Best of 2009 in Gaming

Biggest Surprise:

 

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Winner: 50 Cent Blood on the Sand

All five finalists were worthy of winning this award. DJ Hero surprised all of us who thought rhythm based games had already died after only being popular for a short period, but DJ Hero's brought a fresh take. How about controlling flower pedals accross a screen with Sixaxis controls. Does that sound like a great game? How about another superhero game. This ones based on Batman. For one of the few times, Arkham Asylum was a good licensed game. Maybe you want a spin off of a horror game on the Wii. Oh and it's also an on rails shooter.

 

All these shocked us in 2009, but anyone who played 50 Cent: Bulletproof would have laughed at you telling them that 50 Cent Blood on the Sand being an enjoyable game. The fun fast paced action and the great use of 50 as a character vastly improved upon the 50 Cent game released 4 years ago. It's no runner for GOTY, but it definitely did surprise just about everyone who played it.

Best Graphics:

 

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Winner: Uncharted 2

 

There's a reason I only bothered having three games in the finalists. Uncharted 2 is the clear winner here. One look at a screenshot and you can tell that Uncharted 2 looks incredible. Killzone 2 technically looks just as good as Uncharted 2, but Uncharted 2 gets the edge because of the colorful environments are more impressive to look at. Modern Warfare 2 gets a nod for being the best looking game on multiple consoles, but it's simply not up there with Uncharted 2.

 

Best Boxart:

 

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Winner: Madden 10

 

Sports games always have a great covers year after year with the clean, simple design surrounding the athlete. But Madden 10 was exceptionally good with a picture of Larry Fitzgerald colliding with Troy Polamalu. The red and yellow paint splatters as a finishing touch make this the best box art in 2009.

 

Best Soundtrack:

 

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Winner: GTA Episodes from Liberty City

 

Grand Theft Auto games always have terrific soundtracks, and the DLC didn't disappoint. It offered a varried selection of music that everyone can enjoy.

 

Best Story:

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Winner: Uncharted 2

There wasn't a whole lot of great story telling this year (hence the only 3 finalists once again) but Uncharted 2 could've held it's own in any year. The continued story of Nathan Drake is one that should be experienced by all gamers, and the awesome job of voice acting helps make this the mystery of Marco Polo the best in 2009.

 

Best Multiplatform game:

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Winner: Dragon Age Origins

 

This was a very close competition. All five finalists were great in there own right. There was a point when each one almost one before I finally gave the edge to Dragon Age. It's another deep RPG from Bioware with tons to do (which will take over 60 hours) and an engrossing atmosphere to get lost in. With a fun combat system and giant, exciting battles it's hard not to have a good time with Dragon Age Origins. Everything comes together to make this the best game that users of a PC, PS3, and 360 can all enjoy.

 

Best 360 Exclusive:

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Winner: Forza 3

 

Though not a huge improvement on the previous game, Forza is a excellent racing sim. It has hundreds of cars to customize and race, the gameplay is spot on, it's a blast online, and the cars look life like. It's one of the best racing games of this generation.

 

Best PS3 exclusive:

 

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Winner: Uncharted 2

 

No doubt, 2009 was the year of the PS3. There's that list of five great exclusives, and there's one or two more I would've liked to include but ran out of room. Uncharted 2 comes out on top thanks to amazing gameplay mechanics that include a perfect balance between platforming and shooting complete with an engaging story to get involved with throughout. Add on an incredibly fun mulitplayer system and you have the best game only available to the PS3 this year.

 

Best Wii exclusive:

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Winner: Dead Space Extraction

 

This was a very weak year for the Wii. Among the few games I enjoyed this year, the one that stood out to me wasn't even developed by Nintendo. The one game that captivated me and made me want to keep playing was Visceral Games' Dead Space Extraction. Sure it was an on rail shooter but the dismembering aliens in space is still fun even if your movement is limited. The story line also is one of the best on Wii and gives you a reason to keep playing.

 

 

Other awards:

Best DS exclusive: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Best PSP exclusive: Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Best iPhone/iPod game: Real Racing

Most Improved: Killzone 2

Best new IP: InFamous

Best Graphics, Artistically: MadWorld

Best multiplayer: Modern Warfare 2

Best liscensed game: Batman Arkham Asylum

Most fun new control scheme: InFamous

 

Will be continued