Just for funsies, what was the worst game everyone played this year?
I went through the list and just clicked every game I played, then listed them all in notepad and sorted by preference there.
X-Blades is my Worst Game of the Year 2009.
Probably Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. It wasn't awful, mostly just mediocre and disappointing. But of the games I played this year it would stand out as the worst of them, which I guess is either saying something good about 2009 or just my purchasing choices therein.
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (I literally have nothing bad to say about this game. An incredible effort, and an incredible game)
2. Street Fighter IV (I have bought more things for this title, on several platforms, and invested more time than any other game I have ever played. It has some flaws, but Capcom has revitalized the fighting game genre in a big, big way)
3. Halo Wars (best RTS on console, ever, and the story mode was fantastic)
4. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Great game, but Continuum Shift looks to be better in all ways)
5. Prototype (best free-roaming game yet made. This statement is fact)
The rhythm games were a letdown for me, this year. Beatles: Rock Band was fairly average barring the trippy visual style, and GH5 totally failed to leave an impression positive or negative. Brutal Legend, also, was a gigantic letdown thanks to the "RTS" battles. I was expecting a fine action-y steak and ended up getting some kind of weird surf n' turf that managed to lack delicious gameplay everywhere.
Just for funsies, what was the worst game everyone played this year?
I went through the list and just clicked every game I played, then listed them all in notepad and sorted by preference there.
X-Blades is my Worst Game of the Year 2009.
Probably Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. It wasn't awful, mostly just mediocre and disappointing. But of the games I played this year it would stand out as the worst of them, which I guess is either saying something good about 2009 or just my purchasing choices therein.
Yeah, before I took a good look at the list, I was sure my bottom was going to be Brutal Legend or Ghostbusters. And since neither one of those are expressly terrible games, just games that I can't stand, I thought it spoke pretty well of my list overall.
But man, I forgot about X-Blades and Bionic Commando even existing
Did I mention how awesomely awesome Shadow Complex was? I seem to recall it being fucking kick ass and worth twice the asking price of fifteen awesome dollars.
No, Shadow Complex was awesome.
I'm sad because no one appreciates Bionic Commando. You don't understand him like I do!
If we're going with terrible games that you still personally like, I'd like to put out WET and Wheelman. I thought both were great fun despite clearly being deeply flawed games.
1. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
2. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
4. The Dark Spire (DS)
5. Demon's Souls (PS3)
6. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
7. Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
9. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2)
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
11. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
12. Shadow Complex (360*)
13. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
14. Plants vs. Zombies (PC)
15. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
16. Torchlight (PC)
17. Rhythm Heaven (DS)
18. Bit.Trip Beat (Wii*)
19. Scribblenauts (DS)
20. Splosion Man (360*)
Demon's Souls should probably rank higher, but I've only had it for a couple of weeks, and I really enjoyed the Dark Spire. I'm probably alone ranking it that high, though.
And here are my picks, complete with commentary and the platform I played them on. I apparently played fewer games this year than I thought, so towards the end of the list I'm getting into "I didn't hate it" territory:
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - Both the best game and best action movie of the year. Needed more Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan, though.
2. Demon's Souls (PS3) - A hair away from 1st place, but I spent more time playing Uncharted 2. Pretty easily the most innovative game on the list, though.
3. Dragon Age: Origins (PC) - I'm a sucker for Bioware. And they made console versions of this? :P
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC) - I loved it, you loved it, everyone and their dog loved it. It's still not as awesome as Uncharted 2.
5. Borderlands (PC) - If Gearbox cared about the folks who bought the PC version and fixed the online matchmaking, I'd probably still be playing this as we speak.
6. Infamous (PS3) - I'm a sucker for a good superhero game.
7. Champions Online (PC) - I'm a sucker for a flawed yet entertaining superhero game.
8. The Beatles: Rock Band (360) - I beat it over a weekend, but what a weekend it was.
9. Torchlight (PC) - Bought on a whim, since I never got into Diablo 1 or 2. Now I'm actually looking forward to Diablo 3.
10. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) - In case you're wondering where the sense of humor they drained out of GTA IV went, look no further. I'm shocked at how much of the post-GTA3 gameplay they were able to cram into a DS cart.
11. Plants vs. Zombies (PC) - Fuck, now I have that song in my head again.
12. Defense Grid (PC) - I am how many years late for the tower defense game trend again? Well, I'll just talk about playing Rampart back in the day until you get bored and wander off.
13. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC) - If you want me to enjoy an RTS, remove resource management, give me 4 units, and make it ridiculously overblown.
14. Flower (PS3*) - And I don't even do drugs.
15. Street Fighter IV (PC) - I wish I didn't suck so badly at 2D fighting games.
16. Splosion Man (360*) - Scientists are, in fact, made out of ham.
17. Prototype (PC) - I'm a sucker for a flawed superhero game, as long as it allows me to wallow in unrestrained gore-drenched superdickery for 15-20 minutes before I get bored.
18. Brütal Legend (PS3) - Once it became an RTS, I lost interest.
19. Demigod (PC) - I didn't hate it.
20. Resident Evil 5 (PS3) - I didn't hate it, with zombies.
I'm so afraid of getting Demon's Souls in case I totally suck balls at it and get super frustrated
You and me both. I hear a lot of praise for the title but I can get frustrated pretty easily.
I'm afraid because I go both ways as far as getting frustrated. If I'm really into a game something tough can be really nice and I love feeling accomplished when I actually do it. Like Mirror's Edge, I got the platinum, and that was frustrating as hell. But there are some games where I just get pissed and throw a controller really easily. I have no idea which end of the frustrating scale it'll be.
Well, either way, I feel bad that I didn't play two (apparently very good) exclusives for PS3 this year, so I'm heading down to GameStop right now and grabbing Ratchet and Clank Future and, if they have it, Demon's Souls. If they actually have it, I'll take it as a sign that I should buy it.
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EvilBadmanDO NOT TRUST THIS MANRegistered Userregular
Forgot a couple of really decent games I played this year, but Borderlands omission on my list is on purpose. Fuck you gearbox.
Out of curiosity, what did Gearbox do? Is it the DLC?
Essentially a bait and switch job to PC gamers featuring of all things, gamespy arcade matchmaking. And all this for a week delay after the console editions.
I probably would have purchased their DLC if it didn't have securom attached for whatever reason (even on steam?) and their support has been pisspoor.
I'm so afraid of getting Demon's Souls in case I totally suck balls at it and get super frustrated
You and me both. I hear a lot of praise for the title but I can get frustrated pretty easily.
It really depends on what frustrates you.
I normally stay way far away from "super hard" games since they frustrate the shit out of me.
But Demon's Souls is hard in a way that seems fair. Unlike other games where you die because the controls decide not to respond, or you miss a split-second button push, or the game decides to randomly fuck with you, it never seems like the game's fault when you die in Demon's Souls.
The game is somewhat slowly paced, and the levels have no random elements, so you can learn how to overcome or avoid whatever killed you. After a while, replaying a level that used to be a tense, "I'm gonna die any second now" affair becomes you kicking ass in a way that makes the difficulty curve seem worth it.
First year I regret not owning a PS3. We just got one in December, and it's not mine, so my playtime was low.
1. Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Arriving before the plastic instrument hell that was this fall, it goes in a total opposite direction with an incredibly simple control scheme. Touch controls are not perfect, which has put it below the original in the eyes of many. But since Tengoku never came out in the US, much less this year, Rhythm Heaven gets my vote. Creative, simply executed and fun as all hell. You can skip levels for those that can't find the beat or try to nail the perfects for the experienced.
I even bought the soundtrack.
2. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
This game just fucking NAILS creating the Batman experience within the gaming medium. Freeflow initially seems like easy-mode combat, but slowly builds upon the basics into something that challenges but keeps you feeling like the goddamn Batman. Stealth is delightful, and REALLY makes you feel like the dark knight only marred by the somewhat immersion-breaking gargoyles. Sorry, but did they order the damn things in bulk?
And detective mode just enhances the thing to a perfect Batman game. Really looking forward to the sequel.
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Took the somewhat hallow NSMB for DS and gave it a real console treatment. The level design is vastly superior, and it's amazing how they pulled it off without having to comprise for multiplayer. Multiplayer is simply done, with few gimmicks, and works beautiful. As awesome as the dickery potential is, you really see multiplayer shine when the cooperation pulls through. Very subtle, but done very well.
4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)
I can't believe I'm enjoying an RTS for single-player, but DoW's merging of RPG and RTS is potent, giving us a Diablo-esque feel with more brainpower required to get through. Multiplayer is fun, but has struggled with balance and, for me, performance issues. Hard to get a 2v2 game going without someone dropping.
Last Stand added another interesting mode, particularly for co-op. Simple, but effective and adds new items for character diversity, not power. Refreshing.
5. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Mario & Luigi is in danger of becoming stale (a larger symptom of Mario RPGs in general), but BiS saves the affair by adding a new character with his own moves and way of doing things. Adds much more DS power than Partners in Time with the giant battles and minion attacks.
But the plot is the real winner, shaming the baby/time traveling bore for Fawful and Bowser hilarity. I'd say it's one game where the Mario Bros. aren't even the stars.
6. Trine (PC,PS3*)
This would have been my game of the year if based just on the demo. Trine has excellent platforming with three distinct characters and high-quality physics puzzles. It's like Half-Life 2 and The Lost Vikings in an indie flavor. Sadly, the game doesn't really build upon itself. New abilities aren't really put to use until the end of the game, and the end itself is a terrible level that changes the pace and is a giant exercise in frustration.
But it must be said how much fun the wizard is. Fuck fireballs, I got boxes.
7. Fat Princess (PS3*)
I wish I could have played this more, but it wasn't the case. Fat Princess turns the RTS into a team-based slaughter with a practical art style and streamlined experience. A good variety of classes, an element of teamwork and strategy and it's just a damn unique experience for the year.
8. Spider (iPhone)
This game is just pure elegance. The controls are very intuitive, and something that every should look at when designing apps for the iPhone. It has a subtle story coupled with a simple but progressive puzzle-style of gameplay. It really is the standout title for the iPhone.
9. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
While I consider more an expansion than anything, it still kicks ass. More campaigns and the gameplay is better fleshed out with a wider variety of enemies, items and weapons. Nothing here feels unneeded but a natural addition to the game. If only the new survivors were as good as the old ones.
10. Little King's Story (Wii)
Pikmin on the Wii, kinda. It has a nice, persistent feel to it as you spend some days building up your kingdom, others training new soldiers and the rest taking over enemy realms. A goofy story makes the whole thing delightful. But where the hell is the IR control? That's a HUGE mark against the game because the aiming is pretty spotty and it's a damn no-brainer.
11. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
PC bitching and moaning aside, the game is fun. Real fun. Diablo's crack with the first-person shootiness. But the game is far too easy and quickly gets repetitive, thus getting the bottom of my list. I think the quest-oriented nature has something to do with it. I blame WoW for getting me sick of that.
1. Infamous (PS3)
2. Shadow Complex (360*)
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
4. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
5. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
7. Little King's Story (Wii)
8. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
9. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
10. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
11. Need for Speed: Shift (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,PSP)
12. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
13. Flower (PS3*)
14. Madden NFL 10 (360,iPhone,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
15. Shatter (PS3*)
16. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
17. Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
18. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
19. The Beatles: Rock Band (360,PS3,Wii)
And yea, I expect Batman to kick ass on this one, even though the magazine/online GOTYs are all going for MW2, I'm sure.
The only website that matters (Giant Bomb) selected Arkham Asylum over MW2 as their Multiplatform Game of the Year.
They still haven't done their overall, just broken down by systems, but I expect Uncharted 2 to take it with Batman as a runner-up
To follow up on this, I was exactly right: They named Uncharted 2: Among Thieves GOTY 2009, with the one runner-up position going to Batman: Arkham Asylum. I'm kinda surprised MW2 didn't get a runner-up spot
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
The Beatles: Rock Band (360,PS3,Wii)
Infamous (PS3)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
Fat Princess (PS3*)
Flower (PS3*)
Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
Scribblenauts (DS)
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers (360*)
1 vs. 100 (360*)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
I'm quite honestly surprised at all the love Batman is getting. Not only here but everywhere. Don't get me wrong, it was a good game. I played it and I did love it, but to me it's really just a GOOD game. It's high end of good, but things like Uncharted 2 made it seem almost piss poor as far as polish goes (though I think that says more about Uc2 than Batman). I mean I felt like it could have been what people are putting it as if they had like... 4 more months or something of development to tighten things up and make it just a better overall experience.
I'm quite honestly surprised at all the love Batman is getting. Not only here but everywhere. Don't get me wrong, it was a good game. I played it and I did love it, but to me it's really just a GOOD game. It's high end of good, but things like Uncharted 2 made it seem almost piss poor as far as polish goes (though I think that says more about Uc2 than Batman). I mean I felt like it could have been what people are putting it as if they had like... 4 more months or something of development to tighten things up and make it just a better overall experience.
They did put in more time - it was supposed to come out in the spring, but they pushed it to late summer to polish it up. But overall I totally agree with you. Batman was a very above-average game, it did everything well - but the only wow factor it really had was the fact that it is an above-average game that does everything well where you play as Batman - which is fucking exceptional.
Batman's solid, all the way through, but aside from
when the game restarts with Joker in the lead in that Kojimaesque mind trip
, my whole experience with it was "yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good." It's very, very good and very rarely great.
Edit: but that's just my opinion. It's still 8/14 on my list.
Chance on
'Chance, you are the best kind of whore.' -Henroid
Huh, it's interesting to see the diversity of votes this year. The last few have been landslides for one game or another, but there are really a lot of contenders for #1 this time around.
My top three is Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed II, and Batman. Uncharted 2 has a crazy epic scope to it. Assassin's Creed II has a wonderful story and is just very lengthy, which was probably the reason I put it above AA; as far as being consistently entertaining while maintaining a healthy playtime, it's quite the feat.
But Batman is damn-near perfect, and does many things even better than those two.
For starters, while Uncharted 2 has it beat simply because they could play to the full strengths of the PS3, I would have a hard time coming up with a better-looking multiplatform game this year. The art style may not be for everyone, but technically speaking, it's gorgeous.
The voicework pretty much equals Uncharted 2, simply because bringing in the old cast from the animated series did wonders.
The combat system was simple enough so that anyone could get through it using pretty simple maneuevers (such as constantly countering) all while never feeling like you're cheesing your way through it because every move you do looks insanely awesome. Yet if you spend the time to get good with it, you're awarded with both more experience and generally just pulling off some flat-out awesome-looking moves. This also ties in with the graphics, but I feel that Batman had the best animation of the year hands-down, pertaining to its fight scenes.
It's a Metroidvania, which we simply don't get enough of these days, although there were two to scratch that particular itch this year. And not only that, but this is the only really good 3D one outside of the Metroid series.
It was absolutely perfectly-paced, even moreso than Uncharted 2, which I felt starts to taper a bit near the end (simply because it's absolutely exhausting all the way till that point). It also had an insane amount of polish, especially for a developer with no real large amount of experience under their belt, so I don't know where you're getting that from.
AA was absolutely the biggest surprise I've had in years, and if it were a year where Uncharted 2 didn't exist, it would almost certainly be my Game of the Year.
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David_TA fashion yes-man is no good to me.Copenhagen, DenmarkRegistered Userregular
edited January 2010
I think Batman also gets some added love because it came from a place of very low expectations. A licensed Batman game. Looking at that and going "Holy crap, this is actually good" makes it very easy to slide into "Holy crap, this is great!", when perhaps it wasn't. Merely very good.
Now, if Batman:AA 2 can match the jump that Uncharted 2 made from UC1...
Make no mistake, the heaps of praise I throw onto Batman are not simply because of the surprise of its quality.
I was surprised of its quality simply by playing the demo and the first hour or so of the game. That thought process doesn't even make its way into my final deliberations.
I put it as my #3 simply because it was a much more fun and rewarding experience to play through than the other 17 in my top twenty.
I'm quite honestly surprised at all the love Batman is getting. Not only here but everywhere. Don't get me wrong, it was a good game. I played it and I did love it, but to me it's really just a GOOD game. It's high end of good, but things like Uncharted 2 made it seem almost piss poor as far as polish goes (though I think that says more about Uc2 than Batman). I mean I felt like it could have been what people are putting it as if they had like... 4 more months or something of development to tighten things up and make it just a better overall experience.
They did put in more time - it was supposed to come out in the spring, but they pushed it to late summer to polish it up. But overall I totally agree with you. Batman was a very above-average game, it did everything well - but the only wow factor it really had was the fact that it is an above-average game that does everything well where you play as Batman - which is fucking exceptional.
Batman's solid, all the way through, but aside from
when the game restarts with Joker in the lead in that Kojimaesque mind trip
, my whole experience with it was "yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good." It's very, very good and very rarely great.
Edit: but that's just my opinion. It's still 8/14 on my list.
It's 5/13 on my list, so as I said it was good, it's just a few spots and things I thought they could have really pushed it to make it great, but they just didn't.
For one Batman kind of felt like a mute hero or something. He never seemed to react to anything at all, which made the past stuff that came up and the scene you pointed out seem kind of pointless, even as awesome of an idea as it was.
And as the Bombcast points out (I'm listening to that now), the game never really forces you to learn any of its systems. You can kind of rely on the same shit to get through it really really easily. I kind of got to the end and then realized I had a few things that I never thought about using and didn't really care to.
And then I just hate the graphics, but then again I really don't like very many Unreal Engine games looks.
I'm quite honestly surprised at all the love Batman is getting. Not only here but everywhere. Don't get me wrong, it was a good game. I played it and I did love it, but to me it's really just a GOOD game. It's high end of good, but things like Uncharted 2 made it seem almost piss poor as far as polish goes (though I think that says more about Uc2 than Batman). I mean I felt like it could have been what people are putting it as if they had like... 4 more months or something of development to tighten things up and make it just a better overall experience.
They did put in more time - it was supposed to come out in the spring, but they pushed it to late summer to polish it up. But overall I totally agree with you. Batman was a very above-average game, it did everything well - the only wow factor it really had was the fact that it is an above-average game that does everything well where you play as Batman - which is fucking exceptional.
Yeah, I'm a huge Batman fan (as in, I have an entire shelf full of Batman related comics) but I still had enough problems with it that put it below Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and inFamous.
Then again, maybe that's because I was one of the few that actually expected Arkham Asylum to be a good game, whereas most seemed to be completely surprised by it.
On a different note, Gametrailers have once again proved their "worth". I can't believe they even nominated CoD: MW Reflex in the Wii's category.
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
2. Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
3. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
4. Infamous (PS3)
5. Killzone 2 (PS3)
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
8. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (360,PC,PS3)
9. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
10. Demon's Souls (PS3)
11. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
12. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
13. Need for Speed: Shift (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,PSP)
14. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
15. Deadly Creatures (Wii)
I have to say that I'm surprised by the number of people listing Infamous but not Uncharted 2.
It means you have access to a PS3 but have for some reason not played or didn't enjoy UC2.
I was just looking at lists and thought that same exact thing too. Infamous was pretty fun, but I had to put it down for a little while, though, near like 3/4 of the way through because things just wore a bit thin. It seems like it could be REALLY perfect in a sequel, but as it was, it just didn't have quite enough polish and variety for me to put it up there. The side missions were quite a bit repetitive.
Maybe I just need to go play it again... I do need to play an evil runthrough.
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DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
edited January 2010
1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
2. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
3. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (360,PS3)
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
5. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
6. Prototype (360,PC,PS3)
7. Tekken 6 (360,PS3,PSP)
8. Infamous (PS3)
9. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
10. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
11. Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy (PS2)
12. Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
13. MagnaCarta II (360)
14. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
15. Shadow Complex (360*)
16. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360)
There were a few games I'm pretty sure would have made my list if I had time to play them(Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted 2 and such, but I didn't).
Either way...man, This year was pretty light in retrospect.
2010 is going to be killer though.
Also...Prototype and Infamous should have been higher than Red Faction, but was a typo.
I have to say that I'm surprised by the number of people listing Infamous but not Uncharted 2.
It means you have access to a PS3 but have for some reason not played or didn't enjoy UC2.
I was just looking at lists and thought that same exact thing too. Infamous was pretty fun, but I had to put it down for a little while, though, near like 3/4 of the way through because things just wore a bit thin. It seems like it could be REALLY perfect in a sequel, but as it was, it just didn't have quite enough polish and variety for me to put it up there. The side missions were quite a bit repetitive.
Maybe I just need to go play it again... I do need to play an evil runthrough.
Not really. The great thing about inFamous' side missions is that they don't really over-do any of them. They introduce a new mission type (like blowing up an armoured truck), sprinkle a few of those side-missions across the map and that's it. Of all the open world games I've played (including Assassin's Creed 2, my #2 this year), inFamous was one of the least repetitive.
As for people listing inFamous but not Uncharted 2, well I assume most people have had a lot more time to play the former than the latter. This'd be pretty noticeable for people that don't actually own PS3's but can play the occassional PS3 game at a friends.
I have to say that I'm surprised by the number of people listing Infamous but not Uncharted 2.
It means you have access to a PS3 but have for some reason not played or didn't enjoy UC2.
I agree. I love Infamous but UC2 just fucking blew me away. An intense amount of blowing. Like a blow job blowing. I havent replayed a game in so long due to working and so many other games being out but despite having a shit ton of games I need to play Im going back through UC2 AND playing co-op every night since I got it. Its crazy.
But hey. Opinions.
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Forever Zefirocloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered Userregular
edited January 2010
1. Prototype (360,PC,PS3)
2. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
3. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
4. Shadow Complex (360*)
5. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
6. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
7. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
8. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
10. Scribblenauts (DS)
11. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
12. Torchlight (PC)
13. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
Brutal Legend and Spirit Tracks would probably go on there, but I just haven't had a chance to play them yet.
And yes, Prototype is my #1 game this year.
Forever Zefiro on
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Probably Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. It wasn't awful, mostly just mediocre and disappointing. But of the games I played this year it would stand out as the worst of them, which I guess is either saying something good about 2009 or just my purchasing choices therein.
2. Street Fighter IV (I have bought more things for this title, on several platforms, and invested more time than any other game I have ever played. It has some flaws, but Capcom has revitalized the fighting game genre in a big, big way)
3. Halo Wars (best RTS on console, ever, and the story mode was fantastic)
4. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Great game, but Continuum Shift looks to be better in all ways)
5. Prototype (best free-roaming game yet made. This statement is fact)
The rhythm games were a letdown for me, this year. Beatles: Rock Band was fairly average barring the trippy visual style, and GH5 totally failed to leave an impression positive or negative. Brutal Legend, also, was a gigantic letdown thanks to the "RTS" battles. I was expecting a fine action-y steak and ended up getting some kind of weird surf n' turf that managed to lack delicious gameplay everywhere.
Yeah, before I took a good look at the list, I was sure my bottom was going to be Brutal Legend or Ghostbusters. And since neither one of those are expressly terrible games, just games that I can't stand, I thought it spoke pretty well of my list overall.
But man, I forgot about X-Blades and Bionic Commando even existing
If we're going with terrible games that you still personally like, I'd like to put out WET and Wheelman. I thought both were great fun despite clearly being deeply flawed games.
I enjoyed the hell out of that game way more than I should have
1. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
2. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
4. The Dark Spire (DS)
5. Demon's Souls (PS3)
6. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
7. Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
9. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2)
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
11. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
12. Shadow Complex (360*)
13. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
14. Plants vs. Zombies (PC)
15. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
16. Torchlight (PC)
17. Rhythm Heaven (DS)
18. Bit.Trip Beat (Wii*)
19. Scribblenauts (DS)
20. Splosion Man (360*)
Demon's Souls should probably rank higher, but I've only had it for a couple of weeks, and I really enjoyed the Dark Spire. I'm probably alone ranking it that high, though.
XBL |Steam | PSN | last.fm
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - Both the best game and best action movie of the year. Needed more Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan, though.
2. Demon's Souls (PS3) - A hair away from 1st place, but I spent more time playing Uncharted 2. Pretty easily the most innovative game on the list, though.
3. Dragon Age: Origins (PC) - I'm a sucker for Bioware. And they made console versions of this? :P
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC) - I loved it, you loved it, everyone and their dog loved it. It's still not as awesome as Uncharted 2.
5. Borderlands (PC) - If Gearbox cared about the folks who bought the PC version and fixed the online matchmaking, I'd probably still be playing this as we speak.
6. Infamous (PS3) - I'm a sucker for a good superhero game.
7. Champions Online (PC) - I'm a sucker for a flawed yet entertaining superhero game.
8. The Beatles: Rock Band (360) - I beat it over a weekend, but what a weekend it was.
9. Torchlight (PC) - Bought on a whim, since I never got into Diablo 1 or 2. Now I'm actually looking forward to Diablo 3.
10. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) - In case you're wondering where the sense of humor they drained out of GTA IV went, look no further. I'm shocked at how much of the post-GTA3 gameplay they were able to cram into a DS cart.
11. Plants vs. Zombies (PC) - Fuck, now I have that song in my head again.
12. Defense Grid (PC) - I am how many years late for the tower defense game trend again? Well, I'll just talk about playing Rampart back in the day until you get bored and wander off.
13. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC) - If you want me to enjoy an RTS, remove resource management, give me 4 units, and make it ridiculously overblown.
14. Flower (PS3*) - And I don't even do drugs.
15. Street Fighter IV (PC) - I wish I didn't suck so badly at 2D fighting games.
16. Splosion Man (360*) - Scientists are, in fact, made out of ham.
17. Prototype (PC) - I'm a sucker for a flawed superhero game, as long as it allows me to wallow in unrestrained gore-drenched superdickery for 15-20 minutes before I get bored.
18. Brütal Legend (PS3) - Once it became an RTS, I lost interest.
19. Demigod (PC) - I didn't hate it.
20. Resident Evil 5 (PS3) - I didn't hate it, with zombies.
You and me both. I hear a lot of praise for the title but I can get frustrated pretty easily.
I'm afraid because I go both ways as far as getting frustrated. If I'm really into a game something tough can be really nice and I love feeling accomplished when I actually do it. Like Mirror's Edge, I got the platinum, and that was frustrating as hell. But there are some games where I just get pissed and throw a controller really easily. I have no idea which end of the frustrating scale it'll be.
Essentially a bait and switch job to PC gamers featuring of all things, gamespy arcade matchmaking. And all this for a week delay after the console editions.
I probably would have purchased their DLC if it didn't have securom attached for whatever reason (even on steam?) and their support has been pisspoor.
Before release I'd been hearing about how Borderlands was apparently largely superior to the console versions
2. SMT: Persona (PSP)
3. Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP)
4. Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
And that's all I voted for. I'd have probably put Raidou 2 in as well, but that hasnt been released over here :<
It really depends on what frustrates you.
I normally stay way far away from "super hard" games since they frustrate the shit out of me.
But Demon's Souls is hard in a way that seems fair. Unlike other games where you die because the controls decide not to respond, or you miss a split-second button push, or the game decides to randomly fuck with you, it never seems like the game's fault when you die in Demon's Souls.
The game is somewhat slowly paced, and the levels have no random elements, so you can learn how to overcome or avoid whatever killed you. After a while, replaying a level that used to be a tense, "I'm gonna die any second now" affair becomes you kicking ass in a way that makes the difficulty curve seem worth it.
1. Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Arriving before the plastic instrument hell that was this fall, it goes in a total opposite direction with an incredibly simple control scheme. Touch controls are not perfect, which has put it below the original in the eyes of many. But since Tengoku never came out in the US, much less this year, Rhythm Heaven gets my vote. Creative, simply executed and fun as all hell. You can skip levels for those that can't find the beat or try to nail the perfects for the experienced.
I even bought the soundtrack.
2. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
This game just fucking NAILS creating the Batman experience within the gaming medium. Freeflow initially seems like easy-mode combat, but slowly builds upon the basics into something that challenges but keeps you feeling like the goddamn Batman. Stealth is delightful, and REALLY makes you feel like the dark knight only marred by the somewhat immersion-breaking gargoyles. Sorry, but did they order the damn things in bulk?
And detective mode just enhances the thing to a perfect Batman game. Really looking forward to the sequel.
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Took the somewhat hallow NSMB for DS and gave it a real console treatment. The level design is vastly superior, and it's amazing how they pulled it off without having to comprise for multiplayer. Multiplayer is simply done, with few gimmicks, and works beautiful. As awesome as the dickery potential is, you really see multiplayer shine when the cooperation pulls through. Very subtle, but done very well.
4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)
I can't believe I'm enjoying an RTS for single-player, but DoW's merging of RPG and RTS is potent, giving us a Diablo-esque feel with more brainpower required to get through. Multiplayer is fun, but has struggled with balance and, for me, performance issues. Hard to get a 2v2 game going without someone dropping.
Last Stand added another interesting mode, particularly for co-op. Simple, but effective and adds new items for character diversity, not power. Refreshing.
5. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Mario & Luigi is in danger of becoming stale (a larger symptom of Mario RPGs in general), but BiS saves the affair by adding a new character with his own moves and way of doing things. Adds much more DS power than Partners in Time with the giant battles and minion attacks.
But the plot is the real winner, shaming the baby/time traveling bore for Fawful and Bowser hilarity. I'd say it's one game where the Mario Bros. aren't even the stars.
6. Trine (PC,PS3*)
This would have been my game of the year if based just on the demo. Trine has excellent platforming with three distinct characters and high-quality physics puzzles. It's like Half-Life 2 and The Lost Vikings in an indie flavor. Sadly, the game doesn't really build upon itself. New abilities aren't really put to use until the end of the game, and the end itself is a terrible level that changes the pace and is a giant exercise in frustration.
But it must be said how much fun the wizard is. Fuck fireballs, I got boxes.
7. Fat Princess (PS3*)
I wish I could have played this more, but it wasn't the case. Fat Princess turns the RTS into a team-based slaughter with a practical art style and streamlined experience. A good variety of classes, an element of teamwork and strategy and it's just a damn unique experience for the year.
8. Spider (iPhone)
This game is just pure elegance. The controls are very intuitive, and something that every should look at when designing apps for the iPhone. It has a subtle story coupled with a simple but progressive puzzle-style of gameplay. It really is the standout title for the iPhone.
9. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
While I consider more an expansion than anything, it still kicks ass. More campaigns and the gameplay is better fleshed out with a wider variety of enemies, items and weapons. Nothing here feels unneeded but a natural addition to the game. If only the new survivors were as good as the old ones.
10. Little King's Story (Wii)
Pikmin on the Wii, kinda. It has a nice, persistent feel to it as you spend some days building up your kingdom, others training new soldiers and the rest taking over enemy realms. A goofy story makes the whole thing delightful. But where the hell is the IR control? That's a HUGE mark against the game because the aiming is pretty spotty and it's a damn no-brainer.
11. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
PC bitching and moaning aside, the game is fun. Real fun. Diablo's crack with the first-person shootiness. But the game is far too easy and quickly gets repetitive, thus getting the bottom of my list. I think the quest-oriented nature has something to do with it. I blame WoW for getting me sick of that.
2. Shadow Complex (360*)
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
4. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
5. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
7. Little King's Story (Wii)
8. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
9. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
10. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
11. Need for Speed: Shift (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,PSP)
12. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
13. Flower (PS3*)
14. Madden NFL 10 (360,iPhone,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
15. Shatter (PS3*)
16. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
17. Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
18. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
19. The Beatles: Rock Band (360,PS3,Wii)
The best casual game to hit the market so far in my world! It was cute, It cointained some kind of challange, it contained zombies! Oh joy!
To follow up on this, I was exactly right: They named Uncharted 2: Among Thieves GOTY 2009, with the one runner-up position going to Batman: Arkham Asylum. I'm kinda surprised MW2 didn't get a runner-up spot
Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
The Beatles: Rock Band (360,PS3,Wii)
Infamous (PS3)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
Fat Princess (PS3*)
Flower (PS3*)
Brütal Legend (360,PS3)
Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
Scribblenauts (DS)
Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers (360*)
1 vs. 100 (360*)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
http://www.audioentropy.com/
They did put in more time - it was supposed to come out in the spring, but they pushed it to late summer to polish it up. But overall I totally agree with you. Batman was a very above-average game, it did everything well - but the only wow factor it really had was the fact that it is an above-average game that does everything well where you play as Batman - which is fucking exceptional.
Batman's solid, all the way through, but aside from
Edit: but that's just my opinion. It's still 8/14 on my list.
My top three is Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed II, and Batman. Uncharted 2 has a crazy epic scope to it. Assassin's Creed II has a wonderful story and is just very lengthy, which was probably the reason I put it above AA; as far as being consistently entertaining while maintaining a healthy playtime, it's quite the feat.
But Batman is damn-near perfect, and does many things even better than those two.
For starters, while Uncharted 2 has it beat simply because they could play to the full strengths of the PS3, I would have a hard time coming up with a better-looking multiplatform game this year. The art style may not be for everyone, but technically speaking, it's gorgeous.
The voicework pretty much equals Uncharted 2, simply because bringing in the old cast from the animated series did wonders.
The combat system was simple enough so that anyone could get through it using pretty simple maneuevers (such as constantly countering) all while never feeling like you're cheesing your way through it because every move you do looks insanely awesome. Yet if you spend the time to get good with it, you're awarded with both more experience and generally just pulling off some flat-out awesome-looking moves. This also ties in with the graphics, but I feel that Batman had the best animation of the year hands-down, pertaining to its fight scenes.
It's a Metroidvania, which we simply don't get enough of these days, although there were two to scratch that particular itch this year. And not only that, but this is the only really good 3D one outside of the Metroid series.
It was absolutely perfectly-paced, even moreso than Uncharted 2, which I felt starts to taper a bit near the end (simply because it's absolutely exhausting all the way till that point). It also had an insane amount of polish, especially for a developer with no real large amount of experience under their belt, so I don't know where you're getting that from.
AA was absolutely the biggest surprise I've had in years, and if it were a year where Uncharted 2 didn't exist, it would almost certainly be my Game of the Year.
Now, if Batman:AA 2 can match the jump that Uncharted 2 made from UC1...
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
Demon's Souls (PS3)
Plants vs. Zombies (PC)
Critter Crunch (iPhone,PS3*)
Pixeljunk Shooter (PS3*)
Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
Trials HD (360*)
Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
LocoRoco 2 (PSP)
I feel bad, I forgot Uncharted 2. I would probably put it just above Demon's Souls. Maybe just under. Oh well.
Canabalt is awesome.
I was surprised of its quality simply by playing the demo and the first hour or so of the game. That thought process doesn't even make its way into my final deliberations.
I put it as my #3 simply because it was a much more fun and rewarding experience to play through than the other 17 in my top twenty.
It's 5/13 on my list, so as I said it was good, it's just a few spots and things I thought they could have really pushed it to make it great, but they just didn't.
For one Batman kind of felt like a mute hero or something. He never seemed to react to anything at all, which made the past stuff that came up and the scene you pointed out seem kind of pointless, even as awesome of an idea as it was.
And as the Bombcast points out (I'm listening to that now), the game never really forces you to learn any of its systems. You can kind of rely on the same shit to get through it really really easily. I kind of got to the end and then realized I had a few things that I never thought about using and didn't really care to.
And then I just hate the graphics, but then again I really don't like very many Unreal Engine games looks.
Yeah, I'm a huge Batman fan (as in, I have an entire shelf full of Batman related comics) but I still had enough problems with it that put it below Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and inFamous.
Then again, maybe that's because I was one of the few that actually expected Arkham Asylum to be a good game, whereas most seemed to be completely surprised by it.
On a different note, Gametrailers have once again proved their "worth". I can't believe they even nominated CoD: MW Reflex in the Wii's category.
You're so 2008
2. Assassin's Creed II (360,PS3)
3. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
4. Infamous (PS3)
5. Killzone 2 (PS3)
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
8. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (360,PC,PS3)
9. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
10. Demon's Souls (PS3)
11. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
12. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360,DS,PC,PS2,PS3,PSP,Wii)
13. Need for Speed: Shift (360,iPhone,PC,PS3,PSP)
14. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
15. Deadly Creatures (Wii)
It means you have access to a PS3 but have for some reason not played or didn't enjoy UC2.
I was just looking at lists and thought that same exact thing too. Infamous was pretty fun, but I had to put it down for a little while, though, near like 3/4 of the way through because things just wore a bit thin. It seems like it could be REALLY perfect in a sequel, but as it was, it just didn't have quite enough polish and variety for me to put it up there. The side missions were quite a bit repetitive.
Maybe I just need to go play it again... I do need to play an evil runthrough.
2. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
3. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (360,PS3)
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360,PC,PS3)
5. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
6. Prototype (360,PC,PS3)
7. Tekken 6 (360,PS3,PSP)
8. Infamous (PS3)
9. Street Fighter IV (360,PC,PS3)
10. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
11. Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy (PS2)
12. Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
13. MagnaCarta II (360)
14. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
15. Shadow Complex (360*)
16. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360)
There were a few games I'm pretty sure would have made my list if I had time to play them(Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted 2 and such, but I didn't).
Either way...man, This year was pretty light in retrospect.
2010 is going to be killer though.
Also...Prototype and Infamous should have been higher than Red Faction, but was a typo.
Not really. The great thing about inFamous' side missions is that they don't really over-do any of them. They introduce a new mission type (like blowing up an armoured truck), sprinkle a few of those side-missions across the map and that's it. Of all the open world games I've played (including Assassin's Creed 2, my #2 this year), inFamous was one of the least repetitive.
As for people listing inFamous but not Uncharted 2, well I assume most people have had a lot more time to play the former than the latter. This'd be pretty noticeable for people that don't actually own PS3's but can play the occassional PS3 game at a friends.
I agree. I love Infamous but UC2 just fucking blew me away. An intense amount of blowing. Like a blow job blowing. I havent replayed a game in so long due to working and so many other games being out but despite having a shit ton of games I need to play Im going back through UC2 AND playing co-op every night since I got it. Its crazy.
But hey. Opinions.
2. Left 4 Dead 2 (360,PC)
3. Borderlands (360,PC,PS3)
4. Shadow Complex (360*)
5. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360,PC,PS3)
6. Dragon Age: Origins (360,PC,PS3)
7. Resident Evil 5 (360,PC,PS3)
8. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
10. Scribblenauts (DS)
11. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
12. Torchlight (PC)
13. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360,PC,PS3)
Brutal Legend and Spirit Tracks would probably go on there, but I just haven't had a chance to play them yet.
And yes, Prototype is my #1 game this year.
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL