Best of 2009

Carrie: Best of 2009

List items

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  1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

  I didn't play the first Uncharted until a couple months ago, and I feel pretty ashamed about that. But despite how awesome it was, this one is still better in every way. From level to level, the gameplay is thrilling, even when comparing the regular platforming and run-and-gun sequences to something as astounding as the train level. The humor, the story, the nuances, it's simply perfect. I give it a 4/10... okay okay, maybe a 5.

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  2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

  I was pretty sure for most of this year that this would be my favorite game of 2009. The mood is perfection, the maneuvering from level-to-level, and then back again through for the achievements was really well done. An old colleague of mine did the sound design and of that I'm especially proud. Now if I hadn't missed the "Break up the Party" achievement, this might have been my GOTY.

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  3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

  I love the single-player, and I love the multiplayer, but I think the Special Ops missions are the best part, until they get stupidly impossibly hard, that is. I wish I could muster up the energy to pub on XBL, if so, I feel like I would have played it much more.

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  4. Resident Evil 5

  I played through RE5 four times through, and enjoyed every minute of it. It feels like forever ago (because it was), so it's hard to remember exactly how much I loved it, but I will have the images of Safari Chris and Disco Slut Sheva burned into my mind for a long time to come.

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  5. Drop7

  Drop7 is probably the game I've played the most this year. I have played it in short bursts, I have played it for hours on end. I have played it in the car (in traffic of course!) and I have played it while sitting next to my Xbox 360. There are few games that I think rival the blissful perfection of Tetris, and this one is pretty close.

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  6. Shadow Complex

  What a neat little XBL experience. It's not replayable enough for me to slot it much higher, especially given the quality of the other games this year, but for what it was, Shadow Complex certainly delivered.

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  7. Assassin's Creed II

  I was so disenchanted with the first Assassin's Creed, I almost went the entire year without playing this one. I'm glad I finally tried it out though, it's better than its predecessor in every way, and though still flawed and frustrating, was well worth the few days I spent consumed by it.

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  8. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

  It's silly, but I loved it. I really really loved it. I bought an album of his after playing through the game, so I guess it worked, right?

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  9. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

  I love it that DS games in 2009 are still finding new and interesting ways to use the dual screen. Henry Hatsworth's mechanic is quite awesome in that regard, but I think the game's difficulty does make it a lot harder to love. Still, it lasted me the length of my battery life on my last trip overseas, so perhaps I simply just love the pain.

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  10. Plants vs. Zombies

  I have butter on my head!