FANBOY FEASTING

2008 was a great year for gaming — particularly for Xbox 360 owners. With a strong showing in shared titles like “Fallout 3″ (Xbox 360, PS3), “Mirror’s Edge” (Xbox 360, PS3) and “Grid” (Xbox 360, PS3), along with a metric f*** ton of 360 exclusives (including “Braid,” “Lost Odyssey” and “Fable II”), the game devs kept Microsoft fanboys’ hands busy.

This year, however, might just be the year of the PS3. (Sorry Wii people, you’ve already had your time in the spotlight). Here’s a sampling (10, to be exact) of what I’m looking forward to getting my hands on in 2009.

1. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360, PS3) The fifth installment in the best-selling survival horror series returns the favor in the form of cooperative gameplay! Set in Africa, you can choose Chris Redfield, who starred in the original game, or Sheva, a new strong heroine to the series, and take out zombies together offline or online.

2. Heavy Rain (PS3) This PS3-exclusive thriller puts players on the hunt for a serial killer. Employing revolutionary new motion captured technology, “Heavy Rain” looks unlike any other game out there with a healthy injection of choose-your-own-adventure style game play.

3. MadWorld (Wii) This 3D black-and-white game puts players in the boots of Jack, the latest contestant on a televised game show called “Death Watch.” The game’s ever-flowing gore allows players to take advantage of the Wii controllers — killing opponents in this game can become very creative.

4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3) The Joker has led an upheaval in Arkham Asylum and Batman is locked inside with all of the criminal masterminds he’s imprisoned there. With the overwhelming success of “The Dark Knight” last year, Batman hype is sure to keep this game flying off store shelves.

5. God of War III (PS3) The PlayStation line’s iconic anti-hero returns, ready to smash and slice through hordes of bad guys, featuring even more interaction with environments than its predecessors. “God of War II” blew us away, pushing the PS2 to its limits. “God of War III” is a definite pick up.

6. Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS) Grand Theft Auto makes its Nintendo DS debut in this true 3D action/adventure game, which makes use of the touch screen in new, unique ways. This might just be the game that convinces nonbelievers to take the DS plunge.

7. Killzone 2 (PS3) Now that you’ve finished plowing through the great first-person shooters of 2008 (Gears of War 2, Resistance 2 and Call of Duty: World at War), here’s a sci-fi shooter to fill the void. “Killzone 2″ introduces some cool new twists to multiplayer by allowing up to 32 players to customize the online experience with five different mission types.

8. The Sims 3 (PC) The Sims series has held strong in each of its incarnations. I expect this one to do the same. Definitely a fun little and continuously addictive distraction from the blood and gory of most of the games that make it big.

9. Diablo 3 (PC) Diablo has gone from cult classic to mainstream. Getting huge play at BlizzCon, there’s already a lot of hype surrounding this game. Blizzard has taken the classic dungeon-crawling formula and redefined it into a loot-driven action-role-playing game. We’ll see if hardcore fans will take well to the changes.

10. Prototype (360, PS3, PC) Smash together parkour movement and shape-shifting, and throw yourself into a world where game mechanics enable “boss fight”-style intensity of action at any moment, often hitting you in the face as a smooth progression within our scripted moments. Let’s hope this thriller sings.

Tell us what games you’re looking forward to in 2009. Happy hunting!

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