The 10 most anticipated DS games of 2009

Yes, we've reached that time of the year when we're bored of it being 2008 and we're wistfully thinking ahead to 2009 and all the great things it will bring us.

For instance, 2009 will be the year of the next general election – which could mean it's a year of change. And possibly the year Britain goes completely bankrupt and I have to move into a trailer home. It's also the year Lithuania will celebrate the millennium of its name, and the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship – the largest passenger ship ever built – will make its maiden voyage carrying 5,400 passengers. Let's hope they've not skimped on lifeboats for aesthetic reasons.

Highly interesting as this all is, though, here at Pocket Gamer we prefer to debate the more important goings on. Namely, what DS games are going to be released that are worth buying.

We're pleased to say it's been quite tricky narrowing them down to just ten, since DS releases next year are fairly prolific (as they have been this year – and the last, for that matter). Certainly more so than for the DS's 'rival' – I struggled to come up with the Top 5 most anticipated PSP games of 2009. Let's not forget, too, that come summer we'll begin to look forward to brand new DS hardware in the form of DSi, which is due to hit UK shores soon by the autumn.

Anyway, today's focus is all about the games. They've been considered and reconsidered and the ten listed below are those we think you should be saving up for over the next 12 months.

10. Ghostbusters Developer: Zen Studios Publisher: Atari Release: 2009 We were left panicked when Ghostbusters publisher Vivendi merged with Activision and Ghostbusters the game dropped off the radar. After all, a game that let you play as the Ghostbusters themselves and one with a plot penned by the original film's writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd was sounding brilliant. Fortunately, it's since been picked up by Atari and will be released by the publisher at 'some point' in 2009. Details on the DS version are scarcer than likeable contestants in I'm A Celebrity…, but there's indication it will feature management game elements, a top-down perspective and ghost-catching mini-games. It's not much to go on, but it's Ghostbusters, which means we're confident it's got to be great.
9. SimAnimals Developer: EA Publisher: EA Release: January 2009 Granted there's most definitely an argument for SimAnimals not to be a game to watch out for in 2009. It's a Sims game for starters, so joins a long list of spin-offs that include the Castaway, Pets and Apartment games – not all convincing outings for the popular franchise. It also has the word 'animals' in the title, just like approximately 200 other DS games already out there. But, hey, bear with us. Because SimAnimals does actually sound more interesting than most. Not to mention a bit like Rare game Viva Piñata, which was great. Putting you in control of a disembodied hand, SimAnimals is a wildlife god game that lets you engage with various species of wild animal as they go about their day-to-day lives. Lure in specific animals and complete challenges, and you'll unlock new areas, animals and items. It's pitched at younger gamers (the DS demographic continues to decrease in age) –around the ten years mark. If that's you, mark it up as one to look out for.
8. Gauntlet Developer: Backbone Entertainment Publisher: Eidos Release: 2009 Ah Gauntlet. How we loved you back in our coin-op playing days of 1985 when we were a mere… bugger, we were actually already quite old. You've let us down numerous times since with some lacklustre updates of the top-down dungeon-based arcade action, but we sense this DS incarnation from Backbone could be different. The developer clearly has a lot of love for the original game but is also promising cutting-edge visuals, online multiplayer and loads of new maps. The online modes include co-operative and competitive deathmatches, team deathmatches and a Treasure Hoard game. Of course, the narrator's voice is there too. Remember: don't shoot food! (That's a classic video game reference, kids.)
7. Blue Dragon Plus Developer: Feelplus Publisher: Ignition Release: March 2009 It was a pleasant surprise to learn Xbox 360 Mistwalker-developed game Blue Dragon was being made for DS. Even more so when we learnt it would be released in Europe as well as Japan. Featuring a tactical role-playing foundation, similar to the likes of Fire Emblem, and a dragon-slaying theme, Blue Dragon Plus takes place one year after Shu and his companions defeated Nene. The game promises over 30 hours of gameplay as well as more than an hour of dual-screen full-motion video story events to watch should such sedentary appeal to you. There's also a new Legion Vs Legion mode and enough customisation options to ensure you won't be putting down your DS stylus in a hurry.
6. Eledees: The Adventures of Kai and Zero Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: Spring 2009 We're not saying we've got skyscraper-high expectations for Eledees on DS, but we are certainly looking forward to checking out how it plays on DS. The original game on Wii was just that – original. And it was one of the first Wii games to truly put to good use the controller, playing like a cross between Katamari Damacy and a first-person shooter that has you armed with a high-power suction device instead of a grenade launcher. The DS version of the game is looking a bit more like a virtual pet game in which you capture, then raise the electricity-wielding eledee critters. Different eledees bring you new special powers that enable you to progress in your quest. There's also a four-player head-to-head mode playable over wi-fi where you can pit your raised eledees against others.
5. Moon Developer: Renegade Kid Publisher: Mastiff Release: Spring First-person shooters in the vein of Halo (or any other sci-fi shooter you can think of) come along all the time – but not on DS. That's what's standing Moon out from the crowd. That and the fact it's looking massively ambitious with all sorts of moon surface action involving vehicles, lunar bases and – of course – unfriendly natives to shoot up with a range of weaponry. Picture Metroid Prime and add some space explorers and a liberal dose of your stereotypical aliens and you've got some idea what to expect. So far it's looking great on DS with barely a concession seemingly being made for the format it's on and everything you'd expect from a first-person shooter crammed in there.
4. Rhythm Heaven Developer: R&D1 / TNX Publisher: Nintendo Release: 2009 The sequel to the infectiously addictive Game Boy Advance music title Rhythm Tengoku, Rhythm Heaven takes the original's core gameplay and enhances it using the unique features of the DS. New games modes will also make an appearance. Tengoku on the GBA came out of nowhere with its mad WarioWare-style rhythm-based games, some of which I seem to remember being hilarious. I might have been drunk at the time of playing, though. If the western release of Rhythm Heaven can capture even half of its appeal, it's going to be a treat on DS. The Japanese version of the game is already out and has sold over a million copies – in fact, we reviewed Rhythm Heaven Gold (as the title translates from Japanese) earlier this year – so we're expecting a great deal from the game when it eventually makes it over here.
3. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Release: Early 2009 An enhanced remake of the very first Fire Emblem title Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken (originally published in 1990), Shadow Dragon is officially the eleventh entry in the popular action RPG franchise. It also marks the first time that online play has featured. Now the Fire Emblem series is finally getting the recognition it deserves here in the west, this timely remake will allow new fans to see how the story started all those years ago. Visually this new DS game might not be a massive leap from the well-received Game Boy Advance instalments but the usual high standard of depth and playability is bound to feature.
2. Mario & Luigi RPG 3 Developer: AlphaDream Publisher: Nintendo Release: 2009 Mario and Luigi RPG 3 has been preceded by Superstar Saga (on GBA) and Partners in Time – both RPGs for all (especially those with a disregard for goblins) – that starred our favourite Nintendo duo and their chums. The same battle system and graphical style will be retained in the new game, but this time around players will have the option to step into the shoes of Mario's arch nemesis Bowser. With such a proven track record it would take a pretty major disaster for this to turn out to be anything but essential stuff and hopefully fresh and new ideas will form part of the mix in order to keep the concept interesting. We have faith in AlphaDream – this effortlessly should be one of the must-have Nintendo games for 2009.
1. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Developer: Rockstar Publisher: Take Two Release: March 20th 2009 We can't say we weren't a little bit surprised when Rockstar announced it was bringing its all-conquering car-jacking and pedestrian-beating crime series to DS. Blame that on Nintendo and the squeaky clean, family-friendly image it's gone with for its handheld. It's part of the reason we're looking forward to Chinatown Wars so much – the DS has been out for almost four years and this is one of only a handful of games targeted at adult gamers. Of which we imagine there are plenty who own a DS. The other reasons are are more obvious. Rockstar has rarely disappointed with the series and is always innovating. Chinatown Wars would seem to follow that trend with new cel-shaded visuals, a three-quarter viewpoint developed just for the handheld, touchscreen mini-games and a living, breathing Liberty City just as breathtakingly vast as on the home consoles. It's one not to miss (unless you're under 18 years of age, of course).