Gamescom 2009 Highlights

Hey there game fans. I'm checking in today with a few highlights from this year's Gamescom convention. This is the convention's inaugural year; However, it is in actuality a re-branding of the Leipzig convention. Gamescom has a new location in Cologne, Germany to go along with its new and peculiar name. Below are some of my personal picks of the more noteworthy exhibitions.

Mass Effect 2



Mass Effect 2 comes out of the gates with a brand new trailer, showcasing a notorious mining facility named Omega. The facility is mercenary-controlled and is a veritable sin city, complete with exotic dancers and gambling. Mass Effect 2 looks gorgeous and with the new improvements to gameplay, this promises to be one of the best titles of 2010. As a side note, if you've never played Mass Effect in HD, you don't know what you're missing.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves



Naughty Dog has done a terrific job of keeping Among Thieves in the public eye (Infinity Ward could learn a thing or two). A steady stream of trailers, combined with last month's killer closed beta, has rocketed this title to the top of my winter 2009 most wanted list. The new Gamescom trailer showcases the state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay that you've come to expect from Naughty Dog. Uncharted 2 features the most life-like and expressive character models I've ever seen in a game to date. With the ever shrinking list of Playstation exclusives, this is definitely not one to miss.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2





I know what you're thinking: "Only two screenshots!?" I couldn't agree more. Infinity Ward has really dropped the ball as of late. I know this is considered blasphemy these days, but I like to call them like I see them. This is Europe's premier gaming convention and only two screenshots are released to the public. The images can certainly be considered eye candy, but they don't showcase anything we haven't seen already. The Special Ops mode was apparently demo-ed for the press, but nothing has been made available to consumers as of yet. On the upside, Robert Bowling has stated that we can expect a brand new multiplayer perk trailer sometime next week.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow



Fact: You involve Hideo Kojima in your game development, you get a kick ass game. Even if Kojima just used the game disc as a coaster for his morning smoothie, his magical gaming dust would sprinkle all over it and make it a kick ass game. Can you tell I'm a fan? Not much is known as of yet, but if this extended gameplay trailer is any indication, we have a hit on our hands.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2



No two ways about it, this game is going to be a lot of fun. Although Battlefield: Bad Company 2 does not have the mass appeal that Modern Warfare 2 does, it will certainly provide a compelling alternative. The new multiplayer looks fantastic featuring Destruction 2.0 and a new level of team gameplay. Who knows, it may even give Modern Warfare 2 a run for its money.

Fable III



Finally, we have the official announcement that Fable III is in development at Lionhead Studios. The trailer is purely a teaser and barely worth mentioning, but it is a welcome addition all the same. It's nice to see that the franchise will continue on Microsoft's current generation Xbox.

Stay tuned for more from Gamescom 2009 as information becomes available.