Game of The Year 2009

Finally, it's time for Game of The Year. I've certainly spent a fair share of time bitching about other people's games of the year list over the past month. Time to put my list out there. As usual, my list is quite a bit different than most of the list you'll see around the net. Of course this is all personal opinion, as any list is, but these are the 10 games I enjoyed the most that came out this year. Enjoy!

10. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

When making a game of the year list, it's sometimes hard to remember the smaller games that were released earlier in the year. Luckily, I'm a big Valkyrie Profile fan. So when it came time to make my list, this game wasn't too far from my mind. Covenant of the Plume was an interesting take on the strategy role playing game branch of RPGs that I've enjoyed since Final Fantasy Tactics. Being able to engage in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth's amazing turn based battle system everytime I fought an enemy on the battlefield is what makes this game different than your typical SRPG.

While it might not live up to it's predecessor (my personal Game of the Decade) it's still one of the better offerings this year for a JRPG fan desperately looking for a fix. It's just a shame that the main story never has you taking on the role of Lenneth, or any Valkyrie for that matter. But Wyl is a cool enough dude, that deals with some messed up situations.

9. Torchlight

Torchlight kind of came out of no where. The developer Runic Studios, survivors from the late Flagship Studios were previously working on another Diablo clone - Mythos. I tried that game out but it didn't hook me. After a surprisingly short development cycle, the newly founded studio was finally able to put out a real contender to the throne - and it doesn't even have multiplayer!

It took me about 15 hours to finish the game with a single character. A "rogue" built Vanquisher. I enjoyed my short time with Torchlight, and had a hard time putting it down once I got started. While the game might not have the cinematic presentation, or the twisted story found in Diablo 2, everything else is there and is pretty much on par with that game I spent so many hours on over the years. I'm looking forward to what Runic Games does with the MMO portion of Torchlight that should be coming in a year or so.

Also, it should be noted that Torchlight is usually $20 on Steam. It's gone on sale several times since launching, with the last steam holiday sale having it up for just $5. That's just retarded. There's no reason not to pick up this game.

8. Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Muramasa, Vanillaware's latest example of how 2D gaming is still relevant even in 2009. This gorgeous Wii exclusive was one of my most anticipated games this year. Sadly, for whatever reason it didn't hook me quite as hard as Odin Sphere, but make no mistake this is still one amazing game.

As I've already said, the game is just simply amazing to look at. Easily one of the prettiest games I've ever seen. But the game's easy to learn, hard to master combat is what really sets this game apart from the crowd. It doesn't hurt that it has a rather interesting story, told from the perspective of two playable characters, that is rich with Japanese folklore.

Sadly, I've only had a chance to go through the game as Momohime, and have left Kisuke's story virtually untouched. However I did watch my roommate play through every part of the game, so I didn't miss anything. I'll still go back and finish it during some downtime though.

If you own a Wii and you're complaining about the lack of "core" games. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

7. Suikoden Tierkreis

Another game that came out at the beginning of the year that has been stuck in my mind is the latest installment in the Suikoden series. I'm a huge fan of the series, and it had been a while since the previous game. Unfortunately, Tierkreis is kind of a spin-off from the main franchise, but I would argue that it's on-par if not better than one of the main games - Suikoden 4.

I wrote a blog entry about some of the changes Suikoden fans can expect with this game. So check it out if you want a reminder. Still, this is a traditional JRPG for the DS that provided me with a solid 80 hours of entertainment. The story is pretty neat, and there are some awesome characters in that big pile 0f 108 to be recruited. Including Chrodechild, weird name, yes. But she is pretty hot, and easily one of the most overpowered characters in the series.

Who knows when Konami will get around to putting out Suikoden 6, so in the meantime you might as well give this one a shot. In my opinion, it's pretty damn good.

6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Yeah, another JRPG. You know the drill. Still, Dragon Quest V isn't just any JRPG. It's Japan's all time favorite game, ever. Regardless if that's an exaggeration or not (it probably isn't) they really love this fucking game. I'd have to agree with them, as far as old school JRPGs go this one is pretty fantastic, but I still hold a special place in my heart for Dragon Quest IV.

Also, yes, I know. This is a remake. However this marks the first time that Dragon Quest V has ever been released in the US. So fuck it, it's brand new to me. And I can see where you might think a first encounter with an older game so many years after it's release might be a less than stellar experience. But the truth? DQV is full of interesting stuff that still seems fresh even after all these years.

Perhaps the coolest part of the game is that you take on the role of the nameless Hero. Nothing new there, except for the fact that you follow him throughout his whole life. From childhood to adulthood. At one point you end up getting married, and having children even. And those children even join your party! It's pretty fucking cool, and honestly I'm surprised more games haven't ripped off the idea seeing how popular this game is.

It'll be a while before we get Dragon Quest IX over here in the west. So if you're a fan of the series, or just looking for a good JRPG, here's another good pick for you. Also, notice the trend of all these great JRPGs being on the DS? Yeah...

5. Brutal Legend

Here's something new. Brutal Legend was an interesting game. Not a lot of people seemed to like it, hell I wasn't even that interested in it leading up to the game's release. But when I popped the game into my 360, I barely stopped playing it until it was finished.

I can see why some people wouldn't like the game. The character action portions aren't nearly as deep as your God of Wars. And the RTS parts are pretty sloppy at all times. Still, I found the gameplay enjoyable enough. The real reason to stick around though is everything else. This metal themed world that Tim Schafer and the Doulbe Fine team crafted is easily one of the coolest settings in a video game. The story was awesome, with plenty of hilarious and epic moments that kept me glued to the TV. And the licensed soundtrack is not only one of the best you'll find around, but is masterfully used in some of the game's key segments.

As I said, the testament of a great game is one that you really have a hard time putting down. And out of all the games on this list, Brutal Legend is easily the one I was hooked on the most. Sadly the whole experience was only spread out for about two days, but those were some good times. It's a real shame the actual gameplay can be a turnoff, but if you stick with it, it's quite rewarding.

4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Let me start by saying I hated Uncharted 1. I thought that game was an overrated piece of crap that was only being talked about because it was a Playstation 3 exclusive. True, the cinematic experience was there, as it is in Uncharted 2, as were the characters. But the gameplay just wasn't up to snuff.

Enter Uncharted 2. A game that improves on it's predecessor. This, people, is how you do a sequel. Taking that amazing cinematic feel, and the characters that made the first game even worth mentioning, and combine it with some fantastic gameplay, and you've got some serious Game of the Year potential.

Like Brutal Legend, I had a hard time putting down Uncharted 2. The game just keeps going, never really slowing down to a point where you think "Yeah, I should stop here for now". And you know a game is special when I actually like the platforming in it.

Out of all the major outlet's Game of the Year list, this is the one I think is the "right" answer. It's not my personal favorite, but it's certainly a choice that I would greatly respect. It's just a shame that a game like Assassin's Creed 2 couldn't follow the example, and improve on the original game in such a massive way that I go from hating the franchise to loving it.

3. Blazblue: Calamity Trigger

This year was definitely a good year to be a fighting game fan. So many of the big franchises saw a new installment. For better or worse. But my personal pick out of the bunch is actually a new series, and oddly enough - it's number 3 on my list.

Blazblue, the latest game from legendary fighting game developer Arc System Works (the folks who brought you the amazing Guilty Gear series) is another shining example of why 2D gaming isn't dead. Like Muramasa, this game is gorgeous. And like Guilty Gear, the game's fighting system is super stylish, and ridiculously complex. But not so hard that a newbie like me couldn't pick it up and have fun with it.

I'm not really into the competitive fighting game scene, largely due to my lack of skill. So when it comes to fighters, there needs to be something special aside from addictive multiplayer to keep me going. While Blazblue certainly does have that addictive multiplayer in spades, it also has some of the most insane characters in a fighting game since Guilty Gear. I've fallen in love with most of the cast, and really it's hard not to when they're so damn cool. Some of my favorites being Taokaka, Rachel, Arakune, and Bang mother-fucking Shishigami.

Along with the characters there is a truly batshit insane story that almost makes no sense half the time. But I don't care, I ate that shit up. Yes I actually spent about a week completing the whole story mode, meeting every obscure requirement to unlock the whole story. That's dedication.

Street Fighter IV also came out this year, and it may very well be a better game. But god damn if Blazblue isn't awesome. And again, that's coming from someone who is terrible at fighting games.

2. Dragon Age: Origins

It was a hard decision to bump Dragon Age down to #2. After all I spent 89 hours playing through the game on my first character. And an additional 8 hours playing all the Origin stories. Honestly, the only reason Dragon Age isn't number one, is because I simply loved the next game a tiny bit more. Enough about that though, let's give Bioware's latest RPG epic it's due.

Dragon Age is an epic game, that has one of the best fantasy stories I can remember in a game. This isn't too surprising as Bioware has stated that they took inspiration from books like A Song of Ice and Fire, my favorite book series of all time. You can see the influence here as this game has a very dark setting to it. Shit gets real. But leave it to Bioware to make the whole world ending crisis enjoyable by including a cast of amazing characters. All of whom have some of the best voice acting talent in any game to date.

I took it upon myself to do every side quest I could in the game, something I can't say I did for Mass Effect. For whatever reason I just felt really compelled to to it in this game. Be it the little bit of extra story you get, or the promise of some epic loot. The best side quest of all being the ones that involve your party members. And the best one of those being Morrigan's quest, which ends up in a pretty epic battle.

Perhaps it's weird that I enjoyed the game so much, since people seem to think it's a throwback to Bioware's older series Baldur's Gate. A series I never got into. But I can kind of compare Dragon Age to another Bioware series, Neverwinter Nights, a series that I love.

In any case, Dragon Age is one of the best games of the year. If you're any sort of fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Just be warned that the game is a massive undertaking. So set aside some free time.

1. Half-Minute Hero

Going from an epic, nearly 100 hour RPG that is a prime example of western role playing games. To a game that is a parody of every Japanese RPG ever made, and a game that does it in 30 second chunks. Half-Minute Hero continues my tradition of including ridiculous JRPGs that no one else even thought for a second about including as their game of the year. And here? It makes top honors.

This game came out of no where and dominated my life for a couple weeks. I fell for this game so hard that I even competed in getting high scores by finishing levels in record time and posting the results on the game's official website. But what is it about the game that I love so much?

Everything really. It's a JRPG for one, but it pokes fun and pays homage to my favorite genre. The game's sprite based art has a nostalgic feeling to it that almost makes the game seem like a classic I loved in my childhood. It takes all those things I love about JRPGs and compresses them into little bite sized chunks. The main game Hero-30 which is easily the best part of the game has about 50 levels, all of which can take under 30 seconds to complete. And all of them present an interest puzzle, in making you figure out how to complete a journey's worth of stuff in under half a minute.

If the whole thing sounds hectic, it is. Yet somehow its extremely relaxing. I can't remember the last time I've just been so happy just playing a game. Sure, I love playing games, it's what I do. But there's just something special about HMH.

It doesn't hurt that this addictive gameplay is accompanied by a cute story, that is often times pretty funny. There's even a mission near the end of Hero 30 that is surprisingly deep and emotional.

Aside from Hero 30 there are a few other modes in the game that take the gameplay in radically different directions. There's a 30 second RTS, Shooter, and an interesting escort mode that make up the other half of the game. While these modes aren't nearly as entertaining, they're still fun and I didn't have any problem completing them to unlock the game's finale.

I don't expect people to agree with me. That's fine. I don't even expect the game to get mentioned during GoTY awards, even though it should. Props to IGN for giving it PSP Game of the Year though. Still, this game is without a doubt the game I enjoyed the most this year. And I see myself coming back to it many times in the coming years whenever I feel the need to do a speed run. I can only hope that Marvelous will do a sequel.

If you're a fan of JRPGs, please check this game out. You might not even like the frantic speed of the game, but I'm sure you can appreciate the homage it pays to the genre. Even if you're not the biggest JRPG fan this is probably worth checking out as it does away with a lot of the things people tend to dislike about the genre. specifically spending a large portion of time grinding for level-ups.

And that's my Games of The Year. Hope you enjoyed em'.