6 Great Playstation 3 Games for the 2009 Holidays

The holiday season is fast approaching and when the Playstation 3 games are expensive, albeit completely worth their price in game play fun, storytelling and graphics, they are something to consider saving for sooner, rather than later. While many of the highly anticipated games like God of War 3, Final Fantasy XIII and White Knight Chronicles are unfortunately not going to be in stores until the early months of 2010, there are several that have been released late in 2009 that will no doubt be perfect for the video game fan on your list.

1. Assassin's Creed II: Ready to release on November 17th, this is the much awaited sequel to the 2007 game, Assassin's Creed. The game is a single player, open world with nonlinear game play that allows the player to roam Renaissance Italy as a young nobleman turned assassin named, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Like the first game, Ezio is an ancestor of Desmond Miles and will be meeting historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci, who is said to aid Ezio throughout the story. The game will be released with three different limited editions, which include a figurine, bonus missions, DVD and art book. Assassin's Creed II is rated M for Mature.

2. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2: The sequel to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance from 2006, this game features some familiar and some new characters from the Marvel comics world, as well as storylines from Civil War. Like the first game, a team is made up of four chosen characters and can be enjoyed through single player, multi-player and online interaction through the Playstation Network. Ultimate Alliance 2 allows teams to be changed and leveled up during a mission and features all new abilities called fusions, in which each character can team up with another and release their own unique attacks. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is rated T for Teen.

3. Tekken 6: The newest installment to the Tekken fighting franchise is set to be released on October 27th. The game can be single player, multi-player and has the option to be played online through the Playstation Network. The stages will be bigger, allowing for interactivity with walls and floors, both which can be broken to reveal new battle stages. Customization has been enhanced, there will be forty-two playable characters, including just about all the cast from Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, as well as eight new characters. A "rage" system has been added, which gives a character more power the lower they get on HP. Tekken 6 has been rated T for Teen.

4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: Being released next week is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2009, the sequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. This third person shooter can be enjoyed single player, online multi-player and even online co-op. New game mechanics include free movement climbing over walls. Uncharted 2 takes place a few years after the first game and centers around Marco Polo and his doomed voyage home from China. The new online games, four of which have been revealed and released through the Playstation Network, include 'death match,' 'plunder,' 'elimination,' and 'chain reaction.' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is rated T for Teen.

5. Batman: Arkham Asylum: Arkham Asylum is an absolutely great superhero game, set in the DC comics world where Batman has once again captured the Joker, bringing him back to the asylum on Arkham island, only to discover Joker planned to be caught and has released all of the inmates on the doctors, police and Batman is the only one who can save them. Arkham Asylum is a single player action-adventure that utilizes stealth movement, detective skills and an array of Batman friendly gadgets. Batman: Arkham Asylum has been praised by critics and fans and has been inputted into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most critically acclaimed superhero game to date. Batman: Arkham Asylum has been rated for players 16+.

6. Demon's Souls: This is a new role-playing game that is both single player and online multi-player, which has been released exclusively for the Playstation 3. Players are able to customize their own characters and choose to fight with a variety of weapons that alters game play, depending on the choices made. In the online features, players can find messages left behind from others in the game, team up in co-op or battle one another in competitive play. The game, despite its difficulty level where players are told they learn from their mistakes through death, has received very high scores from both critics and fans. Demon's Souls is rated M for Mature.