So here it is – one final “best-of-2009″ list from your beloved Pixel Verdict crew. All that’s left now is to listen to our year-end podcastravaganza, where we each make the case for our respective number one pick in the argument over game of the year (though ultimately we leave it up to your, our faithful readers, to decide). As a bonus, this is the last time you have to deal with the picture of the Dodge vehicle with the Photoshop’d license plate.
What follows are my picks for the best games of 2009. My criteria for this list are pretty simple: Games I’ve actually played (which limits me slightly due to time, money and console restrictions) and cumulative hours committed to those games.
5. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Nintendo has made quite an art out of reviving old franchises, paying respect to the source material while making old, er, venerable franchises relevant again. Punch-Out!! is no exception, with the exact same simple control scheme of the original and an instantly familiar roster of opponents. Many of the pugilists even use mildly updated versions of their same special moves from 20 years ago. Punch-Out!! succeeds because the simple, yet sturdy foundation the original was built on still holds up today. That foundation is assisted by the nostalgia-laden re-imagining of the stars of the show – Little Mac and his over-the-top opponents.
The Contrarian Fanboy speaks:
The two player versus matches are sort of lame and the fairly unforgiving difficulty level of the original remains intact. Also, what some may describe as a “nostalgia-laden re-imagining,” others may call dated and a little one-note.
4. Halo Wars (Xbox 360)
I’ve never really had the patience or time to invest in the real-time strategy genre, but I do have an unhealthy obsession with all things Halo, so I was willing to give Halo Wars a shot. I was not disappointed, as what I found was an accessible RTS that perfectly captured and integrated the nuances of the ever-expanding Halo mythology. The control scheme is logical and well-thought out and the various units are balanced nicely in that rock-paper-scissors sort of way. Since I’m not really an RTS guy, unfortunately I don’t have anything to compare the experience to. I did, however, find myself willing to log the necessary hours to not only finish the game, but also try most of the nicely varied levels on a harder difficulty.
The Contrarian Fanboy speaks:
Even with sweet CG cut scenes, the story was cliche-ridden. Also, trying to get a bunch of deathmatchin’, head-shootin’, teabaggin’ FPS-ers to jump ship to an RTS, however polished, seems a little “square peg, round hole” to me.
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Like Punch-Out!!, this game feels immediately familiar to any gamer around my age or older, yet still advances the one franchise many revere above all others. I smiled a lot while playing this game and couldn’t help but get reminded early and often why I began loving video games in the first place. Such pleasant reminders seem to be fewer and farther between these days, and stand in diametric opposition to the rage and frustration felt while getting stomped in various FPS arenas online. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a pure gaming experience that is only going to get more rare, partly because it seems Nintendo is the only company that can consistently pull them off.
The Contrarian Fanboy speaks:
It is possible that the only reason this game seems so great is because enough time has passed since the last 2D Mario game. If this game came out 8 years ago for the Gamecube, everyone probably would have agreed it was a solid effort, but dated and indicative of Nintendo’s refusal to move into the 21st century. Also, tacked on motion controls really are a pain, but definitely not a game-breaker, and the utter lack of online co-op serves only to remind me yet again how far behind Nintendo is in that particular realm. Actually, far behind isn’t accurate – they’re not even in the race.
2. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
I love Halo, and ODST is more than just an expansion pack. It has a nifty side-story to the main Halo arc, and changes up the gameplay enough to make you reevaluate some of your tactics and keep things interesting. Also, Firefight mode is challenging, fun and promotes good communication and team work. This is a really good game that may have suffered from some Halo backlash and competition from the number one game on my list. Although the some of the characters in the story were a little bland, and Bungie fell right back into it’s “silent hero” comfort zone with the Rookie, I really enjoyed the “film noir” vibe of the story, told through playable flashbacks.
The Contrarian Fanboy speaks:
Some say it’s not really a full game, so they shouldn’t charge full price. Also, I miss the Covenant Elites.
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
If this post seems a little short and to the point, it’s because I’m very tired. I’m tired from staying up too late to play Modern Warfare 2. Between the taut, fast-paced campaign, the nicely fleshed-out Special Ops cooperative mode and the frantic, ridiculously deep online multi-player, Modern Warfare 2 has it all… and that’s coming from an unabashed Halo kool-aid drinker. At this point, I’ve logged way, way too many hours in this game for someone with all the responsibilities that come with adulthood, but I’m sure I’ll be back on this weekend. And it’s that compulsion, that unmistakable siren song, that marks those rare, transcendent gaming experiences.
The Contrarian Fanboy speaks:
Modern Warfare 2 is probably the most fully featured FPS available, but if you just don’t care for gaming from a first-person view, they relatively short campaign probably only merits a rental… that is, if you’re one of the 11 people that didn’t buy it the week it came out.