Halo Wars
System: Xbox 360
Release Date: 3/3/2009
Halo Wars is perhaps the first-ever Real Time Strategy game built from the ground up specifically for consoles. Set in the Halo universe we all know and love, Halo Wars pits entire UNSC armies against the covenant forces in large-scale battles that don’t end until the enemy is reduced to a smoking pile of ashes. It seems a bit limited to have only two classes of characters to choose from, as most RTS games have several. But then again, most RTS games play like crap on a console so maybe it’s a fair trade in this case.
MLB 2K9
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 3/3/2009
MLB 2K9 improves on its predecessor by simplifying the pitching and batting mechanic, as well as deepening the simulation aspect of the game. Luckily, you can automate the micromanagement if you’d rather just get right out on the field and skip the egghead stuff. Best of all, the “Living Roster” feature of NBA 2K9 makes its MLB debut here, regularly updating the game with real-life stat, injury and trade tracking. It’s likely to be the closest thing to real baseball that you can experience without getting the hell off of your own fat ass and going outside for once.
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X.
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 3/3/2009
H.A.W.X. is basically a FPS in airplanes, which is awesome. Plus you know it’s extreme ‘cause they spell “Hawks” with an “X”. Intentional misspellings are the video game titling equivalent of a hammer to the face. That’s how extreme it is. The co-operative squad based gameplay looks awesome, and the competitive multiplayer is looking pretty good, too. You can be my wingman any time, Tom Clancy.
Sonic and the Black Knight
System: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: 3/3/2009
Just like regular Sonic, only now he’s got a sword for some reason… Beats turning into a werehog, I guess. I’ve never been a huge fan of Sonic myself, but I must admit that not only does this game look great (despite the very weird premise), but it also appears to capture the speedy gameplay that made Sonic a household name in the first place. This is the go-to Wii game this month for people who are not really into Madworld’s ulta-violent aesthetic.
Suikoden Tierkreis
System: Nintendo DS
Release Date: 3/17/2009
As a longtime Suikoden fan, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see the series make it’s handheld debut on the DS this month. What other RPG lets you assemble your own personal army of ninjas, blacksmiths, unicorns, octopi, detectives, generals, cooks, beastmen, news reporters, and just about anything else you can think of? Known for it’s rich stories that are generally based on political power struggles, the Suikoden series is beloved by hardcore RPG fans. Suikoden Tierkeis aims to keep that hardcore cred while also opening up the series to a broader, more casual audience. Not a particularly easy task, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Konami.
Guitar Hero Metallica
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 3/29/2009
If there any bands that deserve their own dedicated Guitar Hero game, Aerosmith wouldn’t be one of them. But Metallica sure as hell would. Remember how stoked everyone was to play “One” back when Guitar Hero 3 came out? This is sorta like that times 100. While their later stuff is really kinda “meh”, pretty much everything from Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, And Justice For All and The Black Album is bitchen’’ to the maxxx. The other bands that are included are also great, from Corrosion of Conformity and Suicidal Tendencies to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Slayer. Additionally, this title bears the distinction of being the most ‘metal” game ever made, and should provide a proper challenge for series veterans.
Resistance: Retribution
System: Sony PSP
Release Date: 3/17/2009
Resistance: Retribution is a must have for PSP owners, without question. Not only does it look amazing for a handheld title, but when you link it to your PS3 with a copy of Resistance 2, you can open up a whole new plethora of features that significantly change how the game is played. Resistance: Retribution is shaping up to be one of the best original PSP exclusives of the year, and it’s success may very well lead to more FPS games being developed for the handheld system.
GTA: Chinatown Wars
System: Nintendo DS
Release Date: 3/17/2009
Chinatown Wars is the most hardcore thing to happen to your DS since that time it was left on the table in the background of that one scene in “Tranny-formers 2: Revenge of the Swollen”. In Chinatown Wars, you play as a Triad gangster charged with avenging your father’s murder while becoming Liberty City’s biggest drug trafficker. Chinatown Wars takes advantage of the DS’s unique interface with various puzzles and touch screen tasks, such as hot-wiring cars, picking locks and tattooing new game members. It compensates for the graphical limitations by adopting a top-down view similar to the original GTA games. I don’t know how Rockstar plans on incorporating music into this game, as that has been such an important part of the series to date. But either way, this game will almost certainly find it’s way into your DS this season.
Resident Evil 5
System: Multi-Platform
Release Date: 3/13/2009
Resident Evil 4 was one of the best games ever made, without question. So instead of creating a new combat system from scratch, Capcom simply improved upon the pre-existing model with RE5. We’ve played the demo, and we can tell you with a reasonable amount of certainty that this will be the game of the year, barring some miracle on the part of a rival developer. RE5 looks great in single player or online, with more zombies getting their heads popped like overripe zits than any two of the previous games put together. Awesome.
MadWorld
System: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: 3/10/2009
MadWorld is just what the Wii needs right now, a super bloody and tremendously violent original IP that takes advantage of the Wii’s hardware in a way that plays to its strengths. It’s basically like a cross between Sin City and The Running Man, with a little bit of WWE thrown in for good measure. If you enjoyed No More Heroes, or if you’re just tired of playing Wii Bowling, MadWorld is the game to get for Nintendo fans over the age of 10. (Actually, it’s just about the only game for Nintendo fans over the age of 10.)
Also releasing in March:
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, PS3, 3/23/2009
Empire Total War, PC, 3/3/2009
WWE Legends or Wrestlemania, Multi-Platform, 3/24/2009
The Wheelman, The Wheelman, Multi-Platform ,3/24/2009
Stormrise, Multi-Platform, 3/24/2009
Phantasy Star Portable, PSP, 3/3/2009
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, Multi-Platform, 3/24/2009
Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Multi-Platform, 3/24/2009
Don King Boxing, Wii/DS, 3/31/2009
MLB 09: The Show, Multi-Platform, 3/3/2009
Pokemon Platinum Version, DS, 3/22/2009
Pikmin, Wii, 3/9/2009
Naruto Ultimate Ninja 4: Shippuden, PS2, 3/24/2009
Grey’s Anatomy, Multi-Platform, 3/4/2009
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, DS, 3/16/2009
Mario Tennis, Wii, 3/9/2009
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2, Multi-Platform, 3/24/2009
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Wii/DS, 3/23/2009
King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match, PS2, 3/3/2009
Mana Khemia: Student Alliance, PSP, 3/10/2009
Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution, Wii, 3/17/2009
Samurai Showdown Anthology, Wii/PSP, 3/10/2009
