Best of 2009
Jokers_Wild: Best of 2009
List items
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I loved the first Assassin's Creed in spite of its faults, which admittedly were many. The problems with the original ranged from the annoying (starting at the top of the mountain after every mission) to the downright infuriating (having to trudge slowly through the countryside to avoid alerting crusaders.) Thankfully Ubisoft took all the criticisms to heart. For the sequel, they eliminated most of the flawed elements, improved what was good to begin with, and threw in a few new goodies. Requiescat in pace.
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Superhero movies have been going through a bit of a renaissance lately; hopefully this masterpiece from Rocksteady is the first sign that superhero games will undergo something similar. A great blend of gameplay mechanics combined with a genuine respect for the source material combine to make what is easily the best superhero game ever.
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A breath of fresh air in a genre that's been getting stale for a while now. Granted, it's a little rough around the edges. However, those looking for a new fighting-game franchise can find a lot to love in BlazBlue.
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It's like the wild west! In space! The idea of an FPS/RPG is hardly new, but Borderlands does it quite well. With Pandora, Gearbox have created a world that's as charming as it is dangerous, and exploring it with friends is a definite blast. Besides, how many shooters can claim to have "bazillions of guns?"
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From movies to books to games, this was truly the decade for zombies. Valve's take on the zombie apocalypse is by far one of the best shooters this year, and emphasizes teamwork in a way few others have managed.
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Chris Redfield's epic story, started more than a decade ago, finally reaches its dramatic conclusion in Resident Evil 5. The game builds upon the gameplay changes introduced in Resident Evil 4, and brings cooperative play into the mix. Like RE4, it's fun in spite of somewhat clunky controls, and the new locations (including a car chase across the Savannah) are delightful. However, a somewhat weaker endgame (Zombies with guns? Really, Capcom!?) that involves the introduction of contrived cover mechanics ruins the fun a little, and keeps RE5 from being all it could have been.
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An interesting take on the "Metroidvania" style of games, Shadow Complex drew me in immediately. I spent way more time than I care to admit playing this, but it was worthwhile. My biggest complaint is that, unlike in Castlevania or Metroid, there aren't really any memorable boss battles.
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I haven't spent nearly as much time with Dragon Age as I would like to, it's probably my favorite Bioware RPG to date (at least until Mass Effect 2.) The combat is fine, but it's the great plot and deep, wonderfully voiced characters that keep me interested.
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Having never played Diablo, I had, for better or worse, no nostalgia goggles to color my opinion of Torchlight. Furthermore, I haven't actually finished it yet. That said, I'm really enjoying this game, though some measure of cooperative play would have been great.
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