My Best of 2009 -- for me, this year was the year of the Downloadable Games. I found that many of the PSN/XBLA games mentioned here were far more satisying, punchy experiences which I found myself more immersed in than many of the full titles I played this year.
Shadow Complex's roots can be seen pretty clearly within the first 30 seconds of gameplay and it would be easy to reject the game on the basis of such opaque, derivative roots. However with stunning vistas, fantastic pacing, addictive collectable-hunting gameplay, satisfying gunplay and an expansive, immersive world, I couldn't help but love every pseudo-nostalgic moment.
Nathan Drake - the digital lovechild of Nathan Fillion, Nolan North, Indiana Jones and John McClane - might just be my most favourite video game character ever. Visually breathtaking, action-packed and exhilarating, Uncharted 2 took all the elements which made its predecessor such a unique (if somewhat flawed) experience, ironed out all the edges and provided the closest thing to an interactive summer blockbuster the video game industry has seen.
I don't have the same affection and appreciation for Resident Evil 4 that the rest of the gaming world have. Something about it didn't work for me, I'm pretty sure it was the level design towards the the game's third act. Resident Evil 5 not only addressed this, but it introduced perhaps the best co-op experience I can remember since playing Diablo with my dad about 10 years ago -- fighting through the game with a friend for the first time was one of my favourite gaming experiences of the year.
An absolute shock to myself, PixelJunk games always find some way to appeal to me in some form or another. Shooter, while cut rather short, provided me with the most tranquil and chillaxing experience of the year. With the right balance of floaty controls, fluid dynamics and a relatively whimsical pace and challenge PixelJunk Shooter just appealed to me in a 'right place, right time' way and perhaps upon future reflection may not warrant such a high position on this list.
Oh Halo. I don't care how cool it is to hate you these days, I will always have a soft spot for you. ODST wasn't necessarily the shake up that it may have tried to advertise itself as, however that doesn't take away from the fact that this was a quality product from Bungie. With fantastic music and a visual style which just looked plain sexy, ODST didn't really have to do much else in order to make it onto this list.
