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**MisterBubbles** · 08-01-2010, 09:31

GOTY
1.Uncharted 2
2.Demon's Souls
3.Batman AA

Most Disappointing
1.COD-MW2

Your under-the-radar recommendations
Half Minute Hero
Holy invasion of Privacy
MHFU

**toythatkills** · 08-01-2010, 09:33

GOTY:
#1 Trials HD
#2 Aesop's Garden (360 Indie)
#3 Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke

Most Disappointing:
#1 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
#2 Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
#3 Scribblenauts

Not a great year for the DS, I guess!

**Geoff D** · 08-01-2010, 09:39

GOTY:
#1 Street Fighter IV
#2 New Super Mario Bros - Wii
#3 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - DS

**Daragon** · 08-01-2010, 09:42

GOTY:

1. Assassin's Creed II
2. Dissidia: Final Fantasy
3. Borderlands

MOST DISAPPOINTING:

1. Zelda: Spirit Tracks
2. New Super Mario Bros Wii
3. Can't think up a 3rd

DISCLAIMER: Most disappointing games are exactly that, I don't think of them as ****, just that they fell short of their potential.

**egparadigm** · 08-01-2010, 09:46

I'm just going to start by saying how many new games I actually played last year: 10 (out of 42 games played or completed) + 2 new games which I started this side of the new year.

Best:

[Firefox] Host Master & The Conquest of Humour
[360] GTA IV: The Lost and Damned
[360] Batman: Arkham Asylum

My first place nomination will probably be alone in this thread, but this game really reminded me of the halcyon days of LucasArts adventures. It had it all: pixelart, jokes, scrolling text AND absurd puzzles. This game outshone Tales of Monkey Island with ease.

Disappointments:

[PC] Tales of Monkey Island Episodes 1 & 2 (haven't completed the others yet). It simply wasn't funny enough.
[360] GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony. Nowhere near as good as L&D, although the base jumping was fun.

Recommended:

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Let's Tap
GTA: Chinatown Wars
Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Bonsai Barber
Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias

C' · 08-01-2010, 09:46

GOTY
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PlayStation 3)
One of the most finely crafted single player experiences I’ve played. Yes it looks fantastic, it has a cast of genuinely likeable characters with some of the very finest VA work but I simply choose it as it was the most fun I had with a game all year. A true rollercoaster of a game with so many standout moments. Too many to list here and I don’t want to spoil some of the most memorable sections for anyone who hasn’t played it yet but I will say that the hour or so of game time from Path of Light is absolutely stunning which perfectly demonstrates how perfect this game gets the mix of environment traversal, gunplay and exhilarating setpieces.

2. Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3/PC/Xbox360)
Capcom does it again. The sheer longevity of this game that I can still play it almost 12 months on and still find it as competitive and enjoyable as on day one is why it gets a hearty recommendation. It’s not perfect. The Focus Attack is probably not as well-developed as other mechanics employed in previous Capcom fighters and the balance is slightly off at the very top and bottom of the tier list (partly down to some shocking disparity in quality of different characters’ Ultra Combos). Despite its flaws, an invite from friends to play a few matches always turns into the rest of the evening lost as I become engrossed in online battles. The fact that Super Street Fighter IV is one of my most anticipated games for 2010 is a compliment to the quality of the base game it is developing on and I wouldn’t be surprised if it shows up in my 2010 GOTY list.

3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
For all the criticisms I’ve levelled at the Wii over the years it was so refreshing to play a game that feels as pure as this. I’ve still not played through to the end yet but have continually been impressed with the quality of the level design and it’s good to play a proper challenging platform game. Some of the ingenuity in the level design is up there with Yoshi’s Island in terms of creativeness in my opinion in terms of how they keep surprising with each passing stage.

Most Disappointing
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time – Re-Shelled (PlayStation 3/Xbox360)
I was so psyched for this remake. It was never the best scrolling fighter ever but the original game’s combination of vibrant visuals, awesome soundtrack and chaotic 4 player gameplay meant I always had fond recollections of the original. Ubisoft basically removed all of that and left one of the most uninspiring XBLA/PSN games I’ve had the misfortune to play. Visually, it seems like the artists were unsure whether to replicate the colourful stylings of the 90s cartoon or switch to the darker style and instead has some strange hybrid that just looks bland. The switch to a true 3D play area makes the combat unnecessarily fiddly and clumsy (the stage one boss is awful in comparison to the original game) and what they did to the soundtrack is a crime against gaming

2. Gran Turismo (PSP)
A game that had clearly gone through development hell. It looked nice for a portable game but the removal of the career modes that make Gran Turismo games left me wondering what the point of this game was.

3. Resident Evil 5 (PlayStation 3/PC/Xbox360)
I don’t know what Capcom was thinking with this but it seems that one of my favourite game series is dead to me now. Horrible controls and the ridiculous decision to force you to play alongside a stupid AI partner made playing the game a complete chore. I didn’t like the direction Resident Evil 4 took the series but I could at least appreciate there was a good game there. 5 was just poor in almost every respect. I pray that the forthcoming Resident Evil Portable for PSP goes back to the series’ roots but not hopeful.

Your under the radar recommendations
Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP)
inFamous (PlayStation 3)
Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5 (Xbox360)

**Atticus** · 08-01-2010, 09:55

GOTY
1. Demon's Souls
2. Death Smiles
3. Mushihimesama Futari 1.5

Bayonetta might have made the list somewhere but I haven't finished it yet.

**nakamura** · 08-01-2010, 10:01

GOTY:
#1 Persona 4. Magnificent J-RPG in a very stale genre that hasn't produced any really brilliant titles on the next generation. Brilliantly scripted, great battle system refined perfectly from P3, a superb OST combined with lifestyle elements combine to make possibly the best J-RPG of the last generation.

#2 Street Fighter 4
After my initial disappointment, well it does feel a bit SF EX! I grew to love this game and on some level it reignited my passion for figthing games and just proved to me current gen titles are not all boring. The feel is great, the combos are great, the camera cuts for ultras add such a simple but effective layer or atmosphere you cannot beat it. Roll on Super.

#3 Fifa 2010
Despite my constant bitching about it lately I still believe its a magnificent game, I just perhaps need a PS3 to enjoy it more, or certainly the pad. It just simulates football brilliantly, certainly the best football game ever made though perhaps not always the most fun. I wasn't a fan of Fifa 09, thought it was ok but EA did improve it hugely so thats why its here.

Most Disappointing:
#1 PES 2010
The game I oh so wanted to love. It looks great, love the feel of PES, hate the animation, hate the dribbling. I think PES 2011 will be much better though. Lets hope. I want to beat Hoolak badly!

#2 Forza 3
While I can see why people enjoy it, I find it dull and I cannot believe in 2009 we still only have 8 cars in a race. Whats the point? Might as well time trial.

#3 Resident Evil 5
Got to chapter 3-2, struggling like mad to find the desire to plod on. No atmosphere, boring plot, dull characters. It simple lacks all the OTT nonsense of Resi 4. Edge summed up Resi 4, it celebrated being a game. Resi 5 wants to be more real, more edgy, more GoW. Its neither. Its dull.

**Skull Commander** · 08-01-2010, 10:06

GOTY:
#1 Street Fighter IV (360)- The daddy of all games this year. It's been out for 10 months already and it still isn't dull. Not one of your end of the year cram ins, SFIV has stamina. Superb online play, great new characters and single handedly spearheaded a fighter revival. Familiar yet new, this is what a modern update should be. No game has came close this year in any shape or form for topping the time I have played this online. Not only the best game this year, but one of the finest games of the decade.

#2 Tekken 6 (360)- King of the iron fist arrived back in style. With the addition of the online patch this game was elevated from very good to excellent. More characters, more customisation, and everything that made Tekken 5 good was in here plus more. Overlooked by some, but a brilliant entry into the series.

#3 Borderlands (360)- A real surprise package for me. Came out of nowhere and captivated me. Lovely style, great atmosphere and done something a bit different from the majority of other games this year. If you haven't played it already, then just do it!

Most Disappointing:
#1 Call of Duty MW2 (360)- not a bad game, but lacking single player thrills, and the online is broken beyond belief. The worst entry to the series since COD3

#2 Resident Evil 5 (360)- Take one of the finest games of the decade. Subtract the interesting setting, shoehorn in some unnecessary co-op and what you are left with is a bad cover version of Resident Evil 4. Capcom dropped the ball big time on this one.

#3 Outrun Online Arcade (360)- A class game, but don't try and charge me 800 points for a barebones version of what appeared last gen. An embarrassment.

Your under-the-radar recommendations:

Battle Fantasia (360) - Lovely fighter that got swept aside in Street Fighter fever. Even I am guilty of not giving this the attention it deserves

Guitar Hero:Greatest Hits (360) - Many thought Guitar Hero 5 was the best G/H title last year but they were wrong. This game had the finest tracklist in ANY music game ever, and superb expert charting. Lovely double bass drumming and the pick of the best tracks of the series. Overlooked as a cheap cash in, but a great game.

Guitar Hero:Metallica (360) - Appreciated by fans of Metallica, but there was plenty here for the hardcore rhythm gamer, even if they weren't the biggest fans of the metal superstars (i.e. me!). The introduction of the double bass pedal for drums with the harder difficulty, and a great line up of songs. Unfairly swept aside with Beatles fever it's maybe not the best experience out of the two, but it's by far the better game.

**Matt** · 08-01-2010, 10:06

GOTY, in no order:

Kill Zone 2 (PS3)
Sure the 360 crowd will dismiss this, because it wasn't on their love machine, but this is a great game. Best console graphics tech out there (Uncharted 2 being very close, but hugely different). The feeling of BEING in the battle is unsurpassed. The story and characters came in from criticism from those who wanted to hate the game, but I had no issues (oh no, soldiers swearing while killing each other! It's like the South Park movie all over again). Also a GREAT ending.

I've only played it through once and dipped into it a few times since, I plan on replaying when I get the time / no other games distracting me.

Multiplayer was great. Again, some people had issues with the controls, but it's a weighty game, not a "twitch" title like the CoDs. It was going for something different. Oh no, no Auto Aim, it must be crap!! There are dozens of cloned FPS titles out there, I enjoyed playing something that had the balls to be it's own thing.

Shadow Complex (360)
Complete surprise for me. The trailers looked, in my eyes, quite rubbish - the frame rate didn't help the 3D animation, for example. Bought it when the forum went mad saying how amazing it was, and promptly lost a week or so in it.

Brilliant game, I wanted to hunt down all the secrets and get everything I could. I was genuinely sad when it ended. I'd hoped to see a new level released by now.

As usual with Live Arcade / PSN releases, I tried pimping this to my friends, but they're more interested in the latest Big Boxed Title that costs 5 times as much and offers only a fraction of the greatness of Shadow Complex. Everyone should give this a try

Rock Band 2 (multi)
I see RB as a platform, so you can count any other RB related titles in here as well

Sure, I got into the whole Guitar Game stuff late, having previously tried them but not enjoyed them. For some reason, this time they stuck, and I've spent more time on this than anything else.

And before anyone argues, RB IS better than Guitar Hero. So there

MOST DISAPPOINTING:

CoD6: MW2: Whatever New Brand Bobby Can Invent
I imagine this will make some peoples GOTY, but I expect to see it here for a few as well.

Where to start?

The single player story was ****. ****. Once again, a video game developer makes a very good game with a semi-OK narrative (MW1), it sells like hot cakes, they believe they are fantastic and subsequently throw tonnes of **** in the sequel and think they're making a "deep, complex and compelling" story. See Halo 3 and Gears Of War 2.

It only got compelling when the

->Open Spoiler<-

. At least that's what I think happened. It's not usual for me to ask for more Exposition, but there you go.

Of course, this makes absolutely no ****ing sense at all. How the **** could they

->Open Spoiler<-

. You know you have trouble when Red Dawn is more believable,

Oh, and the multiplayer. Don't get me started! Whatever school of video game design IW came from, they need to return their Certificates. Rewarding the best players in a game with automatic killing machines is, frankly, Stupid.

Add to that the usual latency issues (you know, shooting a whole clip in someone's back, but the killcam shows you were actually just stood behind the guy, looking salaciously at his arse), poor testing (Akimbo shotties, I guess no-one in QA thought to try out that combo), and turning off the ability to have party chat (because that's stopped cheating in the game).... well....

I wanted to like this game. I was in line early morning to pick it up.

I know the game isn't that bad, but it's disappointing to me. It could be something amazing. The graphics are pretty good, the framerate is excellent, and the control is amazing. For a Twitch FPS, it's the best control on a console.

Yet I can't recall the last time a game made me so ****ing angry. I don't get angry, it's not in my nature, but this game makes me watch to smash things. So I no longer play it.

I have kep it though, as I've heard Spec Ops is great and want to check that out sometime.

Probably more ranting to come later!!

**Flabio** · 08-01-2010, 10:19

GOTY:

#1: Assassins Creed 2
#2: Uncharted 2
#3: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Most Disappointing:

#1: Scribblenauts
#2: Dragon Age: Origins
#3: FEAR 2

Under the Radar:

Overlord 2, WET.

**abigsmurf** · 08-01-2010, 10:26

1:Persona 4
2: Batman AA
3: SMT Devil Survivor

Most dissapointing
1: Scribblenauts
2: RE5
3: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (after all the hype I couldn't get into it at all)

Under the radar recommendations:

Persona 4. Well liked by those who've played it but it's come out so late in the PS2's life that most people don't know it exists.

**112** · 08-01-2010, 10:44

GOTY

1. Uncharted 2 - Promised to be good, delivered in spades, does so much right, it felt like you were a part of the game itself! One word - INCREDI-BELIVABLE........

2. Demon Souls - lost my whole Christmas to the game, well nearly....... So frustrating, but so rewarding.........

3. Batman Arkham Asylum - A dream to play, every fan will orgasm every time they play it!

Most Dissapointing

1. Resident Evil 5 - IMHO NOT a Resident Evil Game!

2. Ghostbusters on the DS - it looked ok, sounded like it was going to bea unique hand held experience, but I felt robbed, when playing it.

3. Tekken 6 - Souless Tekken game, I just didnt get that 'Joy-Joy' feeling playing it, and its SO SLOW......... loading wise.

4. Silent Hill Homecoming - Like the above Souless and lost its way whilst try to get home......... (pun intended).

Recommended:

Kill Zone 2 - I don't like FPS shooters, as i get motion sickness, plus i like to see my character interact with the environments. However, this is the first FPS ive played full on since Golden Eye - truly something special, and i even completed it, which for a FPS game is testiment of how immersive and entertaining the game is!

Wipout HD/Fury - Ive not played Wipeout since the demo you got with the PSX at launch. Visions of Fzero clone came to mind, but this game is in a class of its own, absolutely love it!

Sacred 2 - not a bad game at all, suprising infact, it has such an indepth menu system, that you could lose hours tweaking things.

Infamous - was compared to prototype when it came out, unfairly so, not a bad platform, adventure game in its own right.

112

**eastyy** · 08-01-2010, 10:50

1.Death smiles Awesome game i thought i just kept coming back
2.borderlands there has been very few Games i completed then picked up and played again
3.demon souls....odd this cos i couldnt stop playing was addictive...yet not sure why

most disapointing
1.dragons age...i dunno just didnt click with me
2.Resil 5 ....resi evil 4 with better graphics...and coop...but i dunno felt like they rushed like for example the treasure collecting felt less polished
3.prototype...now i did enjoy this alot but still felt disapointed about the lack of polish

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