The Third Annual Coint and Plick Poll: ILG’s Best Video Games of 2009 - Part Three: #21 through #51

Two way tie for #36.

#36: Punch Out! – Wii – 27 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://www.perezstart.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/punch-out-wii-500x274.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhVXJ-dB4MU

Metacritic

http://stevemccutchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/punchout-wii.jpg

Iwata Asks

Forksclovetofu: Motion controls basically sucked on this and led to long tirades of “But I totally threw a punch there!” but when you’re sitting on the couch reveling in the real old school controls, this is fun as hell. I like the option of learning a boxer in practice before actually having to fight them. Maybe a little lacking in depth but makes up for it with pure golden nostalgia.

http://blogs.sfx-360.com/jon/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/640-wii-punchout-german-thumb-640xauto-2837.jpg

Producer Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_F0p1ydspg

http://www.mywii.com.au/img/game/large/Punch-Out-Wii-9.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWnwPml7aY

Boxing Glove peripheral

Polyphonic: The best boxing game ever, with an attractive new coat of paint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMA9aOnK-E

The Rise and Fall of the WVGBA

#36: 1 vs. 100 – XBLA – 27 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://gamernode.com/upload/manager///News%20Images/Microsoft/1_vs_100_season_21257788064.jpg

Eurogamer Thoughts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TYqWCf_kPg

Will M: It's astounding that it took this long for this game to be made. I was playing "What's the big idea?" and "Acrophobia" a dozen years ago, and have always, always loved the idea of game shows online. This game does it perfectly, and it is far more fun with four people sitting around the TV than it has any right to be.

http://gamerzines.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sim1vs10001.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7ymCV0QGlc

Forksclovetofu: Really more of a rough draft than a final product but this is some real “future of video games” happening as we speak. Once they bump the schedule up to four live hours of this sort of programming per night, I may stop watching television… though I need more friends playing this live for me to waste that much time without shame.

http://images.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/166832_S/1-vs-100-Free-To-Play-For-Xbox-Live-Silver-Subscribers-This-Weekend.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n690X8c0KJs

Winning at 1 vs. 100

JimD: This is still totally flawed, but they seem to be improving it as they go along, and even in its broke form it's still a really fun night in. Haven't yet been the one. Or even in the mob. Kinda dreading it ever happening.

http://gamingconsolenetwork.com/wp-content/gallery/1vs100/en_mobelim1.jpg

Inside the Studio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2_iRVu2WmI

Jjjusten: It's bar trivia in your house, with less drunks but more product placement than you can shake a stick at. Kudos to Microsoft for making it work, though. Thankfully it isn't just dolt level trivia. There seems to be some magic involved in the high scores that I don't comprehend, and the new way selection to be in the mob or be the one seems to reward obsessive time suck that I will never be a part of and the prizes seem pretty ungenerous compared to the odds of winning them. Hey, it's free so what the hell.

More on Tuesday; the plan is to get this to the top ten by friday and then drop the top ten on Monday next.

AND THEN I CAN STOP

<3 Hatsworth doll

You sure are including a v thorough amount of groovy info w/each post, I'm really digging reading this.

Thanks! I'm kind of intending this as a time capsule of attitudes and visuals so ten years down the road it's easier to understand why people were all excited about game X and so that great nuggets are easier to unearth.
Suppose I should really be hosting the youtubes/pics, but I ain't THAT real...

Glad Punch-Out!!! got some votes - nobody else mentioned them in the Punch Out or Wii threads. It's such a fun game, but it seemed a little buried under a lot of this year's other games, despite being the first new entry in a beloved franchise in years. (Or maybe just compared to other first-party Wii games... or maybe it's just being a Wii exclusive) Maybe because it was so simplistic and not much different from the old games. Perfect pass-the-controller-around game, too.

I hope to get around to all the DS games mentioned in today's update, they all sound pretty good. What does "fuiud" mean?

fuk u if u disagree

my votes so far:

#77: Virtual On Oratorio Tangram 5.66 – XBLA – 5 pts – 1 vote (10)

not really sure y i voted for this just kinda making a statement that i tht most games released this year kinda sucked

#77: Muramasa: The Demon Blade – Wii – 5 pts – 1 vote (07)

welllll it was better than nsbmw. and its just so pretty! mb not the greatest handling game ever made tho~

#75: Anno 1404 / Dawn of Discovery – PC – 7 pts – 1 vote (05)

already posted a bit abt this when it came up but its greatest virtue is that its complex enough to be engaging but the array of options are limited enough that its never overwhelming. its a really soothing game for me to play (dig that illusion of total control imo) and i played the fuck outta this the week after midterms

#58: Suikoden Tierkreis – DS – 11 pts – 2 votes (08)

i think i only voted for games that i tht were pretty even if they arent really v smart. games is kinda balanced weird ime but its p compulsive.

#52: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – DS – 15 pts – 2 votes (dnp)

thought i voted 4 this guess i didnt ?_? really i will rep for anything that feels even a little like sf2 but the puzzle stuff - even if kinda superfluous - makes for a great dynamic although i wish theyd thought more abt the battles~~

#39: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor – DS – 27 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote (04)

cozwn otm

^ kinda

#77: Muramasa: The Demon Blade – Wii – 5 pts – 1 vote (07)

welllll it was better than nsbmw.

http://www.greenpeaness.org/pictures/wat.jpg

The only one of those games I would ever play is Anno 1404, I think. The others are definitely not my thing.

Well maybe I'd try Muramasa.

okay, I wanna get this done by Friday now, so here we go.
Two way tie for #34.

#34: World of Warcraft (2009) - PC – 30 pts – 1 vote - .5 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://www.onlinemassivelymultiplayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/wrath-of-the-lich-king.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=066_q4DIeqk

HIDERE: This game is my crack. Since discovering the joys of raid instances and Blizzard deciding to lower the barrier of entry to them in order to ensure most of their customer base gets to see the content, I've invested more time in playing this game than perhaps any other game I've owned in my life. The storyline is more prominent and more interesting but where it really shines is in the fantastic mix of races and classes and the (for all practical purposes) limitless number of gearing choices you have to tailor your character's role to a particular encounter. I love playing a healer in this game. I love playing a class and spec that focuses on preventing damage from happening rather than bringing you back up to full health after eating an attack (go go discipline priests!). I love that Blizzard continues to be the gold standard company in terms of game quality and play experience. I don't love the bratty 13-year-olds, but life isn't perfect, and anyway they're much wimpier and easier to ignore than the average FPS fuckface.

http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/files/2009/07/world_of_warcraft_guild.jpg

Detox

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ

http://videogames.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/world_of_warcraft.jpg

N00b Guide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4TyqYsC26g

http://cache-media.britannica.com/eb-media/30/93230-004-35B0C3AA.jpg

Production Director Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU

#34: Blazblue: Calamity Trigger – 360 – 30 pts – 1 vote – 1 Top Game Vote

Official Game Site

http://acgnorthamerica.com/img/blazblue/blazblue_01.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CGkjEPxVg

Lamp: I dont care if u like this game. I dont care if its "good" by some objective measure. I dont care if you've heard of it or if you've played it or if the very idea of a 2-D fighting game with a bunch of anime cliches makes u sick to your fukken stomach. Because this game owns. Describing why it owns is a lot harder but it probably has something to do with the learning curve, which is surprisingly gentle, or the fact that the on-line play was relatively open to start with. There's also something vaguely hypnotic about it and i spent countless hours in a rhythmic, weeded out trance making marginal improvements to my play. The game has a Skinnerian way of doling out its rewards, all of which are in service at making you better at doing cool-looking shit to humilate strangers on the internet. Really, graphics aside, blazblue is like a throwback to old skool videogames or an iphone game: its only goal and its only pleasure is in the repetition of small movements, the honing of basic, animal-like reflexes, the throb of your sympathetic nervous system.

http://gamernode.com/upload/manager///News%20Images/Sony/blazblue1257381949.jpg

A closer look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Wsu2g5jqw

Jamescobo: I think this is the game I regret passing over more than any other this year. I just don't have the time to learn how to be even not shitty at a fighting game these days but everything I see and read about it makes it seem like this generation's "Every Button Makes A Ton Of Ridiculous Shit Happen" title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pk9TR9A6ls

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n205/shalter20/blazblue-20080411024255717_640w.jpg

"Thoughtful Online Multiplayer"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEsa-j4b50g

Jeff LeVine: I don't think it compares very favorably to Street Fighter. It seems to lean on offense to an excessive degree and lends itself to button mashing. The screen can get rather busy and it's hard to react to or even visually understand what the other player is doing. If Street Fighter equals speed chess, BlazBlue equals trying to shoot somebody with a machine gun while you're both mounted on motorcycles racing around each other at 100 mph.

#33: Skate 2 – PS3 – 31 pts – 3 votes
Official Game Site

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_9fcPb-VtKkc/SXu2jQ1-p_I/AAAAAAAAAPk/mg29FxH82Kk/8869.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWkh0AsKBJc

CraigG : After hearing good things on ILG about the original Skate, I picked it up for £7, and two weeks after finishing it I bought Skate 2. It has filled the ‘pick up to pass 20 minutes‘ void left by the shitness of recent PES iterations very well. The controls are spot on, there's a genuine reflection of your "skill" in the tricks you pull off (people who are rubbish can't button mash to beat you, or accidentally pull off consistant noliie inward heel flips, etc) and most importantly, the physics feel right most of time. There's no magnet that drags you to the rail you're trying to hit just because you press a button.

http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2009/01/skate2review.jpg

EZ Snappin: Brutal learning curve eventually turned me off but until I hit that wall I had a helluva good time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5tjlDV3tX0

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/skate2to1.jpg

Producer Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1whlVieRrA

Cozwn: I’m so glad you can walk up stairs this time; the little dude in Skate 1 was one dalek-ass motherfucker!

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/911/911691/skate-2-20080919105241490_640w.jpg

If: I get points and rewards based on killing myself in hilarious and inventive ways? What a great idea! The rest of the game is also impressive. Special award to the incompetent GAME employee who put this in the box without realizing when I was trying to buy Skate 1 for less than half the price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwyh3JfPQSM

I beat Skate 2 in like four hours and I was like Now What

#32: Scribblenauts – DS – 31 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://wedonetwork.co.uk/wedotech/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/scribblenauts2.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWIw4WR3aXQ

Will M You know how people invent "hard modes" for games arbitrarily, like beat Ikaruga w/o shooting, or only tranquilize people in an MGS game, etc?
I started making a list of "hard modes" for this game.
1. Played-Out Mode: Beat Scribblenauts without summoning zombies. ZOMBIES ARE PLAYED OUT.
2. Acrophobic Pacifist Mode: Beat Scribblenauts without use of height-assisting items or weapons (although, in true Pacifist style, tools which are also weapons can be used for their original tool-like purpose, so a chainsaw can be summoned but only to cut down a tree).
3. Fantasy Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only items that only exist in the realm of fantasy. If a replica has been created of an item, it is okay, but use your discretion: a Bat’leth is okay because it is strictly from the realm of fiction, but a robot may not be, despite its birth in the realm of sci-fi.
4. Alphabet Aerobics Mode: Beat the first “level” (or stage, or starite, or whatever they end up being) using only items that start with A. Beat the next with B. The next with C. You know how the rest of the alphabet goes. Flip back to A, I guess, if there are more than 26, flip back to A, I guess. Have fun on level 24! (For the record, though, Phi-Life Cypher did the ABC thing better only a year later.)
5. Conversationist Mode: Beat Scribblenauts without destroying any of the environment. Summoning animate objects to do the destruction for you is also not permitted.
6. Breath of Life Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only items that are alive upon their summoning. A tree is okay; a wood pole is not.
7. Midas Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only gold-coloured items.
8. Intangible Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only items whose noun is an “intangible.” While they typically become tangible once summoned in the game, words like “dream,” “temptation” or “theorem” is acceptable while “pillow,” “chocolate bar” or “right angle triangle” are not. Homonyms are a cheeky way to get around it, but are not allowed if the word you’re pretending is allowed isn’t a noun. So, no using stalk and saying “but the verb is intangible!”
9. Gadsby Mode: Beat Scribblenauts without using the letter E.
10. Summon Nothing Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only items that rhyme with wolf. Remember that wolf does not rhyme with wolf. They’re the same word no matter what terrible rappers may try to trick you into believing.
11 (yes, THIS LIST GOES TO 11). 43 Mode: Beat Scribblenauts summoning only words that are a part of George W. Bush’s active vocabulary.

http://seriousgameplan.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/scribblenauts-ds-game-objects1.jpg

Zero Punctuation Review

Noodle Vague: I made some guy, can't remember what type, then I made some plutonium and dropped it on him and he turned into a green mutant and started chasing me. Hannah made a clown car and put a bride with a bazooka into the car, she fired the bazooka and loads of angry clowns came out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgdW42Cwwk

cozwn: omg first thing I typed thinking no way this stupid game has this:
colostomy bag
and bam there it is
mind. blown.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/06/scribbledudes2.jpg

If: In the end this felt like a half-finished version of a way more awesome game and it definitely got old, but the first couple of hours are like nothing else. Tractor beams ftw!

Word List

MPx4A: I threw a tumour at a bee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDJVBRyEEPk

Antexit: Is it me or do 85% of the objects in this game exist purely for their novelty value and NOT DO ANYTHING? A game can only reward lateral or imaginative thinking if it actually WORKS. How can you have a puzzle where you have to wake up a sleeping boy, and spawning a smoke alarm and a fire doesn't work, and spawning a rooster and a sun doesn't work? There's a lot of fun to be had in it-- it's totally worth getting. But I really would have liked it better if they had a fiftieth as many spawnable objects but they all did what they were supposed to. Or did, like, anything.

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gamelife/2009/06/scribblenauts.jpg

Edgertor: Good but also, sadly, terribly annoying.

Scandalous Sambo Silliness

Forksclovetofu: The game genuinely taxes your imagination. You find yourself looking at a starite in a hole and not having any idea what to do. It sorta highlights how limited our games are when we would prefer somebody to just give us a hook. The MAJOR issue with this thing is the control scheme. Maxwell moves when you tap the stylus. The Camera moves when you move the joypad. You interact with things in the world by tapping them with the stylus, so rather than interact with a shark by shooting it, your guy runs headlong into the pool and you get eaten. I move the camera to look at something to the right and then it shoots back to my guy before I have a chance to survey the area. The controls being so fucked up really does reach a frustration point. I love Scribblenauts, but it's more a step toward the game I want a finished product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbeTtfTuKbw

JimD: Sure, it's nice to have access to EVERY CONCEIVABLE REAL LIFE OBJECT; it doesn't change the fact that if I need to change a light bulb I can't reach, I use a ladder, not a pile of octopuses. This game isn't actually very good. As a game.

#31: Metroid Prime Trilogy – Wii – 32 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/metroid-prime-trilogy-prime-2-screenshot.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb0Uh7u4zQw

http://wiimedia.gamespy.com/wii/image/article/101/1010497/metroid-prime-trilogy-20090804025008646.jpg

Jamescobo: Buy it quick before Nintendo comes to their senses!

Discontinued!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yphvguaZC6c

Abanana: The widescreen support and motion controls definitely improve the Gamecube titles. Also, they don't give me motion sickness like the originals did.

http://www.mywii.com.au/img/game/large/metroid-prime-3-2.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtttaQdEBg0

http://games.softpedia.com/screenshots/Metroid-Prime-Trilogy-Debut-Trailer_4.jpg

EZ Snappin: The first game is one of the best games ever; now it has the control scheme it deserves. Can't beat the value for the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TUSjRA0IZE

Eurogamer Review

#30: Canabalt – Online Flash Game – FREE – 33 pts – 3 votes – Top Flash Game – Top Free Game
Official Game Site

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_UFSSsONBHAQ/SqHxYsL2AOI/AAAAAAAACgo/1DW_DOc4ix0/s800/canabalt.jpg

Ned Trifle II: I am enjoying this - but it is giving me a headache.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-A-3HFbgPQ

Forksclovetofu: I assume that the reason all the non-gamer nerds are freaking out over this is because of it’s “simplicity of design” and “elegance”. That’s fine and I don’t want to hate on this trifle, but watching Michael Jackson run gets tired for me after about five minutes. Must be an iPhone thing.

http://nodpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/canabalt1c.jpg

Developer sketchbooks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3SCAmoFyB4

Toastmodern: I cannot get enough of this.

http://dailyiphoneblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/500x_canabalt_iphone.jpg

Sophism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCKvdBDq5L8

Gravel Puzzleworth: I hate the canonization of Canabalt as some sort of golden model of game design :(

http://www.cultofmac.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/canabalt-1.gif

Doctor Casino: Canabalt was fun for a couple runs but the rando factor becomes quickly obnoxious - every time you die, it's to a beginner's trap. Basically a whole game of the classic platformer annoyance "in real life, i would KNOW there was an enemy/pit/wall just off the screen!" But as with, say, Dino Run (or Sonic the Hedgehog for that matter), I *love* the sense of constant forward momentum.

Developer Interview

S1ocki: Makes you feel like you're an action hero in the movie's best set piece; the reward for doing well is getting to maintain that feeling. Pretty neat.

#29: Mushihimesama Futari Version 1.5 – 360 – 35 pts – 2 votes - .5 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://www.thegameover.eu/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/mushihime-sama-futari-ver-1-5-xbox-360-003.jpg

Alan N: my first reaction is @__@

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gslCMU3y2_Y

No Region Lock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscP9QpXoFM

Jeff LeVine: I'm REALLY loving this. So beautiful and satisfying and challenging. Still getting my head around the different modes and scoring systems. Ultra 1.5 is absolutely insane. Basically perfection. I'm so happy to be able to own a port of this classic Cave shooter (nobody does it better), with improved HD graphics and an almost endless variety of modes. I could play this game forever.

http://semibeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/017fcbb5aeadline.jpg.jpg

What is Bullet Hell?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krg11W6xY0c

http://people.emich.edu/rcross1/ultispam.jpg

Info bomb!!

That first Skate 2 pic is me looking badass. I do wish I hadn't sold it, because it was a great screw around game, but between online asses and my brickwall of skill advancement I was fed up.

By the way, the Metroid Prime Trilogy collection is now out-of-print.

lol @ me

Should I try out WoW one of these days? I've never tried a MMORPG.

YES

Two way Tie for #27

#27: Battlefield 1943 – XBLA – 39 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://playstationlive.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/custom_1233846817377_bf2.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K36sYJsW7rA

BNW: A fun game but too limited and repetitive.

http://cache.g4tv.com/images/ImageDb3/150234_S/Battlefield-1943-Hands-On-Preview.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTfEwcviz58

JimD: I'm bloody rubbish at it but it's great. First military shooter I've ever loved, because it doesn't actually feel military, it just feels daft.

http://www.techspot.com/fileshost/newspics2/2009/battlefield-1943.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9lcwA3z8kY

Jeff LeVine: I think what makes Battlefield 1943 the most fun is the persistent damage and the way it really feels like you're on a crazy, huge battlefield, instead of inside a Call of Duty killbox. There seems to be a good variety of stuff to do on each map: from flying planes, to driving tanks or jeeps or boats, to manning anti-aircraft guns or stationary heavy weapons, to the usual running around on foot shenanigans.

http://fakehustle.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/battlefield-1943-3.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx634GgQceg

#27: Peggle – iPhone – 39 pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://touch-mania.com/wp-content/uploads/peggle-iphone.jpg

BNW: Deceptively simple, totally addicting.

Metacritic PC

Euler: All interface again: my three-year old daughter is getting pretty good at it on this platform, which tells you...something!

http://www.iphonic.tv/assets_c/2009/05/peggle-iphone-4-thumb-430x286-89824.png

If: So having an iPhone and access to the internet almost everywhere, taking over most of my waking life, wasn't enough. Can't get signal on tube journeys! So it had to go and get a definitive version of a simple yet totally addictive game to take over that time too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5nmAFGRZk

Jamescobo: No Peggle, no peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYX9q2Y10b4

Jeff: It may have the most replay value of any iPhone game.

http://www.downloadatoz.com/resources/200912/pic/1262162855.jpg

S1ocki: Like Drop7, the Peggle game play just meshes so well with the touch screen. After all, you're only making some small adjustments and hitting "fire"; most of the game is spent watching the physics engine do its thing, perfect for a platform where too much controlling gets in the way of seeing what's going on.

#26: Orbital – iPhone – 40pts – 2 votes - .5 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://www.appsmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/0091.PNG

HIDERE: After WoW, this is my other main source of crack. I play this constantly as I travel. The concept is simple enough: shoot a bullet that blows up circles it bounces off of, which then turns into a circle itself. Each circle must be hit a certain number of times to be blown up. The addition of Supernova mode, with the ability to aim shots and blow up nearby circles, make this the most involving handheld game I've ever played. I can't wait until I break 500.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNqVvIbroRA

http://www.appsmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/005.PNG

CraigG: I shouldn't have decided to give Orbital 'a quick try' at midnight last night... Current high score on Gravity: 18! :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xukCphY6w6Y

"Everything But Sales"

http://www.appsmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/003.PNG

TVGB Review

#25: Persona 4 (UK Release) – PS2 – 40 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote – Top PS2 game
Official Game Site

http://playstationlifestyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/persona-4-joyswag-490.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_rl_ldcj4

If: I don't tend to have time for long games. When I see people say 'that looks like it's only going to be 6 hours' I think 'ooh, something I might actually finish'. This one takes nearly that long to get past the point where you are just pressing X repeatedly. Yet it's awesome! The story is really unusual and well told for a game, the combat when you get there has just enough twists on ancient turn-based tropes to not be a drag, and the social link mechanism is so rewarding you start wishing things actually worked like that. 'The Singles Jukebox crew also weren't impressed by Animal Collective. You feel closer than ever.'

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/02/persona_4_teddie.jpg

"Sexuality and Homophobia in P4"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxL5U7ZJtCo

http://www.gameandplayer.net/images/inset/inset2_09_0126_persona4.jpg

"The Most Fulfilling Game I’ve Ever Played"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnIv-uOEgQ

http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2008/03/pers4top.jpg

Atlus Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYQ8ali63jY

Zappi: Finally, a JRPG with a story that i didn't find painfully embarrassing! could have done without Teddie really, but the detective story setup, dungeon crawling through peoples' psyches (very reminiscent of Psychonauts), the fun battle system - it improved in almost every way on Persona 3. It also gave us this brilliant webcomic.

NO

#24: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – DS – 43 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/947/947891/dragon-quest-v-hand-of-the-heavenly-bride-20090123025947465.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NaWI8KEX98

http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/952/952928/dragon-quest-v-hand-of-the-heavenly-bride-20090210095816245-000.jpg

Localization Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dmb7QQN9dk

Nera’s Dress as a paper doll

Alan N: Dragon quest V was probably my fave DS of the year. Pretty hard not to like if you're into jrpgs.

http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/953/953411/dragon-quest-v-hand-of-the-heavenly-bride-20090211021640849.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvoMZh89ShI

Lamp: It's a pleasurable rerelease of a classic 90's RPG; doesn't really do much, but what it does, it does really, really well.

MAYBE

what're you all up in arms about Jim?

Haha! I just meant "don't try Warcraft". No xpost warning on iPhone though, it seems.

#23: Machinarium – PC – 46pts – 4 votes
Official Game Site

http://www.trashbag.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/machinarium__large.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLTyxcxDUH8

Abanana: Great art style and some good inventory puzzles. I could do without the minigames.

http://static.arstechnica.com/assets/2009/10/machinarium-thumb-640xauto-9157.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5tNmVjGCgs

Jjjusten: Really beautiful game, charming and lush in a way that Braid pretended to be but never was. It's really an homage to ye olde point and click adventures, which carries with it the unfortunate caveat that you'll probably be running to the walkthrough time and time again because let’s face it, some of the puzzle solutions make no logical sense. It's a stunningly pretty and adorable movie that you get to poke at and live in a little bit, and that’s worth something though.

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/152301-review-machinarium/hires_Machinarium_dno-noscale.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKjG0K7ulBs

Mordy: Great, gorgeous, and brutally difficult.

http://www.endsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/machinarium_02.jpg

Designer Interview

Polyphonic: A great point-and-click Flash game with beautiful art and a lot of style.

#22: Borderlands – 360/PS3 – 47 pts – 3 votes – 1 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://gamingbolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/borderlands-1.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quxei5I533w

Jjjusten: Yeah so we all saw the annoying endless "EIGHT BAGAZILLION GUNS WAHEY LOLOMGWTF!!1!" ads and the driving sections are tacked on and sub halo warthog quality control wise, and storyline and characters need not apply. None of that matters though, because the game is one endless effort at FUN without bothering with all that wheedling "how do we make this a compelling tale of loss and redemption?" This is a game about how fun it is to shoot shit and loot corpses, no soul-searching about yer motivations, because let’s face it, yer a merc dick out to make a bunch of $$$ by plowing through any unfortunate schlubs that happen to be standing between you and some stuff you want, or carrying a cool gun that you like. There's a palpable sense of humor about the carnage too, and amazingly the wacky claptrap robots are funny, not irritating (as you would expect). A lot of noise has been spent on the online co-op (which is kind of broken in a lot of ways), but this is a 100% rewarding, surprisingly difficult and hardcore single player as well. And those bagazillions of guns? Believe the hype; the weapon looting is endless and full of so much weird insane shit that it honestly never gets unexciting to examine some new weapons spec list. Seriously.

http://brutalgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/borderlands_09.jpg

Developer Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huCbX4b2d7U

Cutty: Krangor elicits respect from all.

http://scrawlfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/borderlands-e3-shots.jpg

Producer Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkmLE6n8bH0

Mayor Jingleberries: Only thing really RPG about it is character classes, fetch quests, experience points, damage shown in numeric form and a progression tree for your skills.

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/152281-borderlands.jpg

Gamasutra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmUJrKGN3C0

Antexit: I am having remorse about not including Borderlands on my ballot. :(

#21: Assassin’s Creed 2 - PS3/360 – 50 pts – 3 Votes - 1 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Qz9ah8cKQ

Metacritic

BNW: A sandbox Prince of Persia grounded in actual history. More gameplay outside the simulation would be nice.

http://www.dasgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/assassins_creed_2_dive.jpg

Fail Early, Fail Often is the wrong approach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2kbLBuSOg

EZ Snappin: Fixed everything that was wrong with the first one, added more stuff and still ended up with one of the more polished games of 09. Instant classic.

http://360gamercast.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ac3.jpg

Creative Director Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnQZHBodpwk

Jeff LeVine: An interesting example of the range of experiences currently available in big games. The only turn off so far is some of the facial animation (particularly noticeable with the women characters), it really looks surprising ass. The city atmosphere and pulled back stuff is great though.

http://loot-ninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/assassins-creed-2.jpg

New thread tomorrow. Yak these up now.

borderlands deserved better. ac2 is obviously a victim of its release date. extremely interested to see what crazy entries pad out the top 20 in front of them.

Wow, thought AC2 would be top five. But I've not actually played it yet.

the rest of the things i voted for rundown:

#34: Blazblue: Calamity Trigger – 360 – 30 pts – 1 vote – 1 Top Game Vote (01)
lol @ me tryna defend the game balance (dont think its thaaaaaat bad but w/e) only game of 09 that i really love

#25: Persona 4 (UK Release) – PS2 – 40 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote – Top PS2 game
didnt vote for this because it was an 08 release but <3 <3 <3 this game and this better than the 60th place it landed last year

#24: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride – DS – 43 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote (02)
really, really surprised only one other person voted for this. fuk u ilg

yep, this poll definitely doing what it should ie telling me which games to play this year. think i'll start with borderlands.

also, you guys otm about canabalt (even if it placed at 30), did not get the hype

thought peggle would be top 10 easy. that is my go to stress relief/time kill.

AC2 was my #1. Half of its points are from me.

Seems a mixed bag of recommendations for WoW. My big concern is I just wouldn't put the time in or find a group to play with. Looks hella dull as a single player experience.

It looks like my entire ballot is going to place. What's left should be near the top.

everyones entire ballot is getting listed?

Seems so, with all those low pointers at the beginning.

Especially since forks pointed that out at the beginning. Note to self: Reading Is Fundamental!

For a moment there I felt securely part of the mainstream, unlike in the film poll (where I'm at 7 of the first 60).

Prototype and AC2 have a lot of overlap in design. which is weird b/c Prototype is very dumb and AC2 tries (and often succeeds) to be pretty intelligent. The biggest drawback is that its so crammed with mini-events (like prototype) that it takes away from the story. Also those mini-events are way too repetitive. But its hard not to root for a game that states proudly how it was designed by a multicultural team, and one that is actually trying to make history cool for gamers.

Five out of my ten votes have yet to show up. And two of those were for games I'm amazed have even made the top 60, let alone the top 20.