He hangs on for the win!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

This really should come as no surprise. Although Riddles and I generally like the same games, it’s usually to different degrees and in different ways. But once in a rare while, we’re both hit in the same way by the same game. And since Ocarina of Time can’t win Game of the Year for 2009, we chose the title we fully agree on that is eligible.

Yup, Nathan Fucking Drake has done it again. Naughty Dog upped the ante with Among Thieves by creating the best paced, best looking, best acted game I’ve certainly ever seen. I was scared Uncharted 2 would resemble Temple of Doom and, well, completely suck, but new locales, more creative fighting arenas, and a more ambitious plot only enhanced the Uncharted experience. Uncharted can only be loved for what it is – a blockbuster, linear, action thrill-ride – and while that’s not everybody’s cup of tea, no other game in 2009 delivered such a polished, satisfying, tightly controlled experience.

While Flower is a personal favourite, and Riddles likes his Assassin’s Crap 2 stuff, there was absolutely no debate in choosing the only joint award given this week. There has never been a better reason to own a PS3.

But seeing that it’s only the second day, I suppose I can continue to give it the benefit of doubt.

So, have you all been enjoying our Best of 2009 picks so far? No? Well good, because they’re not over yet. Today, I have the pleasure of announcing the nominees for Riddlethos’ Best Game of 2009. They should hardly come as a surprise to anyone who follows our site at all, but nonetheless, here they are:

Assassin’s Creed 2

Ubisoft’s second entry in their popular new franchise improves on the original game in practically every way. The result? A fantastic sandbox experience that leaves you hanging for the inevitable third entry.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Nobody really saw it coming, but for a multitude of reasons, here it is on our Best of 2009 nominations list. Batman: Arkham Asylum is the best licensed game ever made, and sure to be the start of a fantastic franchise.

Flower

I’m including this because Ethos told me to. I could copy/paste any one of the 9234 gushing posts he’s written about it, but I really don’t feel like it. It’s on our Best of 2009 Nominees list, so that should say enough. Right?

Modern Warfare 2

What list would be complete without the self-proclaimed “biggest game of 2009″? Lucky for us, Modern Warfare 2 actually lived up to its hype, and well-deserves a spot here.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

What can be said here that hasn’t been said a number of times already? Naughty Dog knocked it way out of the park with Uncharted 2, and both me and Ethan have been singing its praises for months now. So, if you’re surprised, you clearly haven’t been following the site long.

Place your bets, Riddlethosians. Best of 2009 Week will conclude tomorrow, with the sure-to-be-earth shattering final announement. Be there! Or… don’t. I really can’t threaten a consequence one way or the other.

Demon’s Souls

I think this is the first time Demon’s Souls has been mentioned on Riddlethos.com. During the latter portion of 2009, I heard the name a few times, but never paid much attention to it. Literally all I knew is that it was yet another Atlus-published JRPG. While I have a great deal of love for the Persona series, it takes more than an Atlus namedrop (or the namedrop of any publisher) to get me interested in a JRPG.

It literally wasn’t until Demon’s Souls started garnering GOTY nominations – and in some cases even GOTY awards – that I took a serious look at the game. And now, admittedly, I’m sorry I missed out. Really sorry, actually. Looking back over 2009, I realize that I’ve almost entirely forsaken what once was my genre of choice, the JRPG. The last one I played and finished was Persona 4, and that was early 2009.

It’s hardly any fault of mine, though. This console generation has not been a good one for JRPGs. I’ve played two that I can truly say were great, and those would be Lost Odyssey and Valkyria Chronicles. (Persona 4 is a PS2 game, so it doesn’t count.)

But I’m always more than willing to renew my faith in the genre. I’ll be giving Demon’s Souls a shot soon enough, I’m sure.

Runner Up: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Fuck off, okay? I thought this game looked awesome. I’ve never owned or even cared about a single Halo game, but after watching hours of Halo 3 played online, I started to understand the appeal. Add that onto a campaign that actually looked well put together, the lack of that stupid overpowered, crappy-named, Master Chief, and you had a game that actually piqued my interest.

But since this is the year I got a website, I ended up buying, playing, and even finishing more games than ever. Mario & Luigi, Kingdom Hearts: Dumb Name, Suikoden Tierkreis, Forza 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Arkham Asylum, Brutal Legend, Spirit Tracks. I just didn’t have the time or budget to throw in another title that I couldn’t bet would please me. Still, ever since I admitted to myself that I wanted to play it, I’ve felt a twinge of regret that I never even tried it.

Oh, and I hear NHL 10 is the shit, and I’m sorry I missed that too. But not as much, since I bought 09 for $15 and I can bet it’s close to the same thing. Runner up for you, hockey!

Runner Up: NHL 10

I’m with Riddles on this one. I enjoy Brutal Legend quite a bit, actually, but I had a very different idea about it. I’ve never really been so hyped about a game that I knew so little about before. I’m a fan of Jack Black at his best (See: Mr. Show, Kung Fu Panda, School of Rock), and although I’m not big into metal or Tim Shafer, this game seemed like it was going to be a hilarious, unique romp.

I was kinda right. The game can be very funny – especially at the beginning – and it’s absolutely unique. And like Riddles stated, that’s the problem. Brutal Legend has fun fighting and driving mechanics and a fantastic art style and strangely beautiful world. So there was no need to bring in so many extra elements. It just diluted the experience.

But everything has been said in the post below. Time for me to go out New Years Eve-ing. Happy New Year, everyone!

Runner Up: N/A

Brutal Legend

Okay, so… I might be the odd man out in shaming Brutal Legend like this. But allow me to explain, while I indeed consider the game a letdown, that doesn’t mean I thought it was bad. On the contrary, I rather enjoyed the time I spent with Brutal Legend, as evidenced by the largely positive impressions that I wrote on the game some months ago.

I just expected more from Brutal Legend. Or… perhaps I should say less? I don’t think Tim Schafer was quite sure what, exactly, he wanted his latest game to be. Is it a hack-and-slash action game? Or an RTS? Is it supposed to be humorous all the time, or are we supposed to occasionally take it seriously? Are we supposed to consult online guides in order to figure out the many unexplained mechanics and facets of the game, or is confused frustration supposed to be part of the fun?

I honestly don’t know, but my point is that Brutal Legend suffers from a serious lack of focus. It starts off strong, and becomes increasingly more convoluted as it goes on. Is it fun? Yes, it sure can be. Is it funny? At times, at least near the beginning. But in future endeavours, Tim Schafer needs to keep this particular saying in mind: “you brainstorm, I brainstorm, but brilliance needs a good editor.”

Runner Up: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

That’s not really a saying, actually. If my memory serves, it’s the title of  Manchester Orchestra’s first EP. Regardless, I thought it applied nicely.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Wait, didn’t I just get done talking about this one? It seems I’m about to give Arkham Asylum yet another award: Most Surprising Game of 2009.

While I doubt anyone knew what a splash Arkham Asylum would make in the gaming world, it probably came as more of a surprise to me than most. Why? Well, to be honest, I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the game during its development. Buying it was an impulse purchase based on positive feedback from fellow gamers. I really didn’t expect much more than a good licensed game. What I got was one of the best action-adventure titles of this generation.

Practically everything about Arkham Asylum is polished until it shines. The free-flow combat system is an absolute joy to control, and manages to never get old throughout the entire experience. The detective aspects, including “detective mode,” are brilliantly conceived. And as I’ve already mentioned, the atmosphere is the best I experienced in 2009. It’s the perfect Batman experience. In fact, I’ll go further still and call it the best licensed game ever made.

I definitely was not expecting that. I really can’t wait to see what Rocksteady does with the franchise from here on. Next time, I’ll be purchasing on day one.

Runner Up: Dead Space Extraction

Yup. The trailer that we all laughed at turned into one of the best games the DS has to offer and the strongest Zelda title in a long while. Nothing looked stupider than Link in his crappy conductor costume, but luckily he quickly lost the clothes and started exploring the best cel-shaded Zelda adventure yet with the strongest music in the series in ages.

While Arkham Asylum was a huge surprise for me too, there was always a bit of hype surrounding it. I never thought it would suck, I just never expected to like a batman game. With Spirit Tracks, I truly thought it would be the first Zelda game I would legitimately dislike, but it ended up being one of my favourite titles of the year. I wrote an epic review on the game, so I don’t have that much more to say except that this was a great year of surprises in gaming, and to have a Zelda game top that list is the most pleasant surprise out of all of them.

Runner Up: Batman: Arkham Asylum

God of War

Okay, so I know God of War didn’t come out in 2009. However, the God of War Collection for the PS3 did, so I deemed it a valid choice. And… this is my website, so I can do what I want.

I’m not quite sure why I waited so long to play God of War, but as always, it’s better late than never. In fact, I’m almost glad I did, because the newly-released collection on the PS3 is definitely the way to play. It’s amazing how much of a difference a HD facelift makes; it may not look next-gen, but it looks incredibly crisp and smooth for a PS2 game.

As badass as the Collection itself is, I’m here to honor the first game. And seeing that it’s been out for so many years, I doubt it needs explaining. The entire premise of the game is that you, Kratos, will murder the God of War himself, Ares. If that’s not enough to convince you of the game’s utter badassery, let me just make a list:

-You fight and kill the Hydra itself… in the game’s opening level.

-You navigate a temple that rests atop the back of a Titan.

-You die, go to hell, and then fight your way back to the surface.

-You murder the fucking god of war

-You become the fucking God of War

-Any of the 934 sometimes-hokey-yet-always-badass one-liners that Kratos utters throughout the game.

Another easy pick. I need to play God of War II now…

Runner Up: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

(Sorry again, Nate.)

Batman: Arkham Asylum

It’s funny, because I actually haven’t talked a great deal about Arkham Asylum since its release way back in August. Everyone else certainly has been, though, and rightfully so; it’s one of 2009’s best games.

Arkham Asylum is dripping with mood, and perfectly evokes the feel of the very best Batman comics. The mood is established instantly with the game’s opening – as you escort the Joker through the many levels of Arkham Asylum, listening to his insane banter as the credits roll, you develop an increasing feeling of unease – and that feeling turns out to be justified.

Throughout the game, the Joker remains in almost complete control. His constant messages over the Asylum’s intercom confirms this. And as the game goes on, Arkham’s descent into utter madness is visible – and occasionally disturbing. A particular sequence called “The Green Mile” comes to mind.

The graphical presentation is key as well. You might recall that Arkham Asylum was my runner-up for 2009’s Best Visual Experience, and it’s certainly deserving in that. It might lack the visual variety of, say, Assassin’s Creed II, but Rocksteady’s visual depiction of Arkham Asylum is spot-on perfect, and particularly appreciated if you’ve read the comics.

I should probably cut this off, but honestly, it feels good to finally talk about this game. Arkham Asylum was an easy pick for my Best Atmospheric experience in 2009.

Runner Up: Dead  Space Extraction