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Giant Bomb's PlayStation 3-Only Game of the Year, 2009

It's been an exceptional year for the PlayStation 3, find out which game we consider the best of the best.

After years spent finding its footing, the PlayStation 3 came through with some of the best platform exclusives we played in 2009, and it just so happened that those exclusives were produced almost exclusively by Sony itself. We whittled our list down to the final three, but there could be only one PlayStation 3 game of the year...

Best PlayStation 3-Only Game


Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

 
No Caption Provided
Nathan Drake has a knack for getting himself into and then out of some real crazy rock/hard-place situations, usually while exceeding the maximum number of tight scrapes and incidental explosions that the law will allow, roughly every 30 to 45 minutes. This is, at its essence, what makes Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a fun game. It's not a complicated or even terribly inventive formula, but what what makes Uncharted 2 an exceptional game lies almost entirely in Naughty Dog's relentless execution, which delivers nothing less than one of the PlayStation 3's most viscerally thrilling, visually stunning, and just out-and-out fun experiences. 
 
You've got a likable and incredibly relatable hero in Nathan Drake, and on the other side there's Zoran Lazarevic, one of the baddest bad guys we've seen in a video game in a good long while. The pure-adventure story isn't itself the most compelling thing about Uncharted 2, but it allows for wonderful amount of globe-trotting to exotic and fantastical locales. Uncharted 2's unimpeachable good looks extend beyond the detailed environments, awesome explosions, and naturalistic character animations, and go right down to the very hair on Nathan's head. Everything is just so dense with detail, it's hard not to be impressed on some level. Even the camera in Uncharted 2 is worth mentioning for the elegance with which it presents all that chaos. The camera.
 
The underlying shoot-and-climb gameplay in Uncharted 2 isn't phenomenally different from its predecessor, but it finds significantly better focus here, and loses any faint traces of being a Tomb Raider also-ran that might've been lingering in the process. The gunplay feel substantive without being too technically demanding, and the traversal makes every jump feel like you just barely made it. That seat-of-your-pants balance between control and chaos is a hell of a thing to achieve, and it's a characteristic that runs bone-deep in Uncharted 2.

It looks great, it plays great, it's a whole hell of a lot of fun, and it's our 2009 PlayStation 3-only game of the year.



 
 
Runners-Up: InFamous, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

95 Comments

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Nemesis

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Edited By Nemesis
@buzz_killington said:
"

Do the guys at Giantbomb have a shitty old, clugged-up PS3? Because none of the loading screens in that game took that long...

"
Nope, the game does have loading screens, of course if you are Sony Sheep then you wouldn't have noticed its flaws.
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Nemesis

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Edited By Nemesis

Wow, totally didn't expect that.

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Duffyside

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Edited By Duffyside
@handlas: What game are you talking about? Killzone 2? If so, it got reviewed here; Jeff gave it 5 stars.
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handlas

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Edited By handlas
@Duffyside said:
" @handlas: What game are you talking about? Killzone 2? If so, it got reviewed here; Jeff gave it 5 stars. "
nah, I know they reviewed that game.  I just being a jackass talking about Demon's Souls as usual.
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buzz_killington

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Edited By buzz_killington
@Nemesis said:
" @buzz_killington said:
"

Do the guys at Giantbomb have a shitty old, clugged-up PS3? Because none of the loading screens in that game took that long...

"
Nope, the game does have loading screens, of course if you are Sony Sheep then you wouldn't have noticed its flaws. "

It did not have ANY loading screens when you played the game from start to finish. Maybe it's because Brad used Chapter Select, or maybe it's because he heasn't downloaded the patch they put out on the release day that shortened loading times. And thanks for calling me a Sony Sheep, you judgemental piece of turd. I'm a Nintendo fan all the way, if you hadn't noticed my allignment color.
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Gruff182

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Edited By Gruff182

Damn I really want to play this game right now! I'm suddenly annoyed I left it at my Uni House!! Boo.

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watkinzez

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Edited By watkinzez

Drake's walking animation while carrying the camera dude would look totally janky if the camera was a few inches lower. Illusion broken! :(

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FrankCanada97

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Edited By FrankCanada97
@Nemesis said:
" @buzz_killington said:
"

Do the guys at Giantbomb have a shitty old, clugged-up PS3? Because none of the loading screens in that game took that long...

"
Nope, the game does have loading screens, of course if you are Sony Sheep then you wouldn't have noticed its flaws. "
Did you really feel the need to antagonize someone who asked a legitimate question?
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AndrewB

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Edited By AndrewB

Woah... those are pretty extensive load times. But Goddamn, if there's any game that makes me want to own a PS3, it's this one. I haven't even played it, but I'm ready to call it my game of the year based just on what I've seen. Damn finances. I bought a 360 because of Gears, and I'd do it in a heartbeat for this game... if I had the cash. This game is doing exactly what Gears did to me.

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zeforgotten

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Edited By zeforgotten
@Nemesis said:
" @buzz_killington said:
"

Do the guys at Giantbomb have a shitty old, clugged-up PS3? Because none of the loading screens in that game took that long...

"
Nope, the game does have loading screens, of course if you are Sony Sheep then you wouldn't have noticed its flaws. "
Hate to break it to you like this, buddy. But buzz_killington is actually correct. 
It's a shame to see that people like you are still around here. 
Fucking fanboys 
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Crono

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Edited By Crono

To me this one was a no brainer.  Absolutely brilliant game.

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JoelTGM

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Edited By JoelTGM

This game looks so fun.

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wandel

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Edited By wandel

I kinda want an Uncharted 2 Endurance Run with Brad playing now...

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Aska

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Edited By Aska
@Nemesis: That first load was horrible, my copy always has a large load when I boot it, but never once loaded while actually playing the game.  At least not like that.
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CoolDrMoney

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Edited By CoolDrMoney

Brad is twice as awful in 2010 QLs

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MeatSim

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Edited By MeatSim

Well no surprise's here but I think they got it right.

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Toxin066

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Edited By Toxin066

Damn, I love watching Brad play anything.
 
For me, ps3 GOTY is a toss up between inFamous and Uncharted 2. It became a showdown between polish and originality. U2 felt amazing and was super fun but it felt like I'd been there before. iF felt new and was also super fun, but not without its blemishes (read: zeek). I hate having to choose which is better because I thought they were both great games.

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InFamous91

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Edited By InFamous91

Uncharted 2 definitely deserves this

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Shane

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Edited By Shane

Demon's Souls didn't even get a runner-up spot?

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Stargate174

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Edited By Stargate174

The loading was really bad but that is PS3 for you and the hard programming it takes and less RAM. Still I'm getting this game of a friend to ply soon:D

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RHCPfan24

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Edited By RHCPfan24

No surprise but a very well-deserved win. Nice job Giant Bomb.

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handlas

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Edited By handlas
@Shane said:
" Demon's Souls didn't even get a runner-up spot? "
they discuss it early on in the bombcast.  Pretty much got dismissed right away :(.
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Keeng

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Edited By Keeng
@Stargate174 said:

" The loading was really bad but that is PS3 for you and the hard programming it takes and less RAM. Still I'm getting this game of a friend to ply soon:D "

Actually, once you get past the initial load from the main menu, Uncharted 2 plays straight through with no load time at all. They jumped to this chapter with the chapter select so that one long load you see in the video at the start would have been the only load had they continued from there.  
 
It's the GOTY for a reason!
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Milkman

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Edited By Milkman
@Shane said:
" Demon's Souls didn't even get a runner-up spot? "
I think they have made it pretty obvious that Demon's Souls is not their thing. I don't understand why people keep bringing it up.
 
Also, Uncharted 2 seemed like the obvious choice here.
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rjayb89

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Edited By rjayb89

WTF, is there no gun in Drake's hand or what?

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lordofultima

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Edited By lordofultima

Great game, obvious choice. 
 
The quickest Brad death ever? LMAO

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teh_destroyer

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Edited By teh_destroyer

Those levels look amazing.

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Yummylee

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Edited By Yummylee

I would of thought KZ2 would of been nominated =S

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Lestater

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Edited By Lestater

I want a PS3 so badly.

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deactivated-5ffc9b0923f9f

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Uncharted 2 is definitely my game of the year. I hadn't sat down and played a game for hours straight like Uncharted 2 for a long time. It just felt so good.

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get2sammyb

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Edited By get2sammyb
@MCWHAMMER: I think it's because, the game takes long to load first time, but then when you play in sequence it's quicker.
 
EDIT: In actual fact, yes, when you play in sequence there is NO loading. It's because they did chapter jumps is all. Excellent choice indeed. Game of the year indeed. Word.
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MachoFantastico

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Edited By MachoFantastico

Very deserving winner. 
 
and yes, it takes much longer to load when playing from chapter to chapter.

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rc94

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Edited By rc94

 Yeah, Killzone 2 was badly neglected this year. It should have won the best competitive multiplayer category by a country mile. It made me sad to hear the bombcast crew talking about MW2 MP like it's the best thing out there...nearly everyone I know has already switched back to Killzone 2.

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Supermarius

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Edited By Supermarius
@Abyssfull: it was, but didnt make the top 3. They talk about it in the GOTY podcast. The stlye of gunplay just didnt grab them, even though the game looked gorgeous. Also it probably didnt help that it came out so early in the year. The longer people have to think about a game or movie the more shine comes off it. I think the same thing happened to Street Fighter IV. If street fighter or killzone 2 had come out in november, i think they would have at least been honorable mentions.
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Aeterna

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Edited By Aeterna

It still doesn't really look that good to me, especially the aiming. Just.. godawful. 

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Kr3lian

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Edited By Kr3lian

Let me translate this article. 
 
Uncharted 2: Graphics, production, graphics, production, graphics, production - meh gameplay is kind of okay, but the graphics and animation make it feel awesome. 
 
Uncharted 2, game of the year. 
 
Yes I am still bitter.  God bless you Vinny, but you shouldn't have given in.

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Keeng

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Edited By Keeng
@Kr3lian: Have you played it? Have you played other shooters before or after playing it? There is not a better-playing third person shooter. It's that simple. 
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Kr3lian

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Edited By Kr3lian
@Keeng said:

" @Kr3lian: Have you played it? Have you played other shooters before or after playing it? There is not a better-playing third person shooter. It's that simple.  "

I sure have.  And I thought the gameplay was largely mediocre.  Now I admit, I am not the biggest shooter fan.  But it's not that I am just a casual fan of 3rd person shooters.  Uncharted 2 showed a lot of promise that made the mundane bits even worse.  My favorite parts of that game were when the shooting was flipped on it's head.  Running from the truck.  Shooting from the sign.  Leaping from truck to truck.  Crawling around the multi-floor ruined fort/temple thing at the end while picking off enemies (sniping the guys coming across the bridge was awesome). 
 
But come on, how many times do I have to hang around in a big room and pick off 50 guys rolling up in groups of 5-10?  Ooop, here comes the grenadiers.  Ooop here comes the gatling gun.  Here comes the Yeti beasts.  Gag me. 
 
And don't even get me started on the building falling down.  Yeah that was neat, and probably was a bitch to program.  But you were still in a room shooting guys from cover.  Just add in some motion blur and make the background look all crazy for a few seconds.  And then you have to know where/when to jump or you get to play the same scene again. 
 
The train scene was awesome in its spectacle, but it was just a cover shooter in a corridor.  I mean, come on.  It wasn't that much cooler than when I played it 10 years ago in Goldeneye.  Or Soldier of Fortune.  Or Gears of War. Etc. 
 
EDIT:  And I should just say that I do think that Uncharted 2 is a fine pick for PS3 game of the year (though I would have went with Infamous, I can acknowledge its flaws).  I am just bitter about the overall game of the year pick.
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superjoe

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Edited By superjoe
@CoolDrMoney said:

" Brad is twice as awful in 2010 QLs "

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kagekage

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Edited By kagekage
@Kr3lian: Same can be said with inFAMOUS. There's the martyrs, there's the Reapers, Dust Men, Conduits, yadda. Gag ME
Yes, both were amazing games, but the bugs in inFAMOUS weren't as discreet as the ones in Uncharted 2. 
The side missions were mostly repetitive and I only did most of them just to clear out the enemies in the areas. Jump from one building to unlock the satellites! Save the hostages! Kill the enemies! Woopee.
Also, the graphics and framerate can't hold a candlestick against Uncharted 2. Same goes with the story.
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Kr3lian

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Edited By Kr3lian
@kagekage said:
" @Kr3lian: Same can be said with inFAMOUS. There's the martyrs, there's the Reapers, Dust Men, Conduits, yadda. Gag ME. Yes, both were amazing games, but the bugs in inFAMOUS weren't as discreet as the ones in Uncharted 2. The side missions were mostly repetitive and I only did most of them just to clear out the enemies in the areas. Jump from one building to unlock the satellites! Save the hostages! Kill the enemies! Woopee.Also, the graphics and framerate can't hold a candlestick against Uncharted 2. Same goes with the story. "
Yeah, the combat in Infamous was a bit repetitive.  Like I said, I can acknowledge that game's flaws.  I did enjoy the combat more, though.  This is a matter of taste.  Infamous is also a third person cover shooter, but I enjoyed the city traversal,  I liked the fast pace of the shooter parts, and I loved the powers you got to use.  Simply more interesting to me than grenades and machine guns. 
 
Not to beat a dead horse, but I think UC2 is a fine pick for PS3 GOTY.  Not my pick, but I am okay with it.  I don't think UC2 is the best pick for overall GOTY.  I feel it should have gone to Batman.  And with that, I am pretty much done arguing about GOTY (nothing to do with your comment, I have just been posting about it for a couple of days and topic fatigue has finally hit me).
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reflekshun

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Edited By reflekshun

hahahahah those deaths were a fucking crack up!

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ttocs

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Edited By ttocs

This is a no brainer.  They did one hell of job on this game.  I'm seeing people who were so against the PS3 now giving it the credit the system deserves.

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Edited By TheDoubleJ

Definatly the best but infamous was pretty awsome.