Is Modern Warfare 2 scaring off the competition?

01
BioShock 2
From: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Developer: 2K Marin
If you believe the cynics, the exodus of triple-A games into the safety of 2010 is a direct result of Modern Warfare 2’s
imminent release. We aren’t totally convinced by the argument, but we can’t deny that these ten games inspire at least as much excitement as the ten biggest games still being released this year. Quite frankly, there are entries on this list whose absence makes us want to call off Christmas, and none more so than BioShock 2.

With Ken Levine ploughing a unique furrow, the gifted team at 2K Marin is keen to put its own stamp on the sequel. This approach could serve both masters, offering a fresh experience to the love-struck fans who want BioShock to remain a one-off, and to the naysayers who never understood its charms in the first place.

The delay placed on our next visit to Rapture saddens us, but if there’s one game here that we want to see fully realised, it’s BioShock 2. As long as it does justice to its predecessor, we’ll wait till next Christmas.

02
Mass Effect 2
From: Xbox 360, PC
Developer: BioWare
The idea that Mass Effect 2 retreated through fear of a Call Of Duty game would say terrible things about both the industry and gamers. Yes, they both contain shooting, but BioWare’s emphasis on characters, morality and multi-stranded narratives should appeal to its own, distinctive audience. Perhaps the game’s budget is so high that even a slight drop in revenue would severely affect its chances of turning a profit. Perhaps we just can’t wait to pick up where we left off and embark on some Kirk-esque inter-species seduction. Thinking about it, it’s probably the last one.

03
Heavy Rain
From: PlayStation 3
Developer: Quantic Dream
The most upsetting thing about 2009’s emaciated release list is that almost every game pushing at the boundaries of how interactive stories are told has slipped. Chief among them is Heavy Rain, David Cage’s latest two-finger salute to the received idea that gameplay should define every interactive experience. More so than BioShock 2 or Mass Effect 2, this is the game we expected to shake notions of what this medium can achieve with narrative. That hasn’t changed, but its release date has, and the remaining games offer only the usual mix of running, jumping, shooting and climbing.

04
Red Dead Redemption
From: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Is Rockstar attempting to catalogue modern American history? The Grand Theft Auto games have documented the Eighties through to the modern day, Agent will be flooded with Vietnam-era paranoia, LA Noire covers the prosperity and darkness of the post-war era, and Red Dead Redemption is a paean to the fading values of the old West. We’re almost certainly reading too far into it, but that doesn’t make the idea of this game any less exciting. Whether Rockstar intends it or not, the concept holds firm and Red Dead Redemption is the next chapter.

… continued