The Best of 2009

as 2009 a ho-hum year? True, studios like Bungie, Bethesda, and BioWare were content to release on a smaller, more modest scale, many busily working on a colossus slated for 2010. But twenty titles rising above hundreds of competitors suggest otherwise; these video games met standards of craftsmanship, ingenuity, flash, and fun as aptly as ever. Among the best from any other time are, then, the finest video games of 2009.

Best of Show // Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Greatest Innovation // Flower

Most Sporting // FIFA 10

Most Memorable Multiplayer // Borderlands

Belle of the Ball // A Boy and His Blob

Strongest Story // Velvet Assassin

Seconds, Please // New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Best of Show // Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

(SCE // Naughty Dog) In an industry where great developers tend to rest on their laurels after a time, it's nice to see Naughty Dog continuing to press the envelope. Last year's Uncharted was an excellent action game and a huge asset for the PS3's library, but this year's sequel makes the original look downright pedestrian. There's absolutely nothing to fault in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The graphics are mesmerizing; the audio is state-of-the-art; the script and cast are in a league all their own; the multiplayer client is fast, simple, and fun. Whether online or off, this is quite simply the best third-person action you'll find anywhere. The PS3 has a bright future ahead of it, and games like Uncharted 2 show us why.

Honorable Mentions

Maybe its single-player experience wasn't the best (it sucked, actually), but that does little to detract from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's status as a top-tier online shooter. While most of its changes and improvements are evolutionary in nature, they had what it took to finally pull players away from 2007's Call of Duty 4. Polish and the little touches set this shooter apart: now all Infinity Ward needs is to put a fresh coat of paint on its poorly designed campaign mode. (Activision // Infinity Ward)

There are few franchises other than Mario that are foregone conclusions for game-of-the-year nominations before they are even released. Adding four-person cooperative play to the classic, 2D Super Mario Bros. template was significant enough to warrant anticipation alone. But Nintendo took it two steps further with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, layering on plenty of fan-service and the innovative Super Guide system, creating a shining example of a game that successfully straddles the once-mythical line between catering to both hardcore and casual gamers. (Nintendo // Nintendo EAD)

Plants vs. Zombies headlined this year's casual games by offering an experience that was enjoyable and challenging to all. Despite its lack of visual flair when compared to most of this year's AAA titles, PvZ featured a creative spin on the tower defense genre. Backed by hilarious writing and a plethora of game modes, this title was one of the finest PC entries we've seen in a long time. (PopCap Games // PopCap Games)

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Greatest Innovation // Flower

(SCE // thatgamecompany) Truly innovative products tend to leave us with more questions than answers, and Flower is no exception. Featuring the best implementation of Sony's SIXAXIS motion controls yet, this game/art piece was both accessible and thought provoking in a manner we aren't used to seeing in this industry. Yet with all its "hang-on-the-wall" majesty and a story as abstract as an Escher painting, it was sometimes all too easy to forget we were playing a game and not viewing a gallery exhibition. Is that really a bad thing? We'll leave the decision to the market.

Honorable Mentions

Touted as Sim City on steroids, Cities XL featured an impressive online system that allowed players to claim a plot of land on the server's virtual world and participate in an exercise in resource management and economy building. While the interactions between player cities online were somewhat limited, Monte Cristo has taken a significant step forward in expanding one of the most popular simulation concepts to an online model. (Monte Cristo // Monte Cristo)

Let's not kid ourselves: when Demigod was released last spring, it shipped with more than its fair share of problems. Overloaded networks brought on by a lack of digital rights management made this multiplayer RTS virtually unplayable. As the months passed and patches corrected these problems, however, Gas Powered Games' latest began to show its true colors: Demigod's combination of strategy, roleplaying and action were just the breath of fresh air this genre needed. Grab a friend, choose your demigod and go smash some stuff. (Stardock // Gas Powered Games)

As one of the most anticipated titles for a handheld device, Scribblenauts is equal parts frustration and innovation. By cataloging tens of thousands of words, 5th Cell has given the player a seemingly infinite number of ways to solve puzzles, limited only by the their imagination — and annoying controls. If it weren't for the clumsy, near-massless physics of the objects, Scribblenauts could've been one of the greatest games to ever grace a portable console device. But all kinks aside, it is undeniable that 5th Cell has opened the door to a whole new avenue of fun and creativity. (Warner Bros. // 5th Cell)

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Most Sporting // FIFA 10

(EA Sports // EA Canada) The world's most popular sport has never been so authentically recreated on any platform. While the sheer number of tweaks and refinements made sure that FIFA 10 would be free from issues that has plagued the series in years past, it was the introduction of a 360 degree movement system, giving players an unprecedented level of control over their actions, that truly elevated this game to the next level.

Honorable Mentions

While it may seem like a bit of a stretch to recognize a game like Wipeout HD Fury as a standout sports title, anyone who's experienced its precise sim-like controls and vicious AI opponents will know where we're coming from. Playing this (or any) Wipeout game is as close to a Zen-like experience as you'll come while gaming. Let the killer soundtrack wash over you, get a feel for those shoulder buttons and race until you can race no longer. Anyone who doesn't consider gaming a sport has never played Wipeout HD Fury. (SCEE // SCE Studio Liverpool)

EA Sports has long been criticized for essentially repackaging the same Madden game year after year, knowing that whether the game has been significantly improved or not, millions of copies will still be sold. Madden 10 was a stark departure from that philosophy. Nearly every aspect of the game was polished, and with the inclusion of an Online Franchise mode, this year's Madden was no slouch. (EA Sports // EA Tiburon)

Though perhaps not as ground-breaking as last year's entry, NHL 10 improved upon many of the series' concepts and also took a few baby steps towards its own innovations. As more hockey fans have continued to latch onto the NHL series, it's no mystery why the 2K series is on the brink of termination — EA is doing things right. (EA Sports // EA Canada)

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Most Memorable Multiplayer // Borderlands

(2K Games // Gearbox Software) With some of the most robust combat yet to be featured in an RPG, many would have been satisfied with Borderlands if it had been an exclusively solo experience. But as the current trend of cooperative games suggests, an already good game can become an excellent one when played with friends. It's quick and easy to jump in with up to three other mercenaries via splitscreen, LAN, or online, and with continuing expansions being released via downloadable content, Borderlands looks to continue its popularity well into 2010.

Honorable Mentions

(Electronic Arts // EA DICE) What would you like to do today? Storm Iwo Jima? Or snipe the impudent Yankees from inside an embedded bunker? Maybe pilot a fighter, command a tank, or speed along in a jeep? EA DICE's little masterpiece drew a lot of gamers — and their friends — back to console first-person shooters. Battlefield 1943's easy-as-pie mechanics, startlingly accurate sound design, variety with balance, and features encouraging team play elevated a simple downloadable game to midsummer greatness.

It threw us out of games inexplicably and placed us into custom matches with complete strangers, but somehow we kept coming back for more. Modern Warfare 2 features some of the best competitive multiplayer we've ever come across. Matchmaking woes be damned: this game sure is fun. (Activision // Infinity Ward)

Resounding proof that there is still a place for multiplayer outside the online space, New Super Mario Bros. Wii delivered a four-player Mario experience par excellence. The playstyles of your buddies tend to define the experience, but forgoing thoughtful cooperation in favor of ruthless self-service is a legitimate and equally as entertaining way to play. (Nintendo // Nintendo EAD)

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Belle of the Ball // A Boy and His Blob

(Majesco Games // Wayforward Technologies) Alexandr wrote this game's review from the boy's perspective for a reason: every character in the game spoke to the boy inside him. A game's beauty is not figured by how realistic its textures look. It's about how much life is given to every textured object and how it relates to the player. With every hug and bounce, the colorful, hand-drawn cast of A Boy and His Blob is alive and kicking.

Honorable Mentions

This really was a great year for the PlayStation 3. Hot exclusives like Killzone 2 let the console flex some of its muscles while providing gamers one of the year's best shooters. With its gritty art design, immersive scenarios, and stellar graphics and sound, Killzone 2 is the very definition of "blockbuster." Halo-killer? Maybe not, but Killzone 2 sure looks spectacular trying. (SCE // Guerilla Games)

Uncharted 2 was certainly a visual triumph, sporting some of the year's most lush graphics. What really stood out, however, was the game's outstanding audio mix. Featuring a DTS surround track that enveloped you without ever becoming gimmicky, Uncharted 2's soundtrack is truly in a class all its own. Here's hoping Naughty Dog's work inspires other designers to pay audio the attention it deserves. (SCE // Naughty Dog)

Infinity Ward has crafted yet another great looking game — the tricks this developer utilizes to balance the visuals-to-performance ratio are some of the best in the industry. Even looking past beautiful levels and character models, the little design touches like player tags and in-game achievement messages make Modern Warfare 2 something special. (Activision // Infinity Ward)

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Strongest Story // Velvet Assassin

(SouthPeak Interactive // Replay Studios) European recollections of the Second World War are among the most vivid, and none capture the Third Reich's ferrous chill as succinctly as the Germans themselves. Replay Studios' writer and developer Claus Wohlgemuth fit real-life martyr Violette Szabo with the nightgown of MI6 agent Violette Summer, who relives her undercover operation in media res from a morphene-soaked, bedridden stupor.

Solemn conversations between a pair of caretaking Frenchmen interleave missions, which Violette narrates in matter-of-fact past tense. The soldiers whom Violette kills silently — Wehrmacht, Schutzstaffel — collude in evil, but their banter is disarmingly plain, and their unsent letters evince hearts of men inside monsters. Wohlgemuth's story is subtle and rarified, so maybe the lack of a paint-by-number plot or romance earned Velvet Assassin a panning. We have got to do something about misunderstanding Continentals.

Honorable Mentions

Eloquently blending multiple storylines, Assassin's Creed 2 is in every way a narrative triumph over its predecessor. With an impressive recreation of 15th century lifestyle that features jaw-dropping architecture and believable characters, AC2 is an overwhelmingly immersive experience that leaves players itching for the next installment. (Ubisoft // Ubisoft Montreal)

Trying to remember the last good movie/television series to video game adaptation you've played is like trying to remember the last time you've visited the moon — it just doesn't happen. However, if you happened to get your hands on Batman: Arkham Asylum this year, remembering just got a whole lot easier. With superb written dialogue and a strong cast of voice actors to deliver it, Arkham Asylum was fan service done right. (Warner Bros. // Rocksteady Studios)

Sometimes, a story is spectacular not due to its content, but rather from the manner in which it's told. Uncharted 2 has something that far too many games lack: a polished script. An outstanding voice cast and some Hollywood-worthy dialogue combine to make one of the most substantial narratives of the year. (SCE // Naughty Dog)

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Seconds, Please // New Super Mario Bros. Wii

(Nintendo // Nintendo EAD) Stop the presses: Shigeru Miyamoto did in fact invent the perpetual motion machine. When so many series follow the typical cycle — crescendo, peak, bust, and double-down "reboot" — with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, umpteenth variation of a masterful theme, the Mario franchise stands as a legacy and sempiternal phenomenon. All-too-familiar turtles, scuttling mushrooms, question-mark boxes: isn't that all that we, and three of our friends, really ever needed?

Honorable Mentions

Following such an unthinkable finale as Prince of Persia's should not have been as easy as Ubisoft Montreal made it look with Epilogue. For three acrobatic hours, eager players could launch the prince and Elika up through the bowels of the majestic City of Light to an open horizon — and the destiny, and sequel, which awaits them. (Ubisoft // Ubisoft Montreal)

Remember how uneasy you felt about Nintendo's decision to reboot Metroid as a first person action title? Retro Studios' work was amazing then, and it's even more amazing now coupled with full Wii motion controls. Like Valve's Orange Box before it, Metroid Prime: Trilogy stands as one of gaming's best values and one of the Wii's best titles.(Nintendo // Retro Studios)

As good as the original Uncharted was, it doesn't even hold a candle to this year's sequel. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an absolute masterpiece, improving on the original in every way imaginable. This game is the reason you purchased a PlayStation 3. Well, this game and Blu-ray movies. (SCE // Naughty Dog)

(Alexandr Beran and James Day contributed to this article.)

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