Calidan777's Game of the Year Awards

Xbox360 Game of the Year

Forza Motorsport 3

This was a tough one for me. On the one hand I am a huge Halo fan, having consumed pretty much every piece of Halo media ever released, but I am also a big racing fan. I refuse to conform to the idea that your either a "sim guy" or an "arcade racer guy", which is why I love Forza 3 so much. It is truly the first racing game to genuinely appeal to both audiences. Don't like sims? Turn on the full driving line, anti-lock brakes, and stability control. Liberal use of the "rewind" feature also means that you'll never make it through an entire race only to wreck at the end and lose.

This game does so many things superbly that I couldn't begin to list them all, but the biggest thing it does is manage to push forward a genre that's been around almost as long as video games themselves, and that my friends is no small feat.

Runners-Up: Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars

 Xbox Live Arcade Game of the Year

Shadow Complex

No game this year got the nostalgic juices flowing quite like Shadow Complex. It took everything that we loved about old school action-adventure games, and drug it into the modern age. Using 3D graphics powered by the Unreal Engine, while at the same time keeping a side-scrolling 2D camera angle, Shadow Complex showed us that not only was there still life in this kind of game, there was still room for innovation. Whether I was scouring the complex trying to find the next upgrade or using the grappling hook and triple jump to scale a seemingly unscaleable wall, Shadow Complex sucked me into it's world like few games have.

Runner-Up: Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

Xbox Live Indie Game of the Year

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1

This game is the very definition of the term "indie game", it game was made by one guy ( James Silva) in two weeks and released on Xbox Live Indie Games for one dollar (80 Microsoft Points). Word of mouth spread like wildfire on how fun the game was, making it the highest rated indie game ever. The game is basically a twin stick shooter with lots of weapon types and enemy types, but what makes it special is one of the best theme songs since Portal's "Still Alive" and 4-player co-op. For a dollar you can't go wrong with this game.

Runner-Up: Miner Dig Deep

PlayStation 3 Game of the Year

Uncharted 2:Among Theives

There's not really anything that I can say at this point that hasn't already been said about Uncharted 2, so I'll just sum it up by saying that Uncharted 2 is the best game on the PS3. While I really loved MetalGearSolid4, Uncharted 2 is the complete package; amazing single player, tons of great multiplayer modes, and plenty of fun unlockables. Uncharted has successfully planted itself as one of the great games in video game history and a game that folks will appreciate for years into the future.

Now enjoy some fat Drake.

Runners-Up: Demon's Souls , KillZone2

PlayStation Network Game of the Year

Flower

For me personally, Flower was the most surprising game of the year, as I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would love a game about flying around flower petals as much as I love Flower. The best way to accurately describe Flower is "relaxing". Aside from being an incredibly beautiful game to look at, Flower is also a very addictive game, as I found myself playing through it multiple times trying to get all the trophies and making sure I didn't miss any flower petals. Flower is one of the most unique games I've ever played and easily wins my best PSN game of 2009.

Runners-Up: Shatter , Pixel Junk Shooter

Wii Game of the Year

House of the Dead Overkill

No Wii game this year kept me coming back for more like House of the Dead Overkill. Everything from the over-the-top "grindhouse" style graphics and story to the multiple weapon unlocks and upgrades had me playing through it over and over again. The 2 player and 4 player co-op modes are also very well done and addictive. Overkill proves that you can do a great shooter on the Wii, but you don't have to do it the same way as on other consoles.

Runners-Up: Punch-Out! , Wii Sports Resort

Multi-Platform Game of the Year

Assassin's Creed II

I loved the first Assassin's Creed, it was the first "open-world" game that was really able to really grab me and never let go. Unfortunately it received alot of criticism for repetition in it's missions. Luckily the guys and gals at Ubisoft Montreal were listening and used these criticisms to craft the best game they could. Assassin's creed II isn't that much different from the first game, it's just more refined. The story in the first game is what really drew me in and the story in Assassin's Creed II takes it to the next level. I loved the combat in the first game and for Assassin's Creed II the addition of dodging and disarming, along with a plethora of new weapons and armor, makes every encounter fresh and fun.

This is everything a sequel should be: superior in every way from the first game but without losing what made the first one great. I imagine that I'll still be playing this when Assassin's Creed III comes out, and that can't come soon enough.

IT'S A ME!! MARIO!!!

2009 Game of the Year

Modern Warfare 2

I usually like to gauge how much I truly like a game by how much I play it. I've read plenty of game of the year articles around the internet and one thing that kind of stands out to me are the ones where someone says that they like a particular game more, but give the award to another game because they feel it "does more for video games". I'm not really sure what that means, but it sounds like BS to me. Ultimately games are vying for our time, so in the end, the game that controls more of your time is the one that wins that battle. For me, that game is Modern Warfare 2.

I love all the games listed here, but only one of them has been played at my house every single day since it lauched and that is Modern Warfare 2. As it stands my total playtime in Modern Warfare 2 is 14 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes, and 41 seconds. That's campain, spec-ops and multiplayer combined. Eleven of those days are just multiplayer. Infinity Ward did such a great job at making sure that you are always progressing and earning XP in Modern Warfare 2 that you never want to put it down. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare I had no interest in going Prestige, but in Modern Warfare 2 I intend to Prestige all 10 times. Five down, Five to go.

Modern Warfare 2 is the complete package: incredible campaign mode, ultra addictive co-op mode, and the best competitive multiplayer available on any platform. Modern Warfare 2 has set an extremely high bar for first person shooters, now, let's see if they can do it again with Modern Warfare 3.

Xbox360 Game of the Year

Forza Motorsport 3

This was a tough one for me. On the one hand I am a huge Halo fan, having consumed pretty much every piece of Halo media ever released, but I am also a big racing fan. I refuse to conform to the idea that your either a "sim guy" or an "arcade racer guy", which is why I love Forza 3 so much. It is truly the first racing game to genuinely appeal to both audiences. Don't like sims? Turn on the full driving line, anti-lock brakes, and stability control. Liberal use of the "rewind" feature also means that you'll never make it through an entire race only to wreck at the end and lose.

This game does so many things superbly that I couldn't begin to list them all, but the biggest thing it does is manage to push forward a genre that's been around almost as long as video games themselves, and that my friends is no small feat.

Runners-Up: Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars

 Xbox Live Arcade Game of the Year

Shadow Complex

No game this year got the nostalgic juices flowing quite like Shadow Complex. It took everything that we loved about old school action-adventure games, and drug it into the modern age. Using 3D graphics powered by the Unreal Engine, while at the same time keeping a side-scrolling 2D camera angle, Shadow Complex showed us that not only was there still life in this kind of game, there was still room for innovation. Whether I was scouring the complex trying to find the next upgrade or using the grappling hook and triple jump to scale a seemingly unscaleable wall, Shadow Complex sucked me into it's world like few games have.

Runner-Up: Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

Xbox Live Indie Game of the Year

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1

This game is the very definition of the term "indie game", it game was made by one guy ( James Silva) in two weeks and released on Xbox Live Indie Games for one dollar (80 Microsoft Points). Word of mouth spread like wildfire on how fun the game was, making it the highest rated indie game ever. The game is basically a twin stick shooter with lots of weapon types and enemy types, but what makes it special is one of the best theme songs since Portal's "Still Alive" and 4-player co-op. For a dollar you can't go wrong with this game.

Runner-Up: Miner Dig Deep

PlayStation 3 Game of the Year

Uncharted 2:Among Theives

There's not really anything that I can say at this point that hasn't already been said about Uncharted 2, so I'll just sum it up by saying that Uncharted 2 is the best game on the PS3. While I really loved MetalGearSolid4, Uncharted 2 is the complete package; amazing single player, tons of great multiplayer modes, and plenty of fun unlockables. Uncharted has successfully planted itself as one of the great games in video game history and a game that folks will appreciate for years into the future.

Now enjoy some fat Drake.

Runners-Up: Demon's Souls , KillZone2

PlayStation Network Game of the Year

Flower

For me personally, Flower was the most surprising game of the year, as I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would love a game about flying around flower petals as much as I love Flower. The best way to accurately describe Flower is "relaxing". Aside from being an incredibly beautiful game to look at, Flower is also a very addictive game, as I found myself playing through it multiple times trying to get all the trophies and making sure I didn't miss any flower petals. Flower is one of the most unique games I've ever played and easily wins my best PSN game of 2009.

Runners-Up: Shatter , Pixel Junk Shooter

Wii Game of the Year

House of the Dead Overkill

No Wii game this year kept me coming back for more like House of the Dead Overkill. Everything from the over-the-top "grindhouse" style graphics and story to the multiple weapon unlocks and upgrades had me playing through it over and over again. The 2 player and 4 player co-op modes are also very well done and addictive. Overkill proves that you can do a great shooter on the Wii, but you don't have to do it the same way as on other consoles.

Runners-Up: Punch-Out! , Wii Sports Resort

Multi-Platform Game of the Year

Assassin's Creed II

I loved the first Assassin's Creed, it was the first "open-world" game that was really able to really grab me and never let go. Unfortunately it received alot of criticism for repetition in it's missions. Luckily the guys and gals at Ubisoft Montreal were listening and used these criticisms to craft the best game they could. Assassin's creed II isn't that much different from the first game, it's just more refined. The story in the first game is what really drew me in and the story in Assassin's Creed II takes it to the next level. I loved the combat in the first game and for Assassin's Creed II the addition of dodging and disarming, along with a plethora of new weapons and armor, makes every encounter fresh and fun.

This is everything a sequel should be: superior in every way from the first game but without losing what made the first one great. I imagine that I'll still be playing this when Assassin's Creed III comes out, and that can't come soon enough.

IT'S A ME!! MARIO!!!

2009 Game of the Year

Modern Warfare 2

I usually like to gauge how much I truly like a game by how much I play it. I've read plenty of game of the year articles around the internet and one thing that kind of stands out to me are the ones where someone says that they like a particular game more, but give the award to another game because they feel it "does more for video games". I'm not really sure what that means, but it sounds like BS to me. Ultimately games are vying for our time, so in the end, the game that controls more of your time is the one that wins that battle. For me, that game is Modern Warfare 2.

I love all the games listed here, but only one of them has been played at my house every single day since it lauched and that is Modern Warfare 2. As it stands my total playtime in Modern Warfare 2 is 14 days, 7 hours, 37 minutes, and 41 seconds. That's campain, spec-ops and multiplayer combined. Eleven of those days are just multiplayer. Infinity Ward did such a great job at making sure that you are always progressing and earning XP in Modern Warfare 2 that you never want to put it down. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare I had no interest in going Prestige, but in Modern Warfare 2 I intend to Prestige all 10 times. Five down, Five to go.

Modern Warfare 2 is the complete package: incredible campaign mode, ultra addictive co-op mode, and the best competitive multiplayer available on any platform. Modern Warfare 2 has set an extremely high bar for first person shooters, now, let's see if they can do it again with Modern Warfare 3.