TWP Awards 08: The Game That Has Contributed Most To The Advancement Of Human Integrity And The Development Of Prosperity Within The Human Race.

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
Shooting Lions in the face since 1998

Yes the winner is perhaps the one of the most controversial genres of games, hunting endangered species. Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009 puts players in bone chilling, pressure-packed hunting situations as they seek out savage animals in the world's most dangerous locations.

Helping us to understand all the important factors behind hunting, including wind direction [scent], distance [bullet drop], and which animals go down fastest after been shot in the leg.
If overnight, we were reduced to fighting and hunting for food then those of us who have experienced CDH '09 would surely survive longest, or at least... that's the theory.

Runner-Up:
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
At least its not set in Afghanistan

Because being paid to kill is fun.

Copyright the rhino photo to gamershell.com

EA's 2009 Schedule

How comes I seem to be talking about EA so much lately? Anyway, here's some details on their current plans for this year and the beginning of next.

Next month, the massive publisher will be announcing the next Need for Speed - proving the rumours of the series' cancellation very wrong. Whilst details remain slim until then, it seems the game will see a return to proper racing for the series, with a reduction in big named stars (makign it cheaper too), after the criticisms directed at Undercover about its unneccessary flamboyance and pretty crappy racing. Expect to see more on the game soon.

We've already mentioned the new Medal of Honor game, but EA has another shooter in the works too. Aimed for a Q4 2009 release is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (working title) from DICE, the people behind the brilliant Mirror's Edge and all the other Battlefield games - so you know it's going to be good. The game is supposedly to be set in Russia, and features the same cast as the original game.

On top of these and the new sports titles inevievitably out at the end of the year, there's also the Jack Black-infused action game Brutal Legend which they picked up when Activision dropped it last year. That should be out sometime in the summer. EA have also got a PSN title, "3 on 3 NHL Arcade" featuring bobble-headed players in a spin-off from the main hockey games. Oh and the trophy list should be up here on TWP any time now.

Whilst there is still more coming from EA this year, we also know a little bit about next year's lineup too. There's no ETA on the next game from the Dead Space people, EA Redwood Shores, which is based on Dante's Inferno, and goes by the same name. There's also plans for a Dead Space 2, although when that will make it out no-one knows. Also in the planning stage is Mirror's Edge 2, which may well follow a slightly different gameplay style that its predeccessor.

And that's just PS3; remember there are sequels to The Sims and MySims coming to the PC and Nintendo consoles respectively, as well as an expansion to Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 on the way.

Guesswork

You know what, I reckon this prediction business can't be all that hard. Take something rumoured, add in something sensible, and sprinkle with one or two crazy ideas. Anyway, enough with that, here are my predicitions for the PlayStation brand in 2009.

The Good

• Whatever Team ICO announce, it will be awesome.
• There will be a price cut either at E3 or for Christmas.
• A music department will be added to the PlayStation Store.
• A platform for the creation of full user-generated games (like Microsoft's XNA) will be announced.
• PSN will get a feature like the New Xbox Experience's Parties allowing groups to voice chat irrelevant of game. It will not work across all games.
• Two new PS3 peripherals will be announced by Sony.

The Bad

• Like Resistance 2, Killzone 2 will not sell as well as is hoped, regardless of quality.
• MAG wont make it out in 2009.
• Home will not get its trophy room this year.
• PSP2 will not be announced.
• More exclusives will go un-exclusive.

The Ugly

• Home will still suck a year from now.
• The media will continue to shun Sony and the PS3.
• Sony and Square Enix will be the only ones putting out proper games for the PSP as everyone else accepts its death outside of Japan.
• Fanboy wars will not end.