Best of 2009

Lingxor: Best of 2009

List items

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  1. Batman: Arkham Asylum

  Batman: Arkham Asylum is a superb game that also happens to feature Batman as the main character. The game has a lot of smart ideas that make stealth interesting again in ways that many established franchises have failed to do over the last several years. The elegant melee combat is easy to grasp, but still features the capacity for high level play. Rocksteady also provides some of the best fanservice in recent memory by getting actors from the animated series to reprise their roles. It's also a lengthy game that manages to cram in every piece of Batman fiction that you can think of. Playing through this game gave me the impression that it was developed without compromise and for that reason it's my game of the year.

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  2. Dragon Age: Origins

  Easily the most epic game of 2009. Bioware creates stories and characters that are always compelling. The choices you make throughout Dragon Age feel meaningful and rarely can be reduced to arbitrary good or bad options. The game play doesn't bring much new to the table, but it was competent enough to carry me through the 60 or so hours it took me to save the world.