Until the latter part of 2008, one of the biggest gripes with the PS3, aside from its price, was the fact that its game library pailed in comparison to that of the Wii or Xbox 360. With 2008 nearing a close and the fatigued masses finally emerging from beneath a pile of games both exclusive and multiplatform, it is time to look into the future and examine some of the heavy hitting games likely to grace the PS3 in 2009. While this list is by no means all encompassing, it does seek to point out the PS3 exclusives in 2009 that will undoubtedly have you begging for more. It also serves to show the breadth of genre across exclusives.

Heavy Rain – Adventure/Mystery
While the adventure games of old like Carmen Sandiego have seemingly passed into obscurity, The creators of Fahrenheit are looking to bring back the adventure/detective genre into its once fine form. Among this game’s impressive qualities are 60 10-20 minute scenes of dialogue, the ability for the main character to die and keep progressing in the main story line, as well as the pain-staking detail that has gone into creating the game, whether it be in faithful real world creations of city terminals or using random french people as mo-capped facial extra’s in the game. Maybe if we are lucky, Quantic will add a sex scene that isn’t painful to look at either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBlWTd3puAk&feature=related – The Casting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwZ9eCRm1SM&feature=related – Gameplay Footage

Fat Princess – Strategy/Beat ‘em up
Feminine Body issues aside, this charming, 32 player online rpg beat ‘em up looks to be a real charmer, even with the surprising amount of blood and violence that has been uncovered in recent screenshots. While pugnacious pugilists will be able to slice and dice to their hearts content, more
pacifistic players will be able to engage in various support roles, as well as feeding copious amounts of cake to their princess so as to make her much more difficult to abduct by the opposing team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMF4oD3E0_c – Gameplay Footage

White Knight Chronicles – RPG
Although the Playstation 2 was an RPG powerhouse, the PS3 has been lacking truly definitive titles since its inseption. Games like Folklore, Disgaea and the recently ported Eternal Sonata have sated appetites, but WKC promises to be the engrossing RPG that fills the craws of PS3 owners and detractors alike. Boasting 1080p graphics, Online multiplayer, a hefty story and the ability to create your avatar that can interact with the main game protagonists, the game promises to deliver a JRPG that will keep you coming back for more. While Famitsu recently gave the game a tepid review, it goes without saying that one review should hardly be counted on to judge a game, let alone when the reviewers give games like “Nintendogs” a perfect score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJbd2Wos6g0 – Gameplay Footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OubNHZ7Nmdg&feature=related – Cinematic Trailer

Killzone 2 – First Person Shooter
This game looks fantastic. Let me reiterate. This game looks FANTASTIC. Thankfully, it appears that there is solid gameplay to back up this visual feast. While there must always be a certain amount of trepidation about first person shooters and their seeming inability to innovate or change themselves in meaningful ways, this game promises a return to the unyielding and unflinching difficulty of old school shooters with a Team Fortress 2-esque class system. Guerrilla’s original entry into the series was not well received, but through the feedback of the original Killzone and the widespread success of their PSP entry “Killzone: Liberation”, Guerrilla seems poised to rectify the stigma of past failure once and for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy6cxaCosJE – Helghan Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX4vs2_SyCA – Menu’s and Early Gameplay Footage

Gran Turismo 5 – Racing/Simulation
If Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was just a taste, the full version promises to be worth savoring as the final meal before your execution. The game promises well over 500 cars, a copious amount of race tracks and modes, jaw dropping graphics as well as the ability to torch anyone foolhardy enough to challenge you online. Gran Turismo may be a late entry in 2009, but it looks to be well worth the wait.
Addendum: The full version may or may not be arriving in 2009. DLC for prologue seems to be in the wings, but there may be some miscommunication between Sony and Polyphony as to when a full release will be available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcaDV80cQJA&feature=related – Early Trailer

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Action/Adventure (Shooter)
The original Uncharted played like a blockbuster action movie, and with the Naughty Dog team operating at full capacity with an extra few years under their belt, Uncharted 2 promises to be a runaway success. The terrific writing as well as tightly paced action will be back along with new stealth sections that promise to add a bit more variety into the game. Don’t expect Naughty Dog to drop the ball on the balance of stealth and combat. Considering how many times you were often dropped
into combat, there should be plenty of gunslinging action as well as solid snake-like antics for both styles of player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzy2-UuFPJg – Premiere Trailer

Flower
Flower is about a flower petal. Makes sense. Traditional gamers will undoubtedly write this game off as a dalliance similar to the interactive art of Linger in Shadows. For those of us with more open minds, the game looks to provide a stunning mix of graphics and presentation unmatched by most Triple-A titles. With the current gaming market saturated with brown and bloom shooters, it still amazes me that people are more than willing to dismiss a game that is not only different, but also offers a different kind of gaming experience. The only objective is to guide your petal around in order to make the world more radiant and beautiful; sounds a bit more fulfilling than chopping people in half
doesn’t it? Flower looks to soothe your PTSD on the PSN this spring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl_I_rmS5bo – Gameplay Footage

God of War 3 – Action/Adventure (Combat)
Feel like ripping the head’s off some harpies or impaling some soldiers? God of War 3 will undoubtedly be the game that satisfies your blood lust in 2009 (and possibly several years afterwards). While the game has always boasted collosal boss battles and bloody combat, the final installation promises to up the ante beyond all previous measure due to both the power of the PS3 and the fact that Kratos has no one left to kill but the biggest and most powerful of all gods residing on Olympus. If you have been living under a rock and missed the first 2 god of war games, this will be the perfect time to get into the game. Just make sure to find a drycleaner who does loincloths.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKtWwEmJoqI – Teaser Trailer

Infamous – Action/Adventure (Sandbox – Combat)
As if this game didn’t have enough hype, IGN has gone on the record and said that they will not follow their hallowed tradition of hyping a game and shitting all over it once it’s released. The creators of the Sly Cooper series have created a sandbox world designed around the electric powers of the protagonist Cole, as well as created a set of moral and ethical dilemmas that he will have to face in what promises to be an excellent release. With a free-climbing system akin to Assassin’s Creed and a somewhat Acradey super power system, Infamous should prove to be a shocking success. Pardon the pun, but seriously, jumping from tree to tree while throwing lightning grenades? No one with a pulse could deny how awesome that sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7-AwGxLPZQ – Free Climbing Mechanics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFkdMtnI0Gw&feature=related – Light Combat Footage

There are several games that have not much known about them or may not be making the 2009 cut off. In the former category we have MAG (Massive Action Game) which promises 256 player online combat, Demon Soul (a JRPG take on WRPG’s), A new Team Ico game and a possible Ratchet and Clank Sequel. In the latter category, we have Final Fantasy 13 and 13 versus, the former most likely making it to Japan by late 2009 and showing up in North America by 2010 with the latter being unknown.

And then of course we have my personal favorite, the wild speculation category. Contained within these walls are Jak 4, Dark Cloud 3, Zone of the Enders 3, Metal Gear Ac!d, Kingdom Hearts 3 and a possible Factor 5 game (although their recent monetary troubles all but kills off any possibility of a new game).

At the end of the day, it becomes clear that the Playstation 3 will have both a long list of excellent exclusive games to choose from. When combined with a large multiplatform catalogue, 2009 may just be the definitive year of the Playstation that Sony has been looking for.