Your GOTY 2009.

[Soi]

GOTY

1) MW2 (not left my 360 in a couple of months, and I’ve not even loaded up Spec Ops or the single player once)
2) SFIV
3) ODST

Most Disappointing:

Nothing really. This was a year, where pretty much every game I bought, I liked.

Under the Radar:

Avatar Golf (XBLA Indie game)

[Wools]

Games of the Year:

#1 - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Who would of thought that a superhero game made by an unknown developer and published by Eidos would be a contender for game of the year? I had no interest in this, classing it under all those other superhero games where the player is thrown into a square room and then pummelled with enemies, but Rocksteady have made the most atmospheric and well paced game I have played in years.

From the realisation that you're no longer hiding, you're hunting instead, the discovery of the botanical gardens, Scarecrow playing with your mind and the endless back and forth's between Batman & the Joker, it's the game of the year, bar none.

#2 - Assassins Creed 2
The first game was beautiful, had a fresh and interesting new world not yet explored in Videogames and a fantastic counter based combat model. Unfortunately the game was barren and devoid of any interests bar running around on rooftops. Assassins Creed 2 addresses all the problems of the original and then expands in almost all areas. The lead in the game is no longer an emotionless assassin but a funny and warm character that the player can invest in with far greater emotion that pulls you through his journey. The cities are far more interactive and filled with people that bring just enough life, character and colour to them. Whilst the missions are far less tricky to accomplish than the original, they now open up play styles and allow for far more freedom to assassinate targets and complete missions.

There's still some flaws to Assassins Creed 2 but by expanding the cities, filling them with far more detail, simplifying the rules for targets and adding an engaging character with a story that drives you through the game, Ubisoft Montreal have righted the wrongs of its predecessor.

#3 - Noby Noby Boy
The decision to vote Noby Noby Boy as one of my games of the year was originally a decisive one but after some thought, it was incredibly easy to class it amongst some of the greats of the year. Noby Noby Boy is more of an experience than a game you sit down to log time with. It's the most unique, abstract, mind expanding and downright insane videogames of the year. Let Noby guide you through his Squirrel and Parrot coloured world so Girls voyage out of the solar system can finally be completed.

Most Disappointing (fell short of expectation/hype):

#1 - Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 4 is still the blueprint for action with some of the most memorable and awe inspiring set pieces committed to a videogame. Resident Evil 5 took everything that third person shooters now inherit from its predecessor, but left all the originality and character at the door. Its lack of quality is not because of the shadow it has to stand in but because it's just so ordinary and by the numbers.

#2 - Halo 3: ODST
I could not tell whether I liked this game or not. On one hand it's just as polished as Halo 3 albeit through different environments, has a stunning soundtrack and includes some sublime set pieces. However one cannot play ODST without feeling that the unique premise has been squandered and is not as exciting as it should be. Halo was unique by including truly massive battlefields and filling them with AI that knows what they're doing. Halo ODST was pitched as a slow paced and more tense game than Halo, but after completion, it felt like an aimless clone of Halo dashed with brilliance from time to time. The dark and neon lit world does not add atmosphere, it merely adds time from way point to way point, whilst the narrative logs aren't gripping enough to seek out or to take time listening to. Halo ODST is an interesting companion piece to the Halo series but is not successful in what it sets out to do.

#3 - Killzone 2
I was originally letting Modern Warfare 2 slot into third place as it was not improving its formula, but after being reminded of it, I decided another game deserves this accolade far more than Infinity Wards Latest.

Killzone 2 is praised for its visuals, audio and decidedly different take on First Person Shooters, but its lamentable story, imprecise controls, dull level design and anarchic single player campaign is far more the decisive factor for me. Despite the real issues with Modern Warfare 2 in regards to AI and scripting, it made Killzone 2 look old and forgettable barely a year after Guerrilla released it.

Despite the stunning Art direction that made me buy a PS3 for it, I could not be more disappointed with the final game.

Your under-the-radar recommendations:

#1 - A Boy & His Blob
If Braid was completely innocent. Beautiful art melded with an adorable story, a game that really has not yet received the acclaim it deserves.

[Malc]

GOTY:

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2. Trials HD
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Most disappointing:

1. Resident Evil 5
2. Halo: ODST
3. Forza 3

[FreelancePolice]

GOTY:

#1 Batman: Arkham Asylum
For all the talk of 'being Batman' Rocksteady absolutely nailed it. From the predator stealth sections to the crowd control combat system. Every mechanic was polished to a PVC sheen, even the collectables were fun to hunt for and the fan service was present in spades. There was no need to include a tacked on Multiplayer experience as the single player was so solid, even the challenge rooms offered a reason to keep playing.

Arkham was incredibly realised and provided an excellent backdrop for taking on some of Batman's most famous foes. Speaking of which, it's rare that voice acting performances are mentioned in gaming but Mark Hamill's performance is so memorable that it deserves highlighting.

A well designed, highly polished and fun superhero licensed game. Who'd of thought it!? The anti-Superman


#2 Left 4 Dead 2

This was a hard decision to make. While I loved this to bits, in hindsight I felt it didn't quite do enough to beat batman.

What it did do was return to the l4d world with a highly polished sequal. The survivor improvements made being a survivor fun again. Every weapon spawn offered up decisions to be made which would affect your tactics for the next map.

The new infected reduced the effectiveness of the Jesus closet and gave vs mode a refreshing lift. It threw away all those muscle memory reactions built up from the first giving everyone that 'oh god' feeling when it all went to hell in a handbasket.

My fears about pc dlc pricing are still there but I'm hopeful and confident I'll still be playing well into 2010.

#3 Street Fighter IV

My earliest memory of SF was watching my friend's brother pulling off the dragon punch and spinning piledriver with ease. My friend and I would then desperately try and recreate these amazing superhuman gaming feats, usually failing miserably.

Fast forward to 2009 and I'm sat down preparing to play capcom's SF revival entry. Despite the loss of the parry system, SF4 offered a multilayered combat system with as much depth as you cared to uncover. Mastering one technique only served to reveal another begging to be attempted.

My character of choice was Balrog, a charge character, simply because I wanted to master a charge character. While I can't say I completely succeeded, I can do well enough to enjoy the meat of any fighting game; player v player.

SF4s excellent net code was only overshadowed by the early connection problems. Playing someone online was just as satisfying as playing shoulder to shoulder (perhaps not quite as much banter though..) and coming up against my 30th ken in a row was still enjoyable.

The striking visual style was the icing on a delicious fighting cake. With Super SF4 arriving soon I'm sure I'll be writing about that in 12 months time, Indestructable indeed...

Most Disappointing (fell short of expectation/hype):
#1 Ghostbusters

Some excellent quotes and enjoyable moments were slimed by tedious and plodding gameplay.


Honourable mentions:
plants vs zombies
Trials HD
Shadow Complex
New super mario bros Wii
Your under-the-radar recommendations:
Red Faction Guerilla

Finally a RF game whose gameplay lived up to the clever tech. Multiplayer was a fun and polished experience with all the usual level and perk trimmings.

Hopefully any sequal will clean up on anyone's reservations on the story and variety. Get your ass to Mars!

[ridgeracer]

GOTY 2009:

1. COD:MW2 (its got lots of flaws but my pure love for COD pushes all aside!)
2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Cant get enough mario - and feel to me a lot like SMB on the SNES)
3. Unchartered 2 (I enjoyed it while it lasted)

Under the radar:

Shadow Complex (Was hooked from the start and one of the best games of the year in terms of 'fun' and 'enjoyment' - felt like I was playing a PS1 game but in a good way - memories! haha)

Tekken 6 (I am a big Tekken fan but Since Tekken Tag I got bored so when I played this I felt the series was back - even went and bought another arcade machine to chuck a 360 in for this and Death Smiles

Games I should of played in 2009 but didn't:

Batman: AA
Trials HD

[parkinho]

GOTY:
#1 Muramasa: The Demon Blade [Wii]
#2 Monster Hunter Freedom Unite [PSP]
#3 Shadow Complex [XBLA]

Most Disappointing (fell short of expectation/hype):
#1 Street Fighter IV [360]
#2 MadWorld [Wii]
#3

Your under-the-radar recommendations:
Metroid Prime Trilogy [Wii] - easily the best piece of software to be released this year but as it is just a compilation of older games I will not be including it in my GOTY list.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii [Wii] - not played enough of it to include, but could quite easily take one of the top 3 slots by the time I have finished it.

Been a decent year overall. MHFU has really grabbed me and may well turn out to be my favourite of the lot if it holds up over an extended period.

[ETC]

GOTY:
#1 Uncharted 2 (PS3) - nearly perfect
#2 Peggle (XBLA) - addictive as crack
#3 Brutal Legend (PS3) - ok its not great but i loves the metal and ozzy!

Most Disappointing (fell short of expectation/hype):
#1 Demons Souls (PS3) - I just dont get it, 8 hours the same level, maybe im just rubbish at it
#2 Resident Evil 5 (PS3) - anemic update of 4 and a grind to finish
#3 Guitar Hero 5 (PS3) - Crap, just crap

Your under-the-radar recommendations:
Wipeout HD Fury - I dont do racers but picked this up in Game one day for twenty quid, took me back to the wow feeling i had playing the first in 1995

Tales Of Vesperia - One of a tiny number of RPGs i have bothered finishing just sublime

[dotoko]

GOTY:
#1 Killzone 2: Solid throughout with graphics that set a new benchmark and an online mode that is robust, reliable and enjoyable.
#2 Uncharted 2: No game ever had production values this high.
#3 Beatles: Rock Band: In my opinion the direction this genre should be heading in...

Most Disappointing (fell short of expectation/hype):
#1 Resident Evil 5: Hello 2002
#2 Noby Noby Boy Aimless, pointless, joyless, barely even a game...
#3 Modern Warfare 2: Not a bad game, just nowhere near as good as the hype/popularity would suggest...

Your under-the-radar recommendations:
DJ Hero: While it's rockier contemporaries are shifting towards being immersive multiplayer experiences DJ Hero embraced the one man band mentality and is all the better for it.

[Kieran76]

Last year must be the year when I played/bought the least amount games. Anyway, here is my offering.

GOTY

Batmans Arkham Asylum - I loved this, it was old school beating people up and looking cool.
Little King's Story - Made me smile from start to finish, I intend to go back to it when I finish Mario.
Fifa 10 - Maybe my most played game of the last couple of months, it has so much depth. I am only just scratching the surface.

[Btang84]

1. Street Fighter IV - I'm still a relative scrub at this game, even though I've played it for over 100 hours, but there's still lots to enjoy and the thrill of sitting at an arcade and playing with strangers when I was in Hong Kong was immense. This game made the arcade stick market reach crazy prices and everybody on my friend's list bought it. Whether they played it is another matter, but I've not seen a game have such an effect before. I even enjoy watching matches at the arcades, there's always so much to learn from just merely spectating players.

2. Uncharted 2 - Yes, nothing new, but extremely solid and polished. I love playing through this and the multiplayer was an absolute blast until I moved onto Modern Warfare 2. Certainly wasn't an afterthought and still treated slightly harshly compared I feel.

3. Demon's Souls - I only discovered this game in November when borrowing it off my mate (his HK copy). I looked at it before and didn't get it, but after playing it for a few days, I can see why people would be so willing to give it GOTY, but I've nowhere near finished it, therefore it'll be 3rd for me.

Under the radar

Punch Out!! (Wii) - A wonderful game that isn't too long but is executed with plenty of charm and is superb fun. Few games have this much character.

[dogen]

Game of the Year: Wipeout HD Fury
Accelerated adrenaline rush. It was great to play Wipeout on the big screen again and with a proper control pad.

Crud: Brutal Legend
This just really wasn't what I wanted it to be. Made me cringe.

[Riskbreaker]

Tough one this. There are five titles that I've really enjoyed this year and they're all fantastc for their respective genres that deserve high accolade.

1. Bayonetta - Even the PS3 version couldn't hamper my enjoyment of this. It's a first for me to purchase the same game twice within such a short timespan, but it was easy to justify buying the 360 version for subsequent playthroughs.

I love the idea that at some point a development team sat round a table, looked at Devil May Cry, God War, Ninja Gaiden and co. asking, "How can take everything that's gone before make it more awesome?" That somehow from this meeting came the suggestion of a witch who uses her hair to summon huge hands ands feet to pummel her enemies before a huge hair based beast chews them up and spits them out. And everyone else agreed went with this. And the result is a game that at points is immensely hammy and cheesy, but gets away with it because at the sametime it's playful, funny and confident in what it has to offer, the best action game around.

Attractive, stylish and outrageously sexy just like it's protagonist, the english school teacher you never had.

2. Uncharted 2 - The best PS3 game released so far without a doubt. Kudos to Naughty Dog for improving upon the original in everyway without making any compromises. Uncharted 2 is the action/adventure film, the Indiana Jones flick, turned into a gaming experience with out loosing any of the charm or excitement in the translation.

3. Demon's Souls - This game was completely under my radar until I noticed the thread in First Play back in April/May. The promise of a hard but fair dungeon crawler which rewarded cunning and patience in a simlar vein to Monster Hunter was too much to resist and I'm glad I didn't, as it still hasn't seen an EU release. The game is tribute to well designed difficult games. It could so easily of been a frustrating mess, but mastering the experience and taking it to conclusion is one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've had.

Runner's up by a hair's breadth are Street Fighter 4 and Borderlands.

Disappointments
1. L4D2 - It really is just L4D plus. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was more than this.
2. Fat Princess - Fun at first but the charm quickly wore off.

Under The Radar
MHFU - I think this still counts as under the radar, we just don't quite get it in the West. Hopefully the similarities between this and Lost Planet 2 will change that (LP2 is to an extent a sci-fi MH with a shooter take). It's greatest downfall is the lack of infrastruture mode on the PSP, one day, one day, Capcom will realise this.
WET - A budget purchase for most, I'm really glad a bought it on release else it might have slipped off the radar.
DJ Hero - I can completely understand why anyone would be put off by the cost, but if you can buy it at a reasonable price it really is a refreshing change for the rhythm game genre.

[saturn-gamer]

1. Bayonetta

I feel its fighting system is the best in any hack n slash. It destroys Ninja Gaiden (izuna drop -> UT) and even DMC. I liked the Sega fanservice too. Its just one hell of a rollercoaster.

2. Uncharted 2

Sick visuals and atmosphere. I really love the main cast to bits. Everyone of them looks and sounds convincing. The dialogues are insane. The game itself is fun from start to finish and even the multiplayer works to a certain degree. My favourite line has to be 'Victor god-damn Sullivan!'. I like it.

3. Tekken 6

Can you say underrated? This game rocks everyone's socks off. Forget SC, SFIV or even BlazBlue, the king is back. So what if Scenario sucks? There is a vs mode, and an online mode that seems to work really well since the update. The best Tekken yet.

Dark horse:

1. Darksiders

I bought this in 2009. Its one heck of a game, magnificent. One problem, done = done. There is not a real reason to replay this game, but it will last approx 20 hours and its GOOD.

2. Demon's Souls

Another exceptional game that looked boring at first, but hooked me for some 50 odd hours. Beating a boss feels satisfying like in the old 16-bit days.

Disappointment:

Duh, Resident Evil 5. Seeing as RE4 is in my all time top 10, its not strange that RE5 turns up here. I wouldn't call it crud, but its deffo a big letdown. I have no problems with the tank gameplay in RE, but I do have when the rest of the game is turned into a blatant TPS. And thats what this game is. Co-op is a gimmick to make more money, but it also makes its design straightforward and eliminates the lonely feeling of any RE. Its sad that the saga ended with this game.

[averybluemonkey]

Pretty 360 based, would have put Little Big Planet at number 1 easily but that was 2008, and if would have included Killzone 2 but Blood Bowl just edged it out for me.

Game of the Year:

1. Section 8

Section 8 is a masterpiece. It?s one of those games that comes along and you can?t help but marvel at how carefully thought out the interactions between all the elements are, it?s been so heavily playtested and tweaked. It?s a team based multiplayer game with players fighting over control of several bases scattered around the map. While these periodically provide points towards the team?s score, dynamic objectives giving larger, one off bonuses to the winners will appear on the map throughout a match. These are earned by pulling off different feats in the game. Different feats correspond to different missions and if a team wins theirs then they?ll also be rewarded with in game bonuses dependant on the mission involved. These can take the form of powerful AI commandos, a new base, vehicles and so on. Typically several of these missions will be taking place at once scattered across the battlefield and it keeps you on your toes the entire time. Every second, it?s throwing new things at the player and you need to constantly be adapting your battle plan and style, recognising the weaknesses in the enemy?s strategy, picking a new loadout, earning those feats and getting those missions you need (and of course don?t forget about those bases too). At the end of a match you can find yourself mentally quite drained. Throw in a thorough, detailed class customisation element with a variety of overlapping upgrades more subtle than simple stat boosts and you?ve got an expertly crafted title unlike anything out there.

2. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood

The single player?s pretty iffy and most of the multiplayer modes just play out like any, generic FPS with an Old-West texture set but load this up and start a match of Wild West Legends and you are in cowboy heaven. It?s a team based mode where one side tries to plant and defend bombs at a series of objectives while the other stops them but it?s all dressed up in a series of loosely themed historical ?re-enactments.? One level sees you firing up and down a town?s streets as thieves try to break into a bank and open the safe before stealing some horses and escaping. Another has a marshal and his deputies storming the hideouts of wanted criminals, nestled in amongst a forest of pines. Others feature jailbreaks, Mexican border towns, a civil war battlefield, if you?ve seen it in a Western then it?s here. There?s a range of classes on offer from Native Americans to banditos and gunslingers all with their own unique style of play and it?s an breath of fresh air to play a game where every shot counts and needs to be aimed perfectly. No other game has ever captured that feeling of being there, in the middle of a shootout, ripped straight from your favourite movies Westerns.


3. Blood Bowl

Blood Bowl is one of Games Workshop?s excellent Specialist Games range, a collection of some of their finest spin-off titles which offer experiences tailored towards the more experienced gamers out there. It?s a turn based, fantasy themed version of American football with a copious amount of violence and strategy. The game isn?t perfect, the console release has had league play functionality stripped from it and there is a rather annoying bug you can run into every so often when tackling the opposition but it?s still one of the best board games out there and just as fun in the online version. Every move needs to be carefully considered and the risk of failing an action, which ends your turn, taken into account. It?s this uncertainty of how many more men you can move this turn combined with the necessity of keeping your entire team covering the grid that gives it such a nuanced perfection. Matches can take anywhere from one to two hours and it?s one of the deepest, most exciting games on the consoles at the moment if turn based games are your thing.



Most disappointing:

1. Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers

I?ve been playing MtG for over 13 years now, but don?t get to play too often due to my geographical location, so when I heard about an XBLA release I couldn?t believe my luck (the cost of the PC based MtG: Online being prohibitive to all but the rich and famous). It was an instant purchase as it never even occurred to me that they?d make such a monumentally stupid decision as to prevent you from making your own custom decks, an absolutely integral part of the game. Sure it has a great interface but that doesn?t count for much when the contents are so shallow and devoid of the core essence of what makes it such a great game in its physical form. The game was absolutely riddled with game breaking crashes, exploits and player drops that for the first few months it was an almost unplayable mess online. This isn?t just a disappointing game, it?s a bad one too.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Don?t get me wrong I enjoyed MW2. The Special Ops co-op mode is an absolute blast with a friend and the single player is made up of the same sort of epic firefights that made the first Modern Warfare such fun, even if the jingoistic nationalist agenda it pushes down your throat for much of its duration is more than a little irritating. My main gripe with the game is what they?ve done to the competitive multiplayer component. The first game walked a fine line with it?s progressive weapon and perk unlocks that you accrued over time that it managed to nail that subtle blend of giving the more experienced players greater tactical flexibility without unfairly biasing the game against equally competent players who simply hadn?t invested as much time into it.

Modern Warfare 2 doesn?t succeed in nearly the same way. Most of the later unlocks are clearly superior to the earlier weapons and gear that you have access to. The perks needed to counteract attachments such as the awful heartbeat sensor (which incidentally ruins previously very tactical modes such as Search and Destroy) aren?t unlocked until far too late. Meanwhile the kill streak awards, which previously gave players a few extra kills have been powered up to a ridiculous extent. With the dumbing down of the game?s strategical side it only goes to make the awful lag problems all the more aggravating. Throw in a system which forces you out of any XBox Live Parties you are in for most game modes and it just doesn?t compare to the genius of the Modern Warfare 1.



Under the radar recommendation:

Panzer General: Allied Assault
Allied Assault shows Duels of the Planeswalkers how it should be done. It?s part board game and part card game, you create a deck of cards which you use to bring units into play or to deal damage to the enemy, increase your power in combat and so on and once units are brought onto the board you move them around on a small map trying to capture territory. While the fundamental card mechanics aren?t quite as polished as Magic?s the board game element adds a much appreciated twist on things and the cards have been extremely well balanced, unlike in Magic. Weaker units can be thrown away to boost those you have on the field and a great deal of the game is about keeping cards back and to surprise your opponent with. It?s a really solid little release and is easily the best card game on XBLA at the moment, it?s a real shame it didn?t get more of a buzz on release.

[Darwock]

I used to play Blood Bowl (the board game) - I didn't even know there was a console version! What format? Can you go as Dark Elves?