As Dave explained in his kickoff post, ’tis the season for “best of” lists, and who are we to buck tradition?

Just to warn you, my list isn’t going to look like the rest of the lists you’ll see on this site over the next few days. Compare my picks with Dave’s and you’ll see what I mean. That’s because I don’t own all three consoles, or play a lot of new games. In these harsh economic times, can you blame me? Somehow, though, I managed to play a few—mostly on Nintendo systems. Go figure. Click through for the best of what 2009 had to offer the Asperschlager household.

5. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Everything old is new again in 2009 Nintendo-land, a trend that began in February with the release of Punch-Out!! Part re-imagining, part re-creation of the ’80s NES classic (sans “Mike Tyson”), this retrotastic entry updated the original puzzle fighter with sweet graphics, smooth animation, and nods to the days of gaming yore. Although the game sported various motion control set-ups, the only way to play is by holding the Wii-mote sideways, NES-style. If Punch-Out!! only had Career Mode, the limited roster of opponents would have seemed like a cheap move, but the addition of an expanded Title Defense Mode (featuring much tougher remixed versions of the boxers), and the masochistic Last Stand Mode, made sure old-school game fans had plenty to keep them busy. Is Punch-Out!! too hard? Maybe. Or maybe you’re just a wimp.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: I sure hope you like all the old characters, ’cause they only came up with one new fighter, the cringe-inducing gay stereotyped “Disco Kid.”

A knockout blow for retro gaming... and for cheesy captions.

4. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
For fans of Nintendo’s Mario & Luigi RPG series, the wait was worth it with the third entry, Bowser’s Inside Story. Trading the Mario babies dynamic of 2005’s Partners in Time for a starring turn by the biggest bad of them all, this game takes full advantage of the DS by dedicating the top screen to Bowser and the bottom screen to the brothers, who start the game by being shrunk down and ingested by the Koopa King. So while Bowser trundles around the overworld, Mario and Luigi traverse his innards—exploring, battling enemies, and helping their sworn enemy solve puzzles from the inside out. The interactive battle system and varied enemies make this way more than “my first RPG.” The sharp writing and willingness to poke fun at the company that created it makes Bowser’s Inside Story one of the best things a Nintendo fan can put into their DS.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: I know RPGs are supposed to be long, but good-sized chunks of this game feel like padding. Quantity does not trump quality.

Burn, Bowsy, Burn!

3. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
2007’s Phantom Hourglass proved that Zelda could be played with a stylus. Spirit Tracks proves that it can be done even better. Instead of endlessly retracing your steps through Hourglass’s Temple of the Ocean King, Tracks lets you bypass completed levels of its central dungeon, the Tower of Spirits. Instead of mapping the roll attack to a tough to execute curlicue stylus motion, Link can now roll with a simple double tap. Minor changes, sure, but add in a unique twist to the Link-Zelda relationship and the love-it-or-hate-it train travel (I dig it) and Spirit Tracks is the perfect fix for Zelda fans waiting for the forthcoming Wii entry. The difficulty ramps up gradually—maybe a bit too gradually for the experienced player—but as you move into the second half of the game, Tracks piles on the side quests, new gameplay mechanics, and head-scratching puzzles. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a dungeon or two away from finishing the game. But what I’ve played so far makes this an easy choice for my Top 5 list.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Although the game does occasionally force you to take on a sidequest, Spirit Tracks is a linear experience for a long time, and with only four major dungeons in the game, you hit the “halfway” point way too soon.

Clickety clack, Link fights back!

2. Borderlands (Xbox 360/PS3)
I’m not sure if I would have gotten Borderlands if not for two things: Xbox Live and the constant nagging of Dave Johnson. Thanks to both for getting me into one of the most addictive first person shooters I’ve ever played. The constant loot drops, character progression, and ability to tear through the Pandoran desert with three friends has made this one of my most-played games this year—and it only came out in October. This game also marks the first time I chose to play a female character. Who knew a sci-fi gunfest could also strike a blow for equal rights?

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: This game is a blast to play with friends, but unless you host everyone else, you’ll be playing in someone else’s game. It’s fine as long as you can keep regular multiplayer sessions going, but the game turns into Boringlands when you’re forced to replay all the early missions in your solo campaign.

Pandora the Explorer

1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
When this game was revealed at Nintendo’s E3 press conference this year, there was much hemming and hawing on the internet. Some people assumed it was a port of the DS game. Others thought it was multiplayer only. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect it to be my personal game of the year. While much of New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like the DS game, it is way more fun, varied, and challenging than its handheld brother. Gone are lame power-ups like the mega mushroom and koopa shell, replaced by legitimately useful items like the ice flower and penguin suit. The game is just as fun alone as with friends, and is equally rewarding whether you’re brand new to video games or have been mashing the B button since the ’80s. The tweaks to the tried-and-true Mario formula are subtle yet rewarding, and even after you’ve beaten all eight worlds and bested the Koopa clan, trying to find all the hidden star coins will keep you coming back. Ignore the whining of jaded gamers. This is a must-buy if you own a Wii, and may even be a reason to buy one.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: The 2.5-D graphics are hit-or-miss, with the backgrounds often looking better than the characters you’re playing. It’s a reminder that in Nintendo’s world, despite the Wii’s popularity, the DS is king. Expect to see more Wii games take their cues from the lower-res handheld juggernaut.

Jumpman of the Year

Tim and Erich hop on board the BP Express for an hour-plus of gaming goodness. First stop, new games they’ve been playing, including a lengthy discussion about New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Doc Louis’s Punch-Out!!, and a DJ G-Raff musical Thanksgiving two-fer, Beatles: Rock Band and DJ Hero. In honor of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks hitting shelves next week, the back half of the show is dedicated to Link’s handheld adventures, from the original Gameboy to his first dual screen incarnation. Will Erich turn out to be Ganon after all? Tune in to find out.

The adventure continues in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by email at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Inspired by this week’s big Nintendo release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Erich, Tim, and Adam don their plumbers caps this week for a mini-roundtable discussion of Mario games past, with highlights, lowlights, and nostalgia galore. Before they get to the mushroom-fueled fun, however, it’s all about games they’ve been playing, including Borderlands, Halo: ODST, Modern Warfare 2, Dead Space: Extraction, Beatles: Rock Band, and Torchlight.

What’s your favorite Mario game? Let us know the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

Dave pinch hits for a sickly Erich and recruits the Newfie Wonder Twins, Jon and Steve to help him carry the burden. Marvel as the three fill forty-five minutes with talk of Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, and Tekken 6, while indulging in such nonsensical digressions as the Arrested Development side-scrolling beat’em-up, their to-date Game of the Year choices (Jon and Dave are on the same page and no, it’s not XBLA Streets of Rage 2), most-anticipated releases in the next couple of months and, finally, the Negative Nancy segment where they each find fault in a beloved 2009 release.

Join in the fun in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

The Charge:
Lock, Load, and face the madness!

Opening Statement:
How many games come along and promise to provide a mish-mash of “Genre A” and “Genre B” and wind up with a watrered down version of both that dissapoints and frustrates. Gearbox Software, those guys behind Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms series have unleashed their new baby onto an unsuspecting Fall market. Promising a fresh combination of first person shooter and action role playing, does Borderlands cross the gameplay border into awesometown? Or is it better off being detained at customs.

Facts of the Case:
Pandora, a harsh alien wasteland, is home to a dirty, wild west-ish breed of frontiersmen. Settlers and treasure hunters attempt to make a life for themselves in shanty towns and ruins while contending with the local wildlife and the Mad-Max style bandits that roam the wastes in death driven hell-machines. As one of four characters you step into the ruthless world of Borderlands, your goal is the discovery of an ancient vault, rumored to be filled with alien artifacts that will bring wealth, power, fame, and women. Along the way you’ll meet some colorful characters, and even more colorful bad guys. It’s not going to be an easy trek, thankfully you can bring three friends along for the ride, and there’s a huge arsenal of lead throwers at your disposal.

"Best screenshot ever!"

The Evidence:

Borderlands had me right from “press start”. The cheeky intro monologue spoken in a thick Russian accent the opening montage set to the strains of avant rockers Cage The elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked” and the unique visuals and sense of style that screams “Heavy Metal!” (the magazine, not the music.) Once you’re off the bus and into the starting area, a charming little dump right out of Fallout 3 called “Fyrestone”, the blinders come off, and the massive world of Borderlands is yours to explore. You see, unlike most first person shooters, Borderlands gives you an entirely open environment to roam freely in, with only a scattered roadblock here and there to keep you from wandering into regions beyond your means. The world is huge, and you’ll be given several forms of conveyance to make your travels a little quicker.

Upon first glance, Borderlands definitely looks the part of first-person shooter. One trigger fires, the other lets you aim down your weapon’s iron sights or take advantage of a scope, and you will shoot a lot of bullets in classic shooter fashion. Then you get into the meat of the game, barely 10 minutes in, and you realize that there is actually far more role-playing game than you might think. Borderlands borrows liberally from the massively multiplayer model, included is your typical level grinding, fetch quests, boss-fights, and unique weapons with special properties. You level up abilities and each of the four characters represents a ‘class’ of sorts complete with a Diablo II/World of Warcraft style skill tree, and a unique ability to give you an edge through the lengthy game time. Try to do too much shooter-ing without paying heed to role-playing fundamentals, and you may wind up with gear that cripples your ability to kick ass to the point of being completely helpless.

"...Ok, so you did WHAT to Rover when he humped your leg?"

Much of the brilliance of Borderlands’ design lies in how the two halves form a whole. The shooter side is fast paced and fun, with fast response times that almost recalls elements of Timesplitters, it’s fun and easy to pick up and play. The role-playing side is a little more in depth, and is absolutely essential to success. You will find an unholy amount of firepower, and you’ll be swapping regularly for weapons with varying status effects like poison, electric, or flame shells, and comparing damage and rate of fire stats as though you were looking at the DPS on that unholy Bastard Sword +1 that you just nabbed off of a slain orc. It’s an immediately gratifying crossover for fans of in your face visceral shooters and role-playing gamers alike.

US department of Immigration, circa 2075...

The remainder of the awesomeness comes from Borderlands’ open ended multiplayer. You can hook up with three others online and play through the entirety of the game as a co-operative experience, and this is truly the best way to experience it. With a solid mix of classes, each character has their own role in multiplayer, and a solid team with a diverse pool of talents and weapons can really make for an awesome experience where everyone pulls their weight. There are some balances in place to prevent power leveling, if you’re character is too far afield, one way or the other, from the game’s host, than you won’t be able to turn in quests for valuable XP. Sure, Borderlands works as a single player game, and does so pretty well, but the multiplayer experience is where it’s at. If you’ve ever spent an evening playing 4-player LAN with Diablo, or the idea of chasing elusive loot drops and grinding just one more level with your guild appeals to you, than Borderlands will be right up your alley.

In terms of presentation, I’d be hard pressed to believe that this was actually powered by the Unreal 3 engine, save for the texture pop in that plagues 98.5% of U3 powered console offerings. The character models and environs are pretty rudimentary, but the cel shaded (strike that, more graphic novel) art style actually looks incredibly impressive. Framerate remains consistent, weapons look great, explosions are good, and enemy designs are pretty interesting. Overall the visual package makes a great first impression that actually lasts. Both consoles perform admirably, with nary a shade of difference between the two (some say the PS3 has sharper textures, but I didn’t notice a thing on my display).

Machine Gun +1 with Flame bullets!

The audio is solid, but rudimentary, though the use of rock n roll tuneage suits the game’s vibe perfectly, and the ambiant music sets a pretty good mood. The voice actors are good all around, and the writing is clever, and at times laugh out loud funny. I did find that music got a little “skippy” on the PS3 version at times, but it wasn’t a major issue.

Rebuttal Witness:
While Borderlands is a riot with a group, some may find that playing solo can get a little dull. The game is built around a rigid quest structure, so it may feel like you’re just checking objectives off as you go about your business. That said, there’s more than enough content to keep you focused, and those of you who err on the side of grinding shouldn’t have any issues.

Closing Statement:
Borderlands is just one hell of a sweet surprise. It’s got just the right mix of technical cool, addictive RPG elements, tongue in cheek charm, and visceral shooter action to appeal to a wider range of players than either the FPS or RPG on it’s own ever could. From the looks of things it’s something of a sleeper hit, and it deserves to be. It’s easily one of the best offerings of 2009.

The Verdict:

Platform: Microsoft Xbox360, Sony Playstation 3, Games for Windows PC
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: October 20th, 2009
Rated: M(17+) for Mature.

Join Pixel Verdict’s Canadian contingency as they waste about an hour of your time. Jon’s been playing Brutal Legend, and throws the gauntlet down for one Tim Schafer of Doublefine Studios (Dear Tim, Jon’s coming, and Hell’s comin’ with him). Adam has been spending quality time with his wife and Rock Band. Steve’s wife, meanwhile, is cheating on him with his copy of Brutal Legend, so Steve drowns his loneliness with Demon’s Souls, and the amazing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Borderlands. The boys discuss the news of the week (or lack thereof) with their typically Canadian lack of zeal, including Steve’s dissatisfaction with Natal support for Fable II and Fable III; Grand Theft Auto thrusting beyond the borders of good taste (yet again); a new game from the Timeshift guys; and Street Fighter IV’s Seth gets tougher (read: cheaper). Adam waxes philosophical about a particular 90’s cinematic masterpiece featuring a pre-Party of Five Scott Wolfe and short shorts-wearin’ Alyssa Milano. You’ll have to listen to find out what it is. It all ends in a climactic discussion about brawlers good and bad.

To reiterate: TIM SCHAFER! Jon Mercer (PSN ID: Kidinthehelmet) WANTS YOUR BLOOD! Meet him on the virtual battlefield of Brutal Legend if you DARE!

Bonus: listen carefully for Mrs. Adam’s brief cameo…

Music credits:
Intro – Stingray Pt. II by Sheavy
Outro – The Logdriver’s Waltz by Jon Weldon

Add your thoughts to the comments below, or over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums. You can also email us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.