Readers’ Games of the Year – The Results!

You voted. Oh, how you voted. You voted for your favourite games of the year just departed, good old 2009.  And we formed a list.  Oh, how we formed a list.  And here it is.

10. Spelunky
We said: “Of all the wonderful games released this year, Spelunky is the one I’ve kept coming back to, all the way through its beta, and intend to continue furiously playing for many more months. At just a few megabytes, there are no excuses not to play this.  It’s a game that could well shape the indie landscape for years to come.”

fib said: “It’s all just so addictive, and there’s so much to it.  Every time you play Spelunky, it will do something to surprise you.”

9. Halo 3: ODST
We said: “With the extra lore Halo 3: ODST expands on, and the unique perspectives it provides, fans and newcomers alike will certainly feel like this chapter only touches on the greater struggle humanity is going through. The Halo universe has never felt more epic.”

NokkonWud said: “It took a franchise which, whilst popular, was widely regarded as having a rather poor third outing, taking away one of the most famous protagonists in gaming and replacing him with a standard soldier and created a game which surpassed the last two Halo outings by some margin. The presentation was absolutely stellar, the music was a modern noir masterpiece and it had a story which not only made sense, but drew me in and developed rather cleverly in front of my eyes. It then offered another rock-solid co-operative multiplayer, the rather fantastic firefight mode which surpasses all other Horde-esque modes from other games and also the Halo 3 multiplayer with all the maps that have been sold as DLC and did all this for a less than standard RRP of £30. Not only is it the best bargain of 2009, it’s the best game of 2009.”

8. Street Fighter IV
We said: “It’s a successful reinvention of a classic franchise and a deliciously unpretentious slice of unadulterated fun. It raises the bar for the genre before savagely beating the competition over the head with it: this challenger has easily become the new champion.”

Mr Eibmoz said: “It’s fighting perfection. It brings back everything we loved from Street Fighter 2 and fuses it with new mechanics that add depth while preserving the classic gameplay style. On top of the feel and mechanics is the balance, which is very near perfect – sure, Sagat is top tier, but he’s not unbeatable; nor is Vega unusable despite being bottom tier. The game is beautiful, fun and very near perfect, so much so that you can dang well bet my game of the year 2010 will be Super Street Fighter 4.”

7. Borderlands
We said: “Meticulously constructed, lovingly crafted, Borderlands is unabashedly fun.  Its B-Movie-inspired roots shine through, keeping that grin firmly on your face – references to Mad Max, Godzilla, and even Die Hard can be found within. It is very specific, and the obsessive nature of scouring Pandora for better technology won’t excite all players, but this remains towards the pinnacle of gaming enjoyment.”

Jockie said: “Every game should have 10 million guns. Borderlands does, and that’s not even its best feature. Co-op gaming at its almost finest – with a few tweaks, additions and a more polished design this could have been my number one. As it stands it’s a great game, but also something of a missed opportunity.”

6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
We said: “While derivative, and lacking a certain refinement of its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 can be forgiven all of this, because it never forgets to be fun.  It’s largely mindless, despite the central themes of terrorism and war, and it was indulgent enough for me grin like a happy idiot at the sheer thrill of what I was doing.  The few minor gripes aside, this is a worthy sequel, and Infinity Ward should feel relieved.  Few fans will be disappointed by this: Modern Warfare 2 blasts the series to a near-hysterical crescendo of polished gung-ho shooting.”

Harris said: “Multiplayer doesn’t get much more engrossing or rewarding than this. Period. “Did you hear? They say you can call in AC130s and shoot down UAVS!” It’s all anyone talked about in the days and weeks up to its (bitterly cold) midnight launch. Andy Murray played it seven hours a day and lost his missus over it. And it’s difficult to talk about without the social and cultural implications it poses. Then again, that’s nothing compared to the pesky freaks that are Knife-Guy and Double-Shotgun-Dude. It’s The Godfather 2 of the gaming world – every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in. It’s constantly rewarding me at every step. If only the single-player story and level design were as engaging (or even slightly plausible).”

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