Best of 2009
My 20 favorite games of 2009.
List items
-
It's a grade-A swashbuckler, a roller coaster unlike anything produced in this industry before. Technical marvels aside, everything just feels right from minute to minute as you progress through Drake's globetrotting, action hero world with a quip and a gun. The robust multiplayer is worth your time as well.
-
The brawler, gadgetry, stealth and Metriod-vaney elements all come together to create a memorable romp that actually works best when the player thinks and acts like Batman.
-
Improves upon the first game on pretty much every level with a renewed focus on storytelling, pacing and gameplay diversity. Grips hold of you and doesn't let go until the final credits roll.
-
Bioware refines the tone and complexity of Baldur's Gate with the cinematic presentation of their later titles to create the deepest RPG of the year. Made for PC but still passable on a console.
-
A trade and settlement strategy gem that's highly polished, leisurely paced and full of layered city planning and economic systems to fuel the never ending quest for perfection.
-
I devoured it over a weekend, finished the game twice and still enjoy turning my brain off and wandering the halls of Shadow Complex from time to time. A forward thinking throwback of the highest quality that can be had for a nice price.
-
Single player dungeon crawlers don't get much more addictive than this. The loot lust and constant progression of Torchlight continues to keep me up late many a night.
-
-
Hard to be much happier with how this project turned out. A worthy tribute to the band and the high point of Rock Band campaigns.
-
My first Rhythm Heaven, and it sunk it's claws deep into me. Would have been higher if some of the catchiest motifs weren't also some of the most annoying.
-
The touchscreen mechanics and A/V presentation are some of the most satisfying in rhythm games, it's soundtrack is up there with the best in the series and the cabinet feels like the future. Worth taking a trip to find a machine.
-
So many things are done right in Borderlands, with it's endless gun loot and RPG style progression. An impressive foundation with room for improvement. Even more enjoyable with friends alongside.
-
-
As much of an interactive picture book as it is a graphic adventure, Machinarium is a unique and surprising experience with broad appeal.
-
Part trifle, part landmark release. I don't think I'll ever play Flower again but it's a great representation of the medium's potential and a pretty decent gateway drug for anyone that appreciates pretty pictures.
-
Got me playing the Wii again. Feature rich, highly replayable, and the motion plus add-on really works. Shines in social settings, much like the first game.
-
Every year or so I latch on to a really masochistic game, something punishing yet impossible to turn away from. In '09, this was that game.
-
Mars, large scale physics, open world shenanigans, and arguably the most satisfyingly destructive environments in gaming.
-
Gets the tone of Monkey Island right, even if the individual episodes can be a bit hit or miss.
-
The charm doesn't last forever but distilling JRPG's to their most basic ingredients remains a neat idea that's perfect for portables.
0 Comments