12.07.2009

BEST GAMES OF 2009

Yes, it's that time of year again...the BEST OF lists begin!!!

10. MODERN WARFARE 2 / KILLZONE 2 (tie)




Yes, I'm already cheating, but both of these games are FPS, (First Person Shooters) both are a lot of fun to play with engaging stories. But sadly, they are short, quick adventures and get a lot of their added gameplay online. Where, an old fuck like me doesn't dwell much. (You can only get your ass handed to you so many times by a 12-year-old boy before you just realize you ain't THAT good.)

9. SPIDER: THE SECRET OF BRYCE MANOR



Probably the best game I've played yet on the iPhone! So easy to control, so much fun to create webs and capture bugs. Only reason it's so far down the list is because it was over WAY TOO SOON. It was this studio's first game and basically, a test-run to see if you could create something unique for the iPods. I imagine the next one will be much longer (and more expensive than the STEAL of $2.99!!)

8. FAT PRINCESS


I had a lot of fun with this title...before the wave of other games came out and distracted me from leveling up and feeding princesses cake. A multiplayer feast with 32 people battling it out in "capture the flag" type match. Plus, the quirky art style gets bonus points!

7. KATAMARI FOREVER


I'm a sucker for the Katamari. I had both games for the PS2, one for PSP and came close to buying an Xbox (total lie) to get my hands on Beautiful Katamari. Good thing I didn't, cause this collection takes all the best levels from those games and puts them on one disc with amazing 1080i visuals! I played this nonstop for three weeks and STILL didn't find everything out there, which means I might have to go back and finish it one of these days...

6. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM


A GOOD video game based on a comic book?! Scratch that...a GOOD BATMAN GAME?! Folks, this has never, ever happened. Written by Paul Dini, this game takes place in one long evening...as the Joker traps Batman in Arkham Asylum and all hell breaks loose. A great fucking game, but once you beat it, there's little reason to go back and play it again.

5. PEGGLE


Another one for the iPhone. (Although it just came out for the PS3 as well) Best described as pure video game crack. This simple lil' game isn't anything special, but you CANNOT QUIT PLAYING IT. Ever. You will try one level, then another, then another, and once you get past the unicorn and onto the King Tut cat, you just have to admit you have a problem. It's like Plinko mixed with pure awesomeness. There's no other way to describe it. Just play it and deal with withdrawl when you're forced to go to work.

4. THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND


It would have been easy for Harmonix to just slap The Beatles's name on their Rock Band game, added some lame character models and a few of their songs and called it a day. But noooooooooo, they had to treat this project with the utmost care and respect. What they ended up creating is less "game" and more "interactive documentary." It's a thing of rare beauty, and yet, something that your 5 year old, and parents in their 50's can enjoy right alongside you. Watch the video review up above and feel sorry for yourself that you right off video games as "teenage junk."

3. FLOWER


Easily the most beautiful game on the list. Easy as hell to play too. You just control the pedal with the controller, shifting it left or right, back or forward...no buttons or combos or score or anything! The worlds start out dead and colorless, and as you float along using the wind to pollinate the ground, more and more life grows and illuminates the world. Once we finally got an HD TV this year, this game took on a life of its own. One of the first things to "burst" off the screen and implant itself into my brain.

2. RESIDENT EVIL 5


Not only is it fun killing zombies, but doing it online, with your boyfriend is even better! Much to Molly's amusement, Kevin and I spent many a nights in separate houses, killing zombies and swearing at one another. (We're on a team, and more times than I'm willing to discuss, I was responsible for killing us both.) Tons of levels, lots of replay value, and the fact that you can play the entire campaign online with a buddy, it was one of the best games of the entire year...

1. UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES


...But not THE best. This is THE best. Uncharted 2 was nonstop, action, adventure, mind-blowing set pieces, incredible high speed chases, fun while tough boss battles...the whole fucking package. You couldn't spend $60 better this year. It put the best Hollywood action movies to shame. Made you realize the power of how intelligent writing, powerful voice acting, and production values can make the perception of mere "video games" shatter into a million pieces.

1 comment:

Kevin said...

We should play RE5 again sometime. Especially when that new content drops in a few months.

You can kill me anytime...