Diablo 3 (PC)

Now this might be a bit of a stretch, but one can still hope that Blizzard releases Diablo 3 in 2009. The Diablo franchise is one of my all time favorites. I love hacking and slashing away at endless hordes of skeletons and zombies. I love collecting the loot after intense battles, and I love going through the creepy dungeons with my friends. In simplest terms, I love Diablo! And although there have been countless imitators throughout the past eight years, Blizzard is the single developer who is most capable of producing a new and improved Hack-n-Slash RPG formula. A formula that is familiar to veteran Diablo players, but also fresh enough to keep them interested. In addition to potentially great gameplay, Diablo 3 also features some fantastic visuals and knowing Blizzard, the game will run well on old and new PCs.

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (PC)

Starcraft 2 follows in the footsteps of what many gamers consider the greatest RTS of all time. Starcraft is the legendary RTS game that stole countless hours of PC gamers' spare time and the fact that many people play the game to this day is a testament to its stellar quality. No, I did not play Starcraft online very often, so I will probably get my ass kicked when I play Starcraft 2 online, but I did enjoy the singleplayer component of Starcraft. And I am looking forward to playing through the Terran campaign. I wish that Blizzard would not split the game into three, but as long as the campaign is lengthy, I will be satisfied. Also, despite of the fact that I will get my ass kicked online, I look forward to experiencing that element as well.

Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 2 (PC)

Anyone who played the original Dawn of War knows that it is one of the most intense RTS games on the planet! Instead of focusing on base building, Dawn of War places the focus on brutal close-quarters combat. The necessity of capturing vital control points throughout the maps places additional emphasis on the action. Dawn of War 2 plans to take the action packed gameplay established by the original and create an even more intense experience. This time the base building is almost non-existent, and the player must use advanced tactics to succeed. The addition of cover alone is major enhancement to the Dawn of War experience and I am certain that Relic has more surprises planned for Dawn of War 2.

Deus Ex 3 (PC)

Deus Ex is my favorite game; therefore, my expectations for a quality prequel are unbelievably high. Deus Ex: Invisible War was not a horrible game, but it failed to capture what made Deus Ex great. So, I expect Deus Ex 3 to emulate Deus Ex and possibly surpass it in terms of quality. Of course, this will not be an easy task and some of the gameplay elements, which were reveled last year, have me worried. The stealth no longer being focused on shadows, but cover, is one of the most questionable gameplay elements. The Augmented people vs. normal people story element sounds intriguing, and the visuals look fantastic, so regardless of these questionable aspects, I remain optimistic about Deus Ex 3. Currently, there is not a whole lot of information on the game and judging it before I know more could be a big mistake.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PC)

The first F.E.A.R. game featured a series of intense battles, which played out in close-quarters environments. The brutal AI and the highly destructive environments enhanced the ferocity of these battles. Perhaps the only problem with F.E.A.R was the lack of environmental variety. F.E.A.R. 2 seeks to fix this problem and bring vast improvements to the level destruction and AI. F.E.A.R. was also a lot of fun to play online, so I am obviously looking forward to playing both the singleplayer and the multiplayer in F.E.A.R. 2.

Metro 2033 (PC)

Metro 2033 is a story based first person shooter that takes place in a post apocalyptic Russia. The developers aim to create an incredibly immersive singleplayer experience. Limiting the HUD and creating convincing animations for their mutated beasts are just a few of the methods they intend to use to create a grand singleplayer game. Also, many of the people involved with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are involved with this game, so I know that it has a lot of potential. I just hope that it is released without countless bugs and endless delays.

Empire: Total War (PC)

The Total War series has been consistently fantastic ever since it started with Shogun. Empire: Total War takes this award-winning formula and makes ample additions to it. For the first time, naval battles will be playable in the Total War series. The developers also intend to release a cooperative campaign in the future. When you mix these additions with a new era and amazing graphics, I cannot help, but be excited about this game.

Killzone 2 (PS3)

Killzone 2 is one of those games that I am looking forward to playing, but at the same time, I am cautious in my expectations. Many people touted Killzone as a Halo killer, but it failed miserably. On the other hand, many people thought that Killzone 2 would not be able to imitate the original trailer in visual quality. Although Killzone 2 does not look as good as the original "gameplay" CGI trailer, it does look pretty damn good. I do not expect Killzone 2 to surpass Halo in influence, but I do believe that it will be a quality title.

Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC)

I am not a big fan of squad-based games; however, the fact that this game takes place in my favorite movie universe makes my resistance futile. Aliens vs. Predator was an amazing first person shooter game back in the day. It had amazing atmosphere and the qualities of both alien species provided a truly unique and at times, frightening experience. Most of the scares in AVP came from fighting the Alien species as a marine. So, although the Predator is missing from Colonial Marines, the same vile, wall-crawling, jaw extending, alien is in this game. I want Colonial Marines to freak me out, and from the looks of it, this game might just do that.

Duke Nukem Forever (PC)

For some strange reason this game always makes it onto my lists of games that I am looking forward to playing. Yes, 3D Realms announced it more than ten years ago, but I remain hopeful. How could I not hope for a next-generation Duke Nukem experience? Playing as the ultimate alien ass kicker is so damn fun and it would be amazing to play as Duke in a new and more up-to-date experience.

I know the list is longer because I always forget something, but these are the titles that I am looking forward to playing the most. 2009 looks like a fantastic year for PC gaming and I cannot wait to play these games!