MGS4 one of the most if not the most important PS3′s Exclusive of all time, and Hideo Kojima really amazed us all with his exceptional masterpiece back in June 2008.

 

Hideo kojima raised the bar in every video gaming aspect in MGS4 with a well woven story to mind blowing visuals, alongside an innovated gameplay animations. Now a year has passed since MGS4 was first released, and to this day MGS4 still owns the PS3 exclusive crown, being the most successful PS3 exclusive both critically and sales wise.

Now, A serious threat for MGS4 PS3 exclusive crown is already out and in his large footsteps to glory, Nathan really has a good chance to capture what solid snake kept hard for the previous 17 months and guess what Microsoft can’t play around this time and we will never see one of Naughty Dog’s producers introduced in the E3 2010! So can Nathan really do it?

Uncharted 2: among thieves is forcing its way to be a true winner over any other videogame this year, and with all the critical success it has already gained, the game would face little problems in capturing the GOTY -Game Of The Year- 2009 award, and from the all things we already saw in Uncharted 2: among thieves, few of us will have doubts over it’s quality, and if you ask me, UC2 has without a doubt got all what it takes to be labeled as “The Best Game in the Current generation!!”

Snake visited us only once on the HD screens through MGS4, and even with Metal Gear Rising on its way for both Xbox 360 & PS3 the chance of his appearance is still uncertain, still In my opinion Nathan will never have what snake has as a unique gaming character and even if Uncharted 2 gained bigger sales success Snake will still have the upper hand when it comes in comparing between their personalities as gaming characters, but being a 100% PS3 loyal gaming character –at least for now- Nathan is not far from being the true new PS3 symbol! That is at least until we see if Kratos has anything to say about that.

New gameplay footage from uncharted 2 is leaked, A fantastic 7 minutes in Polish, Enjoy it!
 

Update: This video shows the first 7 minutes from the game.
 
 

 
 
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‘By all accounts, Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece.
 

So it’s time to cue the journalistic hate.
 

If certain sites can’t bash Uncharted 2 for what it accomplishes as a game, they’ll go after sales.’
 

You are saying that Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece? I said before in an article that Uncharted 2 will be hands down GOTY 09. Can you tell me how this is bashing Uncharted 2? If you are calling this bashing, then I agree with you.
 
 

If you are saying that I’m bashing Uncharted using sales numbers, for the second time you are wrong, I said in my article that the original game had sold 2.55M copies worldwide, which is a very respectful number for a new IP. I will explain one more time how Uncharted 2 will easily surpass the sales of the original game and maybe hit the 5 million mark; first of all, Uncharted 2 is more recognized than the original game was. Secondly, the original game had sold 2.55M when PS3 price tag was much higher than now, so with the help of PS3 slim (299$) and maybe the rumored Uncharted 2 bundle (250GB PlayStation 3 slim) the game will sell like hot cakes. Thirdly, the multiplayer portion of the game will give it longevity, which was missing in the original game. Last but not least, the PS3 user base exceeded 24 million owners and still increasing, which will make the possibility of purchasing Uncharted 2 higher.
 

I know that sales doesn’t always mean quality. Also, I know that some gamers don’t care about sales, but it’s very important for the game developers/publishers. If a certain game doesn’t sell well, the developers of the game will not think about making sequel for that game in the future or they could sacrifice quality because of lack of funding, which isn’t good for us, gamers. Is my message clear?
 

If you take a look below at the best five selling games on PS3 since the console launch, you will find that the only game that has exceeded the 5 million mark is GTA 4, which is a multiplatform game:
 

1. Grand Theft Auto IV : 5.82M
2.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: 4.56M
3.Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: 4.20M
4.Resistance: Fall of Man: 3.61M
5.Call of Duty: World at War: 3.53M
 

The original game, Uncharted has sold 2.55M copies worldwide, which is a very respectful number for a new IP.
 

Naughty Dog has put so much effort into Uncharted 2 and that shows from the thrilling gamepaly, crystal clear graphics and realistic physics, even they have gone far by saying that Uncharted 2 has maxed out the power of the PS3. Also, Naughty Dog has added a wonderful multiplayer experience this time around, by featuring a competitive mode and a co-op mode to form a complete package you can’t ignore. I will tell why it’s important for Uncharted 2 to sell more than 5 million, the PS3 need a game to define it regarding sales and if Uncharted 2 couldn’t do that, then I don’t know which game will achieve this for PS3.
 
 

Xbox 360 have three games that exceeded the 5 million mark and one of them exceeded the 10 million mark, take a look below:
 

1. Halo 3: 10.15M
2. Gears of War: 5.91M
3. Gears of War 2: 5.18M
 

People are saying that Xbox 360 exclusives are selling better than PS3 exclusives because the Xbox 360 has a bigger user base. No, that isn’t always the case. Just look at the original Gears of War sales numbers, the game was released when there were 10-12 million Xbox 360 owners and the game is approaching 6 million copies sold by now.
 
 

The PS3 slim and maybe the rumored Uncharted 2 bundle (250GB PlayStation 3 slim) could help Uncharted 2 to achieve the milestone of selling 5 million copies in less than 6 months.
 

So, will Uncharted 2 break the 5 million barrier?
 
Note: All sales numbers are taken from VGchartz.com.
 

So far 2009 wasn’t the best year for gamers, but in the coming few months many EPIC titles will be released, and here are our most anticipated 5 games yet to come in 2009:

 
 
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

 
The direct sequel of COD 4, one of the best selling shooters of all time, here comes the most anticipated game in 2009. Even though the game will feature a brief single player campaign, multiplayer is what Call of Duty is all about.
 
 
The game will have a new co-op mode “Special Ops” that supports up to two players online or locally in split-screen. The competitive online multiplayer will have the same rank up system of COD 4, with few more features, new weapons, upgradable perks, 15 kill streak rewards and THANK GOD an “in game host migration” which means that even if the damn host leaves the game, players will remain.
 
 
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

 
One more reason to buy a PS3,as if we need one, Uncharted 2 takes off a couple of years after the events of Uncharted: Drake’s fortune, the game will show a “darker” side of Nathan.
 
With Naughty Dog’s new game engine players will experience a whole new level of gameplay mechanics, and stunning graphical technology (the game will use between 90-100% of the PS3 cell processor).
 
Also the game will feature a co-op mode that will allow up to three players to play as Nathan, Sully and Chloe and a competitive multiplayer mode that allows a maximum of ten players to play through different modes.
 
 
Halo 3: ODST

 
I know we had it with Microsoft “milking” the Halo franchise, but so far this game looks amazing. This time around the player will take control of an ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) soldier “The Rookie”, a few years before the events of Halo 3.

For the first time in an open world Halo game, the player can approach missions anyway he wants. You can choose to be patient and use stealth, or you can just start shooting everyone, but be careful, because you’re not “Master Chief” which means no health regeneration, no advanced armor and less strength.
 
The game will also have the same Halo 3 multiplayer with 24 maps (all map packs + 3 new maps), and will include a new Firefight mode *cough*horde mode*cough* which will allow up to 4 players to team against waves of enemies.

I think gamers will fall in love with the multiplayer mode, but there is a big question here: will the campaign mode meet the expectations of the fans of the series?
 
 
Assassin’s Creed II

 
The first AC was a real great game that felt short in a few aspects, such as the lack of variety, weapons and yeah “the best assassin in the world” couldn’t swim!

So far AC 2 seems too good to be true!! Impressive graphics and physics, gameplay seems flawless and varied, lots of upgradable weapons and this time you will play as Ezio, who is way more badass than Altair. Ubisoft Montreal has done a great job listening to fans, know you can swim, fly, buy a lot of different upgradable weapons, use enemy weapons and no cover is safe anymore.
 
 
Left 4 Dead 2

 
Left 4 Dead is one of those games that you can’t really like and understand the gameplay until you try it, seriously when the game first came out, I couldn’t care less about it, I just didn’t think it was that good! But after playing the game with a few friends, I discovered I was missing a lot.

L4D 2 will use the same engine (source engine) used in L4d. Four new survivors will shoot their way through hordes of different zombie types in 5 new larger maps that will be playable in co-op, versus, survival and an all new multiplayer mode.

The first game was one of the best co-op experiences of all time, and with the addition of over 20 new weapons (such as the chainsaw, axe and frying pan!!), new ammo types, new infected zombie types and a new A.I director. Even though the L4D was just released less than a year ago I think Valve’s additions will double the fun.
 
 
 

Honorable Mention:
Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Demon’s Souls, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Forza Motorsport 3, FIFA Soccer 10, Tekken 6