Goodbye 2009 – Staff Picks For Game Of The Year.

Another year in gaming has finally come to pass, and I”m not sure  that I could really ask for a better one. The year started out with fantastic releases, continued to shovel them out through the summer, and ended the year with a crucial big-bang of best-sellers to knock us all on our butts. I can safetly say that this has been one of the best (and most anticipated) years in gaming to hit us in a long time. I purchased so many games that I’ve yet to complete them all. However, the main answer to the question we all want to ask remains to be seen. In a year chock-full of amazing games, which one reigns supreme above the rest? Here are the top three picks from some of Resume Play’s staff for 2009’s Game of the Year award

Rich Matney

Wow! 2009 was another amazing year for games. It was really hard for me to sit down and pick just 3 games that were my favorites.  There were just so many great games across all the platforms. Here are my top three choices.

#1 – Assassin’s Creed 2 (Xbox 360) – This game blew me away. It’s easily my favorite of the year. Never have I seen a sequel make so many positive changes in my gaming life. The world is breathtaking, the story is interesting, and the game-play is so open that you can kill your mark in so many ways. Combat was improved allowing you to disarm and pummel your enemies with their own weapons. The free running was made even better and the tombs with the Prince of Persia sections were satisfying. I just loved everything about this game. It does has its flaws but in my mind they take nothing away from the game-play experience.

#2 – The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo DS) – Ok, So we all know exactly how this game is going to play out. You’re a young boy, the princess gets captured, you get the green suit, you save the princess. The best part of this game is purely those nostalgic Zelda puzzles. For a DS game some of these were really tough. My favorite parts of this game were some of the new weapons. They really changed them up and that kept it from getting too stale. While some of the train battles were a little tedious it still kept that adorable Zelda charm.

#3 – Borderlands (Xbox 360) – This game was easily the biggest surprise for me this year. I thought it might be a good game and it turned out to be my favorite co-op game of all time. The beauty of Borderlands is in its simplicity, shoot stuff with big guns so you can find bigger guns. All while your 3 friends are blasting it up next to you. Swapping things we found and sharing the bounty was a ton of fun. Although the storyline was non-existent in most cases the game still shines as one of my favorites this year.

Tyler Richie (Cheats McGee)

#1 – Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360) – Dragon Age casts you into the role of one of the last members of a tradition of warriors meant to protect the world.  The only problem with that being in this part of the world…they’ve all been killed by the betrayal of the King’s Finest General.  Dragon Age combines the classic game play of games like Balder’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, with the same story and narrative that Bioware gives to all of its games.  The world, while a bit dark, is rich with vibrant life…even if it wants to kill you.  Your team-mates each have a distinct life of their own with stories that accompany them.  The storyline is fantastic, the characters memorable, and there’s enough to draw in any play style (at least for RPGs).  If I could say anything negative about the game, it would be the amount of text.  There’s enough of it here to fill a couple novels, which mixed with the difficulty and lack of polish every now and then, it could be a major turn off.  Either way, Dragon Age gets my first pick.

#2 – Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360) – As just about anyone could testify for, it probably isn’t surprising that Batman is on this list.  Arkham Asylum has a thick atmosphere to it, not enough to rival certain horror games, but enough to keep you on your toes.  Each part of the island is rich with textures and features that clearly set it apart from the others.  Batman controls extremely smooth, evident in combat with his free-flowing attacks that quickly send enemies to a bone crunching end.  The gadgets are classic Batman; I really don’t know what to say for them other than they ooze cool.  The only thing that I could fault the game for is the fact that it ended almost as quickly as it began, though this is made up for with side missions, Riddler’s riddles, and the under-arching storyline of Arkham.  I believe Batman was a clear choice for my second game.

#3 – Uncharted 2 (Playstation3) – I’ll be completely honest.  If there were one game I think would get Game of 2009, this would be it.  The only reason that I mark as my number three is the fact that I lack a Ps3 and truly haven’t gotten to play the game.  Which doesn’t mean I don’t know just a little bit about it.  Uncharted 2 has a rich storyline of exploring, betrayal, and just a hint of love to top it all off.  The action kicks into full throttle with guns a’blazin’ and segments that remind me of Prince of Persia.  Nathan Drake is a very interesting character, and we may well see him burst back onto the scene for a third game.  Though it is my #3 pick, I truly think Uncharted 2 will leave this year with a brand new trophy to show off.

Matt Castelli

#1 – Street Fighter IV(Xbox 360) – The best fighting series ever created got its newest installment this year and makes full use of online multiplayer, need I say more on the countless hours I played this year? 2009 was certainly a huge year for Street Fighter fans as we had been waiting for a new Street Fighter for ages.

#2 – Plants vs. Zombies (PC) – A game so simple and funny that everyone has heard of it, played it, loved it, and now think they are real gamers. Of course at this point I’m a bit tired of tower defense games but every once in awhile I find myself having an urge to kill zombies with my vegetable tossing garden of death.

#3 – Trine (PC) - Trine is an absolutely gorgeous and fun plat-former that really shines when you play with two friends, where as the physics engine really makes you think about how progress through levels.

Stephen Rosenberg

#1 – Uncharted 2 (Playstation 3) – Even with only playing halfway through it, I knew this would be my pick for GOTY from the opening scene. This game takes everything fantastic about the original, and makes it that much better. Everything from the graphic and storyline to the very character that is Nathan Drake give this grounds to win the award. This game makes you feel it. It makes you block everything out and focus on it. Maybe it’s the child in me finding a new Indiana Jones-esque character. Who knows? All I can say is there was no other game this year that gave me the adventurous and thristy-for-more feelings that I got the night I first popped this into my PS3. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

#2 – Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – I picked this for the simple reason that it is an absolute blast. The Co-op multiplayer is great. It takes a giant step up from the first game, and fixed all the things that made it so monotonous. I love the characters, weapons, stages, and enemies. The different game modes keep it fresh, and it lived up to all of my expectations. The game is challanging, and doesn’t give you a chance to adapt to it. Definitly my runner-up, and probably the best co-op game of the year.

#3 – Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360) – Another one of those games I popped in the system, and a hour later, walked up to my room-mate claiming that it was goty material. Plain and simple, there has never been a superhero game made like this. Great graphics, smooth playability, cool characters and battles. The storyline lacked in some places, but in other places it sent shivers down my spine. It gave a very Bioshock vibe, and it felt good to kick some serious ass with Batman. There were a few flaws, and the enemies fights got a little monotonous, but that doesn’t keep it from being in my top 3.

Honorable Mentions – I’d like to at least mention Resident Evil 5 and Modern Warfare 2 on here because they probably are good enough to be put in the top 3. Resident Evil 5 didn’t make it simply because I enjoyed the other games more, and Modern Warfare 2 didn’t make the cut due to me not liking the multiplayer as much as the first one. This was where I thought the game was going step-up in a direction I’d like more. I did like the campaign though. Good stuff.

Mark Hinton

A lot of excellent titles for a lot of systems have come out this year.  I, however, have not played a ton of them.  I’ve played a few games this year that have really stood out in my mind, and I’ve been very impressed.  I was thoroughly impressed with the Wolverine: Origins game, especially when compared to how terrible the movie was.  I’ve also been extremely disappointed in a lot of games that a ton of people absolutely loved.  Street Fighter IV, in my professional and personal opinion, was terrible.  I hated it.  I had the game in my possession for less than two weeks, and I traded it in to go towards Resident Evil 5.  RE5 was also another great game, but in my mind, I feel that without zombies, the Resident Evil series has kind of lost its flair.  Still a great game, just not what it used to be.

#1 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360) – To narrow it down to one game for me is quite easy.  I’m a die hard Call of Duty fan, and I have been for years.  So I have to give it to Modern Warfare 2.  I put hours of time into this game everyday.  I love it.  I love every one of them.  The gameplay is smooth.  The graphics are amazing and realistic to the point of being just spooky, and even the single player mode is a ton of fun to play through.  The multiplayer is what draws me into the games, and I find the Spec Ops missions a great break from the monotony of akimbo 1887 using douche bags.  Fantastic game.  I recommend any fan of first person shooters to pick this game up.  Hours and hours of fun, and tons of replay value.  It’s a 5 star game to me, and that’s why I feel it’s game of the year for 2009.

(2nd and3rd pick were not submitted by Mark)

Jack Patton

#1 – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3) – Basically, this is how sequels should be made. Better story, better look, new features, new setting, new mission and a new multiplayer & co-op campaign. Drake’s Fortune was by no means bad, but it was too short & much like a sugar rush that left you deflated at the end. Among Thieves is a more even, longer thrill ride with some extra kick at the end to last me long into next year probably.

#2 – Demon’s Souls (Playstation 3) – The hardest, most challenging game I’ve ever played. I Got this in April with from China, haven’t out it down since. I can only hope & pray they release a European version at some point next year. The unique online features & the aura of misery it creates is darkly addicting. Definitely a game that MUST be played.

#3 – Infamous (Playstation 3) – My crush game of 2009. It’s definitely not game of the year, but it was just a game I found extensively enjoyable. The story worked, the characters where likable, it looked cool and the power play was awesome. It’s also one of the few games I found that made collecting fun. The dead drops & shards, while time consuming, where never over-complicated and simple to find thanks to Cole’s radar-like electro-magnetic pulse waves…that is until you get down to the last three shards in the games and then things get a bit tedious.

Honorable Mentions – Modern Warfare 2, The Saboteur, Fifa 10, Forza 3 & Resident Evil 5 for being my outside choice.

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Thanks to all you gamers out there from the staff at Resume Play! We wish you a happy new year, and best to come in 2010!

Tags: borderlands Dragon Age Game Of The Year modern warfare 2 Nintendo PS3 resume play Uncharted 2 Xbox 360 Zelda