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Giant Bomb's Game of the Year 2009, Day Four

What's Giant Bomb's best download-only game for 2009? More importantly, which game had the best big-ass ramp? The answers lie within!

Are you an awesome multitasker? Then listen to today's awards podcast while you read the awards below! It's like 3D for your mind!

Best Download-Only Game


Shadow Complex


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Last year, we had a category called "Best Downloadable Game." But with the number of retail-sized games hitting digitally as well as in boxes on a steady rise, we felt the need to tweak the title, starting with "Best 'Small' Game," transitioning to "Best Downloadable Game But Not Retail Games You Know What Me Mean Stop Harassing Us," and finally coming to "Best Download-Only Game." You... know what we mean. It's been a great year for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC-focused releases that are only available via services like Steam or Direct2Drive.

The winner in this category was an easy choice for us. Shadow Complex is terrific game that spoke to our nostalgic side without feeling like some kind of weird throwback. Chair Entertainment made great use of the Unreal Engine, offering up a side-scrolling action-adventure that practically demanded to be played again and again and again. And you know what? Even after finishing all of the side stuff and collecting all of the items, Shadow Complex is still a total blast. If you're looking for a game that represents the best of what digital-only delivery has to offer, this is Exhibit A. 

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Runners-Up: Shatter, Noby Noby Boy 
 
 

Second Annual Soulja Boy Award for Games To Play If You Drink And Get Drunk or Smoke And Get High


Modern Warfare 2


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We should probably do the right thing here and say that we in no way condone this sort of behavior. We are not rappers, Miss Katie. But some of 2009's releases manage to evoke that certain wink-and-nod to altered states better than others, and that's what we're "awarding" this year. Actually, Modern Warfare 2 almost redefines the category by being way less of a wink or a nod, and more of a blinking sign that says YO CHECK THIS OUT. And you'll probably see every time you play multiplayer.

The blatant display of weed leaves and titles like "Blunt Trauma" and "Joint Ops" to go along with them let the "420 friendly" players out there wear their affiliation like a badge of honor. And judging by how frequently they seem to pop up, there are a lot of you out there that smell like Otto's jacket. The references are hokey and, well, a little garish. But then, so is Soulja Boy, right? Winners don't use drugs.

Oh, we should probably also state that this category is not actually endorsed by Soulja Boy. 


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Runners-Up: Noby Noby Boy, Flower 
 
 

Best Big-Ass Ramp


Borderlands


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Though 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand was the initial spark that led to our hardcore addiction to big-ass ramps, this year's award for the biggest-ass ramp somehow ended up going to a bigger-ass ramp than 50 Cent can handle... the gigantic structure sitting right outside of Fyrestone in Gearbox Software's Borderlands.

As if to totally lock this category up, this huge structure of vehicle launching is a required visit as part of one of the game's main story quests. So there's no way you'll miss this big-ass ramp... though you might miss Tony Yayo or one of the other G-Unit guys shouting about the big-ass ramp that you may or may not have just hit. That's just the way it goes.

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 Runners-Up: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Modern Warfare 2 
  

Character We'd Most Like To Party With


Eddie Riggs

 
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Brutal Legend, Double Fine's grand tribute to the glory and the triumph of pure, soaring, fist-pumping heavy metal music, was not a game without problems. But if there was any good reason to look past its design missteps and technical shortcomings, it was the main character Eddie Riggs, the world's greatest roadie, a man whose considerable talents get put to far nobler use as he fights the forces of evil in a mythical realm of metal. As someone who has lugged Marshall stacks to hell and back, quite literally, who wouldn't want to party with Eddie Riggs?
 
Beyond the obviously amazing stories he'd be able to tell, whether it be about bacchanalian backstage antics from the road or that time he split a battle nun clean in two, Eddie's a guy who understands not just how to have a good time, but how to make sure the whole operation's running smoothly. The kegs would always be plentiful and ice-cold, the gender ratio would be golden, and he'd have no qualms about kicking unnecessary dirtbags to the curb.

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Runners-Up: Ellis, Chris Cashman, John Vignocchi
 

Best Classic Revival

 

Street Fighter IV


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Properly reviving the classics is probably one of the toughest things a developer can take on, because you're not actually striving the develop something that improves upon an old thing. Instead, your goal is to deliver something that improves upon a fan's memories of that old thing. You don't need us to tell you that this is a gargantuan task, as gaming's most beloved classic franchises have millions of fans, all of them just waiting for something messed up to happen so they can say "well, this isn't as good as the old thing" and move on.

Street Fighter IV is better than the old thing. Even more, it's just about as good, if not slightly better than our memories of the Street Fighter II era. It's almost enough to inspire some sort of "back in my day, you'd do the dragon punch motion and it wouldn't even come out!!" rant, but instead we'll just lean back in our rocking chairs and tell you that you damn kids are lucky to have it this good.

No Caption Provided

 

Runners-Up: Punch-Out!!, Tales of Monkey Island

143 Comments

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cyrax

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Edited By cyrax

So, was the PC platform excluded from the Download-Only category?

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gingertastic_10

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Edited By gingertastic_10

Good to see Shatter being nominated. That game is pretty awesome.

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cstrang

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Edited By cstrang

Good to see John Vignocchi reprising his role as runner-up for "Character We'd Most Like to Party With".

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Tarakun

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Edited By Tarakun

I was surprised to see Borderlands take the Big-Ass Ramp award, but damn... That is a big ass ramp... 
 
Modern Warfare 2 fits well and Street Fighter 4 (GET HYPE) was obvious.  
 
Although I forgot about Cha racter We'd Most Like To Party With, and Eddie Riggs seems like a good choice. I'm assuming Fitty was ineligible because he's, you know, real. 

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grokman10

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Edited By grokman10

Awesome episode guys ! My favorite so far. I am now convinced Shadow Complex is my next  game purchase. Thanks for remembering us stoners.  420 FTW !

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mrsmiley

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Edited By mrsmiley
@cstrang: 
 
LOL nice catch!
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ADTR_ZERO

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Edited By ADTR_ZERO
@LeBart said:
" Noby Noby Boy should have won the Soulja Boy award ! "
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trace

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Edited By trace

That the ski jump in Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island didn't even get nominated for best big-ass ramp is the first travesty of these awards.
 
Otherwise? Awards are still entertaining and understandable. Can't wait to see tomorrow's line-up.

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Soap

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Edited By Soap

Big ass ramp award NOT won by 50?!
 
....wtf!? No 50, no big ass ramp catergory..... bizzare

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thecleric

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Edited By thecleric

Splosion Man wasn't even a runner-up? Yeesh.

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thecleric

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Edited By thecleric
@cyrax said:
" So, was the PC platform excluded from the Download-Only category? "
No, we're second class. Torchlight wasn't on consoles so it is not worthy of goty.
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Double0hFor

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Edited By Double0hFor

YO FIDDY!

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GreggD

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Edited By GreggD

lol John Vignocchi.

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JoelTGM

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Edited By JoelTGM

Wasn't MW2's ramp bigger than Borderland's?  I mean, you come blasting down a mountain on a snowmobile, shooting dudes with an uzi gangster style, and then while being shot at, you fly like Evel Knievel over a massive gap onto the other side.  The ramp in Borderlands wasn't as cinematic.

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Branthog

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Edited By Branthog

You can always tell the total fucktards (and therefore mute them immediately) in MW2 simply by checking if they have a weed reference in their name or their MW2 banner/tag/flag/icon/whatever.
 
Yeah, we get it. You like weed. Joint Ops...! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHFUCKINGHILARIOUSOHSHITOHSHITOHAHAHAHAHA!
 
The least IW could do is not directly contribute to making the gaming community even stupider than it is.

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dhuff

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Edited By dhuff

Shadow Complex was easily one of the best experiences of the year.  I want a sequel now.

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artofwar420

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Edited By artofwar420

2009 was a great year for new IPs.
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KyrithOerta

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Edited By KyrithOerta

I mentioned the big ass ramp every chance I got in Borderlands.

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tebbit

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Edited By tebbit

John Vignocchi should have won every catagory. Including Best Big-Ass Ramp.

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Leadcat

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Edited By Leadcat
@DBrim:  YES! As soon as I heard "Best Big-Ass Ramp" would be a category the Ski Jump from Big Surf Island is exactly what came to mind.
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JohnDudebro

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Edited By JohnDudebro
@VinceNotVance said:
" Also, I'm sad to see that Johnny V "The Juggernaut" is the bridesmaid two years in a row in the "Character We'd Most Like to Party With" category. "
I think the difference is that they've ACTUALLY partied with him. Some of the magic is gone. However, an Eddie Riggs party is a completely new experience.
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rhombus

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Edited By rhombus

Hm... Street Fighter 4 might be the best game (debatable) but I'd argue that both the other nominees were far better REVIVALS of their respective franchises. If the nominated franchises were volcanoes, Street Fighter would be like Kilauea - very active, constant small eruptions, Monkey Island would be like Mt. St. Helens or something, had a pretty big eruption pretty recently, but not that recently, Punch-Out!! would be like Mt. Fuji or something, been so long since it erupted you probably forgot it's even a volcano. Alright, so that metaphor kinda failed, but yeah, Punch-Out!! is probably the greatest revival.

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Addfwyn

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Edited By Addfwyn

Getting real tired, real-fast of seeing a crappy fighter get so much critical acclaim.   On the other hand, nice to see Shatter getting recognition, so that's something.
 
However, all this I hear about Shadow Complex makes me want to get a 360 just to play that game (Yes, it's the main reason I want a 360, everything else I want is crossplatform).  

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Alphazero

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Edited By Alphazero

Total Big Ass Ramp upset! 
 
I can only imagine the Big Ass Trophy that Pitchford is fondling right now. Congrats Gearbox! I love your game.

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adziboy

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Edited By adziboy
@DOUBLESHOCK said:
"Wasn't MW2's ramp bigger than Borderland's?  I mean, you come blasting down a mountain on a snowmobile, shooting dudes with an uzi gangster style, and then while being shot at, you fly like Evel Knievel over a massive gap onto the other side.  The ramp in Borderlands wasn't as cinematic. "

And that's why the title of the award is Best Big Ass Ramp, in reference to it's size, and not Best Cinematic Looking Ramp and Experience which would therefore reference the cinematic feel and intensity of the experience when jumping that ramp.
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Niklas

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Edited By Niklas

Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island has the biggest og ALL ramps - the ski jump.
 
Other than that. Good awards and winners. :)

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Ferco

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Edited By Ferco

I like how the Wii isn't even mentioned in the Best Download-only Game category.

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msdss

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Edited By msdss
@Ferco said:
" I like how the Wii isn't even mentioned in the Best Download-only Game category. "
because the if the Wii was a toaster with an LCD panel it would be an improvement.
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Winternet

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Edited By Winternet

Some Trackmania game that was released in 2009 (if any) surely has a bigger ramp.
 
Great awards, nevertheless.

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VisariLoyalist

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Edited By VisariLoyalist

ahhhhhh shizzzzz look at dat big azzz ramp

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deactivated-5cd0563e26314

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The Big Surf Island DLC for Burnout Paradise had way bigger big-ass ramps than that.

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zkillz

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Edited By zkillz
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_Nuno_

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Edited By _Nuno_

Why isn't Braid in the top 3 Downloadable-Only Games?

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deactivated-5cbd3a5285f1e

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@_Nuno_:  Braid came out in 2008
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shinyd3mon

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Edited By shinyd3mon
@Niklas said:
" Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island has the biggest og ALL ramps - the ski jump.  Other than that. Good awards and winners. :) "
Dude, totally.. 
 
I didn't even play that DLC, but judging solely by the trailers n' junk, I thought it was gonna win for sure this year.
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TheHT

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Edited By TheHT

where's l4d2 in the soulja boy category? i was playing with a guy who was freakin out last night screamin 'oh what the hell, there are zombies evereywhere' while playing as infeced.

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ltcoljaxson

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Edited By ltcoljaxson

" Winners don't use drugs."
 
Only the ones you don't know about. Even some of the ones you do know about, Michael Phelps anyone?

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ez123

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Edited By ez123

LOL, best one yet.

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Doogie2K

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Edited By Doogie2K

No love for Torchlight?  For shame.

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_Nuno_

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Edited By _Nuno_
@beeryayghost: Oh... I guess that settles it then... I just bought it a month ago so I figured it was more recent.
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Nemesis

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Edited By Nemesis

Awesome picks. Shadow Complex and Street Fighter IV were the obvious, and right picks; however, I thought that Blood on the Sand's exploding ramps, made up for the size.

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deactivated-5aeccee38cdf9

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The return of the Soulja Boy award, YES!

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Milkman

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Edited By Milkman
@_Nuno_ said:
" Why isn't Braid in the top 3 Downloadable-Only Games? "
Because it came out last year?
 
@TimmiT said:
" The Big Surf Island DLC for Burnout Paradise had way bigger big-ass ramps than that. "
Doesn't count because the game actually out last year.
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chogi

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Edited By chogi

Vignocci was robbed!

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washablemarkers

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Edited By washablemarkers

Well played with the 'Miss Katie' reference. It's not every day that you hear one of those.

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Undeadpool

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Edited By Undeadpool
@wwfundertaker:
He was/is a rapper who played Braid of all things and said of it, to paraphrase, "It's great to play if you love to get drunk and get high. You got a time rewinding potion that never runs out."
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maxszy

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Edited By maxszy

Hahaha! Loved the categories and great picks for them! Thanks guys!

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WhiskeyIcarus89

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Edited By WhiskeyIcarus89

Good to see Eddie Riggs getting on here somewhere. DECAPITATION!

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FlipperDesert

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Edited By FlipperDesert
@aurahack said:
" Johnny V will just never win, will he. Guess he can add "2 years running" to his resume. "
I checked and someone's already added it to the page.
 
There's always next year. :(
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DewRequired

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Edited By DewRequired

No Trials HD for big-ass ramp? Seems like a shoe-in. lol