The GameShadow Blog

Looking ahead, GameShadow has produced a list of 12 titles (in no particular order) that will be making a big splash in 2009.

Expect more promotion and suspense to build, as 2009 aims to top the excitement and record sales of 2008.

Empire: Total War
Diablo III
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
The Sims 3
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
Duke Nukem Forever
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
Battlefield Heroes
Starcraft II
Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
Alan Wake

Nearly Made It:

Wolfenstein
Dragon Age: Origins
Star Wars: The Old Republic

As 2008 draws to an end, we here at GameShadow have cast our minds back and put together our top games of 2008.

Those that stood out, made the news and played well for us are included in our (no particular order) definitive 12.

Far Cry 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Spore
Call of Duty: World at War
World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King
Fallout 3
Tomb Raider Underworld
Gears of War 2
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
Assassin’s Creed
Dead Space
LittleBigPlanet

Nearly Made It:

Mirror’s Edge
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Crysis Warhead

Look out for GameShadow’s 2009 Preview List appearing soon.

Reports have surfaced indicating that independent UK development studio Free Radical Design has gone into administration and its future looks very uncertain.

Current working titles have been postponed or moved elsewhere.

The studio had been responsible for the first person shooter Haze earlier in the year, and previous titles included 2005’s Second Sight.

The American publisher Midway has announced it is cutting 25 percent of its staff, closing its studio in Austin, Texas and cancelling unannounced projects due for 2010/2011.

Midway is struggling badly with large debts and these cost cutting measures are part of the consequences.

Earlier this year, one of the biggest titles Midway released was Mortal Combat vs DC Universe and 2009 should still see the release of The Wheelman and This is Vegas.

With the big games now battling it out at the busiest retail time of the year, those people who already have their games are being tempted with downloadable content.

Mirror’s Edge and Far Cry 2, as well as Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and Gears of War 2 have been treated to additional weapons, vehicles, maps and more.

We’ve also seen Rockstar pushing the GTA IV episode, due for release next February.

The third ‘Mega Mondays’ retail blitz is on once again today.

People will be using today as one of the last opportunities to get their orders in for the Holiday Season finale.

Once again, GameShadow and Play.com have teamed up to offer some great deals – take a look here.

2008 has been a giant year for gaming, with a host of top titles released and the final quarter of the year shaping up to be the busiest of all time.

Here at GameShadow, we’ve thought about which games have battled it out in certain genres and are asking you for your thoughts on…

Has Call of Duty: World at War ruled over other first person shooters like Far Cry 2?

FIFA 09 or PES 2009, which has dominated and scored over the other?

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures or World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King, who’s ruled the MMO between these two?

amBX has announced that it will be releasing its SDK in January 2009.

The amBX SDK will allow developers across the entertainment industry to get up and running with test tools and examples, enabling them to enhance their games with immersive amBX effects.

A select number of titles already contain amBX support including, Supreme Commander and Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway.

Back in October amBX launched as an independent company, moving away from previous parent company Philips.

Development studio Splash Damage, creators of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, has announced it has appointed Richard Ham as Creative Director.

Having most recently worked at Lionhead Studios on Fable: The Lost Chapters, Fable II and The Movies, Ham will lead the Splash Damage design team on their new AAA multi-platform title being developed in partnership with Bethesda Softworks, creators of Fallout 3.

The retail extravaganza, ‘Mega Mondays’ is in full swing again today.

The 8th of December is predicted to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, online shopping day of the year.

GameShadow has teamed up with Play.com to highlight some of the deals available – check them out here.

Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been confirmed and is set to be released in Autumn 2009.

Could this be the start of 2 franchises? Treyarch’s Word at War franchise and Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare.

The more cynical among us will probably refer to the different franchises as 3 & 3.5 and 4 & 4.5…

Anyway, Taliban Zombie Bonus Mode anyone?

Phil Shenk, the co-founder of Flagship Studios, has established a new development studio named Gravity Bear.

Flagship Studios were responsible for 2007’s Hellgate London, but earlier this year announced their closure, resulting in all existing support for Hellgate London being withdrawn in early 2009.

After massive console sales, this week sees Grand Theft Auto IV finally hit the PC.

A lot of talk surfaced about whether it would or wouldn’t be released on the PC, but after a slight delay from the original November release date, it is now here.

The video editor looks a quality addition to the game, allowing the capturing, editing and sharing of in-game footage.

It will be interesting to see how it performs against the other big titles in the busiest time of the retail year.

As the Holiday Season builds, huge online retail promotions are currently in full swing with ‘Mega Mondays’.

Monday the 1st and Monday the 8th of December are predicted to be the biggest online shopping days.

GameShadow has teamed up with Play.com, highlighting some of the great deals available – check them out here.