Best of 2009
Jorge’s Top 9 Games

These are in no particular order, and some of these actually came out before 2009. However, these are my nine favourite games from 2009, so deal with it!

Street Fighter IV

I would be silly if I didn’t put this on my list. Long gone are the days when we would scoot over to the local corner store down the street from high school to pump quarters into the Street Fighter II cabinet. Street Fighter IV is certainly head and shoulders above those old arcade games in terms of flash and plain ol’ quality. But it’s all still so familiar and fun, and it’s a great way to spend an evening.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

I loves me a good riddle, and this game is chock full of them. The first chapter in this series hooked me in without any resistance, and the sequel maintains the pull. I played through this game very quickly, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and return to do the weekly puzzles from time to time. The Professor Layton series is proof that the DS is no slouch when it comes to having engaging entertainment.

Boom Blox Bash Party

There are certainly a lot of sequels on my list. Boom Blox surprised a lot of people when it came out. The sequel surprised a lot of people too, due to the fact that it didn’t take that long for it to come out. Boom Blox Bash Party is probably my number one party game fallback. I have said it before, but no other game levels the playing field so well, and in such a fun way, too. Makes me want to have another game day soon!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. My PS3 came with Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and I pretty much started playing it because the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves hype wagon was chugging ahead full steam destroying everything in its path. And then I fell in love with the series. The characters, the amazing backdrops, the plot. Everything was amazing. And that was just the first game! When Uncharted 2 entered my PS3 [gently], it felt like the cred of my home entertainment system increased a hundredfold.

Team Fortress 2

This sequel isn’t really a new game. But they keep packing in new features every few months so it constantly feels like a new one. What happened in 2009 with this game? We received new weapons, new achievements, and a Halloween map complete with ghosts. Oh, and new hats, plus an item-construction utility. What’s next? I suspect some kind of crazy interface or a magical portal into the game itself once you collect enough hats. While Boom Blox Bash Party is my standby party game, Team Fortress 2 is my standby online multiplayer killing game. Also, I was right about Jarate.

Rhythm Heaven

Care to play a weird Japanese game about keeping rhythm using the stylus? Yes, please! I played the Japanese version of this game at the insistence of a friend of mine, and I really enjoyed it. Getting Rhythm Heaven was awesome, even if it was exactly the same game. Why? Because now I could understand the instructions. Since I had experience with this game before, it didn’t take me long to finish the English version. I will go back to it every once in a while to play some of the infinite rhythm games. A lot of those tunes are damned catchy!

Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins restored my faith in RPGs. This game has incredible visuals, wonderful voice acting and a lot of really great little bits that make the whole that much greater. The fact that this game has an engrossing plot is probably the best part. However, what makes it more incredible is the fact that your character choice controls a large part of your path! That is, your ending may differ greatly between character choices. I hear that DLC is hitting the net very soon, and I will be downloading that sucker as soon as it comes out.

DJ Hero

This was my obsession for 2009. Yes, even more than Naruto. When I was at the PlayStation Holiday Event, I wouldn’t leave poor Jared from Activision alone with the DJ controller for more than half an hour. I saved my pennies and got the Renegade Edition the day it came out, and cleared the game in a very short period of time (medium difficulty setting). I am now still playing through it on hard, and once that is done? Expert. Not only is this game fun to play on your own, but it also rocks when it comes to both cooperative and competitive play. I’m looking forward to seeing where they take this title!

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

It’s Naruto. It’s the whole series in a game. The graphics are amazing. Sound design is incredible. It’s Naruto. The fighting system is simple, yet elegant. Multiplayer is a blast. CyberConnect2 succeeded in blurring the line between anime and game. I’m very excited for the sequel, which is hopefully coming out early this year. Did I mention it’s Naruto?

Posted in Awesome, Features, Nintendo, PC, Sony |