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Resident Evil 5
ETA: March 13
The fifth instalment of this classic horror series will take place in Africa, though the likelihood is you'll be too busy capping motorcycle-riding zombies to fully appreciate the continent's exotic wildlife and culture. After a virus starts mutating people and animals into shambling killers, returning Resident Evil hero Chris Redfield must come to the rescue by uncovering the truth behind the outbreak. He'll be accompanied by Sheva Alomar, an AI-controlled sharpshooting babe in the employ of the African equivalent of S.T.A.R.S., who'll also be a playable character in the campaign's co-op mode. Lush visuals, gruesome zombie deaths, oodles of tense atmosphere and intense firefights all point towards another potential Resi classic. Oh, and did we mention the motorcycle-riding zombies? Genius!

Street Fighter IV
ETA: February 20, 2009
The world's favourite beat 'em up is back with an assortment of old and new faces just waiting to be pummelled into a fleshy pulp. Returning favourites include headband-loving hero Ryu, lightening-legged Chun-Li and Mr. Latex himself, Dhalsim. Newcomers will include a female super-spy called Crimson Viper and lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte. While the visuals will be 3D, the action will take place from the series' traditional 2D perspective, whilst the now standard six button control setup is set to be augmented by a host of new special moves and Focus Attacks (the ability to launch a counter after being hit). February simply can't arrive soon enough.

Halo 3: ODST
ETA: Autumn 2009
While it may be a standalone expansion rather than a full, sparking new episode, Halo 3: Recon still has us more excited than a puppy in a table leg factory. Master Chief takes a back seat as you control The Rookie, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who's part of a five man team dropped into New Mombasa during the events of Halo 2. Recon will see you searching for your four comrades and then playing a flashback scenario as each team member once you locate their last known whereabouts. Bungie has stated that stealth and cunning will also play a more prominent role this time around, while multiplayer will feature new maps and full Forge options.

God Of War III
ETA: TBA 2009
Ok, we admit it, details about God of War III are currently more scant than a lap dancer's uniform, but we're still pretty confident that the game will be making an appearance in 2009. What little we do know about God of War III is this: you'll once again control killing machine Kratos in a quest that will ultimately determine why there are no more Greek myths. We're guessing that the battle for domination between the Titans and the gods may well have something to do with it. Just a hunch. We're also banking on some major Sixaxis integration, online multiplayer and the usual lashings of blood, gore and platforming mayhem. Bring it on!

BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams
ETA: Late 2009
Another game we have little information on is this follow-up to 2K's 2007 RPG masterpiece. So far, all we've seen is a cryptic trailer of a girl gripping a toy Big Daddy while staring serenely into the sea on the Atlantic coast, followed by stones erupting from the ground. Ken Levine has spoken up to reveal that he won't be 'substantially involved' in the sequel's development as the game is being created by fledgling studio 2K Marin, so here's hoping the new team can recapture the magic of the original. If it can, then we could well have another classic on our hands.

Gran Turismo 5
ETA: Late 2009
The wait just seems to go on and on, but maybe, just maybe, 2009 will be the year we finally get our hands on what's shaping up to be the most stunning looking racing game ever. We've already had our appetites whetted by Gran Tourismo 5 Prologue and now we're counting down the days till GT5's release. Amongst the numerous killer features will be a line-up of hundreds of drivable cars. What we've sampled of the game so far has revealed a superbly realistic though forgiving racing experience, breathtaking frame rates and an unparalleled sense of speed.

StarCraft II
ETA: Late 2009
Can it really be ten years ago that Blizzard's innovative RTS and Korea's favourite strategy game StarCraft first hit out screens? Well, the wait for a sequel is almost over, with StarCraft II set to retain all of the frenetic RTS thrills of the original while injecting new gameplay ideas and units into the mix. There'll be three distinct single-player campaigns (Zerg, Protoss and Terran) and each faction has received a major makeover. Backing up these campaigns will be copious multiplayer options, and from what we've sampled of them so far, they're shaping up to be a bit special.

Mafia II
ETA: TBA 2009
Let's face it, after GTA IV, any open-world game is going to struggle to make an impact, though if any game stands a chance of stealing some of Rockstar's thunder, it's this one. Visually spectacular, Mafia II will be set in Empire city (a fictional hybrid of San Francisco and New York) in the late 1940's and early 1950's, during which time you'll become immersed in the city's gangster underworld. This time around there'll be an increased emphasis on exploring on foot, with shootouts incorporating a Gears of War-style cover system. There'll also be vehicles aplenty, allowing for high speed shootouts in fully deformable cars. Ba-da-bing!

Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer
ETA: TBA 2009 (hopefully)
Every so often a game comes along that takes your breath away. Heavy Rain is just such a game. In fact it impressed us so much we almost spat out our lungs in excitement. Granted, the title may sound like a hybrid of a depressed hippy and a spoof crime movie, but there's no doubting this game's potential. Hatched from the creative minds at Quantic Dreams that brought us the excellent Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain is an adult thriller in which you play Madison, a female newspaper journalist. Packed with innovation, Quantic Dreams has promised us that Heavy Rain will contain split screen action (allowing you to track the movements of your enemies), extensive Sixaxis control, a fully interactive environment and a plot that moulds itself seamlessly around your choices. Oh, and it's looking pretty tasty too.

Below are the games that didn't quite make our Top 9 of 2009, but we'âre still plenty excited about...

• Empire: Total War
• Killzone 2
• Deus Ex 3
• Diablo III
• Alan Wake
• Football Manager Live
• Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
• The Conduit
• Infamous
• MadWorld
• The Sims 3
• Fat Princess
• Tekken 6