GamerNode: Columns - Top 5 Original Games of 2009

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Prototype (PC, PS3, 360)

If the sole purpose of gaming was to make players feel empowered, then Prototype may very well be the most successful work of electronic entertainment of all time. In this game, Alex Mercer wakes up in a morgue, defying death from the outset. He has no memory of his past, but has been endowed with supernatural strength, speed, and agility, as well as the ability to absorb the skills, knowledge, memories, form, and appearance of the people he kills. From instantly learning how to maneuver a helicopter or tank, to unlocking the secrets of his and the virally infected New York City's history, consuming victims like this can prove to be very useful. Radical Entertainment claims that there will be over 750 unique superpower combinations in this sandbox of destruction. What's more, Mercer can easily pull off a T-1000 impression, impaling enemies with spikes or clubbing them to death with weapons made from his own "biomass." I want what he's got.

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Posted by Tankcommander on 01/19/2009 at 01:07PM

Good list. My only complaint about Prototype so far is the fact that they haven't revealed very much about it...understandable, but it makes it really hard for those of us who really want to play it.

Trine looks really interesting...I'm normally not much of a puzzle guy, but I might have to try it out.

Posted by Tankcommander on 01/19/2009 at 04:30PM

Some thoughts:

Prototype: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. How fantastic this game looks is just not quite in my range of conscious ability to word. The freerunning system is amazing; I've watched him run in a straight line, and actually avoid things moving into his path on a random course, from running down and then wallkicking off lorries, to entire skyscrapers. Admiteddly, it'll make gamers more wary of hoodie hooligans, but then again, if they were all like this we'd be wearing Burberry monk robes and worshipping Reebok.

Alan Wake: Finally. The amount of times this game has been delayed goes beyond farcial, and it's nice to see it finally reach a stage where they can date it. It'll be interesting to see the narrative directions taken by the team on a character with a bad case of insomnia, though I can't help feeling his surname is the best example of cruel irony I can recall in this industry. Hopefully a title that will fix all the failings of the recent Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark releases.

Brutal Legend: This game is going to be brilliant. A game where you play as a roadie, voiced by and modelled on Jack Black, in a land of cars and dragons? What's not to like? Some slick visuals and a nice cartoony style set this off well, and it'll be exciting to see Lemmy and other metal icons make their first in-game cameos. Not to mention it's helmed by Tim "r0xx0r my s0xx0rz" Shafer, creator of both my avatar, and Eddie's. Epic win.

Heavy Rain: As someone who doesn't see a PS3 in their near future, three things are killing me; LittleBigPlanet, MSG4, and this. The game is incredibly detailed, not only graphically but in the sheer amount of narrative-based outcomes to each and every scenario the female protagonist of the title will encounter. Hiding in a house from a violent man? Do you run, do you hide till he leaves, do you kill him? Any and every outcome is available to you, and I can't wait to see if they all tie into a player-controlled storyline.

Posted by Tankcommander on 01/20/2009 at 10:05AM

I agree with Brutal Legend and Heavy Rain, but I'd throw in RE5, SF4, and the possible Mass Effect 2. You may say "but ME2 isn't even officially announced yet" and that may be true. But you're also putting a lot of faith in Mr. Late-to-The-Party himself Alan Wake. I hope you're right, as the game looks incredible, but I don't know...

And yes, I was aware that it was a countdown of original IPs, I'm just saying...