The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

A thread on Talking Time made me think about what my games of the year are. Surprisingly, I managed to make a list, and I’m actually pretty happy with it. So here it is, cross-posted, with some more comments.

And now, here are my top 10 games of 2009.

10) The Path: Not really a game as much as an Art thing, but it certainly got me thinking more than any other game this year. So much that I was inspired to write a pseudo-paper on it, just because it stuck in my mind. I really need to get around to playing Fatale.

9) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: This game really disappointed me. After how awesome the first game’s single player was, I admit I was expecting a lot. It left me down. I never would have guessed I would have ranked it so low. Still, I’ve had a lot of fun with multiplayer, both with my friends and alone. It’s still pretty solid stuff. Just not super-great, game-changing stuff.

8) Klonoa: I know it’s a remake, but dammit, I love Klonoa, and I loved playing through it another time on the Wii.

7) Left 4 Dead 2: It’s more Left 4 Dead, and it’s great. I’m honestly surprised that it isn’t higher on this list, but I just haven’t been playing it too much. I mean, it’s not that it’s not quality? But the focus of me and my friends has been elsewhere. I’m sure I’ll get back into it a bit more sometime soon. Doesn’t make it any less fun, though.

6) Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story: Like most Mario and Luigi games, it suffered from a last boss with too much HP, so I didn’t technically beat it. But I enjoyed the ride getting there. More Bowser is awesome. I heart Bowser in these RPGs, and his battles were surprisingly fairly different from that of the Bros. I liked it muchly.

5) Word Ace: I hate poker, but I love word games. Somehow, combining Texas Hold ’em with Scrabble basically created crack for me for awhile. It is just so, so much fun. I wish there were a desktop app, instead of just an iPhone and Pre app, so I could play it on my computer way, way too much.

4) Borderlands: A friend of mine just randomly bought me a copy of this on Steam so I could play with him, and man, it is just so well put together. It brings everything I love about playing RPGs co-op, but it puts it in a shooter scenario where there’s always action and it doesn’t get boring. I am totally going to buy a second copy of this on 360 next year to play with a completely different group of friends, and I’m probably going to buy some of the DLC on PC.

3) Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II: I literally bought a new gaming PC to play this game, and it completely delivered in every way. It mixes RTS with RPG so well that it rekindled my long-ended love of RTS, at least for a little while. But seriously, the single player in this game is completely fantastic, and I cannot wait until the expansion comes out next year. I didn’t much care for the multiplayer, though. I’m sure someone would get a kick out of it. I liked getting to paint my units? But the single player package is more than enough on its own. If you have a PC that can play it, you really should.

2) Beatles: Rock Band: This game has created some of my favorite gaming moments of the year. Standing for an hour, learning harmonies with my friends, and mastering singing while playing Guitar has been just so much fun. Granted, it helps that my friends love the Beatles, so they’re more willing to play this than normal Rock Band. But man, as far as games with friends go, this is, by far, the game of the year.

1) Red Faction: Guerrilla: This is probably the best open world game I’ve ever played. Granted, I only really got into playing such games after Crackdown surprised me and warmed my heart, but man, this game was excellent the entire way through, and came out of nowhere. I love the freedom felt by being able to smash every single thing. Great stuff. Add to that the nights me and my friends spent having a blast with Wrecking Crew, and you have a pretty solid choice for my game of the year, I think.

Notably Missing is Dragon Age, which I haven’t gotten a chance to play yet, but which I bet will deserve a pretty high spot when I finally get around to it. I just didn’t want to dig into a huge RPG while I was still so busy with school and shit.
Additionally noticeably missing is Plants vs Zombies. Maybe that should have been up there! But I’m pretty happy with the list. I could fiddle with it forever, but it’s probably best just to leave it be. Still, Plants vs Zombies is awesome, and you should play it.

Anyway, there’s my picks. Let me know what you think, hm?