azn_pride's Best of 2009 Part 1

2009 may not be the best year in gaming, but it did pull off great titles here and there. Kicking things off quite roughly, this year has had its share of ups and downs. With big name companies such as Electronic Arts laying off thousands of employees, many people quickly discarded the ideal that the video game industry was indeed 'recession-proof.' To add more insult to injury Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all saw a decline in both hardware and software sales as the year rolled on, and we also said goodbye to notable game development companies such as Pandemic Studios, Midway, Eidos, and others. As bad as the industry has been hit, a bevy of great titles came out to turn many people's frowns upside down (or right side up). We all saw it at E3 and the Tokyo Game Show this year; 2009 proved to be a solid year in gaming. Unfortunately, lots of delays to 2010 showed that many companies were being cautious and did not want to take the risk. Who can blame them?

 

The year is already coming to a close, so I thought I'd share with you my top 10 games before we welcome the New Year. Lots of "disappointing," "just plain terrible," and "surprisingly good" statements were spoken here and there, but you know what? 2009 isn't such a disappointing year after all. Why you ask? Maybe some of the games on this list will tell you.

 

* (Oh and just on a side note, the games I played this year are limited, so if your favorite game isn't on my list, chances are I never got to play it. Moving on…)

 

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10. Dead Space Extraction

I don't really play much survival horror games; having only played Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space my experience with scary games is downright minimal. But in recent years I'm starting to appreciate (because I'm not as jumpy as I used to) them. So I turn to Dead Space Extraction to try out my skills on a rail shooter. Extraction isn't as frightening as its predecessor, but still manages to maintain that horrific atmosphere you're already familiar with. Sadly the game is relatively short but it fills in the much needed gaps to tie it in with Dead Space 1's storyline. Though it isn't really worth buying at full price it's still fairly entertaining, despite its noticeable shortcomings.

 

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9. Halo 3: ODST

To be honest, I'm not much of a Halo fan. I mean I've played all the major Halo titles and think they're fun shooters in general, but I'm not really into the series as much as the next fanboy is concerned. Then my best friend wanted me (more like forced me) to try it out, and so I reluctantly did. To my surprise, ODST was actually a better game than I thought it would be. It may not be a step forward from Halo 3, but ODST retains the same game play mechanics (as well as adding some new features) Halo enthusiasts are certainly familiar with. Story-wise ODST is disappointing, but Firefight Mode kept me from discarding the game from my mind altogether.

 

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8. inFamous

Heroes like Iron Man, Superman, and Batman have already forged their alliances for the good side, but sometimes I wonder if any of them were actually villains. How different will everything be, if the people see them as such? With Sucker Punch's inFamous, you're basically just an everyman who has the choice of being the hero or the villain. Whatever your actions may be will determine how the people view you, and how your powers will change over time. I like that you can have that freedom of choice and not just having a singular path. Add in a sandbox-type world and shockingly cool powers, inFamous is a marvelous superhero game worth playing again and again.

 

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7. Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Brawlers and beat-em-up games often fail to keep my attention going from start to finish. With their repetitive nature I'm almost never compelled to finish them. The concept may work for the first hour or so, but just gets old extremely quickly. Then VanillaWare's Muramasa comes along, and I was just in awe. Again, the game play may be simple and lacking, but I could not take my eyes off its remarkable visual style. With its gorgeous backgrounds and flashy action set pieces--not to mention the sexy lady Momohime, who can deny Muramasa's artistic charm? Not me, that's for sure. All these aspects are more than enough for Muramasa: The Demon Blade to make it on this list.

 

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6. Left 4 Dead 2

I've always thought Left 4 Dead as a more arcade-y than a normal first-person shooter. Don't get me wrong though; I loved the first Left 4 Dead. When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced back at E3, I thought it was too soon for a sequel, but I was excited at the same time. With a new compelling cast to relate to and a more fun co-op experience I was enjoying shooting zombies (old and new) in the face all over again. It probably also helped that I saw the movie Zombieland before the game came out, because I definitely get that same vibe in the game. And you know what? That's a good thing in my book.

 

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Part 2 coming soon.