Just the other day we gave a quick rundown on some of our favourite games for the coming year and then today various game publishers go an update their release schedules for 2009 - are they just doing it to spite us? Almost definitely.

That said, we are just a little bit happy to see that a number of games are now getting more concrete dates - especially the much awaited new Aliens game from SEGA.

Sega of Europe today announced in a press release that the Gearbox-developer shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines would be out in time for Q1 2009. That's Q1 by the financial calendar though, which means the title should be with us by July by Sega's current reckoning.

At the same time, Atari have laid down a more concrete release date for the upcoming Ghostbusters game, pledging that the multiplatform title will be released on all platforms at the same time. Mark June 19th in your calendars...unless you're a PSP gamer that is, in which case you'll have to go without. The good news though is that Ghostbusters will be hitting practically all other platforms.

Electronic Arts meanwhile has given a rough date for the first big expansion pack to Spore. According to Kotaku Electronic Arts is readying to release Spore: Galactic Adventures in time for Spring.

It isn't all good news from EA though unfortunately, with Harmonix's Alex Rigoplous confirming that there won't be another sequel for the EA-published music simulator this year. EA and Harmonix have actually chosen to break out of the annual release cycle for the franchise for fear of killing it with over-exposure. Oh, that and Harmonix is working on a still un-dated Beatles music game as well.

Can you have too much of a good thing? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.