2009 Year in Review: Game of the Year

It’s that time of year. The time where everyone gets together and starts to put together their year in review articles and podcasts. If you caught podcast 41, you heard what we at Everyday Gamers feel were some fo the biggest news stories of the year. We have at least one more year in review podcast coming, but when it comes to these kind of lists, there is one that is expected from every video game website: Game of the year.

So, we here at Everyday Gamers decided we would come together and give you and idea of what each of us feel are the five best games we each played this year.

Eric Bouchard:

5. Tie: Scribblenauts/Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure (DS) – Yes, I know starting out with a tie seems like a bit of a cop out, but I cannot help it. In what seemed overall like a down year for the DS, Scribblenauts and Henry Hatsworth were 2 absolutely can’t miss games. Scibblenauts adds a whole new twist to puzzle solving with no set way to beat each level, while Hatsworth combines platforming with puzzle gameplay in a way that is just astounding. The games stand out as the best on the handheld, and I dare anyone to play either one and not enjoy them.

4. Torchlight (PC) – In a world of big releases, it is rare to see an indie game catch on the way Torchlight has. Made by many of the creators of Diablo, Torchlight manages to be both a deep dungeon crawler and yet an accessible game for those not used to that type. You can pop in and play for just a bit or get lost for hours, something most games cannot balance. Excellent gameplay, an inventive inventory system with the ability to have you pet sell you items and 3 truly unique classes to play set Torchlight apart from other Diablo clones, and that’s not counting the mods people are already making available for the game. Heck, it deserves to be on the list if for nothing else than it has gotten me back into PC gaming.

3. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360, PC) – When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced at E3, there were many people, including some 0n this site, who thought it was too soon after Left 4 Dead. Many were afraid the game would just be Left 4 Dead 1.5, but it did not take long for that to be proven wrong. The sequel has surpassed its predecessor in every way, from tighter controls to longer, more involved campaigns. Add to that plenty of new weapons including melee based, new special infected, the uncommon common and more multiplayer modes, and Left 4 Dead 2 ends up feeling like much much more of a complete game than the original. This version is worth the $60.oo price point.

2. Dragon Age Origins (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) – This game was in the running for Game of the Year when I was first started playing. Bioware set out yo make Dragon Age Origins to be the spiritual successor to Balder’s Gate, and the company has achieved that. A deep storyline, excellent character interaction and a rich combat system make this an RPG to make hardcore RPG fans proud. In the end, however, that is part of why it did not make number 1 on my list, as the one the made it there was much more accessible and has the best Co-op I think I have ever played.

1. Game of the Year: Borderlands (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) - There is something magical about this game. Gearbox has managed to do the best job so far of combining an FPS with an RPG, and the cell-shaded look to Borderlands just helps add to the joy you get while playing it. Though the single player campaign is strong, you are really doing this game and yourself a disservice if you do not play it Co-op, and as such the 360 version may be the best because of Live. Random weapons, 4 unique character classes that can be leveled up in many different ways, enemies who level up based on the number of people playing and a wry humor that just permeates the game make Borderlands the clear choice for GOTY.

Honorable Mentions: Uncharted 2 (PS3), Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Batman Arkham Asylum (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Assassin’s Creed II (PS3, Xbox 360)

Patrick Adams

5. InFamous (PS3) – I was a little skeptical about the game until the demo released, once I got my hands on it I instantly knew it would be a day-one purchase. I’m not one to pay attention to the story in a game but InFamous made it hard not to with it’s sweet comic book art-style. The platforming elements in InFamous were very refined and overall the game is one of the best on the PS3.

4. Shadow Complex (XBLA) – Shadow Complex was so good that I almost added it to my top 10 favorite games of all time list. Yes it pays homage to Metroid but for someone like me who has never played Metroid it was still an amazing game. The game was very polished and overall just plain fun. Once I completed the game I only wanted to play more. I hope we’ll see a sequel sometime in the near future.

3. Uncharted 2 (PS3) – Everyone knew U2 looked beautiful and the hype for it was pretty high. Naughty Dog delivered and the game lived up to the expectations. Like the first one, U2 is like an adventure movie that you play and that’s awesome. With a thin line between the cutscenes and the actual gameplay U2 is right next to Killzone 2 as the best looking game to grace the PS3.

2. Red Faction: Guerrilla (Xbox 360) – I think the main reason RFG is #2 on my list is because it really caught me by surprise. I had heard nothing about the game until I played the demo and that demo was enough to make me go out and buy RFG on day-one. RFG is about destroying everything and destroying everything is as fun as a game can get.

1. Game of the Year:  Borderlands (Xbox 360) – I went out on a limb and bought this game purely because of reading good things about it on Twitter and here it is my #1 one pick, my game of the year. The funny thing about my experience with Borderlands was that I played the entire game by myself. It was exactly what I needed, a blend of the action in an FPS and the addiction of collecting loot and leveling up in an RPG. Borderlands also has an art-style that hits the spot for me. With the announcement of plans to make it a franchise I am excited to see more of Borderlands in the future.

Honorable Mentions: Killzone 2 (PS3), GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS), Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360), and N.O.V.A. (iPhone).

Yuoma

Shadow Complex

Shadow Complex was released while I was out of town with no Xbox 360 in sight so I had plenty of time to read all the hype before I got a chance to sit down with it. Going in with high expectations is always a bad thing. This isn’t the case for Shadow Complex however, it definitely lives up to the hype.

In case you live under a rock Shadow Complex is a downloadable title from Xbox Live Arcade. It’s 1200 MS Points which totals $15. SC is probably the best looking XBLA title I have downloaded to date if not the best overall game. The visuals are top notch and the environments are very detailed. SC is a side-scrolling shooter which means you can only go up, down, left and right on a 2D plane even though the environments tease you into thinking you can move in a 3D plane. Even though the movement is from left to right, you can still shoot enemies that are located anywhere in the 3D plane. Confusing right?

The gameplay in Shadow Complex may be a little slow in the beginning until you get familiar with how it plays. In the beginning I was taking my time, exploring it all but then once I completed the first area I found myself flying through the rest of the game, kicking butt and taking names. I think the game was built like this on purpose. Another reason SC is so enjoyable is the fact that you never have to find ammo for your gun, it has an unlimited supply of ammo. This helps shift the focus of the game from being stressful to being fun. The items that you are to search for throughout the game help give the game depth. Finding items is crucial to your success in the game as well. These aren’t just items you have to find to get achievements, these are items that increase your total grenade count, your total health, your armor, etc. By the time you’ve collected all the items you are indestructible. The one thing that stuck out for me about Shadow Complex is that I never wanted to put it down, it was so easy to just keep playing. Even once I finished the game I didn’t want to stop playing it so I went back and collected all of the items I missed. In case you were wondering, I completed Shadow Complex in 8.5 hours so it is a pretty lengthy game for an XBLA title.

I’m hoping that Chair has plans for some DLC in the near future because I want more. With the game doing so well I can almost guarantee a sequel will be in the works very shortly. Overall Shadow Complex is an amazing game. It looks great, it plays great. I highly recommend downloading it. I would even go as far as to say it may be very close to my top 10 favorite games of all time. Yes it’s that good!

Microsoft Press Conference: What caught our eye

So Microsoft has finished their press conference. What a way to kick off E3! There were many announcements that caught the eye of the EDG crew, so we decided to give you our reaction to what the makers of the 360 had to say.

GAMES:

Eric Bouchard:

Microsoft needed to come in strong with game announcements at this show. After all, we all knew what Sony had to offer, and it was starting to look like the 360 was going to be left behind. Well, Microsoft answered in a big way. While it may not in the end rival the exclusives Sony will mention, it was good to see some impressive exclusives unveiled.

Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2; two sequels worth anticipating.

Of course, Crackdown 2 is a major announcement, even if it is not exactly a surprise at this point. While it looks like they are getting away from the Cell Shaded look of the first game, it still looks good and much more in depth than the first. Then came Left 4 Dead 2. They had me at the announcement, but then throw in the new melee combat and I am hooked. Splinter Cell Conviction may actually get me into the series, especially with its promise of sandbox gameplay and real time storytelling. Forza 3 will really be an impressive entry in the racing series, though racing games have never been my cup of tea. Halo ODST looks seriously impressive, and the announcement of Halo Reach…we’ll have to wait and see just what that turns out to be.

Then came Alan Wake. Gamers have been waiting for this one ever since Max Payne 2, and the game play footage they showed was amazing. From the mini-series based story telling to the innovative use of light as a weapon, Alan Wake looks extremely impressive. I’m generally not a survival horror fan, but I will be playing this. Even better was the announcement that it is coming in Spring 2010. Finally, we have a release time frame.

The most impressive debut came after all of that. Hideo Kojima came out to announce what I had predicted, that his latest project will appear on the 360. It is going to be called Metal Gear Solid Rising, and it will be featuring Raiden. Not much else has been mentioned, but just getting the Metal Gear Solid series on the 360 is a major victory for Microsoft. Now if they could just bring MGS 4.

Looks like Microsoft will not be hurting in the games department.

Shadow Complex and Metal Gear Solid Rising were two unexpected announcements for Microsoft.

David Lange

Coming into the conference 10 or 15 minutes after it began I started watching in time to catch some gameplay for Modern Warfare 2. I liked what I saw but wasn’t blown away. The snowy environment showcased some interesting gameplay uses of the environment such as using the blizzard conditions as cover, with a weapon equipped with some type of radar apparatus. There was also a mountain climbing sequence which looked like an extension of the automated but exciting rope repelling moments from the first although. These areas increase player immersion and realism but if they push it too far it may have too much of an on-rails feeling.

One of the exclusives that caught my attention was actually an arcade game, introduced and briefly demoed by Cliff Blaszinsky and someone else who’se name escapes me. His mic was apparently not working correctly but one of the inspirations behind the gameplay he mentioned was Metroid, and what was shown of the game clearly demonstrated this. Called Shadow Complex, the game is a 2d exploratory shooter in the sci-fi style of the old Metroid games, infused with the graphics and innovation of recent action games. In addition to a huge map featuring both interior and exterior portions of the fortress, there where some cool weapons and gameplay moments that demonstrated real creativity. There was a hard foam dispensing gun that can be used to create either defence barriers or platforms, and everything from the dynamic way the character progressed through the level to some exciting mini boss encounters got me excited for the way this game seems to marry classic 2d design with sweet graphics and next gen innovation.

One of the big surprises Microsoft pulled out this year was a new MGS on the 360. As Kojima himself joined the speaker on the floor Metal Gear Solid Rising was announced. Other than the fact that the game will focus on Raiden few details where disclosed. While this is great news, I am reminded of Miyamoto’s prompting of Kojima to bring an MGS title to the Gamecube (resulting in the re-make Twin Snakes) and feel that Microsoft simply shoved a pile of cash at Kojima and said make a Metal Gear game for us. This is not to imply that this game won’t be awesome but I suspect it isnt going to be on the same level as MGS4, at least in terms of cinematic. Since the 360 is sans Blu-Ray I doubt Kojima will go through as much effort in terms of the quantity and length of the story and cutscenes. I suspect this will be a good, but possibly trimmer entry in the series.

Among other notable games announced was Splinter Cell: Conviction which featured a creative, movie-like storytelling device that brought the narrative backdrop into the gameplay, with story fragments projected on the environment. Alan Wake finally saw the light of day with an extended gameplay demo which nicely exhibited what appeared to be pretty good graphics, very solid sound design and mostly interesting looking gameplay. Gameplay was also showcased for Halo: ODST, which of course looks great in terms of gameplay and surprisingly well developed in terms of storytelling and overall production values, not that Bungie has ever dropped the ball.

Alan Wake and Halo ODST both look good. Not much was revealed about Halo Reach, but the name alone should bring ideas to the minds of Halo fans.

Using ODST as cover they also snuck in the surprise announcement for Halo: Reach. Little more than the game itself was made known but we might assume this will be the next full fledged installment of the Halo franchise with the teaser confirming that “Spartans are on the ground.”

NXE Changes:

Eric Bouchard:

The NXE really did change the 360. It was the first time a major console was completely overhauled 3 years into its life cycle. The addition of Netflix was huge, but you figured Microsoft wasn’t finished there.

Sure enough, it wasn’t. At today’s conference, Microsoft revealed Facebook functionality, including Status Update, picture sharing, connection with your friends and their 360 avatars/gamertags and the ability to save in game screenshots and post them directly to Facebook. Then just as I was telling David on Google Chat that all Microsoft needed was Twitter, it was announced as well. Looks like I’ll be getting myself a Chat Pad now. Add to that Last FM, the ability to actually browse Netflix and add to your instant queue from the 360 itself and the HD Zune Marketplace that will offer Instant On 1080p HD content and it becomes obvious that he XBox team has been hard at work adding new functions to the NXE.

The big NXE announcement, however, was the return of Live Party. When Netflix functionality was first announced on the 360, the concept of watching shows with your friends over Live was introduced. It did not roll out with the NXE, however, and it looked like all prospects of that ever happening was gone. Now it’s back, and I cannot wait.

Microsoft had said it was going to change the face of entertainment. The new additions to NXE back that claim.

Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM are all coming to NXE

David Lange

Microsoft continues to assert itself as one of the savviest media corporations around, further implementing features to its online service that increase social networking and draw it towards its elusive goal of being the home media box. Facebook and Twitter will now be incorporated as ways to further draw the online/pc and console worlds together and making it easier for friends to stay connected via these different platforms. The inclusion of Last FM and some type of cable TV streaming (Europe) and it’s clear to see that Microsoft is graduating to a much broader perception of the video game console.

Other improvements such as instant streaming of downloadable movies was announced as well as an upgrade to full 1080p HD. One of the changes we expect but none the less applaud is the ability to browse the Netflix streaming library from your console. This is the sort of thing that seems like it should have been  available from the outset, or at least something that shouldn’t have had to have waited almost a year to implement but never the less I’m happy to see it finally arriving. Another eagerly anticipated feature is the full functionality of the Live Party system, which will now allow users to watch TV shows and Movies with their friends in a party.

All these changes affirm, what a company as smart as Microsoft knows: the future of video games is broader than just games’ its audience will likewise be more diverse, and the console of the future is not simply a gaming machine but a complete media source.

Project Natal:

Eric Bouchard:

I was really hoping Microsoft would not go the whole “motion control” route. It seemed like a gimmick, and diminishing sales of the Wii seemed to be all the evidence the company would need to show gamers just don’t care.

Project Natal changed all of that. Now I am excited.

Project Natal is a new bar containing three separate cameras that track the player’s movements. The video they showed had people fighting, racing, video chatting…it all looked impressive, especially when the girl in the racing game pulled into the pits and her dad jumped up and started changing the tires. Granted, this is not actualy footage yet, but the potential is amazing.

After the video, they demoed Natal live. While obviously a work in progress, it is clear that this is the most advanced motion capture system created yet. Just as it all seemed to be winding down, out stepped Peter Molyneux. He presented Milo, an AI boy created by Lionhead Studios. This was beyond impressive. Milo reacted to the “player” in the video, including her emotions. He even interacted with her by throwing her a pair of goggles for her to wear and “taking” a picture she had drawn from her, recognizing it as a fish and even knowing the color.

Project Natal is like nothing I have ever seen. Granted, we need to see if it comes anywhere close to living up to its potential, but if it does, you can say Goodnight to the Nintendo Wii.

Could this kind of character interaction be the future of gaming? Microsoft thinks so.

David Lange

When I first watched the demo video for Microsoft’s motion capture device, Natal, I wasn’t sure if they where serious or not. What the video demonstrations implied was that Natal was advanced enough to simply read the position of your body and limbs and respond accordingly. Seeing people without a controller or input peripheral of any kind, simply move and interact with games seems like something from a movie about life 20 years from now.

Yes, the video they showed was a cheesy casual gaming scenario that featured the whole family in Wii-esque gatherings, and yes the games on display where clearly concept graphics only. But still, such a level of motion recognition and immerse interaction along with voice and facial recognition is a tremendous leap into the future of entertainment.

The stage demonstration, while a little iffy (the avatar Natal was attempting to match with the on stage performer’s motions to was humorously sporadic, with his arms twitching and wrapping around his body at one point), still proved the functionality of the device. A girls motion was captured as she played a version of breakout with her body that reminded me of the third person vantage point of the soccer game from Wii fit. The other demo was a glorified finger paint session that did little more than utilize the gesture capture abilities you would use to interface with the NXE menu system with Natal.

The most impressive demo, however, was one conducted by Peter Molyneux, in which he introduced us to Milo, a virtual boy who recognized the face and speech of a woman who interacted with him via Natal. As the camera projected her reflection into the ripples of a virtual pod it was clear how exciting the possibilities of this technology are for the future of gaming

Overall I suspect it is not quite sophisticated enough to meet the demands hardcore titles and the frenetic action and complex control set of games such as Halo or Call of Duty 4 (how do I run or pull the trigger without a button or stick? I doubt Natal can distinguish finger movements.). Since there is no additional peripheral that goes with it certain gameplay functions will be difficult to provide physical input for. It might have been wise for them to provide some type of device you can hold at the same time.

To spite a few such foreseeable setbacks, Natal is none the less a thrilling new development. Watching it’s potential at work was an exhilarating experience as a gamer. Microsoft has said Natal is already in the hands of developers so I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

Final Thoughts:

David Lange

Overall it was an impressive conference for Microsoft. They did not debut as many exclusives or surprises in the software department as I expected however, nor did they debut a handheld or dedicate their time to the Zune HD which was also somewhat surprising since it’s ability to work in tandem with NXE is a great extension of the service. Still the games they showed looked promising and the improvements to NXE where good steps.

The real showstopper in my opinion was Natal, however. Though with more time and consideration I am slightly jaded as to it’s current applicability to the kind of games most hardcore fans will get excited about, it is still a very big deal. More importantly it may be the coup they needed to gain a foot hold in the casual market. They needed more than a flimsy imitation Wii peripheral to catch the faddish attention of the mainstream and the ability to control games with your body alone is a big enough deal to do it.

Also the technology, while not exactly ready to be used in say the next GTA, still has a lot of promise in the hands of talented studios. It will be hard for Nintendo and Sony to top. Here’s looking to them.

Eric Bouchard:

Microsoft has truly set the bar extremely high for Sony and Nintendo. If Natal can deliver, it could be the death knell for the Wii, and the addition of Facebook, Last FM and Twitter make the NXE far above and beyond anything Sony has done with PSN. Microsoft has shown that, as a company, it’s willing to look beyond the traditional boundraies of what is expected of a gaming console and truly try to become a multimedia entertainment system. Add to that the great games, Live Party and the new Games on Demand feature they could not include int he press conference due to time constraints, and Microsoft has made a strong bid for most impressive presenter at E3.

I had thought going into E3 Microsoft had something up its sleeve. I had no clue it would be this big.