My top ten games of 2009 (revised edition!)

I know I discussed my top 10 games of 2009 on star hill radio but after playing some other games that came out during last year, I think there needs to be some adjustments.


10. Blaz Blue
I love to casually play 2D fighters though I never really cared much for the character designs of series such as street fighter or king of fighters. I was always into the crazy fighters such as Darkstalkers (Felicia for the win!) and guilty gear and Blaz Blue was right up that alley with gorgeous 2d visuals, a deep story mode, and great online play. This easily beat Street Fighter 4 this year for best fighting game of the year.


9. The Beatles: Rock Band
Rock Band has always been my favorite out of the plastic guitar game series and Harmonix really knocked it out of the park with The Beatles. Its everything a fan would want out of a Beatles game with behinds the scenes footage, classic songs you will never get tired of playing, and trippy visuals. I also love the fact that Harmonix took some cues from the newer Guitar Hero games and put a timer when you unpause the game.

8. Dragon Age: Origins
This game is extremely fucking deep. Every time I play the game I feel like I barely scratched the surface. It also plays almost exactly like Star Wars: Knights of the old republic and that game was my crack when it first came out so this will have me hooked for awhile when you add in all the custom fan made quests and various dlc.

7. Borderlands
This is what Fallout 3 should of been. Online coop, a true marriage of fps and rpg action, and collecting over a billion guns truly makes for some addicting gameplay. Definably one of the biggest surprises of 2009.

6. Brutal Legend
When Tim Schafer makes a new game, I have no choice but to buy it without any question, even if it sounds too good to be true. A homage to heavy metal starring Jack Black, Ozzy, and other big stars combined with an open world action adventure mixed with vehicular combat and rts sections. Its very funny and very different which makes this game a breath of fresh air compared to all the other releases out this year.

5. Assassin's Creed 2
Holy fucking shit... Where the hell did this come from?!? I absolutely loathed the first game as it had loads of promise but the repetitive gameplay and frustrating plot points near the end of the game just enraged me to no end which I didn't even want to play the sequel. After getting my hands on it however, I haven't been able to put it down. Every single problem I had with the original has been fixed and I love the fact that the main character is a much more likable than Altair (who was an extreme douche in the original). Biggest surprise of 2009 for me... well except for the next game.

4. Tales of Monkey Island
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, HELL HAS TRULY FROZEN OVER! It's been a decade since we've last seen Guybrush Threepwood and since the announcement at E3 that Monkey Island is getting revived by Telltale games, I was in complete fan boy bliss. What I did not expect however, was how this episodic series really evolved the characters in a more darker and mature way while still keeping the comedy intact. This series is right up there with Monkey Island 2 and 3 and anyone who enjoys Lucasarts adventure games should definably pick this up, RIGHT NOW!.

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
This game is crack, period! Once you start playing this game, you will never put it down. The online is robust and addicting, the single player is an incredible ride, and spec ops is a cool alternative to a co op campaign.


2. New Super Mario Bros Wii
This is the true sequel to Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World, that's how good this game truly is. 4 player coop is really fun and the game is probably the hardest Mario platformer I've played yet.


1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
No game this year had me excited more than Uncharted 2. The first game became one of my favorite games due to the combination of platforming and 3rd person cover based shooting with a well written plot inspired by pulp adventures such as Raiders of the Lost Ark. The sequel blows everything about the original in the water as every single moment of the game feels like a huge action set piece you'd expect from like a final level or a Hollywood blockbuster. The graphics are amazing, the multiplayer is addicting with aspects of cod 4 in its interface, and the story is mind blowingly great. This is the next step in interactive entertainment and I can't wait to see what Naughty Dog does next for Nathan Drake.