After a strong year in 2008, it's time to announce our categorical winners. Of each category, Brad and Bryan choose these winners:
The Out of Body Experience Award (Best Third-Person Shooter)
The Club
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Gears of War 2
Saints Row 2
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Despite some tough competition, the visually pleasing and intense Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots takes the win with its excellent control and environments.
Bryan's Take: Despite being very impressed with MGS4, Bryan feels that Gears of War 2 has the complete package when it comes to 3rd person shooters. He enjoys the excellent campaign, along with the competitive multiplayer and the new Horde mode.
The Retina Attachment Award (Best First Person Shooter)
Call of Duty: World at War
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Battlefield: Bad Company
Call of Duty: World at War has everything each of these games have: strong multiplayer, an intense single player and an involving storyline. But, with it's excellent control system and abundance of Jack Bauer, World at War takes the top prize in FPS.
Brad's Take: Strong multiplayer is usually a necessity in this category, which is why it was hard to not choose Left 4 Dead with Brad. He also says that Resistance 2 would have also been a desired pick...if the single player just wasn't boring to play.
The Golden Clutch (Best Racing)
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Wipeout HD
GRID
Burnout Paradise
Pure
Another tough category with excellent games, but the surprise winner has to be Disney Interactive's ATV opus Pure. Great course selection and a fun create an ATV mode balance out this fun game.
Brad's Take: This had to be one of the tougher games to choose for Brad. He loved Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and the great amount of stuff you can do in Burnout Paradise left you playing the game for months on end. Wipeout HD was also one of the most refined versions of this franchise that has been made in years. However, when it came down to it, he agreed that the surprise pick of Pure needed to be recognized.
The Juiced Bar (Best Sports Game)
FIFA Soccer 09
Madden NFL 09
NHL 09
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Top Spin 3
Sports games had a good year this year, but the impressive rise to fame that FIFA Soccer 09 had gave it enough leg to just eke a win away from NHL 09.
Bryan's Take: Bryan was more than willing to give the award to Madden or NHL, which both had great years in terms of gameplay and overall things to do. However, once Bryan gave FIFA Soccer 09 a chance, the realization that this game is not only beautiful but incredibly deep gave Brad the perfect chance to convert him into the FIFA junkie Brad has become.
The Platinum Mokujin (Best Fighting Game)
Soulcalibur IV
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Bleach: Dark Souls
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
The game that improved the most gets the most recognition. Soulcalibur IV rose back from the dead after a horrendous version in III to take the victory from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Brad's Take: Brad can admit that he's far enjoyed Super Smash Bros. Brawl since the day he got his hands on it. In fact, he still plays it to this day. However, like the rest of the competition: nothing really changed with Brawl, which gave Soulcalibur IV the slight notch above in this category.
The Jumpman (Best Platform)
LittleBigPlanet
N+
Mega Man 9
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
With its charming visuals, tactile control and its completely customizable interface, LittleBigPlanet took the Jumpman with its nearly limitless possibilities.
Brad's Take: As much as Brad loves LittleBigPlanet, he had a deep amount of affection for N+ and Banjo: Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. N+ is about the purest and most fun platforming game he's played in years, despite terrible visuals and sound. Some may not even consider Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts a "platformer", which is understandable to an extent. However, he feels it's the most fun he's had of any game on this list.
The Eureka! Award (Best Puzzle)
Braid
Boom Blox
Portal: Still Alive
World of Goo
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Braid is many things to many gamers, but far and away it was the most involving and absorbing of any of the puzzle games released this year.
Bryan's Take: Bryan agrees with Braid getting the win, but despite it being an expansion, he feels Portal: Still Alive should get serious props for its gameplay that, even a year out, still seems fresh and exciting.
Brad's Take: Brad also agrees with Braid getting the win, but still feels love should be showered on World of Goo and Boom Blox.
The Outside of the Box Award (Best Third Person Action Game)
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Rez HD
Aces of the Galaxy
Prince of Persia
No More Heroes
With its breathtaking visuals and excellent puzzles and environment jumping, Prince of Persia takes the win with its different spin on the 3rd person action game.
Brad's Take: Brad can say it: This category was pretty weak. Still, he fought to get Aces of the Galaxy nominated in the very least.
The Vaunted Pixel (Best Arcade-****Game)
Space Invaders Xtreme
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Assault Heroes 2
Castle Crashers
Arkanoid DS
Much like Pac-Man: Championship Edition, Space Invaders Xtreme takes the simple and legendary gameplay of the original and transforms it into a game that is relevant and fun today. Those who play it get easily addicted and will continue to play it until the next retro revival happens.
Bryan's Take: Bryan makes no bones about it: Space Invaders Xtreme is Brad's gay fanboy love game, not his. Bryan's game of choice, clearly, is Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, a game that improved on the highly addictive arcade game from two years ago. He also has much love for Castle Crashers, despite having some obvious bug problems.
The Sword of a Thousand Truths (Best Role-Playing Game)
Fallout 3
Fable 2
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
The World Ends With You
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
No game was as daring or as different as The World Ends With You, with its excellent combat system and collecting mechanics. Because of this, it is our winner of the Best RPG of this year.
Brad's Take: Brad was addicted to two portable games throughout the first half of the year: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer and The World Ends With You. As much as he likes both and agrees with the winner of this category, he has a deep love and respect for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
The Ultimate Supervisor (Best Strategy Game)
Valkyria Chronicles
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
Pixeljunk Monsters
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King
Ninjatown
There were some disappointments (Final Fantasy Tactics A2?), but strategy games had some surprising heavyweights. It should come to no surprise that Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution takes the win with its accessable take on this beloved franchise.
Bryan's Take: Bryan can't exactly disagree with the winner, but he does seem to think that Ninjatown isn't getting the love it should. The humor and fun you get from playing this game can make even the more jaded gamers laugh out loud.
The Artificial Enhancement Award (Best Downloadable Add-On)
Burnout Paradise (Bikes, Day/Night Cycle)
Pixeljunk Monsters (Encore and Trophy Packs)
LittleBigPlanet (Extra Sackboy Outfits and Level Packs)
NBA LIve 09 (NBA Live 365)
Gears of War 2 (The Combustible Map Pack)
Coming as a surprise to literally no one, Burnout Paradise clearly wins this category for keeping a game fresh and relevant throughout the entire year.
Best PSN Game
Wipeout HD
Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Pixeljunk Monsters
Pixeljunk Eden
PSN had some great games this year, but the value and fun you get from Wipeout HD beats out the mini-Ratchet adventure and either of the Pixeljunk games released this year.
Brad's Take: You know what Brad was also into from PSN? Pixeljunk Eden's mix of kalideoscopic visuals, entrancing music and addictive gameplay perfectly melds into a unique platformer like no other.
Best Wiiware
World of Goo
Tetris Party
Mega Man 9
Art **** ORBIENT
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King
Wiiware's six months in existence was surprisingly strong, which is evidenced by the winner of this year's Best Wiiware: World of Goo. With a distinct and beautiful graphical artistry and a unique puzzle system, World of Goo is also one of the best games you can play on Wii, period.
Best XBLA
Braid
Castle Crashers
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
A Kingdom for Keflings
Aces of the Galaxy
Another strong year for XBLA was capped with another must-play favorite to strengthen the cause for downloadable games. This year's winner, Braid, perfectly blends story, control, puzzle solving and artistry to make one of the most compelling games this year.
Bryan's Take: Bryan says he likes Braid, but no amount of some guy crying over his girl can tear him away from the addictive digital carnival that is Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. He also would like to say Brad is a pretentious wuss who wets his bed.
Brad's Take: Brad would like to say that if anything else would have one this, it would have been Castle Crashers, despite the problem with its online multiplayer. And in his rebuttal, Bryan is a troll who lives under a bridge who grunts and moans unintelligently.
Nip-Tuck Special (Best Retro Revival/Remake/Sequel)
Space Invaders Xtreme
Mega Man 9
Galaga Legions
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Tetris Party
This year was the year of retro revivals and what game better personifies that than Mega Man 9. Taking the roots of the Mega Man series and creating a new game while retaining all the charm and characteristics of the original games is a feat that needs to be properly commended.
Father Time's Second Wind
Chrono Trigger
Secret of Mana
Ikaruga
Rez HD
River City Ransom
Chrono Trigger wins, hands down. This is especially surprising, since this game is $40 on the DS, while the others have you pay only $10 to play them.
Best Multiplayer
Gears of War 2
Boom Blox
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Resistance 2
Call of Duty: World at War
Featuring an RPG-like system that rewards you in everything you do, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the most rewarding and addictive of any multiplayer game released today.
Bryan's Take: Let's be honest, both Bryan and Brad could not agree on a winner, so they peacemealed and chose an in-between. Bryan valiantly defended Gears of War 2, citing the excellent Horde Mode and Campaign that is great to play online, while Brad staunchly exclaimed that the competitive multiplayer left a lot to be desired.
Brad's Take: Brad wasn't exactly impressed with Gears of War 2's multiplayer, so he decided to accept Vegas 2 as the winner. However, Brad's true winner is Boom Blox, a game that was fun and easy to understand for everyone who wanted to give the game a shot.
The Sawdust and Mildew Award (Best Sleeper)
Braid
The Club
Ninjatown
N+
Pure
There wasn't a game that captivated a large audience in such a short time like Braid. The unique platforming puzzler charmed audiences with its distinct artistry and challenging puzzles.
Bryan's Take: Bryan definitely agrees Braid is the clear cut winner. He also wants to mention Pure, the ATV racing game Disney published that surprised everyone who played it.
Game That Should Be Downloadable
Monopoly
Culdcept SAGA
Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy
Boom Blox
Wii Music
Monopoly for the 360 - online multiplayer - good graphics = $40??? WTF?
Brad's Take: Seriously, WTF?!