Game of the Year 2009

[Daniel]

Keep your posts clean and to the point. If you would like your comments to appear in the magazine, please keep comments to under 100 words.

The Reader's Game of the Year special will appear in issue 198.

[JubeiSaotome]

Street Fighter IV

An amazing addition to the series, rebooted the fighter scene and pulled a lot of new competition.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

Uncharted 2

[AranchineD]

Brutal Legend

I think I spent about 6-8 hours of the game just driving around and admiring the scenery with probably the best game soundtrack ever blasting in the background. Most fun I've had with any game for a while, and the game has a brilliant story to go with it too.

[dalmatian]

Valkyria Chronicles

Not sure if this counts, but I only bought and finished it in March. Incredible, unique game and since it got NO accolades last year, I reckon it deserves a vote this year;)

[Stevorooni]

Soul Bubbles... er I mean Batman Arkham Asylum - can't wait for the sequel!

[adam_91vn]

Borderlands for me

[Jay]

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

The return of Nathan Drake was always going to be good, but this good? One of the most thrilling gaming experiences this generation, never mind this year, and with a pretty good multiplayer suite to boot. Game of the Year.

[aubergine]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Overall the best looking, best sounding, most enjoyably written and acted complete surprise I can remember from years of gaming, surely the best licensed game ever made and among the best games ever made. Making a Batman game or indeed any comic-book license will be daunting for anyone following up this masterpiece.

[freeradical]

Borderlands for me

[Cian]

Modern Warfare 2

As an overall package, nothing tops this. The amount of detail in the multiplayer means it gets the nod over Uncharted 2. The campaign made me feel sick about myself, the co-op is punishing but rewarding, and the multiplayer is the only thing that can keep me away from L4D2 and Battlefield. It's not groundbreaking, but it's close.

[RunningMild]

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

The gameplay in this game is simply incredible. Every fight is an effort, every win feels like an accomplishment. Hundreds of hours of gameplay, with no padding or forced grinding. A deceptively deep combat system that can be customised to fit your fighting style like a glove, and no crappy quick time events to ruin the combat. Truly open-ended gameplay allowing you to do whatever you want, whenever you want, in whatever order you want (to a degree). Tough, challenging gameplay that tests you and makes you a better, smarter player as a result. It has so many things that so many modern games lack, not to mention the best co-op experience I’ve had since the 16 bit era. And the best thing about the co-op is that wireless play between two PSPs is much cheaper and convenient than system link or online-only co-op (as far as same-room goes). I spent more time in 2009 playing this game than any other, so it's an easy choice for Game Of The Year.


Runner Up:

Batman: Arkham Asylum- One of my favourite games of all time. All of the elements that make up the game- graphics, sound, acting, stealth gameplay, action gameplay, exploration, art direction, etc- are amazing in their own right, but what makes the game truly special is that everything blends seamlessly into everything else. Nothing feels clunky, disjointed or out of place. It's a fully fleshed out, fully realised world that is a joy to experience.

[Serenity]

Modern Warfare 2

[Dynomite]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

[Mr.Mew]

Uncharted 2

The level of epic which is served is ridiculous, in a good way of course. The story, dialogue, sound, graphics and scenery are all top notch. I'm finding it difficult to think of something that is wrong with the game.

[Xanafalgue]

Modern Warfare 2, a very complete package

[Hyperblau]

Uncharted 2

Most fun I've had with a game all year, the pacing is perfect, the story is compelling, the graphics and art direction are without peer, and the gameplay is the icing on the cake.

Runner up: Batman Arkham Asylum, who knew a Batman game could be this good, we all hoped, but I never truley expected it.

[drzaius]

uncharted 2

characters, story, graphics, gameplay, music... all world class. I havent spent much time with the multiplayer but from what i can see it's excellent in its own right.

[RunningMild]

Valkyria Chronicles

Not sure if this counts, but I only bought and finished it in March. Incredible, unique game and since it got NO accolades last year, I reckon it deserves a vote this year;)

http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/15593iDA2C0B137FA07045/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1

[SOX]

Street Fighter IV
I don't remember another game where I have played 100 matches straight against a mate. Flashy background finishers are still as satisfying as they were the first time!

[Vindik8or]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

This was by no means perfect in any respect, but it had this kind of gestalt that made it the most fun I've had with a game in a long time. It is certainly the closest I've ever felt to really being a superhero in a game.

[concrete donkey]

modern warfare 2. BEST.MULTIPLAYER.EVER

[Starscream]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

You are the Batman....

and insert what I wrote in the Xbox 360 GOTY 2009 here.

[Hemish71]

Batman Arkham Asylum
It just doesnt get any better than that
I've played it through 5 times and still go back for more!!!

[Australian Ninja]

Captain Courage and the League of Losers,

no I'm voting Batman: AA, even though I've not yet played it, it FEELS like I have from the amount of previews, reviews and videos I've experienced

[Space_Monkey]

Batman Arkham Asylum

Amazing graphics, story and gameplay. I won't write much because it's been covered elsewhere, still an outstanding package. A major achievement.

[OptimusLucrious]

My game of the year has to be batman arkham asylum, no other game felt as complete and overall satisfying as batman did, this game was incredibly polished, did great work with the batman universe and was just an absolute blast to play

[Natrak]

Uncharted 2

[texta]

Uncharted 2

Without question the best game to come out in 2009

[Rambo]

Uncharted 2

It achieved what MGS 4 set out to do, you actually feel like your playing a movie. An incredibly action packed movie at that.

[RunningMild]

Uncharted 2

It achieved what MGS 4 set out to do, you actually feel like your playing a movie. An incredibly action packed movie at that.

So did WET, but it didn't mean the game was good. :p







But WET didn't feel that much like a movie tbqh...

[RunningMild]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

This was by no means perfect in any respect, but it had this kind of gestalt that made it the most fun I've had with a game in a long time. It is certainly the closest I've ever felt to really being a superhero in a game.

I agree. It was so much greater than the sum of it's parts.

[Manny M]

Street Fighter IV

An amazing addition to the series, rebooted the fighter scene and pulled a lot of new competition.

I would've naturally given my vote to Uncharted 2 this year, as it is both an incredible single player and multiplayer game... but for the reasons you've outlined i'm giving it to SFIV also.

While being a fantastic and challenging game in its own right, the sheer fact that it brought fighting games to the forefront of gaming for a period really proves just how great it is.

[Allick]

Uncharted 2

Great Graphics, great dialogue, Really cinematic, etc.

[Clockw0rk]

Shadow Complex
Utterly brilliant, more games should be this good.

[Gee_Yai_Bro]

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom.
Only game brought out this year that I've clocked even though it took me countless $2 coins to achieve

[Munky]

Assassin's Creed 2.

A game that I couldn't put down. Uncharted 2 and MW2 were a blast but I wanted to come home from work and play AC2.

Plus it has Machiavelli

[erayser_168]

Uncharted 2

Chloe's Ass

[REQUIEM]

Batman: Arkham Asylum. It was only after I had put Batman AA as my choice for about 4 other categories that I decided it had to be my choice for game of the year. It looked great, it sounded great, it played great. Everything game of the year should be.


Edit: Who doesnt like being Batman.

[NiB]

Modern Warfare 2

It made over half a billion dollars at launch...that's pretty f***in ridiculous

[Grubdog]

F1 2009 (Wii)

I love F1, and this game is extremely good and exceeded my expectations.

[Spudzilla]

Dragon Age: Origins

because I didn't play Uncharted 2,
Brutal Legend,
Batman: Arkham Asylum,
Uncharted 2: Among Theives,
or Street Fighter IV

Plus Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer broke for me right after I made that video of me griefing everyone I came across, so that doesn't count either.

[Lazlow]

Has to be Forza 3

Just a complete package in almost every conceivable way.

[shallowdays]

Uncharted 2. It's the video game equivalent of something else that is also perfect.

[borgster101]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

It was the game that I had the most fun with this year.

[T Strife]

Uncharted 2

[grimace06]

Assassins Creed 2.

I waited two years for this game and boy did it deliver. Not only was Ezio's journey beautifully woven into the fiction alongside Desmond and the fish woman, but it was also a graphically stunning game with wonderfully smooth traversal that improved greatly on the original.

[Citizen Erased]

Unchated 2.

Im giving this GOTY just for the opening snow/train wreck level. Awesome stuff.

[dinnerordie17]

Brutal Legend

Sure the RTS elements might be a bit weird BUT YOU CAN LIGHT DEMONS ON FIRE WITH A FRICKEN GUITAR

[Zan]

Blazblue

Best console release of a fighting game ever. Just wish it had SFIV size playerbase.

[Sweating Bullets]

I would have to tip my vote over to Batman Arkham Asylum.

Probably the best action adventure game in quite some time and one that actually did a comic book genre a lot of justice. Also I think it has mass appeal in that you do not need to be a Batman fan to enjoy the game.

The combat system is surprisingly deep and engrossing. Gorgeous visuals also make this a standout title for the year of 2009. The icing on the cake was that collecting all the hidden Riddler items enabled you to open up new challenges - so longevity for a game with no multi managed to deliver.

[AQUIL0]

Great story and thats what makes a game... I couldnt put it down!

[johnny sac]

Assassin's Creed 2

[StorminNorman]

Bayonetta.
Finally, someone got the hacky-slashy combo genre right. Magnificent set-pieces, fast-paced gameplay, cheesy but enjoyable cinematics and an overall feeling of "I wish the DMC series were this fun". Bayonetta even surpasses the mighty Ninja Gaiden II as the best hacky-slashy game of all-time. This is pure, unadulterated fun, and though it came out right at the end of the year (November in Japan), it deserves the title.

Honorable mentions:
Forza 3 and Assassin's Creed 2.
Forza 3 for its utter commitment to the driving experience. On the XBox 360, there's no other game that's as close to driving an actual car as this, and it looks good, too.

AC2 gets a mention solely because of how amazing its Venice setting is. Before that point, the game is great, with many improvements over the first one, but the look and feel of Venice pushes it into classic territory.

[chs999]

Assassin's Creed 2.

Uncharted 2 had likeable characters. Batman AA had, well, Batman. But to me AC2 is the game of the year because it was better all around.

[william h. cosby II]

Uncharted 2

Yes, it really is f***ing amazing

[Shaftoe]

Batman AA

[Tom Campbell]

Masterpiece. Which is a problem for me. I'm meant to be finishing my house renovations but keep spending my time on Batman. Thanks

[JC Henderson]

Street FIghter 4- I loved many story driven games this year but in all honesty I was never brought to obsession with them like the way SF4 did.

[someguy45]

Assains creed 2. I thought the first assains creed was good but assains creed 2 is ten times better the story is interesting, there's more veriety in missions and it has a great combat system, along with the awesome freerunning. this is the best game of the year and a classic.

[Adios]

Uncharted 2.

Utterly sublime. Hollywood has it's work cut out for it if it wants to match this story. What was that about Indiana Jones?

[xander_cade]

Easily my game of the year. I could'nt put this down when I first played it. Great gameplay, story and action! Live by the Creed!

[lastitachionearth]

final fantasy dissidia

[jawsy]

Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Never before has the nerd inside me been so thoroughly pandered to.

[Gilder]

Uncharted 2

[TimmyJ]

Brutal Legend. For standing out in the midst of a whole bunch of bland games.

[Magnusetic]

MW2, still going with it and just as fun as when I started

[omegafrog]

Fallout 3

[Lazlow]

Fallout 3

Was released October 2008.

[dinopoke]

Same as L4D lol.