, we have to keep in mind that this is just one period of 12 months in a period that spans the whole of human history and far into the future. Just last year a plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom and his friends faced off against a group of anthropomorphic animals on Sonic and Mario at the 2008 Winter Olympics, and next year the fragile peace between the fictional nations of Osea and Yuktobania erodes in Ace Combat 5. Not to mention more killer robots.

Imagine the same sort of timeline as above, only covering the entire history of video games taking place or involving both real and alternate versions of the planet Earth. How many wars have been fought, invasions repelled, epidemics prevented, mysteries solved, and conspiracies uncovered? Creating such a timeline would be a truly massive undertaking, but one that would grant us tremendous insight into what the sort of shape the world would be in if the entertaining diversions we've enjoyed over the years had basis in fact.

For now we leave such ambitious projects for more idle hands, drawing what conclusions we can from the data we have before us. The conclusion? 2009 was not a good year to be a video game character.

As we speak, Gaplus, Star Force, The Tower of Druaga, Mappy and more with Space Harrier are all available to download and play on your Wii, priced at 500 Wii points a piece with the exception of Gaplus, where the plus apparently translates to 100 more Wii points. Space Harrier and Solvalou named as two additional titles coming soon.

As McWhertor pointed out during the liveblog of Nintendo's keynote, that means Sega, Namco and Taito has all signed on to provide their arcade hits to Wii owners. What games would you like to see show up on the Virtual Console Arcade?

We're officially a short sleep into 2009, so you've had plenty of time to ponder your slow death and gamer failings. What do you hope to do this year gaming wise and, more importantly, what do you hope developers do?

Among the titles is Pokemon Platinum for the DS, set for a March 22 release in North America, New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin for Wii, and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Personal Trainer: Math and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Nintendo DS.

“Our fans expect a diverse selection of entertainment options, and we’re eager to deliver exactly that,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We’re building on the momentum of a strong holiday season by offering new and experienced players an even greater library of game titles in 2009.”

Yes, they included math in their list. But what about that Pokemon game?

Pokémon Platinum features a new story full of adventure, never-before-seen forms of powerful Pokémon – including the legendary Giratina’s Origin Forme – and the Distortion World, a mysterious new world that suddenly appears in the Sinnoh region. In addition, with Pokémon Platinum up to 20 players can interact with other Pokémon fans from around the world in the new Wi-Fi Plaza, featuring mini-games and activities. Players can also enjoy the new features in the Global Terminal, such as posting battle videos using the new “Vs. Recorder.” In addition, Pokémon Platinum features a new Battle Frontier, where the toughest Trainers can test their skills in new ways. Pokémon Platinum already has broken previous Nintendo DS sales records in Japan, selling more than 1 million copies in its first two days of release.

For the portable Nintendo DS, Personal Trainer: Math builds on the new Personal Trainer™ series, which launched with Personal Trainer™: Cooking, now extending its reach beyond the stomach to the brain. Personal Trainer: Math introduces 40 fast-paced exercises to give players a fun way to improve their arithmetic skills. The Personal Trainer series is designed to help users enrich their lives and learn new skills in fun and interesting ways. Also for Nintendo DS, fans of the Fire Emblem franchise will enjoy the arrival of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, a revamped and re-imagined version of the NES™ classic, featuring touch-screen controls. Players with a broadband Internet connection can enjoy worldwide battles over Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s online gaming service.

Meanwhile, for the Wii console, Nintendo is offering up two classic Nintendo GameCube™ games: New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin enhanced for play using the Wii Remote™ controller. The enhanced New Play Control! Pikmin game lets players point the Wii Remote controller at the screen and use it as a cursor, making it easy to select either a single Pikmin or an entire army. When a player tosses Pikmin, they fly wherever the cursor is pointing. New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis lets players enjoy an afternoon on the court as their favorite characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, complete with motion-controlled serves and swings. With Wii controls, players can swing the Wii Remote controller to hit forehands and backhands and to apply spin. Experienced gamers can also attach a Nunchuk™ controller for additional precision. Both games are scheduled to launch next March.

Here's your full Nintendo shopping list:

Wii
Monsters vs. Aliens March 24
Monster Pals™ March
Solitaire & Mahjong February
Puzzle Challenges and More! February
Crayola Colorful World March
Onechanbara™ Bikini Zombie Slayers™ February
Coraline January
WordJong Party January
Battle Rage February
Cradle of Rome February
Cate West: The Vanishing Files March
Burger Island March
Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year Winter
DreamCatcher Play the World March
NASCAR® Kart Racing Feb. 10
SimAnimals™ Jan. 27
TRIVIAL PURSUIT Early spring
FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR Jan. 6
Marble Saga Kororinpa™ Spring
DanceDanceRevolution® Disney Grooves March
Escape the Museum January
Major Minor’s Majestic March March
Little King’s Story Feb. 17
Rune Factory: Frontier March
Mastiff Deer Drive™ Jan. 20
We Ski™ and Snowboard March
Nintendo New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis™ March
New Play Control! Pikmin™ March
The House of The Dead: Overkill™ February
SONIC™ and the Black Knight March
MADWORLD™ March
Roogoo Twisted Towers™ Feb. 17
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball™ March 17
Brave: A Warrior’s Tale™ Feb. 17
Paws & Claws Pet Resort Jan. 5
Neighborhood Games Jan. 5
Tenchu™: Shadow Assassins February
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) March
Super PickUps™ Q1

Nintendo DS
Monsters vs. Aliens March 24
Pimp My Ride 2™ March 24
Animal Planet™ March 10
My World, My Way™ Feb. 3
Legacy of Ys™: Books I & II Feb. 10
Trackmania™ DS March 17
Monster Pals ™ March
Puzzle Quest™: Galactrix™ Q1
Coraline January
USA TODAY Puzzle Craze January
DinoPets March
Phineas and Ferb Winter
Inkheart January
Learn Math January
Drivers’ Ed Portable January
Monster Band January
Zoo Quest February
My Personal Diary February
Music Star: Pop Star February
Paint by DS March
Matchstick March
Dreamer: Top Model March
Sarah - Keeper of the Unicorn March
Learn Chess March
Dragon Master April
Zubo™ March
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure™ Q1
SimAnimals™ Jan. 27
Empire Interactive Jagged Alliance Feb. 17
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity March 9
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero™ Q1
Suikoden Tierkreis Q1
Little Magician’s Magic Adventure™ Q1
WonderWorld Amusement Park™ January
Powerbike January
Our House™ Q1
Hot ’n’ Cold March
Avalon Code February
Flower, Sun, and Rain March
Mastiff Moon™ Jan. 13
MumboJumbo Chicken Hunter Star Karts March 10
Nintendo Personal Trainer™: Math Jan. 12
Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon Feb. 16
Pokémon™ Platinum version March 22
ROCKSTAR GAMES Grand Theft Auto™: Chinatown Wars Winter
Big Bang Mini® Jan. 6
Roogoo Attack™ Feb. 17
Brave: Shaman’s Challenge™ Feb. 17
FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ Spring
THE GAME FACTORY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES™ Jan. 19
THQ Paws & Claws Pampered Pets Jan. 5
My DoItAll™ February
Jake Power Fireman January
Jake Power Policeman January
Imagine™ Cheerleader February
JoJo’s Fashion Show February
Petz® Horseshoe Ranch February
Imagine™ Family Doctor February
Imagine™ Ice Champions March
Jake Power Handyman March
My Fashion Studio Paris Collection Feb. 17
American Popstar - Road to Celebrity March 24
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) March
Games Retro Game Challenge Jan. 6

"The legendary "Real Driving Simulator" Gran Turismo 5 is heading to PlayStation 3 in 2009, utilising the uber-console's raw horsepower to generate an unrivalled level of realism."

The email goes on to promote the release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on March 28th. The "preview" game will feature forty cars, five tracks and will be budget priced at £19.99.

Gran Turismo 5 won't arrive in UK until 2009 [VideoGamer]