My favorite games of 2009

I know it's a bit late to post this kind of blog post, but having just started this blog, I thought I might as well add it.

This is a list of my favorite games that have come out this year. I haven't yet played everything I would like to, but this isn't a list of the best games of the year. Anyway, let's begin.

Honorable mention: Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazzard. (Xbox 360, PS3) This is a spoof of the last 25 years of gaming. You play as a returning action game star, Matt Hazzard...even though this is actually his first game. Gameplay-wise, this isn't exactly the strongest game I've ever played, but it's hilarious. There are also lots of nice touches that will remind you of games you've played in the past. If you've been playing games for a while, even casually, you will likely love this game. The only complaint I have is that there isn't much variety in music, and it keeps playing over and over. This is a minor complaint since it's generic enough to not get annoying, and on the 360 I can easily play my own music instead. This game is dirt cheap used ($15 at EB), and well worth it. In no way is this top 10 material, but it deserves a mention anyway.

11. Borderlands (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) This is a combination of an FPS and an RPG, so I guess I could call it an RPS. Anyway, this game's loaded with different guns and different abilities. It's also a fairly big game (don't worry, it's no where nearly as big as Oblivion.) I usually never finish this kind of game (open world games), but I've enjoyed this one enough to actually complete it. Long story short, it's huge, and it has lots and lots of guns.

10. Ghostbusters: The Video Game. (It's on everything, but the real version's on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) It's...Ghostbusters. It feels like a third movie. The original cast is voicing, the original writers wrote this, and...it's Ghostbusters. My only complaint is that there's not enough original music. It mostly relies on tunes from the movies, which can get tedious after a while. Otherwise, it's a good ghost-bustin' time. The story's fairly epic, the locations get fairly big, and it's kind of spooky at times. It frequently reminds you of the events from the movies, while bringing you something new at the same time. If you don't like Ghostbusters, you probably won't like this game, but if you like Ghostbusters, or even Luigi's Mansion, give this one a try.

9. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360, PC) In an over saturated market of zombie games, Valve's Left 4 Dead franchise stands out as an awesome co-op experience. Left 4 Dead 2 greatly expands on this with the addition of melee weapons, more objective variety, and daytime gameplay. The result is a game that, while is definitely Left 4 Dead, adds a completely different feel. While by no means is this my favorite game of the year, it's up there.

8. Shadow Complex. (Xbox Live Arcade) Reminds me of Super Metroid, nuff' said.

7. Splosion' Man. (Xbox Live Arcade) The people behind this game must have been on drugs, and I mean lots of drugs lots of drugs. Even so, it's one of the best puzzle games I've ever played. You're Splosion' man, a science experiment gone wrong who can splode' his body at will. It's...just hilarious and fun. If you have an Xbox 360 and live, just try it. Trust me.

6. F.E.A.R 2. (Xbox 360, PS2, and PC) Holy crap! This game is out of control. Don't play this game if you get scared easily. Anyway, besides the scare factor, this is a rather intense action game that's partly inspired by the Matrix movies. Most of the weapons are conventional, but as a sci-fi game there are some futuristic weapons as well. The AI is brilliant - some of the best I've ever seen. If you like action games, and don't mind an unnerving game, give this one a go. I'm pretty sure there's a demo available for all the platforms it's been released on.

5. Halo 3:ODST. (Xbox 360) Let me just say this, I am not a Halo fan. As much as I really enjoyed Halo 2 and 3, I am not a fan of the series. I honestly didn't like the first Halo. Even so, many people accuse this game of bringing nothing new to the series. On the contrary, it brings much to the series. For one thing, you are no longer a cyborg super soldier, but a regular soldier. The story is much more character driven than previous Halo games, and feels more complete as a result. It shows more of the battle on earth while the Master Cheif was off on Delta Halo fighting off the Covenant. Most of the weapons are from Halo 3, but you get a better pistol, and the sub-machine gun is now silenced. Lots of people say this game wasn't worth the price, but I feel it was worth every penny. Plus, if you don't have Halo 3 (or any of the downloadable maps), this game includes the full Halo 3 multiplayer experience with every downloadable map made to date. It also includes a horde-style multiplayer mode where you fight off waves of enemy aliens in a team of human players.

4. Batman: Arkham Asylum. (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) This game is about the same quality level of The Dark Knight movie...pure awesomeness. Great dark story, fun gameplay, great graphics, and lots of dark humor. Lots of replay value too with it's hidden items, riddles, and challenge maps. Heavily recommended. The PS3 version is the best version because it has extra maps where you play as the joker, but I'd recommend this game to anyone that has one of these three systems.

3. Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time (PS3) I've only played this and "Tools of Destruction" of the Ratchet and Clank franchise so far, but I'm already a fan. For those who haven't played any Ratchet and Clank games, you're missing out. To sum the franchise up, it combines platforming, third person shooting, and hints of RPG. There are tons of weapons, ranging from a regular sci-fi arsenal to the insane yet awesome. In A Crack in Time, you get weapons like the exploding disco ball that forces your enemies to dance, a belching frog that shoots shockwaves, and the awesomely overpowered RYNO V. The game's hilarious, has an epic story, awesome gameplay and...just play it.

2. Modern Warfare 2. (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) This is likely the biggest game of the year. If you haven't heard much about this game, then you're likely not into modern gaming at all (or you just don't have a machine capable of running it.) Either way, if you liked any of the previous Call of Duty games, you will most likely love this one. The most hated aspect of the previous games - infinitely respawning enemies - has been dropped. It's kind of hard to describe how much awesome they put into this game, so I'll just say if you like shooting games, you'll probably love this one.

1. Uncharted 2. (PS3) Uncharted 2 is about a character named Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter. Story-wise, this games pretty much a modern day Indiana Jones. Gameplay-wise, it's like a combination of Tomb Raider, the Metal Gear series, and Gears of War. In case you don't know what that means, you take cover behind walls and objects during combat, you can sneak up behind unaware enemies and take them down quietly, and you climb on stuff to get where you need to go. This game is simply amazing. Great story, memorable characters, lots of humor, awesome varied gameplay, an epic feeling, and absolutely stunning visuals. The pacing of the single player campaign is perfect. I would recommend this game to anyone that has a PS3, in fact if you have one, you need this game.