... that is, if I try to keep up with all of the amazing games that were released in Q4 2009 and the blockbuster titles just on the horizon. Here's a preview of what's next on my list:

Final Fantasy XIII

"Epic" doesn't even begin to describe the Final Fantasy universe. I've been waiting for this thirteenth installment of the series for over two years (!) and now that it's out in Japan there are tons of screenshots and videos taunting me out there on the Internets.

God of War III

We last saw Kratos fighting his way through the armies of Hades while riding on the giant back of a titan who's climbing up the side of Monut Olympus to destroy the gods once and for all. If that's not legendary then I don't know what is.

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins is one of those games that you beat and then want to start all over again. Okay, maybe that's just me, but it was 3:00 in the morning and I didn't have anything else to do. Regardless, the scope of choices that a player can make affects the game so much that it can be completely different the second time through.

White Knight Chronicles

Shadow Hearts: Covenant was one of the best RPGs on the PS2 in my opinion, and I'm excited to see what the team at Atlus has come up with for their new IP, White Knight Chronicles.

Nier

There isn't too much information out about this new series from Square Enix, but from what I've seen so far it looks like this game is taking a much darker track than the company's previous series. Since The Last Remnant never made it's way over to the PS3, I'm hoping this one will be a PS3 exclusive.

Phew... looks like I've got some work to do!

I was on my Play Station 3 today browsing through the store when I found a newly posted game demo for Resident Evil 5! I donwloaded it and started playing.

There are two major differences between this demo and the series' previous installment. The first and most obvious is the presence of a cooperative partner. I was playing alone, so my partner was controlled by the game's AI (which is surprisingly intelligent). The second major difference is the ability to strafe; in the previous installment I always had trouble moving and re-aiming at an approaching enemy, but strafing makes it so much easier.

There are two levels availalble that put you in different situations. The first level traps you in a small building while zombies try to break in from all sides. It was pretty similar to Resident Evil 4 in that there are a couple of objects that can be pushed in front of doors and windows to minimize enterances. After about a minute of shooting up zombies, a giant creature that looks like it's been stabbed with hundreds of nails breaks through the door and charged at me with a giagantic axe and chopped my head clean off.

The second level was more exploratory. There are a couple of different buildings to explore, and at several points my co-op partner was seperated and my job became covering her long-distance. It was a really cool dynamic, especially when the roles were reversed and I was the one being covered from afar. It was definitely a step up from RE4's Ashley constantly needing to be saved because she couldn't fight at all.

I'm excited for the game's launch on Friday, March 13 of this year!