The 12 Biggest Upcoming Sequels - (Where Are They Now?)

#5: Final Fantasy XIII

Square Enix erases the line between CG and gameplay.

The 12 Biggest Sequels of 2009 - (Where Are They Now?)

For 22 years, Final Fantasy has defined the Japanese RPG. Every new game in the series brings with it new worlds and characters, tied together by breathtaking music, stunning cinematography, and unparalleled gameplay.

With Final Fantasy XIII, though, Square Enix is being even bolder than usual. They're working on something that could rival, and perhaps even surpass, the now-legendary Final Fantasy VII. From the looks of it, they're succeeding: this one's going to be a game for the ages.

What we know:

FFXIII takes the franchise far into the future, to the planet Pulse and its moon-like artificial satellite. Driven by the Crystals to construct the shell-world of Cocoon centuries earlier, humanity has grown to rely on their floating paradise and fear Pulse's untamed wilderness.

Now, a woman called Lightning has been selected by a Crystal to rebel against her own people. Lightning is the real connection between FFXIII and FFVII. Specifically designed as a sort of female complement to Cloud Strife, she possesses many of the same traits as the iconic FFVII hero.

Although she has a little bit more of an arsenal to bring to bear on her enemies than Cloud ever did (thanks to her gravity-manipulating gunblade), controlling her should still feel comfortable, since FFXIII's combat system is an extension of the Active Time Battle system used in FFVII.

You'll be able to queue up Lightning's chain attacks in real-time, or "overclock" her into slow-motion to execute power attacks and exploit hazards in the environment.And damn, if that environment isn't something else.

Square Enix promised that FFXIII's in-game visuals would match its pre-rendered scenes, and they weren't lying: everything we've ever wanted to see on next-generation consoles is here, and on the Xbox 360, to boot.

What we don't know:

It's true, we've seen lots of spectacular video of both pre-rendered and in-game visuals, but we've only caught glimpses of the combat system.

Given the potential for gravity manipulation and ranged attacks that decimate just about everything in view, we really can't wait to sit down with a controller and get a feel for how the newly-revamped ATB system works. UPDATE: Unfortunately, Final Fantasy XIII has been delayed and will hopefully arrive early next year.

GamePro's Prediction:

We'll laugh, we'll cry, and we'll play. It's finally time for Advent Children to step aside.

1. Lucky 13 will be the biggest Final Fantasy game, ever. Even Square Enix is betting on it: they're already working on two parallel games, one for the PSP, the other for the PS3.

2. It should be out before the year is up. Square isn't a fan of release dates and delays are to be expected, but 2009 should still see a lot of very, very happy fans.



#4: Halo 3: ODST

The Chief is out, the Rookie is in.

The 12 Biggest Sequels of 2009 - (Where Are They Now?)

Trapped in the middle of a Covenant civil war, the Master Chief rushes to track the Prophet of Truth and escape High Charity. Far below, the Arbiter storms Delta Halo's Library, desperate to stop Tartarus before the ring can be activated. But what of the battle at home? What of Earth, and the cities that have fallen beneath the Covenant onslaught? What of New Mombasa?

It's time we found out. The first, and likely the only standalone "expansion" to the universe, Halo 3: ODST doesn't star the Master Chief. It's the story of the Rookie, an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who's crash-landed in the middle of New Mombasa with a single, simple mission: to discover the fate of his lost squad. It's fan service Bungie-style, through and through, but we don't mind. ODST looks awesome.

What we know:

The Rookie's story both is and isn't a Halo game. Well, okay, it's Halo, but there's more than a new protagonist setting it apart; ODST's world is wide open and very deadly. The Rookie's no Master Chief, so he's got to be careful picking his battles.

That doesn't make it a stealth game, of course, and it sure isn't Grand Theft Auto, but there's no linear path to follow, and going in guns blazing won't get you very far. Instead, you'll be cautiously guided through New Mombasa by a lovable maintenance AI called the Superintendant.

The story's not some grand space-opera, either. This time around, things stay intimate. Whenever the Rookie comes across a location with some tie to his squad's fate, the game triggers a playable flashback sequence from a squadmate's perspective, which you'll have to fight through before continuing on. It may sound a bit disconnected, but those sequences will serve as linear anchors to an otherwise open game.

What we don't know:

Okay, all that about the story not being some space-opera? That may not be entirely true. Bungie's storytelling has astounded us before, and we expect to see ODST contribute a lot to the greater Halo mythos.

It may ship with some new map packs and guarantee you the Recon multiplayer armor, but it is, first and foremost, a new campaign. Knowing Bungie, what we think we know about its story is just the tip of one hellish iceberg.

GamePro's Prediction:

You can count on ODST being one hell of a last hurrah for the world's biggest shooter.

1. Don't expect big changes to multiplayer. Changing Halo's perfect online formula isn't something we'd bet on Bungie doing. New maps? Sure. New gametypes? Not so much.

2. It might spawn a new franchise, but we wouldn't count on it. Bungie's working on bigger and better things; ODST is just one last gift to the Halo 3 fans of the world.

Where we left off:

Amidst the Covenant's Earthside assault during Halo 2, a slipspace jump inside the human capital of New Mombasa, Africa unexpectedly transports Master Chief to a ringworld called "Delta Halo" (he destroyed the first ringworld in Halo 1) where he battles an outbreak of the The Flood infection.

Halo 3 sees Master Chief returning just as the Covenant seizes power. Halo 3: ODST will chronicle the events that occurred between Halo 2 and Halo 3, shedding new light on the Covenant's invasion of Earth while Master Chief parties down on the Delta Halo.

Comments [55]

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weinymew

burn, this list blows chunks.................sike. I wanted to get the fanbitches riled upa little bit

partTimeNERD

good list, though I am most looking forward too FF13, sadly that game won't come out until 2010.

CoD4Rocks

Thanks Gamepro for getting me excited for GOW3 and FF13, thanks for my brain reminding me i cant play those games this year , sigh, anyway at least odst is coming out this year and maybe bioshock 2 but i doubt it ( i hope im wrong). Im actually really excited where AC2 goes with the story.

Toneman

What about Killzone 2? They're allready saying it's a Game Of The Year contender.

ZanonX

just buy the copy of final fantasy 13 in japan lol, you wont understand it but hell least you get to play it

ChokaDaChicken

I might have to dust off the old Wii, since it hasn't been used in a while, love them Zelda games baby!

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