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

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 :)

i am pretty awesome btw

Failing at WipoutHD is like failing at life

My condolences to your poor, ashamed parents

haha as you could well guess, me being good at any video game would dismay and unsettle my father

"grown men play video games? also, people enjoy movies and fiction books, what the hell is wrong with kids these days etc etc"

he is a charming curmudgeon.

"You must be so proud of your son, running the family business!"

"I suppose... He is terrible at WipeoutHD, though."

"Oh you poor thing. How are you holding up?"

"I won't lie, it's difficult... *sob*"

We don't date n00bs, we pwn them!

ilx w/images off is like going to see avatar w/out 3D glasses

where's forks

Two way tie for #44.

#44: Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 – Wii/360 – 20 pts – 2 Votes
Official Game Site

http://www.avforums.com/forums/attachments/xbox-360-game-previews/137296d1252229157-pro-evolution-soccer-2010-uk-release-23-oct-2009-rooney.jpg

Metacritic - 360

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG2wzaeXrMU

Ste: Is it me or is the ref a bit 'handy' with the cards? The game seems a bit twitchy in changing the controlling player at times, kind of annoying. Pressing start to skip replays is hugely frustrating; what was wrong with just pressing X? Do the player graphics not get muddy after a while? Seems visually rather boring. In summary, yeah FIFA was slightly better.

http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/wi/p/r/pro-evolution-soccer-2010-wii-020.jpg

http://winningelevenblog.com/files/2009/08/pro_evolution_soccer_2010-xbox_360screens90pes2010_gc_madvsbar-700x393.jpg

Metacritic - Wii

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txas4kc4UuY

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/181474_S/Pro-Evolution-Soccer-2010.jpg

EZ Snappin: Took the revolutionary control of the debut and tweaked it in all the right ways.

#44: Prototype – PS3/360 – 20 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site

http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/131196-prototype.jpg

Metacritic - 360

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnNcwtiYj24

Cozwn: It's a fancy sandbox button basher with combat not as deep as something like Ninja Gaiden 2 but it's certainly better than Crackdown. It can be hard to get a bead on who is attacking you at some points but thankfully your powers seem 'intelligent' and only attack 'baddies' and your lock-on seems quite smart too (i.e. you can't lock-on civilians). You have a lot of health so bullets don't do much damage but as bazookas and the brutes can mess you up, you can't just be mindless.
http://www.gamesbasement.co.uk/userfiles/image/P%20P1.jpg

Metacritic PS3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqzpYy1_-SE

Telephone Thing: I'm having so much more fun with Prototype than I was with Infamous it's not even funny. Infamous just seems so mannered and restrained in comparison; even playing as a bad guy, there's not really much potential to Fuck Shit Up beyond three or four gas stations that all go up in the same, minimally destructive explosion and cars that detonate in the feeblest way imaginable. Meanwhile, Prototype lets me destroy a Blackhawk by throwing a goddamn tank at it. And the Whipfist! Oh my god, the Whipfist alone is more fun than any of the powers in Infamous by an order of magnitude.

http://www.destructoid.com/elephant//ul/12976-550x-prototype4.jpg

Eurogamer Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14_y6ESDvYE

Polyphonic: This game might be straight-up garbage in some ways, but the core experience is flying around, swooping into crowds and murdering people in the most absurd and satisfying ways. Then, run up the side of a building and glide away on your squirrel wings.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2009/02/prototype1%282%29.jpg

EZ Snappin: One of my favorite last-gen games was Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. This is Hulk with more people, more powers, and better graphics. It's a mayhem simulator without equal, despite the creepy emo hero.

#43: Fallout 3: Point Lookout – 360 – 23 pts – 3 votes
Official Game Site

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/thumb/1/14/Fallout-3-point-lookout-pc-005.jpg/800px-Fallout-3-point-lookout-pc-005.jpg

Metacritic

BNW: The game’s best and most creative DLC yet.

http://planetmedia.gamespy.com/images/00/27/2748_Swamp_normal.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5Wi8F0n3SE

http://cache.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/163854_S/Fallout-3-Point-Lookout-Screens.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agGP6O-afrM

CraigG : This DLC returned me to the original creepy atmosphere of the original game. I remember when first playing Fallout 3, sneaking through big dark buildings, wondering what is around the next corner, etc. Operation Anchorage and Broken Steel didn't really have this, and the only time I felt the same in The Pitt was the train yard when collecting the steel bars. Point lookout was altogether more sinister (perhaps because of that Ferris Wheel and my deep seated fear of carnies), and the punga fruit trip sequence was pretty cool, albeit pretty Max-Payne-dream-sequence-y. I also genuinely felt a little violated at having part of my brain removed, but was glad I could pick up the jar with it in later.

http://images.g4tv.com/ImageDb3/164721_S/Fallout-3s-Point-Lookout----One-Mans-Verdict.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTHGUjR1M2c

JimD: The reason there aren't many big games in my list is that I spent most of my year playing Fallout 3. This is the best of the expansions, and when I finally decided I was ready to stop playing, I went and got on the boat with that girl I'd rescued, turned off the 360, and imagined myself making a little life with her. Let's be clear - I've never imagined the post-game life of any of my RPG characters before, and it's not something I intend to make a habit of. But that's how good Fallout 3 is, I guess.

#42: GTA Chinatown Wars – DS – 24 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site

http://www.perezstart.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars-3.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFS5MBy0L8Q

GM: It's actually my favorite GTA thus far. None of those clunky controls to slow things down.

http://techmirage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/gta_chinatown.jpg

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

Cozwn: So many little touches in this game make it much better, for my money, than GTA IV. I love the dealing; I'm loaded. Sold $17k of heroin in one deal. :D

http://reviews.cnet.com/i/tim//2009/12/16/cwboth.jpg

Eurogamer Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkG9xnd6_Hs

Haitch: I’m only a couple hours in but this is pretty good! I really like the hot-wiring element.

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/gta-chinatown-wars-ds-drug-mini-game-screenshot-big.jpg

"Frustrating Sales"

If: I have never played GTA before, but some combination of the setting and format got me to try this one and it's really great fun! I think the mad taxi dashes are the best part, though setting up lucrative drug deals is also great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un1EUORbKSI

#41: Worms 2: Armageddon – XBLA – 25 pts – 1 vote- .5 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://www.wonderwallweb.com/Worms_2_Armageddon_Screen_03.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW09vWQQpuA

Stevie: The games themselves - and the new weapons - are killer. Forts is great, though I'm not crazed about the races, mostly because i still haven't mastered ninja rope on the 360 controller. Crazy crates is tons of fun; just an avalanche of plentiful nonsense weapons and health upgrades tumbling from the sky, ensuring a pretty quick and destructive game.

http://www.seasonedgamers.com/home/images/stories/games/worms2_screenshot1.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5VFA7ErgKU

http://www.xboxist.com/xbox-360/2009/06/30/worms_armageddon_screen2.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYKPB4Tfzws

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/ga/ul/851007130041/inlineimg/Y/worms2.jpg

More later; likely Sunday.

Only one other vote for Chinatown Wars? :(

it's an awesome game but 2009 was a year full of awesome games

yah like big word puzzle book :/

and worms

yeaaahhh this list so far isn't exactly convincing me

It does go to show you though that the people posting here (or or the people forks browbeat into submitting ballots), have pretty diverse taste - which is a good thing, I think...

I loved Chinatown Wars too but it had the disadvantage of being early in the year. My list is heavily weighted with games I've played since the summer. I didn't even have a PS3 until May and almost all my console picks are PS3... :/

25 points for a decade-old game is super weird.

I keep getting confused about these three games

Prototype
Infamous
Uncharted

like I get they're different games but their names are so...unevocative...that I kinda blur out when I see one of their names. That's to say nothing about the quality of the games, just about their names. I figured they were all PS3, but evidently the one that just placed here is on 360 too. Am I the only one who feels this way?

I think you mean Uncharted II: Among Thieves.

Prototype and Infamous especially since they both seem to be similar superhero-GTA concepts with generic I AM UNFETTERED RAGE protagonists. Uncharted II only sticks out to me since its gotten such raves, but stylistically it seems unremarkable. I haven't played any of these, in their defense.

Uncharted II is to video games as Avatar is to movies.

yeah, Uncharted II which haha doesn't help.

Have we had a thread about the best named video games?

start it

its unstarted

no way prototype is better than crackdown, what was I on up^ there?

shd've voted for kitn ;_;

#40: Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure – DS – 26 pts – 2 vote
Official Game Site

http://www.wiids.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/henry-hatsworth-banner.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic1Fvexrfcw

Hatsworth Flow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK7Tqqvmkbw

NI: Hatsworth is great. I love the way things shift up a gear from 'woah woah this is a bit crazy' in the normal (very good) platform game to 'SHIIIT BZZZTT' in the also very good tetris-alike side game. It's a headfuck though, on the difficult side and colorful/manic/bleepy to the extreme. My head feels like it's jammed full of popping candy

http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/123925-review-henry-hatsworth-and-the-puzzling-adventure/hat03-620x.jpg

Kyle Gray interview and his resignation letter to EA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGhrxsiMA0c

Abanana: I love the intermission/"world of chocolate" music that plays during the bonus sections.

http://www.gameandplayer.net/images/inset/inset1_09_0427_hatsworth.jpg

Free soundtrack

Forksclovetofu: This is a good time but I really need designers to stop making DS games where you have to juggle using the stylus and using the buttons, especially when it’s time sensitive. EA is making games for people with three hands.

http://www.offworld.com/assets_c/2009/04/Hatsworth_Enemies01-thumb-550x357-19440.jpg

Hatsworth doll

Hatsworth on Twitter

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

N/A: Shit is pretty hard.

#39: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor – DS – 27 pts – 2 votes – 1 Top Game Vote
Official Game Site

http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/137924-the-best-videogames-of-2009-so-far/Best%20Games%20of%202009%20So%20Far%20-%20Devil%20Survivor-620x.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oX8K4dpWpw

Forksclovetofu: I tend not to dig handheld RPGs; they either demand all your time and then you’re staring at a tiny screen or they try to pack too much into the experience and I lose interest. SMT: DS bridges the gap nicely; each fight is only about fifteen or twenty minutes; the storyline is surprisingly not lame, play mechanics are easy to use and engaging (love the demon auction and fusion system!) and the atmosphere/art is great. This is what I wanted The World Ends With You to be like. Totally recommended and would have made my list if I’d played it before I cast my vote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92g87ZHX96M

http://media.avclub.com/images/media/game/545/devil-survivor_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53M8PwCgdis

http://pfcdn.net/site/t/content_image/image/65/28/65282__shin-megami-tensei-devil-survivor-lucifer-secret-boss.jpeg

Siliconera

Cozwn: devil survivor is rad btw fuiud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Nx9vyLsyk

http://www.gameplayreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/devilSummoner.jpg

Will M: This game manages to be both familiar (grid-based tactics gameplay, Dragon Quest-style battles, hip-kids-in-Shibuya storyline) and somehow simultaneously refreshing and new (I am not sure I can justify that, because I don't understand why it's actually "new" in any way). It also has the most clever "who you make friends with defines your ending" mechanics I think there's ever been in a game; it susses out your philosophy on life and crisis and shapes the fate of Tokyo around it.

#38: Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story – DS – 27 pts – 3 votes
Official Game Site

http://gamerlimit.com/files/2009/12/mario-and-luigi-bowsers-inside-story-wallpaper-small.jpg

Metacritic

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

Abbott: I am having a lot of fun playing Inside Story; like, too much fun. But I hate when a game throws in something needlessly difficult as an aside that you have to do before you can proceed. The carrot-eating stylus minigame is just pissing me off.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/9/2009/11/500x_bowsers_inside_story.jpg

Localizing Mario

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k--9_Z4-pW0

Toastmodernist: The best DS game I've played in a long time; much better than even Partners in Time.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c237/RogueLemon/storytime/CropperCapture18.png

Some Basic Concepts

Jamescobo: It's very stage-managed insofar as that it's really hard to get lost (which I personally appreciate like crazy) and I do kind of miss PiT's second-screen map, but between Bowser and Fawful there's allllllll kinds of fun to be had here.

http://www.teamteabag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/bowserinsideds.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URuJ7_vZ-ZI

CraigG : I played Mario & Luigi Partners in Time last year, which I never finished thanks to a corrupt save game 30 hours in, so I looked forward to this for a long time and it didn't disappoint. I love the humor in the Mario & Luigi RPGs, and the RPG-Lite nature makes this perfect train fodder, but for one fatal flaw: I hate hate hate having to blow at, shout at - or otherwise make a tit of myself with - the DS. These features are fine for inclusion in a game, but make it an option. It's the same rant I always seem to have about the Wii; all the waving of controllers is fine, but give me the option to press a button instead. Sometimes I reach a point where a game needs more than just button input, so I have to stop playing it, which can be annoying if it happens early on a long journey.

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.

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.