4. Mega Man 9 - Back to the basics, Mega Man 9 is an example of what I want the video game industry to embrace and encourage. With most developers constantly reaching for the most bleeding edge graphics and gameplay, sometimes the soul of a game gets lost along the way. Fallout 3 is one such game that utterly fails in this regard, providing a cold experience beyond the whole post-apocalyptic wasteland thing. There was a lot of attention to detail paid in the creation of this game, and it shows with the intuitive and classic 2D gameplay we all "love" and grew up with.

 3. Left 4 Dead - 5,133 zombies were slain in the making of this blog, and this game is fucking awesome. Four movies, each with five chapters of insanity. The only reason this game isn't at the top of my list is do to the lack of modes and more chapters. I know they'll be coming later on, but I'm a greedy bastard.

2. World of Goo - Is it against the rules to pick a small, low budget game as one of the top games of the year? Everywhere I look, it seems that games like Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Metal Gear Solid 4 are at the top of everyone's list. It just so happens all of those games are multi-platinum and multi-million dollar productions. None of those games, I repeat, none of those games provided a more charming, joyful, satisfying, and exhilarating experience than World of Goo. 

 This is the first time I've ever concluded any year's top 5 list with a downloadable game on it, let alone two. Honestly, I'm OK with that. The mega-blockbuster titles like Fallout 3 and GTA IV, even Super Smash Brothers Brawl always seem to fail to meet the hype and expectations I have before playing them. This was a pretty good year for gaming, but it is likely to pale in comparison to the monster year about to befall us in 2009. Cheers! Merry Christmas!