7. DJ Hero.
As a fading fan of rhythm games, I found DJ Hero to be an extremely welcome change to the initial concept. It's still the same idea, hit the notes as they come at you, but with the turntable controller, complete with crossfader and effect triggers, it makes the gameplay feel completely fresh. So except for it being a rhythm game, it really hasn't got much in common with it's Guitar Hero / Rock Band counterparts. From it's name it's quite obvious that it isn't going to be the same old rock songs you've already played to death in other games, rather DJ Hero focuses on Hip Hop, Club and Dance songs in various formats. The mixes are actually pretty good in most cases, but there are cases of songs being used in mixes too much, on the other hand you have 8 mixes by Daft Punk and they're playable characters as well, so that's an instant win.6. Infamous.
This was kind of a surprise to me, I had heard something about it back in 2008, but then it kind of disappearedfrom radar. However, it came back close to it's release and since I had heard good things and read good reviews, I figured that I'd give it a shot. And I'm glad I did. The game is about Cole McGrath, a bike messenger who ends up being at the wrong place at the wrong time. This, in turn gives Cole the supernatural ability to control and eminate electricity. From there, you start off your adventure across Empire City. Cole can traverse the city with ease, using telephone wires, trainrails and his ability to fly for short periods of time to get places. This is part of what makes the game so great, how you get around. It's got a really nice flow to it, whether you're climbing up buildings or flying, it feels great. Not to mention his newfound powers, which you can upgrade as you go along. It's really satisfying electrocuting people to death in whatever way you do it. The environment, how you traverse it, and the fantastic gameplay is what makes this game stand out to me.5. Modern Warfare 2.
What?! Modern Warfare 2 isn't on the top spot?! Nope it's not. But believe me, this is a great game that belongs in everyones collection. It takes what the first Modern Warfare brought to the table and amps it up a good deal. The main campaign is like an adrenaline fueled roller coaster from start to finish, it's more over the top than the first one, and I for one didn't think that was possible. The story is similar to that of the first one, with political intrigue and terrorism, but it takes it to a whole new level here. In addition to a great single player campaign, it has also greatly improved on it's multiplayer aspect, which also brings up a notch from that of it's predecessor. For example, now you can shoot down UAV's. The leveling mechanics make a return, but with much more added to it, there's litteraly hundreds of badges and emblems to unlock for playing multiplayer. Killstreaks are still there, but now much more devastating, like the 25 killstreak reward of having a nuclear bomb delivered to the battlefield, blasting everything and everyone to smitherines and automatically ending the match, giving you the win. This is probably what will take up the Xbox Live servers more than anything else in the coming year.4. Resident Evil 5.
First thing's first, I still absolutely love Resident Evil 4, I own multiple versions of it, and I've probably played it upwards of 50 times. It is one of my favorite games of all time. With that said, it's no surprise that I was stoked to finally play it's sequel, and you know what, it does not disappoint. Sure, it doesn't pack the same punch as RE4 did, but what you get here is an action packed adventure in the same vein as it's predecessor. In addition to that, everything has been improved upon, from the sound design to the impressive graphics and atmosphere. The game plays almost exactly like RE4, and since I love that game, this automatically wins me over. The story is still pretty bad, but in a good way, you know how B-movies sometimes are so bad that they're actually good? That's how it is with the story. You play as Chris Redfield and his newly found partner, Sheva Alomar. Together, you're sent out by the BSAA to put a stop to a looming terrorist threat. It's no surprise that it's Wesker who's behind it all, and in this game you finally put a stop to him and his devious plans. Which is both good and bad I guess, because Wesker was one hell of a character. The game is now focused around co-op and you will always have your partner with you, even if you're playing by yourself. The AI of Sheva can be pretty bad at times, but if you're playing it with a friend, it gives you a fantastic co-op experience.3. Batman: Arkham Asylum.
When this was first announced, I didn't have very high expectations, so I didn't really follow it, but closer to it's release there was incredible hype for it. So I started looking closer, but I was still thinking "yeah, like this is going to be any good" because how many good Batman games have there been? Well you can count them on one finger, and it's this one. The game puts you in Batman's shoes as he's walking The Joker into Arkham Asylum after capturing him, something that Batman suspects was way too easy to do this time. His suspicions were right, as everything goes to hell soon after you enter, Joker takes over the prison and your adventure begins. On your way to capture the Joker once more, you'll run in to some of his friends at Arkham, like Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Croc and a few others. On top of that, The Riddler is afoot at Arkham, leaving you a plethora of riddles to be solved, mocking you as you progress. The game has absolutely stellar gameplay and mechanics, and navigating Arkham Asylum is as fun as it is exciting. With an extinsive arsenal of Batman's gadgets and hi-tech toys at your disposal it makes everything even better. In addition to that, the game also has great combat mechanics, ones that are easy to learn, but difficult to master, and they're put to good use in the many boss fights you'll encounter. As you explore Arkham you'll come across patient interviews with many of Batman's mor noteworthy enemies. Even if they all don't make an appearance in the game, it's interesting to listen to and read up on them, especially if you're not that into Batman, like myself. The game has absolutely nothing to do with the recent movies and builds entirely on the comic books, something that I really appreciate, since I'm not that big of a fan of the movies. Lastly, something has to be said about the Terrific voice acting of Mark Hamill as The Joker, fantastic work, and he practically steals the show. However, it is Batman's show, and it's one you shouldn't miss.2. Assassin's Creed II.
Even with the first games' many problems and repetetive nature, I still liked it a lot. Coming in to this sequel I was a little worried that it migh still have the same problems. But my worries were unfounded, as it contains none of those problems, not a single one. It has the same basic mechanics of climbing buildings, jumping on rooftops and murdering people. But it improves massively on all aspects of it, making traversal that much more fluent. It has also implemented a monetary system and ways of fast-travelling to different cities. Being set in renaissance-era Italy, and the cities of Florence, Rome and Venice to name a few, it makes it feel far less tedious getting to each. The game also adds in real-life figures of tha era, most notably Leonardo Da Vinci, who will help you progress in the game by helping you build various weapons and gadgets from schematics that you'll find throughout the cities. This time around, you're put in the role of Ezio Auditore da Firence, and you'll follow him on his journey from being a careless youngster in the streets of Florence to finding out that his father used to be a member of the Assassins and taking over his part as an assassin yourself. It's a more interesting character than Altaïr was, since you find out more about him as the story progresses. Said story is one of massive conspiracies against you and the Auditore's and the Assassins. It takes you on a journey of assassinations that makes much more sense then that of the first game, so it's not as repetetive. The story is also what makes this game stand out, on top of the story that takes place for Ezio, there's another level of going on for Desmond Miles, they guy you're really playing as. That story unfolds by finding hidden glyphs around the world and translating them through the Animus. It builds on the whole conspiracy thing heavily and mixes it in with real world conspiracy theories, mentioning Nicola Tesla, the first generation of independent bankers and so much more. And since I'm very interested in that sort of thing, it's really nice to see these thing being implemented in a game of such a high caliber. The game's story is ultimately what makes the game stand out to me, though it's a great game even without that.1. Dragon Age: Origins.
I knew coming in that this was supposed to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate II, but having never played that game, that didn't really matter to me. What made me interested in this is that it is an old school styled RPG, and it's made by BioWare, so you can't go wrong, right? Right! This is probably the game that I've sunk the most hours in this years, probably over a hundred hours on multiple characters. The main story clocked in at about 60 hours for me, but it could easily have taken much longer if I wanted to do absolutely everything. Even if I did most of it, there's much more to be had. If this game is played on the Xbox 360, which I did, it has much in common with BioWare's Mass Effect, in how it plays. Your spells are on a dial and all that, which makes sense for a console. If you play it on a PC however, it has a more traditional layout, more like that of World of Warcraft for example. The game starts out with you picking a race for you character and an Origin story to go with it, there are 6 all in all, and the game can vary heavily depending on which you chose. Each has it's own starting area and it will affect what an how people speak to you throughout the game. After completing your origin story, you're set out in the world of Ferelden, free to go do whatever you want. As you progress through the game, you'll soon come across other adventurers and characters that will join your party, and then it really gets going. I didn't feel that the story was all that great as just a story, but the way you play through it is absolutely fantastic. There's something to say for the voice acting as well, the various characters that will join your party have their own opinions on things and they will chit chat amongst eachother, which makes for some really funny dialogue. Your decisions through out the game will also affect what your fellow party members think of you, and this is important as you can make them either love you or hate you (more or less). And that also has it's effects on things, as they can outright leave your party for good if they don't like you. Following both your own and your party members characted development is greatly done, as they all have their individual personalities, opinions and tastes. Of course some are more interesting than others, but that's the way thing are I guess. It's hard for me to put in to words what exactly I liked so much about this game, but I'm sure it's lengthy, exciting, thrilling, fantastic adventure has something to do with it. As well as great voice acting, combat mechanics, dialogue and gameplay does. This is one game you should not miss out on, and it's the best experience a game could give me this year.So there you have it, my favorite games of 2009. There's a few games that I haven't played that might have made it on this list, but since I haven't played them, I can't say anything about them either. Borderlands comes to mind, a game that I've wanted to play but can't really spare the cash for it. I guess I'll get around to it when it gets a price cut.
All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good year for games, again. And 2010 doesn't look like it's going to be any different, starting off with such high caliber games as God of war III, Final Fantasy XIII, Dark Void, Bayonetta and Mass Effect 2. I have to say, I'm looking forward to it.
See you in 2010, people!
