We’re human.  We don’t always get to every game before the end of its year of release.  This is our way of making amends: the best games we missed out on until 2009.  Because we can’t go back in time and honor it in a more timely fashion.

Chris Ingersoll: This one’s a no-brainer for me: The World Ends With You. I didn’t pick this up at launch due to my dislike of the “Square-Enix Tax” that somehow lets their new DS titles sell for $40 — I’ve picked up Wii titles that were as or less expensive. (Although apparently $35 is now the new price point for DS RPGs in general…) This game got a ton of hype and praise last year, and every ounce of it was well-deserved. Had I played it “on time” it would have easily cracked my Top 10, possibly as #2 or even #1. I already gushed about it in my review, but to summarize: this is the most original product S-E has put out in forever, and is one of the best examples of how to maximize all of the DS’s various unique capabilities without anything feeling tacked on or awkward.

Justin Last: Burnout Paradise. I tried the demo on 360 before release, but it wasn’t until I picked it via PSN for PS3 early this year that I really played Burnout Paradise. Paradise City is a blast to drive around in, there are tons of things to do, and Criterion whipped up enough DLC that I’ll still be playing it for a good, long while.

Andrew Passafiume: The best game I have played this year that was not released this year definitely has to be Opoona. It’s a quirky little RPG that was released for the Wii in early 2008 and was published by Koei (more famously known for the Dynasty Warriors series). This was a lengthy adventure with a charming title character, plenty of interesting side characters, and some of the best music I have heard in any game. It reminds of Earthbound in many ways, with a sense of humor that a lot of people might not expect from an RPG like this. The game has quite the fun battle system as well, and it definitely helped that the game has a unique art style that separated it from most RPGs. Wii owners need to check this title out, as I’m positive it is already becoming quite the cult classic among RPG lovers.

Graham Russell: Two PS3 gems battled it out for me, but I had to pick Valkyria Chronicles over LittleBigPlanet. VC has all the strategic depth of a Fire Emblem game with incredible graphics and a compelling combat system. The characters are interesting, and the game conveniently lets you leave behind any personalities you find grating. This game was so good, I re-bought a PSP in anticipation of next summer’s sequel. 

Shawn Vermette: I never played the Ratchet & Clank games on the PS2 because I’m not a big fan of action/platforming games, but I’ve heard lots of great things about this game ever since it came out. I also saw some trailers for it that featured some hilarious dialogue. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to play this game before now because I just got a PS3. I can definitely say though that Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction is one of the more enjoyable games I’ve played this year. The writing is great, the voice acting is spot on, the graphics are amazingly vibrant and detailed. I’d heard it felt like playing a Pixar movie, but I didnt really believe that until I played it. This is the funniest game I’ve played since Portal; and this is the first action/platforming game I’ve played in years that I’ve truly enjoyed.

What’s yours?  Let us know!

Usually when anyone uses the term “blockbuster” they refer to a movie that has made a lot of money at the box office; basically, a movie that people line up around the block to see. But can the same be said of video games?

Game sales are often calculated and compared to the sales of CDs and movie tickets, but is that really a fair comparison? There have been quite a few games that managed to break a few records, especially more recent releases. But are they “blockbusters”?

The two games that come to mind right away are Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, two of the biggest video game releases of all time. They both had incredibly successful launches, and continued to sell well after their initial release months. So to define a blockbuster in this sense: it needs to have a huge launch, and it needs to continue to be successful after the first month. 

Let’s continue with the best selling game of all time: Wii Sports. Is that a gaming blockbuster? Most people consider it a simple pack-in mini-game collection that came with the Wii, not a title that is the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster. But if it’s all about the game sales, then by all means, Wii Sports is definitely the best example of a gaming blockbuster around. 

This year, we are seeing two even bigger releases, ones that can be considered blockbusters before they are even released. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the first, just released and considered a huge success from many game critics. It received the best review scores of any game since Grand Theft Auto IV, and it looks like it might become a huge hit this holiday among gamers. But I think this game is called a blockbuster for a very different reason: the gameplay.

Many people compare it to the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the very successful Indiana Jones series, and one that is still considered by many as one of the best action/adventure movies of all time. Uncharted 2 is similar in its plot, main character, and in the fact that it is a fast-paced action game that plays out just like a big budget film. Whether or not the game sells as well as Halo 3 or GTA, it may be considered by many as a “blockbuster” due to how the game plays and how it compares to the movies we consider blockbusters. 

So does the opinion of game critics matter when it comes to a game becoming a blockbuster? Both Halo 3 and GTA IV received a ton of praise from most, if not all, game critics. But if GTA was considered a mediocre or terrible game by the majority of the game media, and it still sold well, would it be remembered by the gaming press or even gamers? And, in that case, would it still be considered under the gaming definition of blockbuster?

The second example of an upcoming release that is bound to be a huge hit is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game is bound to be one of the best-selling games of 2009. How will it fare with the critics? Considering the incredible reception of the first game and of developer Infinity Ward, there is no doubt it will score high. It may be safe to say this will be a gaming blockbuster, but despite the positive reviews for Uncharted 2, will it leave that PS3 exclusive in the dust?

So, is the term blockbuster defined simply by how well the game sells? Or by how it compares to Hollywood’s most successful films? Or even by how good game critics consider it? We may never know, but we will continue to see what the industry is able to turn out, and how gamers will continue to respond to these games and the trends they follow or create.   

Welcome to the first edition of Snackbar Speculator, where we present you with the biggest and latest rumors and tell you how likely we think they are to actually happen. We’ll summarize each rumor for you and then Snackbar’s Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell and Shawn Vermette will weigh in on what we think of each rumor and how likely, or unlikely, we consider each rumor. We’ll also revisit rumors in later editions once they are confirmed or denied and keep track of how accurate each of us are in our predictions.

For our introductory edition, we’re covering some new rumors, some recycled rumors, and perhaps even a rumor that will anger you. 

PS3 Cross-game Chat

According to a recent, and now deleted, post by a staffer at Naughty Dog, the next PS3 firmware update will finally allow for cross-game chat over PSN. This rumor has surfaced many times before, but has yet to come to fruition.

Andrew Passafiume: With this being such a popular option for Xbox 360 owners, and how frequently it is demanded, I can’t see this NOT happening. Although a lot of PS3 users who play online do not have headsets, I could see it still being a very useful and frequently used feature. 95%

Graham Russell: Internal dev teams have talked about it, and it’s certainly technically feasible with a firmware update.  This isn’t a money thing, and it isn’t a PR thing, so there are no barriers to implementation when they get it working. 70%

Shawn Vermette: Hm…Sony likes to promote how the Playstation Network offers all the features of Xbox Live without the monthly fees, but that just isn’t the case. Offering cross-game chat would go a long way toward evening the online playing field. However, Sony has also had three years to get this implemented and there is no way it would have taken them this long if they truly thought it was something worth doing. 65%

PSP Digital Rental Service

Sony has added new information sections to the PSP Games on the PSN that are identical to the ones used for their video rental download service. Notably, a web survey surfaced a few months ago detailing a subscription rental plan that would allow members to download a certain number of PSP games per payment cycle.

Andrew: This seems like it would be an interesting service, especially considering the recent launch of the PSP Go. Something like this might encourage more people to check out the Go. Although I think this all depends on the success if the Go itself, since something like this might rely on a huge fan base of that system. And considering the sales of the Go are pretty much up in the air right now, it’s hard to say. 50%

Graham: While this is something they’re capable of, subscription services tend to hurt only one party: the publishers.  It’s true with Netflix, and it’s true with Gamefly.  It could be okay if it was really expensive, but then no one would want it.  I still can’t rule out Sony being illogical, though.  20%

Shawn: Sony seems to really be trying to push this digital distribution thing with the PSPGo so why not introduce something like this? Especially after the whole fiasco over transferring UMD games over to digital copies bit Sony very hard just a week before the PSPGo was released. Considering it can do nothing but make even more money for Sony(and considering it would be accessible by the PSP Go or regular PSP), this seems like a shoo-in to happen. 100%

Xbox Live Gold Membership Price Hike

Industry analyst Michael Pachter theorized recently that Microsoft could raise the price for their Xbox Live Gold membership from $50/year to $100/year in the near future in order to reap more profit from their online subscriptions. In response, Microsoft stated that they foresaw no scenarios where they would double the price of Xbox Live in the next couple months.

Andrew: Considering how many people pay for Xbox Live a year, I can see this being a very real possibility. Although I doubt it will happen in the near future, I can see it possibly happening within the next few years. But at the same time, Microsoft could lose a lot of Xbox Live support from people who feel like a price increase might be a betrayal. 65%

Graham: This is a really bad idea for Microsoft.  One of the key talking points for Sony purists is that PSN is free and full Live access costs money.  Double that money at the same time the PS3 has a price drop and some high-profile titles, and this quick cash grab may make the 360 lose some ground in the console war. 5%

Shawn: To me, the fact that Microsoft actually commented on this rumor is very important to me. It means that they have seriously considering doubling the price of Xbox Live. At the same time though, I think that Microsoft has done a very good job of paying attention to consumer chatter, and I believe they realize that doing so could either increase the amount of time and games people play on their PS3, if they have both systems, or cause people to skip over the Xbox 360 for the PS3 when deciding on a console purchase. I believe it will happen eventually, I just don’t believe it will happen until the next console cycle. 15%

Microsoft to Package Natal With Xbox 360

Rumors have abounded since E3 regarding Project Natal, so of course, we had to include one of the more recent ones here.

According to Mark Rein at Epic Games, Microsoft plans to package Natal in with every Xbox 360 they sell, once it is released, and that they then hope to sell Natal to everyone who has already purchased an Xbox 360. With dozens of developers signed up to incorporate Natal into their games, surely Microsoft has told them something regarding their launch plans…wouldn’t you think?

Andrew: I can’t see this not happening, especially considering how Microsoft will be marketing the Natal. Whether or not it will be a success does not matter, with the right amount of support, Project Natal can become a huge hit for Microsoft and bring a brand new audience to the system. And I think it’s clear that Microsoft has been trying to do it for years. 100%

Graham: There’s absolutely going to be a bundle, and it’s going to be pretty common.  I don’t know if it will be in every SKU like Rein thinks, but they’d be crazy not to put together a box that just directly competes with the Wii. 90%

Shawn: Considering the effort, time, and money Microsoft is putting into developing Natal, I have a hard time believing Microsoft wouldn’t also do anything they could to give it the best chance of succeeding and taking off. Additionally, considering the amount of developer support Microsoft has been attempting to secure, it also makes sense that they would promise a way to make sure there will be a reasonably large sized user base to sell their games to. 100%

Over the years, there have been many video games that fit under the category of “horror.” Although it is hard to pinpoint the exact start of the survival horror genre, there are a few key games we have to thank for its success over the years. Despite the evolution the genre has gone through, we can still appreciate where it has come from, and what the future brings us for this ever-changing game genre.

Horror games have a way of scaring people unlike any other medium, as the medium involves an interactive element you do not get anywhere else. You are inside of this world, you are this character, and you must do what it takes to survive. Many games have captured this sense of fear; some use cheap scares, while others rely on psychological horror. Either way, while the genre is much different now, the basics are still the same: the player wants to be scared.

Many consider Alone in the Dark to be the first real horror game, or at least the first one to gain popularity. It followed a basic formula: a character is investigating or is trapped in a strange place, and they must survive or escape as they are being pursued by plenty of strange creatures. While it has not aged well, the game was a true horror hit back when it was first released, evoking a sense of fear you rarely get from playing a game at the time. It was from here that many developed began to develop more of these kinds of games, including a Japanese company we all are familiar with.

BioHazard, or Resident Evil as it is known in the States, was the first real horror franchise to gain a following and become one of the most successful video game franchises to date. The original, released on the PlayStation back in 1996, did not give the player as much control over the character or the camera as they would have liked. The characters controlled awkwardly, and the camera was fixed and would change angles when you would least expect it. This was done to create a true sense of terror, and it has been used in many horror games since.

Silent Hill and Fatal Frame, two other Japanese horror franchises, use some of the same basics as Resident Evil in terms of controls, but they go for an entirely different kind of horror. While Resident Evil relies on cheap scare tactics, those two franchises tend to focus more on the psychological aspect of horror. Silent Hill is especially well-known for this, giving us a foggy, abandoned town to explore, and a lead character that always has some kind of psychological issue they are dealing with. The monsters you see are meant to reflect on what the character is thinking or going through, as if they are figments of the character’s own imagination. They were meant to inspire fear, not simply “scare” you by the most rudimentary means, and they succeeded at doing so.

These games all are considered “old-school” survival-horror titles, since the genre has evolved much since then. It was not until Resident Evil 4 where the series, and the entire genre itself, was changed forever. This game completely disregarded almost everything about the previous entries in the main series and made it less about scares and more about intense fights and action sequences. The controls remained the same, but with a new over-the-shoulder camera perspective and much smarter (and faster) enemies, RE4 marked the beginning of a new era.

Since then, we’ve seen a few horror games that have continued to stick with the more traditional or old school formula, but the popularity of the genre rests with the new fast-paced, action style. Games like Resident Evil 5 and Dead Space continue to prove that horror can be successful, but like any other genre, changes are necessary to maintain the growth and popularity of it.