![Top 50 Games of 2009 [#40-31]](https://venturebeat-com-develop.go-vip.co/wp-content/themes/vb-news/brand/img/logos/logo-placeholder-160x160.jpg){kind=logo}
A top 50 any other year would have seemed excessive, but it’s the only way to put my mind to rest in 2009 because a top 25 would exclude too many worthy titles. Where previous years had me struggling to elect games to fill the bottom of the list, 2009 had me endlessly debating myself over what would even make the tail-end of the top 50. Whether you had only a DS or lackluster PC that can only play indie games, there was a wealth of quality titles. Q1 2010 has become a curse for many of us, as we are still struggling to get through and to get to many of the year’s collective favorites. This is only my list, reflecting only my taste and as such it will exclude many beloved 2009 games whether because I haven’t played them (L4D2, Halo3: ODST) or I didn’t particularly enjoy them (MadWorld, GTA: Chinatown Wars). Hopefully, you’ll find some overlooked gems along the path to the predictable top ten contenders. These games are placed only based on how the impacted me and how I think I’ll feel about them ten years from now. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to post your own top 50, as a collected Bitmob top 50 would be awesome.
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Gravity Bone might only last ten minutes, but its ten long minutes that have stayed with me throughout the year. This is mostly due to how charming, humorous, and vibrant of a gem it is that couldn’t be further distanced from your usual run and gun in a brown world setup you have in your typical FPS. Brendon Chung has been breathing new life into old game engines for the better part of a decade now, with his Barista series being his most elaborate and noteworthy project. Gravity Bone might be another one-off project from the man, but it’s one that has finally garnered some much deserved attention. It’s a brief pallet cleanser that reminds us of all the things developers can do, yet refuse to do for the sake of market place self-assurance and consumer dependability. Here’s hoping Chung opens a PayPal account, hires a team, and has us all saying “Portal-what?” 2 years from now.
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Killing Floor is so familiar in concept that comparing it to other titles explains itself. This is Horde Mode expanded to include 6 players, except with Counter-Strike weapon purchases in between waves of enemies and Call of Duty 4 perks that you unlock as you level your player up over many lengthy games. Killing Floor doesn’t have the same co-op features of Left 4 Dead (like reviving a teammate), but it does share the same variety of enemies. Since the comparison must be made, I’d say Left 4 Dead will hold more memorable moments but Killing Floor is a much more satisfying minute-to-minute experience. This is mostly due to the improved controls (giving you iron sight aim, a la Call of Duty) and the carrot-on-a-stick factor of better weapons and unlocking perks.
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Breakout and Arkanoid were a couple childhood favorites of mine that I played to death on my Atari ST growing up. I returned to the series earlier this year on the DS, and…those games are pretty bad. Shatter seems to realize this and sets its goal at nothing short of giving those games a complete overhaul. Great visuals, amazing soundtrack, and the ability to truly manipulate the ball in a way that makes a once boring game feel fresh make Shatter a game well worth purchasing on PSN. This is especially special to someone who has a soft spot for this sub-genre of arcade classics.
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As video games demand larger budgets and more programmers, the hand-crafted element of Machinarium only resonates more. Made by 7 Czech developers over 3 years with their personal savings, it’s not hard to tell that Machinarium was a labor of love and it shows in every aspect of the game. Being an adventure fan means carrying the burden of remembering Lucasarts games as being better then they were, complaining about the stale state of the genre, and lack of imagination in storytelling and presentation that has been displayed in other genres since. Machinarium falls somewhere between a genre exercise and reworking. It’s very traditional overall, but there are little details that remind you it’s a decade removed from Grim Fandango. The way you mouse over objects and they react or how you need to keep in mind the limits of your character’s reach help Machinarium standout. Not that it needs to with its wonderfully realized world. At the end of the day, you will get stuck and visit GameFAQs reminding you why you leave LucasArts favorites in your memory instead of on your desktop, but you’ll also be reminded of how inspiring it can be to enter a rich, vibrant world lovingly crafted by a handful of people. The difference between Machinarium and many other indie adventure titles is that this one has been polished to perfection and resembles little else in the genre (Neverwhere, maybe a little).
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Trash Panic revitalizes a genre I never thought would be relevant to next-gen (should we start calling it seventh-gen now?) gaming. TP is by all means a puzzle game, yet the graphics are stunning, it implements physics and weather like many games this gen have, and it’s the most whimsical game to come out of Japan since Katamari. The only problem is that the game follows a strict arcade setup (you can even play by the dollar in Japan), which means 5 brief levels. Puzzle fanatics will find much replay in improving their time and score, but the more casual fan will find the game a short-lived experience. Nevertheless, this is a game that all PS3 owners should play even if they never were a fan of Tetris or Bejeweled.
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Spirit Tracks is like a delicious wedding cake with pellets of rat poison sprinkled on top. Not enough to make you violently ill, but enough to make you sick along the way. It’s a testament then that despite Spirit Track’s cumbersome world map, hellish difficulty, and annoying flute sections it’s still one of the best Zeldas ever released. Unlike Phantom Hourglass, the dungeons and boss fights held within are among the most elaborate and challenging of the series–this is undoubtedly a good thing for series veterans, such as myself. Every dungeon is so well-crafted that you are always stumped but never stuck. It might feel like a 9-to-5 job to traverse the world and get to the next dungeon, but once you are there it’s so easy to forgive the rest of the game of its quirks. Add on a twist to the “save the princess” format, the best graphics on the DS, and an overload of cute characters and dialogue and it’s hard not to love Spirit Tracks, even if it secretly wishes you dead.
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Bit.Trip Beat is so minimal that it’s hard to call it a game in the age of dual stick shooters that use every button combination possible. Yet the addictive and difficult nature of Bit.Trip Beat has taught me better than to think that. The chiptune soundtrack and 8-bit visuals are yet another attempt to pull on every retro gamer’s heartstrings, but Gaijin manage to update Pong into a vague narrative, progressive level design, and 4-player co-op. It’s surreal to think about, but this really is the modern interpretation of Pong. BTB is a throwaway game I might not return to, but the time spent with it left a strong impression. The novel use of the Wii remote, great soundtrack, and clever design makes this the first and best of the trilogy.
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Brütal Legend is a game that can’t be discussed without mentioning the pairing of actor Jack Black and revered game designer Tim Schafer (known for PC adventure games in the ‘90s). One of these guys is much funnier then the other, and luckily he is the one who has brought the world of Brütal Legend to life — a strange fantasy realm that is inspired by heavy metal album covers and mocks every aspect of the genre that has and hasn’t been touched by “Metalocalypse.” The story is there only to bring the player closer to the ridiculous characters and jokes that will surely be appreciated by metal fans. Sadly, the same can be said of the gameplay. If the game weren’t so funny and charming this would be a serious knock against the overall experience but, in effect, it feels like complaining about the cinematography in a comedy. If all Schafer and Black want us to do is laugh and have a good time, then mission accomplished.
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Consider this a placeholder for expectations of the rest of the Tales of Monkey Island series, since I’ve only played the first episode. Yet, I entered that episode with a disregard for Telltale and a long-lost love for the series. Not that I didn’t love Escape from Monkey Island, but it’s a franchise that I feel doesn’t need to be revived. Nevertheless, Tales of Monkey Island offered some of the best adventure exploration, puzzles, and writing I’ve experienced. It certainly doesn’t re-imagine the genre, but it plays to its strengths with clever puzzles and a very humorous script. As someone who violently disliked the Sam & Max games that Telltale did, this title came as surprise and a quick reminder of why I loved the series so long ago. The fact I have yet to get to the following episodes is a testament to how strong of a year 2009 has been.
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Despite the charm, clever visuals, and addictive combat of the Paper Mario/Mario & Luigi series (they really are one and the same), I’ve never warmed up to them like I had with the classic Super Mario RPG. While I didn’t go into Bowser’s Inside Story expecting it to meet the standards of that Squaresoft gem, it makes for the first game in the kind-of-series that remotely touches its excellence. There are a two main reasons of why this is the case. Finally, we have some variety in pacing and gameplay that is brought about through the game’s main concept of controlling Bowser on the top screen and exploring Bowser’s insides on the bottom (via Mario & Luigi). These two components play very differently as everything from the perspective to the player actions are changed. Sprinkle in some fun mini-games and you have a much needed breath of fresh air in the series. The game isn’t hilarious but at least it is always attempting to make you laugh and has a bit more imagination than the incredibly dull script of past Mario games (Super Paper Mario and RPG being the exceptions). Despite being another title in a long series, it’s one of the most original and enjoyable RPGS of the year.
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