Opinion Fest 2008: Most Anticipated of 2009

In a few hours, 2008 will officially be behind us and we will barrel headfirst into 2009. With all of the RPG releases of 2008 over and done with, gamers – insatiable creatures that we are – will begin looking forward to what’s next.

To be honest, we really only know the tip of the iceberg at the moment, with only a handful of RPGs confirmed or even rumored for 2009, the recipients of the Most Anticipated award are drawn only from the pool of existing confirmations. They are nonetheless very promising looking titles that already have me hot and bothered.

3rd: Fragile: Farewell Lunar Ruins – tri-Crescendo, Namco Bandai – Nintendo Wii

An RPG focusing on exploration and tapping into the Japanese aesthetic of sadness, Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo has had my constant interest since its announcement. Set in a world with very few humans left, the protagonist Seth sets out to simply find companionship. With Tri-Crescendo handling the game’s development, and ToV’s producer onboard, Fragile is definitely a game to keep an eye on.

2nd: Muramasa: The Demon Blade – Vanillaware, Marvelous – Nintendo Wii

I don’t know much about the story behind Oboro Muramasa, but I do know that the game is being developed by Vanillaware (Odin Sphere), and that George Kamitani is handling the art. I also know that the game is set in medieval Japan and lets you slash up beautifully hand-drawn enemies in an artistically gorgeous world. But seriously, you had me at Vanillaware. <3

1st: Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope – tri-Ace, Square Enix – Xbox 360

As a long-time Star Ocean fan, SO4’s rank as my Most Anicipated RPG of 2008 should come as no surprise. Set as the prequel to the series, following Edge and Reimi’s trip to pioneer the stars after the nuclear aftermath of WWIII already has my pants wet.

With gorgeous HD graphics, enhanced, high-paced battles, and new ideas like the Roommate System, I really don’t know if I’m going to be able to hold out for another 2 months before I can get my hands on this.

As a word of caution to Square Enix: if you give this localization the same treatment you gave Infinite Undiscovery, I’m seriously going to beat you up.

Some of you might be wondering why Final Fantasy XIII is absent from the list. Simply put, I haven’t seen or heard enough about what to expect from it for me to truly be excited for the title. The return to ATB has my interest, but until I see a lot more proof that this isn’t going to be another FFXII gong-show, interest is where it stays.