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

what did you reply (if it all) to my question in the last thread? cuz i aint opening it

This list thread is so much more civilized than the goddamned 00s film thread.

ha, i was going to post a rant about how terrible Madworld was, but now we're on a new thread i can't be bothered!

haha. GOD, madworld? you people are idiots

"you people" = the one person who voted for it?

Nothing I've voted for has placed yet!

half my ballot has placed so far iirc

oh come on; MadWorld isn't a bad game, it just turned out to be hell of shallow

s1ocks: "I didn't intentionally add any flash? Is it maybe the youtubes?"
it's working fine on chrome for me btw. anybody else having issues?

we're mostly out of one vote territory now; just six more in the next thirty.

haha. GOD, madworld? you people are idiots

― brews before HOOS (s1ocki), Thursday, February 4, 2010 7:16 PM (30 minutes ago)

"you people" = the one person who voted for it?

― PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! PIES! (HI DERE), Thursday, February 4, 2010 7:16 PM (30 minutes ago)

:(

obv u dudes are not stuck with nintendos plastic disappointment machine as one of your game systems

i was joking dudes!!!!!!!

oh and forks by flash i mean toobs

oh hahaha i see

yeah s1ocks, there's about three youtubes per game; you seem to be the only person who's really hurting from it.

imgs off imo

madworld did kinda suck tho

best 2 just killfile slocki it's what I did

his canadian ebullience was just too darn much

that option makes pages load faster and with less corny jokes

imgs arent the prob i dont think

its confounded YOU TUBE S.

μtube embeds appear as links if u read the board w/img off. i mean i was having a similar problem reading this thread and have 0 problems loading it when i have images off so...

the large # of 1 vote entries makes me think that there will probably be maybe 5 or 6 real consensus titles that get waaaaaaaay more points than everything else

and what would those be?

lots of stealth WoW addicts here

is there any doubt that MW2, Batman and Uncharted are gonna be at the top

idk really but i guess:

arkham asylum
assassin's creed 2
demon's souls
peggle
street fighter iv
uncharted 2

Demon's Soul is going to be up there

if had to guess order id guess mw2, peggle, uncharted, demons, arkham, sfiv

Was skeptical about Peggle but then I looked on wiki - it was released for DS, 360, PS3 and iPhone all last year! Though it was more spread out than that, but I guess a lot of people may have played Peggle for the first time in 2009, despite its original release in 2007. TBH I didn't even get it until last year, because there was a sale on the Mac version (but ineligible for the poll).

Forgot about Demon's Souls... that will probably place high.

I expect stealth shock high placing for Orbital

also: L4D

my top 5 guesses:

- Arkham Asylum (probably going to end up being #1 just due to being multiplatform if last year's poll is anything to go by)
- Demon's Souls (it was my #1 and I'm far from its biggest fan on these boards)
- SFIV (wouldn't be too surprised if BlazBlue took its place instead; imsmr Lamp & Jeff preferred it to SF4 and since the voting pool was so small their ferocious advocacy would probably count for more)
- Uncharted 2
- Modern Warfare 2

BlazBlue, Orbital, Canabalt, or Plants Vs Zombies placing in the top 5 wouldn't surprise me either.

#51: Chrono Trigger (UK Release) – DS – 16 pts – 1 vote – 1 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

If: Well worth the wait to play this! Maybe helped by the slightly reswizzled DS presentation but it didn't feel dated in any way - quite the opposite in fact. I knew next to nothing about it before hand and certain moments were just jaw-dropping - walking through the ancient snow to discover a teleporter to a cool futuristic world, whoa. Totally charming, really beautiful in places (the music in the medieval world!) and with combat that's so enjoyable you wonder why its ideas aren't more widespread.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Dmi7Txvz7iI/R-gy7EHEVrI/AAAAAAAAAMk/5-HFmtB-zO0/s400/chrono-trigger-return.GIF

"Fight the same series of wimps in the forect for an hour or two? I DON'T THINK SO. I think I'll BEAT THE GAME 3 times."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTBb1OBYA_I

Cankles: Best game ever and anyone who disagrees can eatadiccup. Revisiting a lot of older games (or really just shit in general that I loved when I was ten or eleven years old) is almost uniformly v.v.v.v. unrewarding. Except for Chrono Trigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's pretty unique among Squaresoft bullshit in that regard. FF7 is atrocious to me today, but I could probably sit down and HELLA dig on some CT.
It was the first videogame I was actually able to BEAT on my own. *** lone, manful tear trickles down face, is absorbed by neckbeard ***
There's a puffed-up, Fisher Price, safety scissors quality to CT that really helps it out in the long run. CT just wanted to be a shiny, flashy experience that fleshed out a smaller, simpler world (gaming- and narrative-wise) and ended up succeeding on all the levels that all the FF games flailed and failed at.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-PF0tuDliI

Will M: The great thing about CT is that there's virtually no running around in circles to get experience points; there's almost no item management (aside from buying new weapons when you can and the occasional potion) and talking to the villagers is pretty fucking entertaining. The game never wastes your time with MEDIEVAL VILLAGER #457 FROM THE TOWN OF LUHIM or whatever. Battles are fast. The sheer lack of a “battle screen” saves about 6 seconds per battle versus, say, FF3. Beyond that, you can avoid battles when you want to. You can't avoid them ALL, but you can avoid enough of them that it's awesome. Add up the speedy battle pacing and perfectly metered episodic quests and adventures and you've got a game that is fun to play at all times. There's always something to do; there's always at least a mild sense of urgency and there's always new environments to explore.

http://www.infendo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/495_robo-man-490.jpg

Nhex: It's one of my all-time favorites but still, try not to let the nostalgia/hype faze you. You're starting with probably the most distilled essence of the SNES DQ/FF formulas at the end of an era so if you're not already into that genre, it may turn out not to be your thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVl6Ue9r-Oo

Lamp: For me, the point where you first get the ship is when I fell for Chrono Trigger. Once the game opened up a little and offered the ability to pursue each of the character's individual stories at my own pace, to create random parties and discover new abilities, it just got crazy rewarding and immersive. Superfun.

#50: Time Fcuk – Online Flash Game – FREE – 16 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/timefcuk_screenshot.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpiuzlBTra0

http://newsimg.ngfiles.com/170000/170803_timefuckfanart.jpg

Developer Blog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy4x1HEYRK8

http://www.offworld.com/assets_c/2009/09/timefcukhickeys-thumb-620x398-26294.jpg

Gamasutra Post-Mortem

http://gamersyndrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/TimeF3.jpg

MTV Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cd4BXZm0xc

gzeus sends his regards xpost

#49: Wii Sports Resort – Wii – 17 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site

http://blackchristiannews.com/news/images/wiisports.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH8NCtrfNTs

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m43/panosole/wii-sports-resort-basketball-screen.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsLt4GijqSw

Polyphonic: Wii Sports Resort is way better than Wii Sports. I was pretty impressed.

http://www.endsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/wii-sports-resort-archery.jpg

Iwata Asks

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

Zappi: Surprisingly good; much more content than I was expecting.

http://spawnkill.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/wii-sports-resort.jpg

Eurogamer Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI6ptNmCQtA

EZ Snappin: Improved on the first Wii Sports in every way, making what could have been a tech demo into a captivating and challenging experience... as long as you skip biking and rowing.

oh hey, i think i voted for time fcuk. good stuff

oh, i didn't. but still good game.

#48: Killzone 2 – PS3 – 18 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/files/2009/03/killzone2.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gaMA6Vg1eA

S1ocki: Okay, I borrowed this from work yesterday, played for a bit and was like "This is ooooookaaaaaaay..." and then all of the sudden it was two in the morning. Hey, imagine eating a calzone while playing Killzone!!!

Metacritic

http://dlb-network.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/killzone2teamforumhv3.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHl_PB39pEY

Guerilla Games Post Mortem Interview

JeffLevine: There are lots of great things about this game, not the least of which is the best graphics of any console multiplayer game so far. The multiplayer is particularly strong. I do feel that as you rank up and unlock over-powered abilities, the game gets worse. I had a lot of fun getting to the tipping point, though I still haven't bothered finishing the single player campaign. If you're a bit burned out on this kind of walking through gray worlds shooting dudes type game already, it probably won't rock your world.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/871/871951/killzone-2-20080506020316134_640w.jpg

Forksclovetofu: When games look this realistic and take themselves this seriously, I tend to feel guilty playing them; they become more ultra-realistic murder simulators than recreation. Undeniably gorgeous and likely fun to play if I could get past the squickyness, but I just got a little turned off after only an hour of play. Back to Rittai Picross for me; at least it doesn’t make me question my humanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1rNXypKo4

Cutty: I had to change the sensitivity and the control layout (too heavy and sluggish on both the X and Y axis and zoom/aim was mapped to the right thumbstick instead of L1; what were they thinking?) but besides that I'm into this for sure. The enemy AI is GREAT.

"In Killzone 2, you play a midget on a rampage."

Skygreenleopard: My biggest frustration is that no one seems to use the squad feature well. Occasionally I'll play with some clan dudes that roll together and take out everyone as they converge upon them, which is awesome. I vow never to use a headset, but working with a guy who has one makes me feel bad. Ninety percent of the time I'm working with people with better ranks and abilities than I have and they are WAY better at the game, yet they'd win that many more matches if they just covered my ass once and didn't get me shotgunned in the back.

Two way tie for #46.

#46: Azkend – iPhone – 20 pts – 1 vote
Official Game Site

http://www.touchmyapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/azkend-1.jpg

Try it free online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPiqnix3JoU

http://www.touchmyapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/azkend-6.jpg

Euler: This was the best iPhone game I played this year; yeah it's basically a pumped-up match-n with a dumb plot to stitch together boards but the dynamic of sliding chains with your finger is excellent, great tactile feedback.

http://www.iphoneappreviews.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/iphone_azkend_bigchain.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB7JZEyHaEM

http://www.touchmyapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/azkend-4.jpg

took forever to find this, but my chrono trigger gzeus tribute:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/545351/

#46: Wipeout HD Fury – PSN – 20 pts – 1 vote
Official Game Site

http://gamzsonev3.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/wohd_20090730_031207.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGNbrQM5e54

http://www.pixelatedgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/wohd_20090723_172100PG.jpg

The Making of the Original Wipeout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsa2EVftuvE

Telephone Thing: So yeah, Fury is awesome. Still a bit iffy on Zone Battle, but the other modes are fantastic, the new tracks are great (with one exception- I forget the name, but there's one track where most of the ground is the same color as boost pads, argh), and the presence of brand-new models and skins for every single ship is a nice bonus.

http://www.thelostgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/wipeout_hd_fury-playstation_networkscreenshots16002wohd_20090518_173146-506x285.jpg

Developer Interview

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

Jeff LeVine: It really feels like a full game now! I especially love that they finally added in stats. I was suprised to learn I'd only played the game for 29 hours so far. I love that the remixed tracks start with that same pure light blue of the PSP game before getting all crazy. I’m sad to see they've put the advertisements back in :(

http://ps3media.gamespy.com/ps3/image/article/993/993796/wipeout-hd-fury-20090611021655182.jpg

"Why Wipeout HD Fury=The Future of Downloadable Games"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmsOXUJAE0

HIDERE: This is still the only racing game worth a damn. Fucking fantastic tracks, fucking fantastic music, fucking fantastic ship design. So so so great.

aw, i love that xtranormal thing.

ok a couple of the things on my list are going to place way higher than expected!

Really do think Wii Sports Resort fulfills the promise of the first one. Table tennis rules.

Who's the other Resort voter? They liked it even more than I.

before wipeout went to it's full potential it had a star wars jedi racing game thing that was just as good.. for n64 I think

Hey, imagine eating a calzone while playing Killzone!!!

still stand by this tbh.

Lol at my inflated point value giving WipeoutHD such a high placing

This was my #2 game because Eliminator mode owns so hard.

played wipeouthd once and was terrible at it, so obviously its a terrible game :)

#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.

Whoa, we're already up to #22!

Cutty: Krangor elicits respect from all.

lol why is this in the borderlands entry?

well it was in the thread and i haven't played borderlands so i assumed it meant something game related. No?

it's my PSN tag!

i've never even played the game - i guess we were talking about something else?

re:BF1943 bnw is a fun poster but too limited and repetitive

Assassin's Creed 2 looks like a really cool game. I'm going to get it when I've beat the unplayed games in my pile and my other commitments slow down, in approx 2071. Will M did you actually attempt any of those Scribblenauts challenge modes?

lolling @ "krangor elicits respect from all" -- slocki on the borderlands thread you pointed that out as a truth bomb so it must have seemed extra important to the discussion of the game

same here re. Assassin's Creed 2. Was the first one really that boring? B/c I prefer its milieu.

Glad to see Borderlands placed high. I tend to wait for games to come down in price before buying them, so only just got it a couple of weeks ago, but it would definitely have been top 3 for me if I had played it before the ballot.

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.

Blizzard has done a lot to address some of these issues; they've added in an automatic dungeon-queuing system that lets you continue questing while the game builds a dungeon group for you, something that helps you meet ppl and teaches you more about how group dynamics work as well as greatly reducing the amount of time it takes to level a character. Also, depending on which server you pick, there is likely a guild out there that matches your gaming goals who would be more than happy to accept you and help you level, or at least distract you with goofy guild chat as you grind levels/gold.

i played an hour of assassin's creed 2 and i know it gets better but the beginning is so, so bad. like in every way. also i really resent that you have to hold down TWO buttons to run/parkour. it's like the most important control element of the game and they can't even map a single button to it?!?

AC2 is on my eventual list of games to pick up. Also I am totally jumping the gun but I just ordered Arkham Asylum from Amazon (thankig u, gift certificates!)

or at least distract you with goofy guild chat as you grind levels/gold.

See, this is a game where you need something to distract you from the tedium of playing the game. Goofy guild chat could do that, sure. But so could playing a different game.

also i really resent that you have to hold down TWO buttons to run/parkour.

yeh i rented the first game & only played for a couple of hours, but seem to remember you had to hold down two buttons and move the analog stick just to move through a crowd? seemed so stupid.

xp lol!

Please note that said tedium only really sets in if you can't get into dungeons, which used to be a huge problem but has (in my experience) gone away with the most recent update. I used to spool up side characters and then abandon them because finding other people to play with while leveling was a soul-crushing chore; I've since leveled two side characters and am well on my way to a third.

Not claiming WoW is for everyone but they've certainly fixed a lot of what made it only cool for people willing to devote their lives to it.

(lol making it easier to devote your life to it, um)

I dunno, I think there's something to be said for soul-crushing tedium in gaming.

Persona 4 is pretty much the only thing that stops me packing my ps2 away into a cupboard. The whole tv world, psychology thing is far superior to traditional JRPG save the world fantasy nonsense and the social link / life simulator bit is an excellent mechanic fr jrpgs. More games should be like princess maker.

Also wow placing started my withdrawal symptoms again. I really wish i had the time to play it again.

The storytelling conceit in both Assassin's Creeds that you're a future guy embodying a guy in the past really annoys the shit out of me. Also, the voice work is pretty hackneyed. But some of the gameplay is quite fun, and climbing around is bitchin'. Mixed bag.

I HATE the framing device

why could they not just like, make a game set in old timey times

I always figured the framing device was something which allowed them to wall off sections from the player. does the new one work like that?

if so that's the most contrived, time-wastey thing ever

like, people are used to conventions like that in video games. you don't need to build a giant apparatus that's just as unbelievable as "a big wall you can't climb" to get around it

the travels-thru-time stuff gets more fleshed out in ac2, so the device at least seems to have a point, even if it is an utterly retarded one, and there is some fun with it along the way. the future sequences are fewer but just as terrible. it does all come off as a convoluted excuse to make a series of sequels in different eras, tho, and they didn't really need an excuse, cos that would've been okay on its own.

and in terms of directing the character's experiences and walling areas off, they could've used the 'memories' device on its own and that would've been kinda cool.

i hate the idea that you're just in a big training device in your head

I LOVE the idea that you're just in a big training device in your head!

I always figured the framing device was something which allowed them to wall off sections from the player. does the new one work like that?

This is exactly what happens.

You'll be on one building, and there'll be another building near you, and it's like "NOT DOWNLOADED YET" or some shit.

The sandboxy stuff in AC2 is a nice diversion but pointless. Once I realized there was no benefit or achievements for doing the races, etc I stopped doing all of them. It would make more sense if your villa didnt give you 50 g's for dicking around every 30 minutes in the game.

Concluding The Third Annual Coint and Plick Poll: ILG’s Best Video Games of 2009 - Part Four: #1 through #20

the races are fun tho? isn't that the point of the game, to have fun? have we disappeared so far down the tawdry path of trophies and achievements that etc etc etc. you get my point. fun. the nice diversion is the point. have fun.

I wasnt having fun because I kept accidentally climbing up something that wasnt en route and had to stare at a loading screen over and over when I failed.

I think all but one of my votes has charted

style savvy had a sequel last year?????

can i get some achievements for reading these threads cuz if not, then i aint gunna

Will M did you actually attempt any of those Scribblenauts challenge modes?

Fuck no, I used jetpacks and weapons all the time. No zombies though so I guess there's that. I still maintain that Phi-life cypher's abc's is better than blackalicious's alphabet aerobics though.