Best of 2009

Well another year closes, and it's time to reflect on what the year brought us. To be honest, I thought it was a very good year. It started off slowly, but it had some real gems. I personally thought 2009 was a much better year for video games than 2008.

10) Punchout - This game isn't what I thought it was going to be at all. Well, it is, and it's more. I assumed the game would be a motion control version of the original Punch-Out. And it is. That mode is in the game and it's a blast to play. But it's not the default mode, or even the most recommended mode if you're trying to really master the game. That would be the default old-school mode where you turn the wii mote on it's side and play it like an NES controller. The old moves work for the same bosses (at least your first time through the game they do). In addition to these two modes, in yet another mode you can use the wii motion controls and stand on the balance board using it to dodge. It's not a flawless system, but again is fun to do for a while. The many different game modes, and play styles offer a surprising amount of depth to this game, and it's held together with a ton of charm. Nice moments like watching little mac train in the pink jump suit again (seriously, what were they thinking?) and knowing you only have to get King Hippo down one time because he's too fat to get back up are just some of the great moments in this game. If you've never played Punch-Out before, I think you'd find a great game, if you have played it before, you'll get a little more out of it, and be smiling for hours.

9) Assassin's Creed II - The original Assassin's Creed had a ton of hype building up before it released, but was considered a major dissapointment. It wasn't fleshed out enough, and it was too repetitive. But even before ACII came out, you could tell it was different this time. Advance previews were glowing, in a way they weren't before. Of all the games on the list, this is the one I've spent the least time with. An unfortunate side efffect of all the good games coming out at the end of the year. I'm made of neither time nor money. But I have spent time with it, and the time I've spent has been terrific. When I finish the game, it may well move up on the list, but even the limited time I've seen so far has convinced me it needs to be on this list.

8) Brutal Legend - If you love Jack Black, you'll love this game. Ok, actually I hate Jack Black and I still love this game. Well, hate's maybe too strong, but I've liked him in exactly one movie: High Fidelity. Every other role he's been in I could either take him or leave him. But even I have to admit he does a great job here. His voice acting in this game reminds me of his Hi-Fidelity character. The humor and writing is the strongest point of the game. This was probably the funniest game of the year. Well ok, the second strongest point after the terrific sound track. Driving around listening to Motley Crue, Ozzy Osborne and Motorhead while running over demons is exactly as awesome as it sounds. One of only two brand new properties to make the list, in a year of sequals, this original IP stands out as a welcome breath of fresh air.

7)Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - 2007's Phantom Hourglass introduced the DS Zelda formula. Traditional controls were eschewed in favor of stylus controls. While that game was great, the most common complaint centered around the Temple of the Ocean King, the central dungeon that players had to return to after every dungeon they finished, and play through the same levels again and again. While the concept of the central dungeon does return in Spirit Tracks, the player is no longer required to replay any parts of the dungeon. You enter in on the next floor each time. The roll button has been fixed also, a move that was nearly impossible to pull off before is much easier now. The main complaint this time around seems to be the train itself. Since a train is on tracks, you don't get the option to explore and go anywhere you want, and so in that way, this Zelda feels more linear than most. I think this is mainly a shortcoming of the handheld format. There's only so much memory after all. Even the previous game, though you were sailing, the ocean didn't feel very open and vast. There wasn't that much exploring in that game either, perhaps just the illusion of it. You can't have everything in a handheld game that you get in a console, but what you do get in Spirit Tracks is a clever game with great puzzles and fun action. I still love the stylus controls and the art style. It's not the best Zelda ever, but even an average Zelda is a fantastic game, and hey, it's better than Minish Cap.

6) Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The third game in the series, and the second on the DS, Inside Story represents a return the series' roots. The original game was a quirky, hilarious adventure starring the plummer brothers. The sequel just couldn't recapture the magic for whatever reason. It got too caught up in being clever and splitting the brothers up which just made the game tedious. Thankfully that's gone now. The new twist is that you switch between controlling the Mario bros as a tandem, and controlling Bowser. The humor of the series is in tact, if perhaps not as funny as the first game, still amusing and very entertaining. The developers seem to have a lot of fun with Bowser, and playing as him is a highlight of the game.

5) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Normally when I pay $70 for a video game and beat it in 2 days, that's a bad thing. That happened with Modern Warfare 2. Of course the single player is far from the focus of the game. After finishing the single player, I jumped right into the Special Ops mode to play with friends. While multi player against internet strangers has never appealed to me, I did go back into the game and play through it again on Veteran mode. I couldn't name the last time I beat a game on the hardest difficulty in single player. It hasn't happened in a very very long time, I can say that. While the veteran difficulty was brutally difficult, I never got discouraged. The generous checkpoint system, stunning visuals and addictive gameplay kept me coming back again and again. And really, I just can't say enough about those graphics. Best graphics of the year by far, in my opinion. A stunning game.

4) Infamous - Sucker Punch is the studio famous for making the Sly Cooper games for the PS2. Despite the glowing reviews, I could never really get into that series. When their next game was announced for the PS3 I worried that it would just be Sly with a paint job. And then I worried that it would just be another Crack Down. I needn't have worried. Sucker Punch combined the best elements of the sandbox experience with a truly fun super hero system. The first time I grinded on power lines I was in love. I couldn't wait to unlock every new power I could get. The game couldn't avoid the trap of repetitive side missions (I soon began to avoid the counter surveillance missions completely as they were so time consuming and annoying to me.) but since these are optional, it wasn't a deal breaker.

3) Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - This game represents a bit of a grey area. Does it really qualify as one of the best games in 2009 when it was originally released in 1992? But this is no mere port, it's an enhanced remake with new content. Add to that the fact that 2009 is the first time this game has come to the US, as well as the fact that well, this is my list, and yes, I'd say it counts. Now I'm admittedly a huge Dragon Quest fan. Even when I've had my troubles finishing games, DQ games I always manage to finish within a few months of release. I was excited when I found DQ 4 and 5 were coming to the US, and while 4 was a good game, it wasn't spectacular. 5 however, is spectacular. Never before have I controlled 3 generations of hero as I do in this game. The story telling is fantastic, and this game represents the forerunner of Nintendo's super-popular Pokemon series. The concept of cattching monsters in the field and then using them to battle with you actually begins here. For the majority of the game you control only one or two humans, and the other roster spots are composed of the monsters you capture on the field. This element is what made this game so addictive to me. I had to play through levels again and again hoping certain monsters would deign to join my party. I feel like I was very fortunate with the monsters I was able to corral, and at the end of the game I had an incredibly stacked team. As I type this, word has come that DQ6 is gettin the DS remake treatment, and of course DQ9 has released in Japan. Most people consider it a foregone conclusion that these will come in the US, but I'm not as confident. I certainly hope they do, but I won't relax until I see the official press release.

2) Batman: Arkham Asylum - In 2009 Rocksteady Studios did what many of us thought couldn't be done. They made a good Batman game. And not just a good Batman game, a great Batman game. This game really took me by surprise. I ignored the screenshots and previews for it because I knew it wouldn't be any good. I've been fooled by Batman video games before. (Rise of Sin Tzu anyone?) Even the demo that was released a month before the game came out didn't really seem to wow anyone. So imagine my surprise at the word of mouth and incredible reviews this game receieved when it was released. I had to play it and I'm very glad I did. Now where's the sequal?

1) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - I went back and forth for days on which game should get the top spot between this and Arkham Asylum. They are neck and neck in my esteem, but I wasn't going to take the easy way out and declare a tie. I had a decision to make, and I made it. Both games were incredibly fun, with solid gameplay and a great story. What separated Among Thieves is that the story was compelling. I hurried through the game as quickly as I could, not because I wanted to finish it and move on, but because I had to know what happened next. Every time I'd play it, I'd tell myself I was only going to play one chapter. 5 chapters later I was resigned to the fact that I was only getting 5 hours of sleep the next morning. But it was worth it.

In 2009 I got to play just about every game I wanted to. As compared to 2008, I still haven't played some of the biggest games of that year such as Fallout 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4. But this year I really was able to get to a lot of games. The one game that I didn't get a chance to play that I feel probably would have cracked this list is Borderlands. I didn't get this game yet because I'm waiting for my group of friends to get it so we can all play it together. Based on what I've seen, it's a shame I haven't played this game yet, because I can tell I'm going to love it. Perhaps I'll revisit the list later after I've played it and make some edits.