Well I finally got round to it, I know it's late but I have limited time and money. So first off a few disclaimers, one game which didn't make it onto this list but almost did, Left 4 Dead 2, my 11th favourite game of 2009. Also games that didn't make it on because I never got round to playing them, Batman Arkham Asylum (it looks awesome but I never picked it up) and Halo 3: ODST, I have acutally started playing that so if I really like it I may correct this blog. So without further ado here is the list. Let's start things with a surprising entry:
10. The Sims 3
Say what you will about the Sims series but there is not much in gaming I love more than just creating stuff. I spent a full weekend just playing this game when I bought it, I made myself of course, and after many hours of monitoring my toilet habits I became a composer of film soundtracks. Also I started going out with a girl because her name was Zelda. But that isn't why this game is on the list, I liked the previous sims alot but this was just a marked improvement, little perks with life points (like the steel bladder, which means your sims never use the toilet) made the game so much more fun. I also really enjoyed the life traits you could give your sim, it has never been easy to really make you. These things, and many others, made the Sims 3 the 10th best game of 2009.
9. Resident Evil 5
"CHRIS", "SHEVA", "CHRIS", "COME ON", "ROGER", "SHEVA", "CHRIS". When I played through Resident Evil 5 those few lines were heard a lot, I am a big fan of co-op gaming, and half the fun is griefing your friend. When I found out that when you spam a certain button your character shouts at the other, brilliant, many hours were spent of me and my friend shouting at each other. Other highlights included me provoking alligators on purpose and running of so that they would attack her. Also there was the time I stole her controller when she left to get a drink and then took all of her ammo and made sure every gun in her inventory was empty, she didn't realise until we got to the next fight and every gun she pulled out was empty. A favourite moment of hers was watching me getting chased by a chainsaw man and when I left her on a platform (because I realised I could stop it halfway meaning she could go nowhere) but in doing this I inadvertently set off a horde which viciously attacked me whilst my friend laughed from safety. Basically this game was pure fun, the gameplay was solid, the story was terrible but never mind. Some moments were just plain stupid, surviving the stealthy Wesker for 7 minutes is pretty easy when he shouts "FOUND YOU" everytime he comes within 10 square metres of you and even easier when you realise that if you walk slowly infront of him he will never catch up with you. Resident Evil 5 is not teh best game every but its emphasis on pure co-operative fun has earned it a place in my heart and at number 9.
8. The Beatles Rockband
Being a fan of the Beatles, especially there sublime later work, it's not really surprising that I liked this game. However it is surprising that it worked its way into my top 10. I was expecting a good game when I played this but I got a fantastic one. The effort that went into this game is astonishing, the visuals are superb, the music is fun to play and the whole package is just the finest tribute to the worlds most influential band you could ever imagine. The way the game was set out was just great, it really felt like you were living the Beatles history and the song list was varied and solid, a few songs were missing and a few were on there I wouldn't have wanted but nevermind. I think the fact that I played through the entire career mode in one sitting shows how much I loved this game. A deserving number 8 indeed.
7. Borderlands
Borderlands baby! This game is just pure fun, definately the funnest game I have played all year. Me and a friend completed the entire game in two super long sittings, the first one being an all nighter. I also completed the DLC Zombie Island with the same friend today in a few hours, which was also super fun. This game is no masterpiece but the level system and RPG skill trees keep it consantly rewarding and compelling. The quests are mostly really fun, the look of the game is really cool and the childish dirty jokes are a constant source of amusement. It also satisfied my loot obsession, the millions of guns were just fun to collect and really fun to shoot. This game does pure shooting action really well, the mechanics don't really hold up that well when taken away from the RPG elements (Mad Moxxi ahem) but when it ocmes down to it running around with shotguns with scopes on that corrode peoples faces is just awesome. The best co-op game I have played in a long time!
6. Killzone 2
I am actually surprised that this game only made my number 6 because it really is astonishing. The best shooting I have played for a long time, the gameplay is just really fantastic. The campaign is superb with brutal firefights and jaw dropping set pieces in beautifully crafted yet fantastically bleak environments. Oh yeah and it is also the best online game of the year, the competitive multiplayer is nothing short of phenomenal. However the story was flat out lame and pretty much non-existent. The one point it tried to be emotional or make you interested in the characters just didn't work at all due to a niggling issue that I cannot explain without spoilers. If you want to know what I am talking about PM me. Killzone 2 could have been a much better game with a story but it is still the 6th best game of the year, also the rocket room sucks!
5. inFamous
inFamous was superb game. The story was actually really good, the moral choices were fun and the gameplay was just awesome. The constant flow of new powers kept the game compelling throughout and the great mission design and free roaming gameplay where you could jus climb up any building you see is just awesome. This game also had a great difficulty to it which made you feel super powerful whilst never making you feel overpowered. Everything in inFamous just worked for me, the comic book ****cut-scenes were really well done as well, it's just a shame that the game was just visually speaking... bad. Although saying that the lighting effects and the animations (on Cole not the super bouncy pedestrians) were superb.
4. Ratchet and Clank: Clock Blockers
I don't care what the box says, the original name was a better name.
Clock Blockers was really awesome, the other PS3 Ratchet games were good fun but never really managed to be up there with the other PS3 exclusives, this game remedied that. It has awesome platforming, a gigglingly great sense of humour, beautiful graphics and stellar gameplay with tight controls. The story was also good, which surprised me because Tools of Destructions attempt at trying to do an epic story fell a bit flat. Clock Blockers is one of those few games which can keep you giggling and smiling the whole way, also it was great to see Clank take centre stage in my opinion. The Clank levels were honestly the best levels, the time puzzles were mindbendingly awesome and the only problem was that there wasn't enough of them. If they do Ratchet again, which they better do, it needs more Clank!
3. Assassin's Creed 2
Now I loved the original but Assassin's Creed 2 has made it almost unplayable. The sequel just managed to improve every aspect (except for the core story) and ended up as a great action game. The levels are varied, well paced and well structured and exploring the city is just as fun as ever. Ezio is the best new character of the year and his large ammount of tricks and considerable arsenal makes him so fun to play as. Playing with four weapons in Assassin's Creed 1 was fun and all but hitting a man in the junk with a sledgehammer and then slitting somebodies throat with a random peasants rake is just awesome. Assassin's Creed 2 is a game that many people may have missed out on due to there misgivings with the original, those people made a grave error, Assassin's Creed 2 is definately the third best game of the year!
2. Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age may actually be the perfect RPG (well besides visuals). The gameplay is superb, the story is phenomenal, the depth is... really deep and the dialogue options and customisable narrative that can change in accordance with every little choice you make, even if it is just not talking to a companion that much. As much fun as inFamous' morality system was the dialogue system in Dragon Age was far superior. It didn't feel like I have to be good or I have to be bad and it wasn't like this is, good this is bad it let you make the decisions you would actually make without limiting your options to two categories and no choice was ever the right one, you just had to weigh up the consequences and see if it is worth it. Dragon Age really blew me away, it was very close to getting the number one spot.
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The best game of the year, astounding gameplay, amazing graphics, the best set pieces and an addictive online component. Uncharted 2 has it all, I would tell you about how good it is but I would rather just go and play it.
It's really, really good.
It's the game of the year!
