2009 was a really fantastic year for video games, new franchises where born, companies took new heights and also plenty of new generation titles that left a long lasting impression. So in honour of celebrating 2009 as it has been 10 years since that time I am here to go through the best games of 2009. Which games were the best of the best?
10: The House of the Dead Overkill
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Headstrong Games/SEGA
After ports of Ghost Squad and House of the Dead 2 & 3 and with no way the Nintendo Wii would be able to handle The House of the Dead 4 SEGA enlisted Headstrong Games to release one of the best games in the franchise and also one of the funniest games of 2009. The storyline in the game cannot be taken seriously as it plays out like a parody with references to B-Movie and late night horror movies. The presentation is incredible and the humour while foul, disgusting and over the top but at the same it is hilarious while G's partner Isaac Washington constantly spews profanity. The shooting in the game is incredible and well executed with players able to shoot of various limbs, legs or by blowing off their heads with amazing gory detail. The Wii has been known for how it can capture the Light Gun games well and it has managed to get one of the best with House of the Dead Overkill.
9: Dragon Age Origins
Platform: PlayStation 3/XBox 360/PC
Developer: Bioware
Bioware made huge success with Mass Effect and they manage to create another masterpiece with Dragon Age Origins. The Storyline is really good as like with Mass Effect with impressive characters which play major roles in the story and gameplay, great dialogue and a well executed setting. The combat in the game is also really good awarding patience and strategy and also the decisions you make in the game effect how everyone feels towards you. If you enjoyed Mass Effect you need to check out Dragon Age Origins.
8: Assassin's Creed II
Platform: PlayStation 3/XBox 360
Developer: Ubisoft
Assassin's Creed has been getting the yearly treatment much like Call of Duty but however the earliest entries of the series have been quite good and Assassin's Creed II is said to be the fan favourite entry and best game in the series. It improved everything about the first game and made it all better. Sneaking around and hiding was better and the AI was smarter, the combat has expanded a bit and the mission variety was huge. The Storyline was great as well as the characters are based on historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli.
7: Infamous
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
2009 was the year the PlayStation 3 gave birth to another new franchise this time from Sucker Punch Production called Infamous. Ever wished you can get to be your own kind of Super Hero where you get electrical super powers then well you get this game and it's execution is well done. Your character's powers and climbing abilities are incredible, the open world gameplay is really impressive and the decisions you make in the game much like Mass Effect and Dragon Age Origins effect how the storyline plays out making you either a good guy or a bad guy. It is compared to Prototype and while both games are great but I honestly like the setting of Infamous much more.
6: Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Much like Assassin's Creed II Uncharted 2 Among Thieves is sequel set on improving many, many aspects of the original game in every way. The gameplay both Single Player and Multiplayer is incredible, the game engine was improved from the original game and storytelling and graphics presentation was superb. It was a huge improvement over the original and also it is considered to be one of the PS3's top games.
5: Persona 4
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: Atlus
Please note, this game did come out back in 2008 for Japanese and North American gamers but however European gamers like myself had to wait the following year to finally play it. It was however worth the wait because Persona 4 is a well crafted masterpiece and for being on the ageing PlayStation 2 hardware this is an outstanding achievement. Much like Persona 3 the game takes place in a modern day setting where you and your highschool friends dive into a TV world to fight against shadows and prevent your victim from turning up dead in the real world. It has fantastic turn based battles where your party members Personas have many different strengths and weaknesses. You also have social dating moments with either your party members or other characters in the game which will help make you more effective in combat.
4: Batman Arkham Asylum
Platform: PlayStation 3/XBox 360/PC
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
After years of having numerous bad Batman games the caped crusader finally got the proper video game treatment he rightfully deserves. Rockstready unleashes Batman Arkham Asylum onto the gaming world and the developers put every ounce of thought, love and care into it. It heavily respects the attention to detail to the setting and the characters and even brings Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. The gameplay is what really makes the game tick everything that is so awesome. The game not only has a fantastic combat but also you can use Detective Mode to see what enemies are around you so that you can make strategic thoughts on how you can handle tough situations thanks also to Batman's vast array of gadgets that he can use alongside using stealth to his advantage. The PS3 was the version to pick also as it also included challenges where you play as the Joker as well.
3: Borderlands
Platform: PlayStation 3/XBox 360/PC
Developer: Gearbox Software
Borderlands was one unique Action RPG played as a First Person Shooter and one which was so enjoyable either on your own or with friends online. It was a loot shooter with tons of different quests that you can take on, dozens of guns to use which all have unique and impactful purposes and characters you played as had their own unique skills to help out in battles. The artstyle and the setting was fantastic and the characters like Claptrap were charming and heavily memorable. The execution of the game makes any of the new Fallout games fall flat in comparison.
2: Tales of Vesperia
Platform: XBox 360
Developer: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Okay again like with Persona 4 Tales of Vesperia was originally released back in 2008 but for Japanese and North America gamers and European gamers like myself had to wait until 2009 to finally see it. Why does this game top the others so much? Tales of Vesperia single handily helped the XBox platform finally find it's footing in Japan when the console was not doing so good there and also like Tales of Symphonia largely expand the niche franchise's fanbase worldwide. It's characters including Yuri Lowell will do anything to help others even if it means dirtying his hands, Estelle, Rita and Raven where all incredible and all had plenty of depth to them and the combat system was really challenging awarding players to master it rather then just button mash without consequence. The cel-shading graphics was impressive and it's incredible that after this game's release no Tales of game has ever managed to even capture and look that Tales of Vesperia has accomplished. The same year that the game finally got it's release all over Europe there was an updated version on the PlayStation 3 in Japan which made Flynn fully playable alongside an all new character Patty Fleur and she was amazing to play as and we would get those in this year's Definitive Edition. While the Tales of Series would continue to struggle with English localizations but when they can you know that a Tales of game truly delivers fantastically well and this is a pure example of that.
Honourable Mentions
Halo 3 ODST (XBox 360)
Wolfenstein (XBox 360/PS3/PC)
Demon Souls (PS3)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360/PC)
Mirror's Edge (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Wii Sports Resorts (Nintendo Wii)
Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS)
1: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Platform: PlayStation 3/XBox 360/PC
Developer: Infinity Ward
Let us all be honest with this choice. Call of Duty has had numerous revisions all over the years but only changing it's setting from either WWII towards the future. One of the best entries in the series came with Modern Warfare and it's sequel Modern Warfare 2 is a vast superior sequel to the amazing Modern Warfare. It continued from where Modern Warfare 1 left off and the storyline on the British side was brilliant and Captain Price delivers one of the greatest speeches in gaming history. The Single Player campaign was the best in the series history and the multiplayer modes including coop missions kept players wanting to come back again and again. The gunplay was superb as ever and the mission variety cannot be topped against later games in the series. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 isn't my pick for the game of 2009 just because it's a well crafted masterpiece that is still experiencing to this day but it is my pick for the game of 2009 because of how the game would eventually set the tome for other modern day FPS games to follow, some of which were good while others not so much. Modern Warfare 2 also didn't just have one of the series polished multiplayer components but also having the best Single Player experiences of the PS3/XBox 360 generation of gaming.
Do you agree with this list? What other games of 2009 did you also enjoy?
Written By Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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