[General Discussion] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2009: Use Your Vote Time

It's that time of year again; it's the time of year when everyone starts evaluating the 12 months that have just passed us, those games released and which deserves to be named the best of the year. The various critics and pundits are all having their say, but what does Gamingforce consider the best of 2009?

As with the 2008 voting here's how this is going to work: each person has 100 points to vote for games released in 2009 (doesn't matter where, but games have to have been commercially released in 2009) and you can allocate them to as many games as you like as long as it totals 100 in the end. The only rule is that you can't award any single game more than 40 points. So you could vote two 40s and a 20, or a 40 and six 10s, or any other combination of points as long as it adds up to 100.

To vote all you have to do is post a reply with your top games of 2009, how many points you're giving each, and a brief explanation of why you feel the game deserves your points.

Example:

GAME A - 40 points
Man I loved game A because...

GAME B - 20 points
I ended up playing so much of game B that...

GAME C - 15 points
Game C gets some points because...

GAME D - 15 points
I couldn't decide between this and C, so gave both points, but D rocks because...

GAME E - 5 points
Good, but not necessarily great, but I figure E deserves some points because...

GAME F - 5 points
Like E, F gets a few points because...

--------

Voting will close on Saturday 9th January at 18:00 GMT (that's Englandland time), at which point I'll add all the points together and work out GFF's top 20 games of 2009, posting the results in a new thread for discussion/people to bitch about.

Get voting.

Oh, and get other people to come vote too.

Disclaimer/Rules:
1. If you allocate any game more than 40 points your vote won't be counted.
2. If your points allocation totals more than 100 points your vote won't be counted (totals less than 100 are fine).
3. Votes for games not released in 2009 will be ignored.
4. Only official commercial releases in 2009 count.
5. No negative points. I'll point and laugh and then ignore your vote.
6. Whole integers only. Fractions and decimal places will also lead me to ignore your vote.
7. Any other such idiocy will also probably lead your vote not being counted.

And as ever, I take no responsibility for Skills fucking with stuff, which if you ignore these points he almost certainly will do somehow.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hahaha, nice timing. I might as well copy-paste from my entry ='D

GTA: Episodes from Liberty City - 40 points

A compilation of two utterly fantastic additional stories to GTA4. Both are relatively short, making the story in each more tightly paced and the experience more compact and focused. Not that there isn't tons of additional stuff to do outside the main story missions.

Completely excellent writing (far exceeding even GTA4) with some great new characters, superb voice acting bring them to life, fun fun fun gameplay and a chance to see the same amazing, living, breathing Liberty City from a different perspective. Essential.


Borderlands - 20 points

I wasn't even going to buy it originally. I was wrong to think so, and while many people will cite Demon's Souls as the gem of the year, I feel this one is it. It's Diablo with guns and it's utterly, utterly addictive. Somehow the combat never gets old and I never tire of doing quests, shooting peeps, looting corpses, trunks, cabinets, trashcans and mail boxes, levelling up, finding new guns and doing it all over again. By myself or online with friends.

Gamespy sucks, but Gearbox managed to make their best game yet, a game that is both fun, funny and pretty, and I hope they make a great sequel eventually.


Halo 3: ODST - 20 points

Alongside Borderlands, probably the most overlooked FPS of the year. Halo games are always enjoyable, but ODST provided the best campaign since the first game, a wonderful jazzy soundtrack, and some terrific setpieces. I loved the atmosphere. A very pleasant experience I will want to replay again

Machinarium - 20 points

An utterly charming and beautiful point & click adventure, with a lovely visual style. Very funny, very atmospheric, with a rich world and a great soundtrack.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - 40 points
The best single-player experience I've had since Half-Life 2. The game moves you along so well it was hard for me to really stop playing until I beat it, then until I found all The Riddler's trophies. I was actually a little disappointed when the game ended, as it felt like it ended too quickly.

Torchlight - 25 points
Up until I figured out how to completely ruin the game (that Enchanter, man...he's really good at his job), I couldn't really stop playing this either. It will serve as a nice holdover until Diablo III.

Pro Evolution FOOTBALL 2010 - 20 points
Another year, another good PEF game. Was it better than last year? Absolutely. But it feels like there's something missing, and I'm thinking it's a feeling of not actually being at a game. The crowds look and sound too generic, and FOOTBALL is a sport that has so much atmosphere it's really disappointing that they aren't conveying that enough.

Left 4 Dead 2 - 10 points
Haven't had the time to play it much, but what I did play was certainly enjoyable. I'm still split on whether making things more complicated (more weapons, more Special Infected, Uncommon Infecter) made it a better game than L4D1.

Plants vs. Zombies - 5 points
PopCap makes another game that's fun until you beat it. It's a good challenge at times, but really once you got into a particular mindset there was no reason you couldn't breeze through each level.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I only bought about half a dozen games during 2009, but the ones I did buy were all very good.

Uncharted 2: Jar of Tears - 40
- I wasn't expecting Uncharted 2 to surpass its predecessor, after all, Uncharted the first was the one game that made owning a PS3 worthwhile. Uncharted 2 is more fun, has better pacing, and doesn't have zombies. The chemistry between the characters and the "flavor" dialog are unparalleled. There is a part in the dilapidated mountain temply when (what else?), the bridge leading forward is destroyed and Nathan must find an alternate route. Nathan groans "Ugh, I'm tired of climbing shit." The closing dialog between Nathan and Elena is priceless.

Dragon Age: Origins - 25
- Take Knights of the Old Republic, set it in the world of Lord of the Rings without the hobbits, and you've got Dragon Age. You've got your standard warrior, rogue, and mage, but there are so many different ways to play each that you could easily play through the game ten different times with ten different builds. The story is pretty standard, but it is well executed, and the player is presented with several very entertaining characters. It is a very Bioware game and very good.

Halo ODST - 25
- Easily the best Halo game. They take the basis of the Halo story, aliens versus humans, and they finally inject a human element in it. The Halo engine isn't bad, and in ODST, we get placed into a lot of really fun scenarios. Exploring the city was really cool, and the general tone and feel of the game, its setting, were great. Captain Mal and Jayne. Firefight mode.

Modern Warfare 2 - 5
- I think we can all agree that at its core, Modern Warfare 2 has a lot of good qualities. The Cliffhanger mission, with the sneaking around a blizzardy enemy base and then driving snowmobiles, the Favela mission escaping bad guys by running around on the rooftops, slow motion door breaches, the mission in the plane graveyard, followed by the assault on the shadow forces cave base. Lots of good stuff. Spec Ops has a lot of fun (and a lot of frustrating) stuff in it. Multiplayer has more than its fair share of problems, such as bad spawning, lots of cheaters/standbyers, and ping being the single most important contributor to your success, rather than tactics or skill.

Forza 3 - 5
- It is a great game that doesn't rate higher simply because it doesn't show significant improvements over Forza 2. The "season" mode is a nice improvement, there are a lot of cool cars to drive, and most of the new tracks are very nice.

I think that adds up to 100.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, I accidentally hit something and sent my browser back to the previous page. This is what I get for using quick reply.

Bionic Commando - 40 Points
Probably doesn't deserve this many points, but I'm hoping it might break the top 10 and get a little recognition. It was a flawed action title, no doubt, but acrobatics and grappling were so amazingly fun that they really need to be replicated in future titles. If you somehow got sick of Zipline Kicking people into another Zipline Kick, you were doing something wrong.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 25 Points
I love bright and colorful settings, and Bowser's Inside Story was definitely full of 'em. Beyond that, it was a pretty simple and familiar cast that didn't rely much on the introduction of new, dime-a-dozen characters.

Demon's Souls - 20 Points
I'm not concerned about this one not making the top 10, so I gave it less points than it deserves. Still, it's so good that I had to allocate something to it. Creepy and challenging, Demon's Souls gave a breath of fresh air to a genre than sees far too many bad sequels. Throw in fun online play and thoughtful combat and you have one of the best RPGs of 2009-- and quite possibly one of the best ever.

Suikoden Tierkreis - 15 Points
A good effort by Konami, and the decision to eschew the original Suikoden world didn't repulse the community as much as I thought it would. A lengthy, enjoyable RPG for the DS.

That's all for now, since I don't feel like retyping anymore. I may edit it later.

How ya doing, buddy?

World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 - 40

Are you fucking stupid? This patch single-handedly counts for a full-priced retail game. Cross-server PuGs, built-in quest-helping interface, renovated leveling gear for starting characters, the ability to gear up before you even get to 80, and more. A ton of love went into this patch, and I can only wait with bated breath for the release of Cataclysm this year. Jesus Christ.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 40

Game of the Year, imo. Take everything good in FPS games and make it even better, with completely streamlined and balanced gameplay offline and online and you've got a recipe for sex. This shit right here? This shit right here? Fuck the naysayers, Infinity Ward can do no wrong.

Dragon Age: Origins - 15

While fun, the dated graphics and clunky combat system (especially on the 360. Why wasn't this developed for the PC and THEN ported to consoles?) irked me pretty bad and ruined what could have been at least a 20 on my list. The voice acting was also not up to snuff -- I felt FF12's was superior to much of DA:O's own.

Bayonetta - 5

Listing this simply because the game was released in Japan last year and I got the chance to play through it at a friend's last week. While initially awesome, the game suffers from terrible lag during complex and enemy-filled battles. The music is atrocious (why are they using the ending theme from Evangelion as fight music?), and the main character looks more and more like Sarah Palin the longer you play. Shittiest game of the year, all years. It's even worse than Devil May Cry 2.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Assassin's Creed II - 40 Points

I was probably one of the few people who really enjoyed the first game despite all of its shortcomings, so even if this game was more of the same I'd probably still rank it as high. But the fact that they manged to improve on it at every level made this a no-brainer for being my favorite game of the year. They managed to improve some of the problem areas a lot of people had, and they added a ton of depth which wasn't even needed but certainly welcomed. And luckily those of us who quickly devoured the game in such a short period of time still have more to forward to in the form of the two upcoming DLC episodes.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 30 Points

I just got around to playing the first game earlier in the year, but as awesome as it was the sequel managed to do everything it did even better. Everything about this game is top notch, making it stand firmly on top of the list of best PS3 exclusives (which, in all honesty, it probably won't be removed from until Uncharted 3 is released). And even if the game had just released with a single player mode it would still be this awesome, but the fact that they managed to add both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes makes it even more awesome by adding longevity to the title (though admittedly, I haven't managed to play them as much as I've wanted to).

Also, Elena<3.

Resident Evil 5 - 30 Points

Resident Evil 4, plain and simple, did not do it for me. It had way too many nagging issues that prevented me from being able to say it was as great as everyone else thought. But RE5 managed to fix every single issue I had with RE4, and managed to improve on it with some new features as well, namely co-op. I probably put in more time with this game than the other two on my list, simply because playing co-op was so much of a blast that I not only played it splitscreen with my sister, but online with some of my friends as well (and this was just for fun, as I had already managed to unlock everything in the game).

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Originally Posted by Cirno

World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 - 40
Are you fucking stupid? This patch...

Sorry Cirno, but a patch does not count as an official commercial release for 2009. The game is World of Warcraft and it was released in, what, 2005 or something. If you want your votes counted you need to rethink what you're allocating points to.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Man this list is going to be all kinds of short because I didn't play much in 2009.

Modern Warfare 2 - 40 Points

The online is broke in more ways than you could possibly count and the campaign is painfully short, but nothing really can compare to a major FPS release. All the trolls, internet tough guys, 12 year old kids, rednecks and would-be-thugs all come together to bicker and insult each other over a bunch of shit that doesn't matter for anything. Plus the MP comes with all kinds of exploitable bullshit like the Jack the Ripper build and the 1887s, how could you possibly go wrong?

That and people have reported various degrees of success and failure over the balancing, but my K/D remains well around 1.25. FAMAS NIGGA

Halo 3: ODST - 30 Points

Hey check that out, Bungie finally remembered they can actually make an entertaining single player experience. Firefight was also pretty cool for all the bullshit insanity it brought about. Also Dutch. Everything needs more Dutch.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - 20 Points

Still probably my favorite set of SRPG titles ever, and I'm pleased Nintendo is still giving the franchise the respect it deserves. It's a port of an older title so the story isn't anything to write home about, but the updated mechanics and graphics take the tale of the rather feminine looking Prince Marth and the Pegasus Knight who wants to jump his bones, and makes it entirely worthwhile. Tiki's cuteness is a miracle of the universe.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 - 10 Points

Gundam is awesome. Mobile Armors are awesome. F91 is ridiculous. End of story.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

These games are definitely worth more than I'm about to give them, but with the 100 point limitation and the number of games, this is the best I can do.

Torchlight - 30 Points

I may still be intoxicated by Diablo 2 nostalgia, but this is definitely one of the best games of 2009. Even with only three characters, the game is a solid and fun dungeon crawler, and though I haven't beaten it yet, I can tell it has loads of replay value. I wait with bated breath for the supposed multiplayer version.

Borderlands - 30 Points

Like Torchlight, fond memories of Diablo 2 is what makes this game great for me. There's no bigger rush than finding a new weapon that's better in every way than the one you have, and at the same time, no bigger disappointment than buying something cool from a vendor only to find something of equal or greater value dropped from an enemy. Holding off on tempting purchases can work in your favor more often than not though. Just last night I reluctantly left the vendor's deal of the day on a sweet class mod only to find almost the exact same one mere moments later in a drop.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - 20 Points

Worth so much more, but it felt wrong not to include this. Given Batman's video game track record, a lot of people were jaded about this game when it was announced and didn't expect it to be any better than the tie-in game for Batman Begins. Once it was revealed that Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy would be reprising their animated roles, however, expectations skyrocketed and I think they were met in spades. Aside from Commissioner Gordon, the voice work is outstanding and the combat never gets old. The Silent Predator segments are probably the best parts of the game; skulking around on gargoyles and dropping down for the kill, stringing Joker's goons up from said gargoyles, the game goes to great lengths to make you feel like you are Batman. I was a little disappointed by the last boss fight, but everything else about the game is a blast.

Call of Duty: Not so Modern Shotguns 2 - 10 Points

As many problems as the multiplayer has, you can't deny its fun and addicting nature. I can't tell you how many times I've stayed up later than I wanted to just so I could level, only to stay up even later because the next level after that unlocked a new weapon. The game really knows how to grab you and hold you until either you drop from fatigue or you just have to go to work or eat or other things that don't seem so important at the time. Honestly, though, as fun as the mutliplayer is, I'm more looking forward to MW 3 to see if they finally conclude the ridiculous but epic storyline.

Street Fighter 4 - 10 Points

Another game I feel deserves more points, but I just wanted it on the list. I'm shocked and appalled no one's mentioned it yet. Everything you loved about SF2 and its endless revisions has been revived and polished to near perfection. Ken fags aside, the online multiplayer is the best I've seen in a fighting game, just barely surpassing Soul Calibur 4. There's almost nothing not to love about this game. Except Seth. Fuck that guy.

I almost certain I would've voted for Demon's Souls, but I haven't played it yet.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Dragon Age: Origins - 40 Points
I've had as much fun with this title as any game I played in recent memory. It basically took all the things that were bloody horrid about Mass Effect and made them good. The characters were unique from each other and interesting. The writing was sharp and entertaining while not getting bogged down by taking itself to seriously. End of the day, this was a game that used lord of the rings music in a lord of the rings world with some george rr martin tossed in. It should have been nothing but cliche, but they managed to make it work. And anyone bitching about the battle system or the graphics should have gotten it on the PC instead of the 360. Just saying.

Secret of Monkey Island: HD - 15 points
These points are as much for Dominic Armato, Earl Boen and Alexandra Boyd as it is for the game itself. Probably the most lovingly redone game I've ever played, this crew had such respect for the original material. It played great, it looked good, and it sounded fantastic. Normally I wouldn't toss a remake on this list, but I grinned like a monkey the entire time I played it. Sheer joy.

Uncharted 2: Clowns Are Scary - 15 points
It's Uncharted (which was awesome) with a much more eased-into paranormal ending (which was better) and superb voice acting (using half the cast of Dragon Age, which made playing them at the same time hilarious). The game play was cinematic and tight, the set pieces were a blast, and the story was fun. What more do you need?

Machinarium - 10 Points
This studio continues to churn out genius title after genius title. I think I've played through it over four times already, and will no doubt do so again. It was the definition of the word whimsical. Somehow these titles always seem to remind me of the same feel I got from playing ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. I'm just sort of along for the ride, in the best sense of it.

Tales of Monkey Island - 10 points
Dancing. Guybrush. Threepwood.

Why is this game on the list? Because Telltale managed to make a new Monkey Island that felt like old Monkey Island. Good for them, cause that is hard to do. Why isn't it higher? Lousy control scheme.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - 10 points
Had a blast with this guy. Kevin Conroy and Luke Skywalker were fantastic with their voices, the game was easily the best super hero game ever made, and man, did they nail the ambiance of the world. Nicely played.


Honourable Mentions

Left 4 Dead 2
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
BlazBlue
Magna Carta II
Wallace & Gromit
Demon's Souls
Shadow Complex
Axel & Pixel
Ghostbusters: Bill Murray Returns

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Left 4 Dead 2 - 40 points: While I haven't really had the epic stories about this sequel that I did about the first, I've also not played it as religiously as the original. The new game mechanics were tough to work out for the first week, and I know Daravon was with me that first night where the game was *impossibly* difficult. Like - return to store in anger difficult.

Ghostbusters - 30: God everything about this game is great great great. It was like they asked me at age 8 what I'd want in a GB game and did it far better than should be possible. My single complaint is that I'd've liked a little bit more of an "open world" like the beginning of the game which feels like you're doing random jobs. The story is okay, but the idea of a free-roaming GB game is too good to pass up.

Borderlands - 20 points: I like the idea of this more than the actual result but I've also only played MP once with a friend. I like its sense of humor and its not quite real, not quite comic book design.

Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena - 10 points: The amped up the difficulty on this WAY too high but the game is so goddamned great. So goddamned great. Deeply satisfying gameplay. Never cared for the MGS games really, or Manhunter or whatever - but the whole sneaking around in this game works REALLY well.

Special Mention to Batman: Arkham Asylum and Dragon Age Origins. They're the ones everyone will talk about for years to come but I never cared for either game very much. I just started playing DA:O so maybe I'll warm to it yet but Batman was very "been there, done that" with better games. I'm also not a big fan of the Gears Of War design on a lot of the stuff.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Batman Arkham Asalum: 40 points

had the most fun with this one this year, great game design and it was pulled off close to perfection.

Modern warfare 2: 30 points

Great fun, mp might be unbalanced but it's still fun. Single player was not as great as the first one but it came damn close. Really digged the last half of the game.

Ballad of Gay Tony: 30 points

Was so fun, i didnt care for Lost and the damned, waas so boring and stiff. This one tho! Great fun, great writing and gameplay. Yusef is character of the year, no fu he really is.
This dlc and the original adventure compliment eachother perfectly. Cant wait for gta: on to the next one.

no homo

Originally Posted by Cirno

Did you not read my post?

World of Warcraft itself was released in 2005. A patch doesn't change the fact the game was released in a different year.

Anyway...

Tekken 6 - 40 Points
A beautiful fighting game that's been around for almost fourteen years now. The system, although it's horrendously juggle heavy now, is still a great fighter to play. The fact you could jump right into the game without the need to unlock any characters is a huge plus. Scenario Mode isn't too shabby either.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 30 Points
I can't believe that this one almost slipped my mind. I had to go back and change my vote after Meia mentioned it. The classic Mario formula, now with the insanity of three other people trailing behind you. For all the times everyone accidentally gets themselves into bubbles to end the level, and for all the times you mistimed a ground pound, it's a blast from start to finish. I've only played this at a friend's place, but the moment I get my Wii replaced, this game is an immediate buy.

beatmania IIDX 16: EMPRESS + Premium Best - 20 Points
Sure, let's toss a music game in here. The one Bemani game that's run longer than DDR. This, for the most part anyway, blows it's previous versions out of the water. With some of the most challenging charts as well as the most music out of any IIDX version to date (99 songs on each disc), this will keep any IIDX fan busy for a while.

Borderlands - 10 Points
I haven't finished the game at all, but nonetheless, it's still a fun game. A large expansive world, online co-op, and the customizations for the game make this a blast to play either alone or with others. If you enjoy the premise of Fallout 3, then you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - 40 points
Inspite of so many people feeling let down by this game, I felt the opposite about it. There was no point in having access to as many powers as we did in the previous game since most of them weren't worth using. The game is also is still fun on repeated playthroughs for me, while the first put me to sleep after I'd already beaten it.

Left 4 Dead 2 - 40 points
Because honestly it had everything that was good about the first game and then some.

Borderlands - 20 points
Because I enjoy playing it with my friends and most the other games I've played this year weren't actually released this year.

FELIPE NO

Alright, something new and something outstanding!

Flower - 25 pts
Beautiful? Check. Innovative? Check. Cheap? Check! Short? Check! Liberating? Check! Extras? Check! Awesome? DOUBLE CHECK!

Katamari Forever - 20 pts
I loved the Damacy series but good lord were they impossible to achieve everything out of it. I had had complaints not being able to replay the levels on a comfortable setting because really, this game is the kind of game you really want to just "roll" at ease and have no worries of timer to start with. Especially when you're just barely recognizing what you're rolling up.

But this game FIXES everything that we had griped about. Can't get across? JUMP! Can't gather items fast enough, here HAVE A HEART! There's two type of hearts (depending on which king you go with) one is a instant pull of items you can pick in the surrounding vicinity and the other picking up close to you like a magnet for a several seconds as you roll. Not only it gives you Drive mode to go really fast (AND EASIER) on all of the levels, you also get Eternal on most of the levels and Classic Mode in just about all of them too.

This is TRULY the Katamari Damacy I came to love. And for the record, I already achieved 100% in collections and done all of the levels' modes.

New Super Mario Bros Wii - 20 pts
LOL too many words for this, but really. 8-7 was just the level I want you to check out to understand just how great the level design is. I had played and beaten this solo so most of my highlights were playing this solo although, most people could see this as a very fun group setting multiplayer. There's laughs to be had for sure. We had two of our closest friends to play with us, so it was blast there too.

Dark Spire - 15 pts
Took me by surprise from renting it. I haven't played old school dungeon crawlers in ages, and this game touched upon the difficulty we used to see then in the old pc/nes days. If that's what deterring you from playing it, shame on you. The music is what kept me playing it despite of the lower floors turning into something awful. Trying to beat down enemies on a determined destination in fear of dying and losing a hour long trek is addicting to a stubborn/determined player like me.

Avalon Code - 15 pts
Like above, awesome rental, I couldn't really possibly describe this game very well without getting you confused. But yes, its an oddball of a game, and a fun one at that. You're a hero/ine that found a book that allows you predetermine your own enemies' weakness by shifting/switching "codes"; ie put a "SICK" code on a enemy will lower its HP. Not only that, you can determine your own weapon's element and making it stronger. There's that interesting plot that involves the 4 elements of the book, that assists you for magic, concerning with the original owner of the book.

Miner Dig Deep - 5 pts
Too awesome for a honorable mention. Its a relaxing title with new upgrades for every horde of minerals you sell. Your main goal was get to the bottom safely without causing a cave in. This is considered a steal at 3 bucks for its worth of hours of addictive digging.

Honorable mentions: Shadow Complex, Prototype, and A Boy and His Blob

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Suikoden Tierkreis - 10 points

It was a decent game, but the compressed voice acting of the main Character got annoying after a while. My first real experience with a Suikoden game.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - 30 points

I still have yet to finish this game, primarily because I refuse to let my people die and compulsively restart the level every time i lose someone, leading to months long departures from the game.


I didn't play a lot of new games this year. Spent most of it trying to finish/replaying old ones.

How ya doing, buddy?

Just to note: I edited my votes since Meia ended up mentioning an awesome game I almost completely forgot about.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Rock Band: The Beatles - 30 Points
I've spent many sleepless nights playing this online with friends on a borrowed PS3. Beautiful artsy graphics and rebuilt singing engine with one of the best soundtracks of any game in history. If you love The Beatles and you don't own this game, you don't really love The Beatles and are a disgrace to the human race.

Brütal Legend - 20 Points
A game like Brütal Legend is really the sum of its parts. But those parts were all stylistically delivered with the might, humor and wit that only Tim Schafer can produce. When you burned rubber, cleaved demons in two, and rode untamable beasts all around a titanic world like the one that was so lovingly crafted as a labor of love to pay homage to metal music, it was clear that we were always in for a fuckin' rockin' good time. Sure, Jack Black is an awful actor whose only truly good movie is High Fidelity but, along with a cast of legendary rock stars, this world was give a voice that only they were gifted enough to give it. It also boasts one of the best soundtracks of any game. Period. Then, on top of that, Lemmy Kilmister was IN THE FUCKING GAME. I was literally covered in metal god love.

Street Fighter IV - 20 points
This game has kept us playing far into the night as well and many a beer has been spilt in the patio during arguments that have erupted among friends over razor-close victories in this household. Wonderful graphics, actual online playability and a fantastic checks-and-balances Super and Ultra Combo finishes made this game one of my (and lots of drunken friends') favorite fighters of all time.

Left 4 Dead 2 - 20 Points
OK. So it was groan-inducing to find out that Valve would be releasing a game that could easily have been downloadable content for the original but this sequel took everything that was good in the first game and somehow made it better. And then they gave us a chainsaw and I was carving through zombies while creaming my shorts with my peeps online.

Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition - 10 Points
Pretty much the reasons Deni stated. This is a perfect recreation of a nearly perfect title. I'm kind of sad I never played the originals up until a few months ago.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Encephalon

Rock Band: The Beatles - 30 Points
I've spent many sleepless nights playing this online with friends on a borrowed PS3. Beautiful artsy graphics and rebuilt singing engine with one of the best soundtracks of any game in history. If you love The Beatles and you don't own this game, you don't really love The Beatles and are a disgrace to the human race.

Does it count if I don't have a current-gen console?

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Dragon Quest V (40 points) - I had always heard about the legendary Dragon Quest/Warrior series. I even played and beat the first one way back. However, I played and beat that game more because I was a hardcore gamer than because I really enjoyed it. I tried the other Dragon Quest games but never got far into it. Dragon Quest V though is different. It is really the first RPG I found myself playing until one in the morning. It actually perks my interest both in Dragon Quest IV and the upcoming Dragon Quest VI.

New Super Mario Bros Wii (40 points) - I played this at my parents' house with my mother. Absolute fun. It does bring back the Mario of old but with new twists. Multiplayer is also fun. I can tell you, it is quite fun (and funny) to do something like jumping on whomever I am playing with's head to make a jump I'd otherwise miss. In addition, the controller response is excellent. I would have died in many a lesser game had the controls not been done so well such that I could attempt those last second wall jumps.

Devil Survivor (20 points) - When I took advantage of Gamestop's buy 2, get 1 free deal, I wasn't sure what to get. I had heard this game was decent but was still unsure. However, I took a chance and have not regretted it. This game is difficult but the fun type of difficult in which you go through a battle, maybe get crushed, learn a few things, think things through a bit, then come back and go at it again, hopefully wiser, smarter, and with a much better, well-thought out plan.

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After looking at everyone's lists I can safely say I have different tastes from all of you, not that it's really much of a bad thing.

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade - 35 points

Quite surprising that this game made it to the top spot on my list, and I've only played it for a few days. I haven't played many HM games, but this one is definitely the best I've ever played. Quite simply, it adds lots of new features that makes farming a lot easier and gives the game more customization than ever before. I love the idea of purchasing new clothing/accessories for yourself and your children and using the camera to take pics of your family and your animals, etc. The town's nicer and there's more animals to take care of, etc. The new pet system is great. With all the game has to offer, I decided to put it on this year's list.

The Sims 3 - 25 points

I love the Sims series, but the newest addition to the franchise doesn't take the top spot. Don't get me wrong though. It's the best one in the series. It added some much needed improvements such as diagonal positioning, no more needing to befriend 20+ people just to advance in your career, and no loading screens. The new trait system is leagues beyond the original personality system from the first two games (your Sim can be a Grumpy Unlucky Slob who is Frugal and Hydrophobic). The career system is much better, and you can dictate how your workday goes. There are lots more ways to make money without actually having a career, like painting, writing and selling minerals/space rocks/insects that you find outside. There are oodles of other features but I won't go into them.

The only reason why it ranks lower than HM though is that although it is clearly a better game than the first 2 games before it, it is still a base game and therefore not much to see and do. However, that will change when the expansions start coming out, and they promise to have a lot more depth to them than the Sims 2 expansions.

King's Bounty: Armored Princess - 20 points

The sequel to King's Bounty, one of the games I've also mentioned in this thread last year, AP has the same gameplay but with new items, new units, a flying horse, and a new pet dragon system that replaces the Chest of Rage from the original. It's no surprise it shows up also on this year's list. Only reason this didn't rank higher than the original though is because it's shorter and, other than the new stuff, it still plays exactly like the first game. That could be good for some, bad for others. The gameplay is awesome already though so it's not such a big deal.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection - 20 points

Yes, this game came out last year, but I'm talking about the PS3/360 versions which came out this year. It outdoes the PSP/Wii/PS2 versions by adding HD graphics, achievements (for those who like that sort of stuff), and three brand new tables to the already impressive line up: Tales of the Arabian Nights, No Good Gofers and Medieval Madness. Out of all the video pinball games I've played, this game has the best presentation and polish. The only reason it doesn't rank higher is because although I love pinball, there are lots of other people who don't. Also, the other games obviously are more indepth than a simple game of pinball.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Dark Spire

I had to put this somewhere in here. I don't think it's GotY material, but it's very good for what it does. It's quite an old-school 1st person dungeon crawler with a very nice Shadowgate graphics style and some impressive music to boot. It also is challenging, full of puzzles and has the sweet 'classic' mode that renders everything in wireframe to traverse the dungeon faster. For what it is, I very much preferred Dark Spire over the ever popular Etrian Odyssey series. Too bad it didn't get many sales though. I'd sure would love to play a sequel.

Props to Meia for mentioning the game. One word of advice though. The music on the lower floors are much better in Classic mode. There's no sign of a singing voice anywhere. I think I've already mentioned it on your backloggery though.

Resident Evil 5

I'm tossing this one in mainly because of the co-op. It's fun playing with a friend although that kinda sucks the whole scary aspect out of it. Also, the PC version (what I have) is simply flawless. No glitches or bugs whatsoever and it runs incredibly smooth. It also has the 3D mode which I haven't tried. I hear it's awesome, having enemies pop right out at you. One thing for sure though, it's no RE4.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Wow, I completely forgotten about the Classic mode in Dark Spire. I didn't use it by the way, but its a very cool feature nonetheless!

And yes you did mention about the music being better in classic, I recall just breezing through that last floor with no sound (it was played early in the morning).

And don't ya worry, I'm sure having a different taste will certainly remind others to remind themselves of THESE gems too that was released last year. Like that NSMBW, huh Chaotic?

FELIPE NO

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 40 Points
It does everything better than the first and is my Game of the Year for 2009. It's such a blast to play and everything felt tight and well put together. Between the script and the set pieces, the characters and the mystique, it was the best experience I had in gaming this year. I never wanted to put my controller down (even though school made me), and it deserves all the awards and praise it got.


Batman: Arkham Asylum - 30 Points
Definitely the surprise of the year. I originally wrote it off after seeing the first screens of Killer Croc and some of the henchman, a lot of people did actually. I'm not sure what made me change my mind and pre-order the game, but it ended up replacing all my free time for the first couples weeks of the Fall semester. Combat felt fluid and right once I grasped how combos worked (AKA not button-mashing). Voice acting was among the best of the year from people who knew Batman better than anyone. I wished there was more at times, but I can't complain with what Rocksteady gave us in the end.


Killzone 2 - 15 Points
Almost forgot this game came out in 2009. People hated the controls, but I enjoyed them. I wasn't coming off playing Call of Duty for hours and hours like a lot of people, so there really wasn't a learning curve - I actually picked up Call of Duty: World at War AFTER finishing Killzone 2, so that was something I had to get used to. Multiplayer was fun, among the most fun I've had with competitive online. And although I wish the story was something more, I guess it wasn't as bad as Modern Warfare 2's attempt at an overly dramatic one. Definitely deserved to have co-op as it would have made it a far more memorable experience for most people, I think.


Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 10 Points
Not too big on the story as it left much to be desired. Nevertheless, the controls were tight and the gameplay was fun as I've come to expect from Call of Duty games. I didn't enjoy competitive multiplayer too much (my brother pretty much did all that), but co-op (Spec Ops) was a blast, and it was, honestly, the most fun I had with the game. MW2 did co-op right, and I hope more games follow suit (though not necessarily in the exact same manner).


Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time - 5 Points
Something about this game just clicked with me. I had never played any of the games in the series before (although I did have Tools of Destruction in my collection), and it blew away my expectations. I've read reviews from people saying that this was the closest thing to a Pixar experience in game form, and I have to agree. It has a quirky humor with enjoyable characters and a good script. Plus, it's one of the only games I've actually stayed up into the early hours of the morning to play (and finish), which is why it deserves a mention.




Total: 100 Points

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii) - 40 Points

The most fun I've had playing with others in a long time. It has such potential for hilarity, as you bounce off each other's heads, compete or co-operate, steal or share power-ups, and generally crack each other up laughing as you work you way through the levels, which by the way are great. A few annoying gimmicks, but for the most part... awesome.
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Batman - Arkham Asylum (PS3/X360/PC) - 30 points

Best comic book game I've ever played, no contest. It feels right, everyone moves as you'd expect. Batman looks great, even if his jaw is inhumanly huge. The voices... well, several are from the animated series, and as such rule. Beautiful environments, wonderful puzzles, lively gameplay. Only slightly marred by the fact that swinging down from gargoyles to slug a bad guy makes the fights almost too easy.
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GTA: Episodes from Liberty City (XBOX 360) 15 Points

It's two short GTA games on one disc, it's more than just downloadable content... it's a pair of whole new stories. For some reason I've played a lot of sandbox titles recently, and GTA4 has one of the most polished engines going. I was one of the few who really loved the game, and more content set in the same world, using the same engine works just fine for me.
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inFamous (PS3) - 10 Points

What, did everyone forget this game? It's a basic sandbox game dressed up in Zappo The Superguy pants. What more d'ya want? It's a game that fully deserves 10 points, and fully deserves to be played. It's not deep, it doesn't have an epic narrative, it just delivers simple fun. I loved it.
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Miner: Dig Deep (XBOX 360 Indie Games) - 5 Points

For all the reasons mentioned above. It's a game which largely clones an old DOS title I played years ago, but then adds to it, and improves every aspect. Relaxing, and genuinely addictive. Of course I don't expect it to win, but hey... it deserves a few points.
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Jam it back in, in the dark.