My Favorite Video Games of 2009

I am not a professional reviewer, just a run of the mill gamer but since this blog is about the things I love and one of those is gaming, I figured I'd have some fun and share what games made my year. To give a little background on what I like, I have every system out there (PS3, Xbox, Wii, PSP, DS) but I have limited time to actually play any of them due to the demands of job, kids and a wife who doesn't feel like watching me play video games is an entertaining evening.

Thus, I don't tend to pick up any and all games, and commit my time to only those games I truly enjoy (and I shy away from the survival horror and RPG genres...so no Dragon Age or Left 4 Dead type games typically - I also notably missed Ratchet and Clank's latest and Borderlands, both of which I hope to pick up soon). Nonetheless, it was a great year of games in my mind with some real standouts. In no particular order, here are my favorite games of 2009 along with some honorable mentions and disappointments.

inFamous - Thankfully this game seems to be getting some love in the end of the year reviews because, in my opinion, it certainly didn't get the attention it deserved when it came out. Until Uncharted 2, this was the single game that validated my buying a PS3 last Christmas. The story is compelling with a surprising twist and a unique hero and morality choices that actually fundamentally change the outcome of the game. The graphics are great and the gameplay is simply outstanding, getting increasingly more fun as your powers expand throughout the game.

If you played Crackdown on Xbox 360, inFamous bears some similarities to that game (which I loved as well) in that it has an open world in which much of the fun is derived from jumping rooftops and climbing buildings while your characters abilities continue to expand increasing your ability to explore (and destroy) the environment. However, inFamous improves on that concept in every way, from the detail in your environment, to the ways you can interact with that environment, to the depth of the story and characters. If you own a PS3 and missed this game, you need to pick it up.

Batman Arkham Asylum - I will admit I was waiting to be disappointed by this game. Licensed games are notoriously awful and Batman games, in my recollection, have never been particularly good. Much like Star Wars : The Force Unleashed, I expected that the wow factor in the demos and previews would soon prove to be an illusion. How happy was I to find out this wasn't at all the case.

Batman Arkham Asylum simply gets everything right about Batman from the way you sometimes lurk in the shadows taking out ever more agitated enemies one by one to the way you occasionally take on a mob of enemies with a challenging but very accessible fighting system. The setting and graphics are suitably dark and gritty and the gameplay changes up frequently enough that you are never bored. Simply a fantastic game in every way.

Uncharted 2 - So much praise has been heaped on Uncharted 2, and deservedly so, that it probably doesn't bear repeating on my lowly blog. This game improves on the original in every way and features some of the most stunning graphics, impressive acting and intelligent storytelling that I have ever seen in a game. There are a number of sequences that will just completely blow you away. Also, don't be surprised to find that others actually enjoy watching you play as this story is very engaging and movie-like. If you own a PS3 and don't have this game, please donate your PS3 to someone who actually likes video games.

Honorable Mentions:

DJ Hero - I admittedly only got this one for Christmas and haven't gotten terribly far in it but like what I find so far. The gameplay isn't easy all the time, especially when it comes to the crossfader but its also forgiving enough that I haven't found myself overly frustrated yet. However, what makes this game worth the money (which is considerable since it comes with the equipment) is the music. Nearly every mix is simply outstanding and keeps you wanting more.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - This might have made my favorite games list if I had more time to devote to it but this was another Christmas purchase. If you played the DS version of this game, you won't be surprised by anything you find in this game which retreads most of the same territory. However, the ability to have up to four players play at once is, to me, what makes this game so much fun. If you are playing with kids, its the perfect way to team up and share the fun and if you are playing with adults, its perfect for screwing each other over!

Disappointments:

Modern Warfare 2 - Before you flip out, let me explain. I tend to be a solo gamer and only venture into online multiplayer when I know who I will be playing against or with. This means I rarely jump online. The original Modern Warfare's campaign featured a strong and believable storyline. This one's story was nonsensical (I'm still not sure what happened) and outlandish (c'mon, the Russians invade mainland U.S....really?!?). Perhaps Uncharted 2, which I had just finished, set the bar too high.

Killzone 2 - Graphically, this game was impressive. The gameplay and story, though, never got me hooked. I plan to revisit it this year when I have time but I doubt my sentiments will change dramatically.

Ghostbusters - The story was good and the writing great and it was nice to have all those original voices on board to make the game feel like you are playing the actual Ghostbuster characters. However, good story can't compensate for less than thrilling gameplay. Its not a bad game, just not enough to get me to commit my limited game time to.

Street Fighter IV - I know there are a lot of hardcore fans and professional reviewers who were seriously impressed by this game. Maybe its me, but I can't seem to get any of the complex button combinations down to do any real combos. Without that, you are forced into just button mashing, but the game, to me, is too damn hard to win as a button-masher. I liked Soul Caliber IV more...sorry.

I honestly have not played MDW2 online yet because I am afraid of the 14yr kids who will whoop my behind and talk trash.

You might be nuts here, not only is *THE* greatest game of 2009, it should go down as one of the greatest games in history. The story is simply awesome, the graphics are amazing and its like playing in a movie.

The scene where you walk into the airport is just flat out awesome!

Street Fighter IV is great! Wayyyyy better than Soul Calibur IV. But yeah, the fighting game genre in general tends to be pretty unfriendly to newbies.

I tend not to play first person shooters and I don't really have access to a PS3, but Arkham Asylum was awesome and New Super Mario Bros Wii was awesome too. Those three were probably my games of the year.

I thought it was just me that thought MW2 was confusing. I mean the first one had a logical flow but this one just sorta strung you along from one seemingly independent scene to the next with little to no transition.
FPS games aren't well known for their gripping storylines, but that shouldn't mean that they're not capable of them.

For me the amazing ones were Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2, and i am currently absolutely addicted to Dragon's Age: Origins.

it's pretty much the best game i've ever played such a rich deep story, amazing graphics and gameplay, and MASSIVE. i'm only 25% complete on the warrior class playthrough and i've spent almost 50 hours in game.

Prototype was also some cool free-running action and combat but the story sucked hard.

I would love to get MW2 but am put off by the server lag from COD4 multiplayer being in Australia :(

yep assassins creed 1 got boring and repetitive, but they fixed that with 2. many more quests and better level design, and the cool thing is you get your own home base village to upgrade and improve as you go along which is cool... ending is somewhat bizarre though! definitely worth a play anyway...

inFamous looks pretty good from your review. I think I'll check it out.