Updated 25 May, 2012, 9:38 am IST

Upcoming Party games of 2009

10 Jan, 2009, 1:50 pm IST | by Nikhil Singh

If you like party games, here's what to expect in 2009..

Over the past few days we've covered everything from real-time strategy to massively multiplayer online games, that will hit the market over the coming year. Now I know that you action gamers out there can't wait for us to start our lengthy� 'upcoming action games of 2009' series, so I promise that this is the last article between you and the articles you wish for. With that out of the way, here's what all you party animals should look forward to in 2009:

Guitar Hero: Metallica

Platforms: PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox360
Release Date: Q1 2009

It seems like Activision sensed that gamers were growing weary of the Guitar Hero franchise, so they decided to bring out the big guns by announcing "Guitar Hero: Metallica". With the massive fan following the band's gathered over the years, there's no doubt that Metallica's one of the most popular heavy/thrash metal bands in the world, with its influence stretched across every nook and crany of the globe. With loads of new and old Metallica hits, the game will feature a better track selection than any other Guitar Hero before it (I'm a bit biased since I'm Metallica fan). Since it features the "Guitar Hero World Tour" styled approach of having a Lead Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums and Vocals, it'll help add the extra barrel of fuel to the next Guitar Hero party you throw. Word is, that the game will also feature an "Expert Plus" mode that will allow the drummer to add an extra pedal to give the game a double bass drum like the actual band! A plethora of new powers will be added to the multiplayer versus mode too, such as 'Fade to Black', 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Trapped under Ice'.

Skillz

Platforms: PC, Consoles (unconfirmed)
Release Date: TBA 2009

If you've dreamt about being a high profiled DJ but don't have the 'skillz' (see what I did there?) or equipment to do so, PlayPen might have the answer for you. Skillz is the upcoming rhythm and music games by PlayPen Studios, that'll let you become a really good fake DJ! The game will also allow you to upload your own music so that you can mix, scratch and play around with it to your heart's content. It'll feature a host of community features such as the ability to download music, buy music off the in-game store, and share your tunes (speculated) online. Apart from this, you'll gain access to a simplified beat-matching engine, an Advanced DJ mixer that features a cross-fader and loads of effects, plus a huge number of samples to add your own flavor to the mix. Oh, and you'll be able to participate in DJ Battles too!

DJ Hero

Platforms: Unannounced
Release Date: 2009 (rumored)

If you don't have enough faith in small time developers like PlayPen, you'd be glad to know that Activision's got something similar to "Skillz" in the pipelines too. I'm talking about DJ Hero, which seems like it's ideal for those of you who couldn't care less about rock music, and would prefer a rhythm game based on hip-hop, techno, trance, and house. Rumors of it's existence have ran rampant in 2008, after� Activision purchased FreeStyleGames to get help on some DLC as well as an unannounced rhythm game. Then DJ Tiesto came out and shocked us all by announcing that he was involved in Activision's upcoming DJ Hero game (which the company hadn't announced yet - must have been quite a WTF moment for Activision I'm sure), and Tiesto fans all over were excited once more. Not too much else has been revealed about the game yet, but stay tuned to Tech2.com for an update since we're as excited as most of you are about the game, and will pounce on any trickle of information we come across. What' been confirmed so far though, is that the game will feature a DJ console controller!