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December 31 2009

Best of 2009
by Buddha

It’s been a very interesting gaming year, to say the least.  Several outstanding titles came out this year and will actually be included in my “Of the Decade” list.  However among those stellar titles have also been some incredible disappointments and downright flops.

I’ve put together a list of some of the best and worst of the year.  I got to go over this list on Episode 14 of our podcast, but if you didn’t get to listen to it, I present it to you now.  Please remember that this is quite obviously a very subjective list.  These are my opinions, and you certainly do not have to agree with me.

We’ll start off with the silly stuff…

Best Humour

I awared this one to Left 4 Dead 2, however both Borderlands and Brutal Legend were very close runner-ups.

Left 4 Dead 2 has some very well written dialog, most notably from Ellis.  As for Borderlands, CL4P-TP is probably one of the funniest additions to a game.  It really was hard to decide which was funnier, however Ellis’ dialog comes during stressful times, and as such, are so much funnier.

Best Cleavage of the Year

Aion‘s character creation options allow you to make gravity-defying boobs.  Boobs that would make Lara Croft’s look like they belong on a shy wallflower.  Runner-ups in this esteemed category belong to Batman: Arkham Asylum’s Harley Quinn and Ivy and Borderlands Siren.

Biggest Fucking Dudes

This one goes to Brick in Borderlands.  When you see him in the back of that bus, he is one hell of an imposing figure.  Sadly, I absolutely hate playing the class, but that’s a whole other story.

Runner-ups in this category go to Champions Online and Aion for allowing you to create absolutely gigantic beasts to play.

Best New Way of Killing Mobs

This one is going to Prototype.  Not only is the game a fuckton of fun to play, but killing mobs has rarely been so goddamn cool.

Runner-up goes to Left 4 Dead 2 for allowing us to melee with a guitar.

Strangest Gaming Moment (in-game as part of the game, not interaction with other players)

Without a doubt, this one goes to Aion for making me fight a stalk of possessed corn.  No runner-ups.  Nothing else came close.

Let’s move onto some more serious categories.

Lore

Best Script

This was a no brainer for me.  Dragon Age: Origins has the most sweeping script I’ve seen in a game in, well, I honestly can’t remember since when.  Due to the manner in which the game was created, wherein the choices you make have very real consequences which lead you down different paths, the script branches out into a multitude of paths.  The beauty of the game is also in the fact that each path is very rewarding and unique.

The writing for Dragon Age: Origins is solid too.  Certainly, there are a few cliches here and there, however that is to be expected in this type of RPG.

Runner-ups in this category are Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend.  Prior to recording Episode 14, I’d not had a chance to play Uncharted 2.  I’d watched all of the behind-the-scenes and had played the multi-player (as well as finished the first game).  I’d based my choice on all of those factors, as well as all the reviews I’d read and opinions of gamers whom I trust.

Since recording the podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to play through much of Uncharted 2, thanks to my lovely wife who bought it for me for Christmas.  I’m very happy to say that I stand by everything I said about the game.

Best New Character

This was a tough one, simply because I was trying to think of it in terms of not just protagonists and antagonists, but also support characters.  Within such an all-encompassing  umbrella, I have to give top spot to Shale from Dragon Age: Origins.  Shale is a fantastically written character full of wit and sarcasm.

Runner-ups in this category were fairly easy to pick.  CL4P-TP from Borderlands and Ellis from Left 4 Dead 2.  I cannot begin to express how happy I became every time I found a new CL4P-TP to repair in Borderlands.

Which leads us to…

Favorite Line

Borderlands.  Hands down.  CL4P-TP’s “nst-nst-nst-nst ooo, check it out” and other such lines were catchy, funny and addictive as all hell.

Runner-up: “You got a plan to go along with that grenade?” - Drake, Uncharted 2

Game Design

Best Gameplay

This one was tough, because I’ve enjoyed the gameplay of many games this year.  Prototype had the most innovative gameplay that felt the most fluid.  I absolutely adored playing the game and everything felt very well coded.

I couldn’t limit the runner-ups to just one or two though… not considering this year’s contenders.  Hat-tips to Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands and Braid.

Best Art Style

This category isn’t about the game that looked the best, necessarily.  It’s about the best art style, and that can only go to one: Borderlands.

Borderlands went through a massive art style change deep into their development cycle.  As many have said, I don’t think the game would have been nearly as popular had they decided to stay with their old style.  The new cell shaded style is edgy and fun.

Runner-up goes to Uncharted 2 for their use of light and seamless gameplay to cinematics.

Best Graphics

Best graphics have to go to Uncharted 2.  By using motion capture for much of what you see in-game, they created something completely natural and damn gorgeous.  My PS3 is hooked up to a 50” 1080i plasma, and I have to say, this game is unbelievably beautiful.  I find that the eyes are a little too dark at times, however that’s the only issue I’ve found with the graphics.

Runner-ups for this category are: Borderlands (it’s just plain sexy), Aion (despite all its flaws, no one can dispute the fact that Aion looks incredible), and Dragon Age: Origins (whether we’re talking about the cinematics or actual in-game play, the game looks great).

Best Voice Acting

Dragon Age: Origins.  Trust me when I say that was not an easy decision to make.  We had very strong contenders this year with the likes of Uncharted 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Left 4 Dead 2.

However Dragon Age: Origins takes top spot in this category.  Despite the enormous amount of lines from all of the characters, you never feel as though you are being taken out of the story.  Each is perfectly cast.

Best Soundtrack

This was probably the easiest choice I had to make for this feature. Torchlight‘s soundtrack makes me feel loved again.  It’s that simple.  Matt Uelman, who scored Diablo II’s soundtrack, takes us back to that time with this absolutely gorgeous soundtrack.

Runner-ups: Borderlands (the entire soundtrack rocks, however that first blast of “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” is absolute perfection), and Dragon Age: Origins (for its sweeping score that is as epic as the game).

Genres

Best Puzzle/Strategy

In terms of puzzle and strategy games, I have to say that most of my time playing these types of games was on the iPhone this year.  The iPhone is ideally suited to the genre and many developers are picking up on that.

At the top of my list for the year is Azkend.  This game took a matching tiles concept, made it more interesting by tossing in various new mechanics, and then wrapped it into an intriguing story.

My runner-up in this category goes to Gyromancer. A partnership between Square Enix and Popcap was bound to create something cool.  Still not as amazing as Puzzle Quest, but close.

Best Action/Adventure

This was an interesting choice for me.  I had not played Uncharted 2 at the time of making my decision (for the podcast), and knew that I’d get a load of people bitching because of that.  Luckily, I’m the kind of bastard who could give a rat’s ass.  I’d done my homework, and as I got to say on Episode 15, I stand by every choice I made regarding this absolutely amazing game.

I have been loving every moment of this sequel, and am impressed with the depth of the story, the characters and to top it all off, it is just plain fucking fun.

Runner-up: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Best FPS

Despite an absolutely terrible ending, Borderlands still reigns supreme in this category because of everything else which makes this game a fuckton of fun to play.  Let’s ignore the stylish graphics and kick-ass soundtrack for a moment and consider how well the game plays.  The controls are great, the RPG elements add a lot to the game without taking away from the FPS aspect, and the multiplayer (though hindered by GameSpy) is a lot of fun.

Sure, it’s not without its faults, and we’ve covered those extensively on prior podcast episodes, however I still maintain that it was the best FPS to come out this year… maybe even the last couple years.

Runner-up: Modern Warfare 2

Best RPG

My hardest decision regarding this category was not whether Dragon Age: Origins was the best RPG of 2009, but rather if it was also best RPG of the decade.  There simply was no doubt in my mind that it was the best RPG of the year.  Not only was it the best, however it was so much better than any other competitor that I never had to give it a second thought.

That being said however, the runner-up in this category certainly is no slouch.  When comparing a Ferrari and Honda, there is absolutely no comparison in terms of which is better… however that doesn’t take away from how great Hondas are.  (Why am I using car analogies?)

Anyway… runner-up goes to the little game that could; Torchlight.  If you’re a regular listener to our podcast, you will have heard all three of us waxing poetic over this gem.  It’s a great game and certainly deserving of a runner-up award.

Best MMO

Had you asked me early on in the year for a prediction on who would win this category, I would have been wrong.  Not just a little wrong.  I would have been a embarrassingly wrong. Having played through several MMOs this year however (although admittedly some were only demos), my choice as best MMO is actually Champions Online.

I had to give it a couple tries before the gameplay clicked for me, though once it did, I was hooked and absolutely loved it.

Best Portable Game

There were some interesting portable games this year, however being a huge Grand Theft Auto fan, I definitely have to give the nod to GTA: Chinatown Wars.  This version is fantastic fun that you can take with you wherever you go.

As for a runner-up, I have to give that to The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.  It takes everything that made Phantom Hourglass great, adds more fun game mechanics and allows us to play with Zelda for the first time.

Best New IP

This was a tough choice, and so I decided to wimp out and award this category to two games; Borderlands and Torchlight.  In their own fashion, they are each absolutely great new IPs and I cannot wait to see more from both.

Runner-up: Brutal Legend

Overall

Biggest Surprise

Torchlight flew right under my radar this year.  I don’t know how I managed to miss all the news about it, but somehow I did.  That said though, once I started reading up on it, I just couldn’t wait to try it out.  As luck would have it, I was given a review copy to play before release and suffice it to say, I was floored.

Torchlight makes me happy.  I mean seriously, how many games can you say that about.  From the soundtrack to the gameplay to the surprisingly great graphics, the game is full of win.

Biggest Disappointment

What should have been best MMO of the year is instead the biggest disappointment of the year.  Thanks for the heartache, Aion.  Not even taking into account the clusterfuck launch, the game itself fails on so many levels.  That’s not to say that there are not positive aspects to the game, however those are quickly cast aside by the frustrations of dealing with fucked up game mechanics, spam and bot infestations and a leveling system that makes you want to kick yourself in the balls to snap out of the mind-numbingly boring grind.

I have to give the runner-up to the Wii’s Vitality Sensor... simply… because.  I mean seriously…

Game of the Year

Until I finished the Landsmeet, I was not certain if Dragon Age: Origins would be my pick as game of the year.  I mean, I’d been having an absolutely incredible time playing the game, however I still felt as though there may be a chance of something else giving it a run for its money.

Then I finished the Landsmeet.  And I went after the arch-demon.  I sat on the edge of my seat, eyes glued to the monitor watching absolutely phenomenal cut-scenes, and had to very strategically finish the game.

Was that enough to make this game of the year?

Possibly.

The ending was among one of the very best I have ever experienced.  Taking the noble route, I watched my character slay the arch-demon in a cut-scene that made me actually inhale and hold my breath.

Was that enough to make this game of the year?

Most likely.

However if you really want to know what removed all doubt from my mind, it is that immediately upon finishing the game, I created a new character and began playing it again.

Runner-ups go to Uncharted 2 and Torchlight, both absolutely incredible games in their own right.

2010

Most anticipated games of 2010.

If you’ve listened to the podcast, this should come as little surprise.  It’s a hell of a hat-tip to Bioware, as my most anticipated game of 2010 is Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Runner-ups go to Star Trek Online (another game that has me foaming at the mouth) and Bioshock 2.

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