Games to Watch in 2009

Resident Evil 5

Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Publisher: Capcom
Expected release: March 2009

There's some serious competition in the horror games category this year with Resident Evil 5 going up against Silent Hill: Homecoming (which is finally getting a Euro release), among others, but for us, Capcom's zombie series is still the king of scares.

What sets Resident Evil 5 apart in our eyes is the fact that this isn't your usual Umbrella-filled adventure. Capcom is changing things around and playing around with the classic zombie formula. Hey, it worked well for Resident Evil 4, didn't it?

The most noticeable thing that the BioHazard team has played with is the environment and if you've had even one eye on the news page these last few months then you'll know that Capcom has shifted the series from it's bleak interpretation of the Spanish countryside to the harsh, almost abrasive glare of Africa in the middle of the day. Sunlight shoots down like lasers, hiding enemies not in the shadows but in the over-exposed HDR effects.


At the same time, Capcom has fiddled with the very core of the gameplay and responded directly to the complaints players had with the previous game. Sure, we loved having a young girl in a short skirt along for the ride in Resident Evil 4, but did she really have to be so vulnerable and whiny? Not this time around thankfully with Capcom introducing a new character to the series – yes, she's still slim and sexy, but she's also playable and defensible. Thank the tyrant!

Co-op zombie shooting is all the rage nowadays, obviously and Capcom knows it. With Left 4 Dead's campaigns now starting to stale a little, Resident Evil 5 is just the refresh we need!

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, PS2
Publisher: Atari
Expected release: June 2009

Oh, and speaking of co-op ghould killing, we know exactly who we want to call on that front. Activision may have abandoned the Ghostbusters game in it's recent merger with Blizzard, but in our minds that fact just further speaks to the lunacy of the current economy. Surely this is a game which should be a definite hit?

Ghostbusters: The Game really does have it all by the looks of things, combining action-led gameplay with a witty script penned by members of the team behind the original movie, with Dan Ackroyd in particular championing the title!


Then there's the co-op, which lets up to four players jump in and take over the role of any the ghostbusters and lead the fight against all manner of spooks and spectres. If this trend for cooperative gameplay carries on then we might actually have to start making some friends!

That said, we do have a few minor concerns. The plot for Venkman and Co.'s latest outing sees them being joined by a fresh-faced new recruit who is hired to test their equipment, but who gets caught up in the excitement when a surge of paranormal activity sends things haywire again. Introducing new characters to such an established cast is sure to be a difficult balancing act and one that could spell disaster if the scriptwriters go down a path that tampers with the comedic formula to much.

Still, featuring the voice talent of all the main characters and with appearances from all the memorable ghosties, from Gozer right down to Slimer, Ghostbusters: The Video Game looks like it'll be a great way to celebrate the anniversary of the original films release. The only real question for the game is...who you gonna call?