But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about my games for 2009. This year has been quite a dry one to be honest, there have been some stellar titles, but nothing spectacular or earth-shaking. With the economic turmoil in the world at large, even the game devs are either cutting back, delaying, or just plain canceling games altogether. Rest in peace, Duke Nukem...
Here we go...
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10. The Sims 3
The most highly anticipated release from EA and Will Wright since his failure with Spore (in my opinion). A game that got the women ga-ga again to play house, and made everything seem all that more realistic with improved A.I. and sweet graphics. I watched as a bunch of friends go through entire days without feeding themselves (no joke) just because they were more interested in feeding their Sims and making them go about their daily business - that was how great the game was. It also saw the return of sadism with the creepy players walling up their Sims and watching them pee themselves to death. Gross.
It also spawned some beautiful gaming diaries, such as Alice & Kev which chronicled the lives of two Sims, showcasing how powerful EA's new A.I engine was, with the capacity for depth of emotion, and that you could pretty much leave Sims to live their own lives with little interference from the omniscient player.
9. Secret of Monkey Island (Special Edition)
I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan of the adventure genre. I don't seem to have the patience for finding hidden objects that make other hidden objects work. Or understanding an obscure reference that would lead to unlocking another obscure puzzle. Give me a rocket launcher and I'll clear a path through whatever obstacle's in my way. That's also probably a very obnoxious thing to say.
But LucasArts did something special with their Special Edition-ed Secret of Monkey Island. They made their greatest adventure game all shiny and updated for us new generation of gamers, too young back then to appreciate or even play it. The jokes are all there, the fun is all there, now even with Threepwood's awesome voice and a hint system!
The hint system works superbly well, slowly easing you towards the answer if you need it. For an impatient rage-quitter like me to have played through the entire game is saying something. A must-try and a look back at a bygone era where adventure games were the staple of the video games market because it was all that the technology was capable of.
A game brilliantly crafted and written. LucasArts should consider making new IP with their talent for such games. It would totally sell well. And hopefully, they'll also be encouraged to re-release all their old Monkey Island titles in the same style as the Secret of Monkey Island.
8. Street Fighter 4
As I mentioned in the review for this game, the PC has not been graced with many bash 'em-up titles. Probably because we don't have couches, and widescreen TVs, and analog stick things to control women with large, gravity-defying boobs and men that look like they've swallowed several barrels when they were babies. But Capcom was kind enough to get SF4 on the PC, a game which heralded the return to the no-nonsense side-scrolling, kick, punch, ultra awesomeness.
The cel-shading graphics is just brilliant for the new generation, the characters are sumptuously updated with very unique, flashy moves. But the most important thing is that the game is highly accessible, from those who are prone to button-mashing to the most hardcore SF aficionados who can perfect-combo your ass to oblivion. Plus, as a PC gamer, I'll have to say controlling the characters with keyboard is way easier than using a stoopid analog stick thingy.
8. Street Fighter 4
As I mentioned in the review for this game, the PC has not been graced with many bash 'em-up titles. Probably because we don't have couches, and widescreen TVs, and analog stick things to control women with large, gravity-defying boobs and men that look like they've swallowed several barrels when they were babies. But Capcom was kind enough to get SF4 on the PC, a game which heralded the return to the no-nonsense side-scrolling, kick, punch, ultra awesomeness.
The cel-shading graphics is just brilliant for the new generation, the characters are sumptuously updated with very unique, flashy moves. But the most important thing is that the game is highly accessible, from those who are prone to button-mashing to the most hardcore SF aficionados who can perfect-combo your ass to oblivion. Plus, as a PC gamer, I'll have to say controlling the characters with keyboard is way easier than using a stoopid analog stick thingy.
It was a horrible missed opportunity with their poorly drawn and scripted anime cutscenes, cutscenes which they could've used to build an epic storyline with some awesome action. But I have a good feeling people just skipped over them to get to the gameplay. The game itself had a tonne of attitude, and immense replayability, so it wins.
7. Braid
A game and a piece of profound art, Braid does the unthinkable. It has the simplicity of Super Mario but the complexity of an academic text on philosophy. To use time as a mechanic is sheer genius, and it does so in a way more kick-ass than even that Prince of Persia game that everyone likes so much.
It's the first game to make you feel true anguish and pain, not just from the perfect conundrums of puzzles that Jonathan Blow devises for you at each level, but because of the story that the game takes place in. And of course, the final twist.
The unbelievably sickeningly epic legendary final twist that has you clutching your head and screaming at your computer screen when it comes around. You cannot say you have experienced emotion in games if you have not played Braid. Many casual and even recreational gamers will be put off by the sheer difficulty of the game, but to gamers who consider themselves connoisseurs of games as an art-form, they must play Braid.
That is all.
6. Borderlands
This was a hard one to consider for my Top 10, but then I recalled all the great memories I had with this, on just one night play-through with a couple of friends. We started the game up, shot through countless enemies, squealed like little girls at the great loot we'd pick up, and cut across the bleak landscape in two-man buggies. As cowboys in the Wild West, we ran screaming from humongous monsters, and shouted strategies for taking down some bad-ass bosses.
I honestly believe Borderlands got down the adventure aspect of cooperative gaming to near-perfection, better even perhaps than that 4-person zombie shooter we all know and love. It was very Diablo-esque in its role-playing elements making the game even more compulsively addictive. And all that gun porn like the 6-shot rocket launcher. Now that's just obscene.
5. Left 4 Dead 2
Before Left 4 Dead 1 came out, I must've followed all the news of the game's development like a stalker to J-Lo (if people still bothered stalking her in this day and age). When it came out, it was fun and crazy and everything I'd wanted and more in a cooperative zombie shooting experience. Then just six months later, Left 4 Dead 2 was announced and I was extremely skeptical.
But Valve have proven themselves time after time, and honestly, no IP of Valve's has blown up dismally. In fact, they've all been critical successes, and when the world dissented that Left 4 Dead 2 was coming out way too soon, all the devs said was "Trust us."
7. Braid
A game and a piece of profound art, Braid does the unthinkable. It has the simplicity of Super Mario but the complexity of an academic text on philosophy. To use time as a mechanic is sheer genius, and it does so in a way more kick-ass than even that Prince of Persia game that everyone likes so much.
It's the first game to make you feel true anguish and pain, not just from the perfect conundrums of puzzles that Jonathan Blow devises for you at each level, but because of the story that the game takes place in. And of course, the final twist.
The unbelievably sickeningly epic legendary final twist that has you clutching your head and screaming at your computer screen when it comes around. You cannot say you have experienced emotion in games if you have not played Braid. Many casual and even recreational gamers will be put off by the sheer difficulty of the game, but to gamers who consider themselves connoisseurs of games as an art-form, they must play Braid.
That is all.
6. Borderlands
This was a hard one to consider for my Top 10, but then I recalled all the great memories I had with this, on just one night play-through with a couple of friends. We started the game up, shot through countless enemies, squealed like little girls at the great loot we'd pick up, and cut across the bleak landscape in two-man buggies. As cowboys in the Wild West, we ran screaming from humongous monsters, and shouted strategies for taking down some bad-ass bosses.
I honestly believe Borderlands got down the adventure aspect of cooperative gaming to near-perfection, better even perhaps than that 4-person zombie shooter we all know and love. It was very Diablo-esque in its role-playing elements making the game even more compulsively addictive. And all that gun porn like the 6-shot rocket launcher. Now that's just obscene.
5. Left 4 Dead 2
Before Left 4 Dead 1 came out, I must've followed all the news of the game's development like a stalker to J-Lo (if people still bothered stalking her in this day and age). When it came out, it was fun and crazy and everything I'd wanted and more in a cooperative zombie shooting experience. Then just six months later, Left 4 Dead 2 was announced and I was extremely skeptical.
But Valve have proven themselves time after time, and honestly, no IP of Valve's has blown up dismally. In fact, they've all been critical successes, and when the world dissented that Left 4 Dead 2 was coming out way too soon, all the devs said was "Trust us."
Now I know why they had to make it an entirely separate game. The content is twice that of the first game, more guns and melee weapons means more fun ways to kill zombies. The settings are alive in the sequel, very lovingly crafted along with stand-out characters. The game that Left 4 Dead 1 was supposed to be and better. The action is even more high-octane, the zombies more ferocious, and the characters more real.
Whilst cooperative of the first one with friends seemed to fizz out after a couple of months, I can see this one being played very far into the future. It's also a harder game, with a realism mode for the psychotic. And that one finale with the fireworks on the concert stage is just epic.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
I had no idea what to expect when I first got this game. Batman doesn't have flight or laser eyes or super strength like Superman, nor can he scale buildings as easily as Spidey. So what kind of game will it be then?!
A stealth-action title is what. Tapping into all that is great about Batman as a superhero, the player has to use their ingenuity and stealth skills to overcome most challenges. And his tech gadgets. And the hand-to-hand combat. My god, what awesome hand-to-hand combat. The awesome camera angles as you broke the bones and smashed in the faces of thugs. For those of you who've seen the Chinese kungfu movie Ip Man, you'll know what I'm talking about. For those that haven't, watch it.
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum
I had no idea what to expect when I first got this game. Batman doesn't have flight or laser eyes or super strength like Superman, nor can he scale buildings as easily as Spidey. So what kind of game will it be then?!
A stealth-action title is what. Tapping into all that is great about Batman as a superhero, the player has to use their ingenuity and stealth skills to overcome most challenges. And his tech gadgets. And the hand-to-hand combat. My god, what awesome hand-to-hand combat. The awesome camera angles as you broke the bones and smashed in the faces of thugs. For those of you who've seen the Chinese kungfu movie Ip Man, you'll know what I'm talking about. For those that haven't, watch it.
The story for the game is well-written, the lore is so richly realized with the Unreal 3 engine, and the voice-acting is top-notch. Even though it's a computer generated character, the Joker in Arkham Asylum may even beat Heath Ledger's performance of the bad ass villain. The game's version is positively dripping with psychotic evil. And Batman is just so tank.
But what I liked most is that the gameplay's mechanics are so pitch perfect that players understand what needs to be done at every turn, and the controls are so simple but have much depth to them when used properly. A highly focused title that was fun every second, well-written, and wrapped in the shiny package of the Unreal 3 engine. Roll on Batman 2.
The shooter of the year obviously. Extremely exciting and not for the faint-hearted. It's like those new Transformer flicks, high on spectacle, low on brains. But it did have a more focused storyline than the first Modern Warfare, and even World at War.
The shooting elements are all intact and awesome, and the graphics are the best in years, but the thing that carries this game far is the multiplayer element. Now there are more ways to make a player obsessed with the game, from persistent rankings as well as drip-fed continual rewards like weapon and cosmetic upgrades. The new matchmaking service works well, and for people with poor internet connections, there is less worry about lag and no need to look for dedicated servers with smooth connections. It's just as simple as hopping in and letting the system find the game that best suits you.
Ruthless and highly competitive multiplayer makes this LEGENDARY.
2. Dragon Age: Origins
Finally, the return of the glorious Bioware. I personally thought Mass Effect was a load of horribleness, and we can forget Jade Empire. But everyone has good memories of Knights of the Old Republic. And Dragon Age brings back all that is awesome about Bioware's epic RPG adventures - deep and strategic combat/gameplay, expansive universes rich with lore, well-written characters and plot, and most importantly with Dragon Age, grey moral choices with significant consequences.
After so long, finally a game that doesn't show you simple black and white, like Fallout 3, or even Fable. The first game I've played where you are unsure whether any of the choices you make are the best ones. That you couldn't please everyone and be the white knight in shining armor at the same time. A game that drew me in as well as any Final Fantasy title with compelling characters and an exciting journey that you wish would never end. So immersive and thoroughly addictive. It's like reading one of those high-fantasy novels (I don't personally read them though) like Dragonlance and Dungeons & Dragons. I'm already looking forward to expansions to prolong the story.
In one word: Breathtaking.
Now to talk about it in many words. Surprised y'all didn't I? Not many people would consider this their number one game, and most people would've forgotten that the PC port version came out with little fanfare early this year.
But I was mesmerized. A game where the world was so sleek and shiny and beautifully minimalist, the colors so strong and not one line out of place. And the gameplay stood out for being so different, innovative, and exciting. You spent more time dodging bullets than shooting your opponents. Mirror's Edge was a game that literally played through all the escape scenes of every action movie ever made.
When I was a kid, I was so enthralled by those people on YouTube doing parkour, with their fancy somersaults, back-flips, and crazy jumps across large gaps. I'm even tried to do a little parkour of my own, and failed miserably. But with Mirror's Edge, I get to play out my fantasy. The rooftops are my playground, and it is so much more cool when you are directly involved in the leaping over of skyscrapers and clambering up buildings rather than it being a simple push of a single button, ala Assassin's Creed (and the spacebar). Letting the players control all the movements made the game challenging and highly rewarding. And they got the fluidity of motion just right.
The story was different also, and made me want more when it had ended. It didn't have large explosions, it didn't try to dazzle you with super shiny graphics (all though it was pretty shiny), and the story wasn't bogged down in absurdities. It was just you and the world. An environment constructed with one purpose, for free running.
Mirror's Edge was the first game that truly made you feel like you were in the skin of your avatar, of Faith. The way your head bobs, hearing the heavy breathing in your ears, seeing your hands and legs shoot out in front of you as you try to reach that ledge that just seems a little too far...
And the soundtrack is so modern and awesome. Listen to "Still Alive" on YouTube for Mirror's Edge OST, not to be confused with the one for Portal.
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And there you have it folks, my top 10 games of 2009. Other titles, although not in my top 10 that are worth mentioning include:
1. The Tales of Monkey Island series
2. Torchlight
3. Tropico 3
It was a fun year, some interesting titles, but also some horrible failures like Saboteur and Prototype. But I'm certainly looking forward to 2010, a year when all the great titles we've been waiting for are finally released: Bioshock 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Mafia 2, Starcraft 2, Alan Wake. All the 2s LOL.
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