Written by Quibian Salazar-Moreno

Right now you’re probably playing catch up with all the great games that came out the last few months, but you better hurry up. There’s a lot more coming in 2009. You can expect everything from sequels to game series reboots to brand new franchises. We did our best in trying to find the 20 most anticipated games coming in 2009, with a few honorable mentions. But hey, if we missed any, let us know in the comments (EDIT: By the way, don’t expect any PC-only games here, this is mainly for the console gaming heads) Enjoy:

Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360, PS3) – Despite the controversies surrounding the setting and the African zombies in the game, Resident Evil 5 is one of the most anticipated titles of 2009. With all the trailers and gameplay footage released, the game appears faster with more weapons and game play options. Fans are clamoring to get their hands on the first RE game for PS3 and Xbox 360. (March 13)

Killzone 2 (PS3) – It’s been almost four years since we saw that initial Killzone 2 intro trailer. There was debate over whether the footage was in-game or CGI but regardless the game will have to live up to a whole bunch of hype. The gameplay footage released has been impressive thus far, but we still won’t know until we get our hands on it. (February 27)

Street Fighter IV (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – I was able to play the arcade version of Street Fighter IV at E3 last year and if it’s any indication of what the console version will be, it’ll be one of the best games of the year. The game retains the classic 2-D gameplay but with a twist of color, animation, and visual effect, makes it the best looking Street Fighter game yet. (February 17)

Skate 2 (PS3, Xbox 360) – In 2007, EA’s Skate basically dethroned the Tony Hawk franchise as king of skateboarding games. With an excellent gameplay style using the analog sticks and a fun fictional city to skate in, the Skate franchise was a force to be reckoned with. In Skate 2, they’re looking to up the ante by adding more moves, more areas, and more gameplay options. Meat mode anyone? (January 21)

Afro Samurai (Xbox 360, PS3) – The animated series on Spike TV was a success and other than a full-length movie, the next logical step would be a video game. The game is your basic hack-n-slash brawler but voiced by Samuel Jackson and Ron Perlman with the score produced by The RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan). The game has the art, action and story of the series so you can’t go wrong with this one. (January 27)

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – The original F.E.A.R. dropped back in 2006 for Xbox 360 and 2007 for PS3 and was lauded for its story and freaky elements. F.E.A.R. 2 is bringing all that back and then some with bigger weapons, scarier ghosts, and a wider environment. (February 10)

The Godfather 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – It’s based on the film, but once again you don’t get to play as any of the Corleone family members. That’s fine because the first game was still fun. This time, however, your character went from a soldier to a Don and controls certain parts of New York, Miami, and Cuba. Yup, they’re going all out on this one. (February 10)

Halo Wars (Xbox 360) – The game takes place 20 years before the original Halo and no, Master Chief isn’t in it. Halo Wars is actually a real-time strategy game, not a first person shooter like the original Halo series, where you control units on a battlefield. It’s still within the Halo universe with the Covenant going after a mysterious relic, giving you the challenge of stopping them.(March 3)

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS) – Dan Akroyd, one of the writers and stars of the Ghostbuster films said that if there was a third film, the story in this video game would be it. The game takes place two years after Ghostbusters 2 where the quartet has a busy schedule of busting ghosts. Sadly, you don’t get to play as any of the stars, but as a new recruit hoping to help the crew get rid of the ghosts overrunning New York City. (June 1)

Red Faction: Guerilla (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) – From the looks of the trailers, RF:G looks like it will be giving third-person shooters, like Gears of War, a run for their money. You play as a miner who went to Mars to earn an extra buck or two. Little do you know, the ruling power on Mars is corrupt and there’s a revolutionary movement set on bringing it down. Of course you join the guerilla movement and an all out war ensues. Sounds like a blast! (Q2 2009)

BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams (PS3, Xbox 360) – If you played the Playstation 3 version of BioShock, you were treated to a teaser trailer for BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams. The trailer didn’t reveal much and 2K Games is being very tight-lipped about what the new game will consist of. We just know that it will be in stores in time for the holidays. (Q3 2009)

Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) – Formerly known as Halo: Recon (I like that name better), Halo: ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) is a spinoff of Halo 3 but takes place during the events of Halo 2. You play as a UNSC soldier in Kenya searching for his teammates during an invasion of Earth by the Covenant. Although you don’t get to play as Master Chief, you do get to find out what was happening on Earth after Halo 2. (Fall 2009)

Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox 360) – The game was released to Japanese arcades back in 2007, but Tekken 6 will be hitting BOTH PS3 and Xbox 360 this fall. The new game will have more customization options, more moves that will include weapons, and a longer health bar. You also get your favorite Tekken characters back, along with some new interesting ones. (September 30)

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360) – It was huge news when Square Enix announced that FFXIII was also going to Xbox 360, so much so, that it overshadowed the actual announcement of the game. Regardless, by now we’ve seen some excellent CGI trailers, but little on the plot of the game. We’re confident that it’ll be a solid experience and worth the wait. (Q4 2009)

Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC) – Back in March, BioWare project director Casey Hudson told Game Informer Magazine that Mass Effect fans should be holding on to their saved game files because choices made in the first game will affect the character in the sequel. How fresh is that? No other details have been given, but let’s just hope it comes out. (Q4 2009)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3) – There isn’t much info on this one except it’ll probably hit shelves next fall. And if it’s even half as good as the original Modern Warfare, expect another game of the year contender. (Fall 2009)

God of War III (PS3) – The first two games for PS2 were classic so anything less would be a disappointment. The first trailer with some gameplay was revealed at the Spike TV Video Game Awards last month so it looks like the game is on the right track. Too bad it’s also the last in the series. (Q4 2009)

Brutal Legend (Xbox 360, PS3) – Brutal Legend was first announced back in 2007 starring Jack Black and then silence. Then last month developers Double Fine Productions got a distributor in EA and set the wheels in motion for a 2009 release. You get to play as Eddie Rigg, a roadie for a heavy metal band, as he builds a rock ‘n roll army to battle an evil lord. (Q3 2009)

Bionic Commando (Xbox 360, PS3) – Based on the classic arcade game, Bionic Commando is now in 3D and on new generation consoles. You get to play as Nathan Spencer with his bionic arm as you traverse Ascension City after it has been bombed by terrorists. You know what you need to do. (Q2 2009)

Prototype (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) – You play as Alex Mercer, a shape-shifter who is trying to find out who he is, while also battling creatures, the military, and shifting into any person you see. The game was originally supposed to come out last fall but was pushed back until 2009. Looks like it’ll be worth the wait. (April 2009)

Honorable Mentions:

Borderlands (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC)
Velvet Assassin (Xbox 360, PC)
Heavy Rain (PS3)
Alan Wake (Xbox 360)
The Beatles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
inFamous (PS3)
Damnation (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Mad World (Wii)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)