The Greatest Games of the Decade: The Year 2009

Finally! Here is the last entry in my Greatest Games of the Decade series (though some people do it differently, for the purpose of this I counted the decade as 2000-2009). It's been a fun ride (at least for me) looking back at some of my favorite games of the last ten years, and I hope you enjoyed it too and maybe even got something out of it.

2009 ended only two months ago, so many of the games from that year are ones I still play or even still have yet to play. My favorite game from 2009 is a game that I put a lot of time into, and have even started new playthroughs with different characters after I beat it.





Dragon Age: Origins

Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: RPG
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date (NA): November 3, 2009
Rating: M


Another amazing RPG by Bioware (almost all of whose games made my lists), this is a long but incredibly worthwhile journey in a fantasy, Lord of the Rings-esque setting. Like Bioware's other games, the story and characters are all great, and the world they created for the game is very good as well. I dont want to post any spoilers here (especially because this game hasn't even been out that long), but let's just say that the way you interact with other characters (especially the ones in your group) and how your actions affect what they do is incredible. Bioware has said that this game is a "spiritual successor" to the Baldur's Gate series (Baldur's Gate II being my favorite game of all time), and they are correct in saying that. Playing this game took me back to when I was playing Baldur's Gate II and I remembered what it was like to control a character whose actions really matter and affect the other people and world around him (Mass Effect 2 does an even better job of this, but that game will have to wait for the Greatest Games of 2010).

As for the other aspects of the game, the graphics are good, though many of the facial models aren't anything special (especially on the console versions). I really enjoyed the soundtrack, and the dialog and voice acting is all top notch. The combat is more turn-based and slow paced (like the Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and KotoR series), which I dont mind, but some people who aren't used to it may not like it. They do a good job of adding in lots of special moves you can perform during battle to give it more of an action-game type of feel. Character creation is great, and each race and class has their own "origin story," which means they start the game in a completely different area of the world with a different story of what's happening around them. This adds a lot of replayability to the game and actually made me want to make every different type of character just so I could play through their origin story. As always, leveling your guy is fun, and each class (Mage, Warrior, and Thief) has 4 different speciality classes you unlock once you reach a certain level, which adds a lot of customization to what kind of character you want to play.

There has also already been a good amount of DLC for this game, and an expansion pack is on the way next month. I would definitely recommend this game to any RPG fan who has enjoyed any of Bioware's previous titles. The PC version is slightly superior to the console version (mostly in that you can control the camera angle of the game), so if you have a computer that can run it you I suggest you get it for that. If not though, the console versions are still excellent (I have the game for my 360, and I still loved it).


Honorable Mentions:

Madworld (Wii)- One of the most mature games I've played, and it's on the Wii! What are the odds? Anyway, this is a third-person brawler that is a lot of fun. It also uses the motion controls very well, which is rare for games on the Wii. The graphics and art style are also very unique and cool too. This game did well critically but unfortunately sold very poorly.

Red Faction: Guerrilla (360, PS3, PC)- A good third-person action/sandbox style game, but what really made this game special was the physics engine it ran on. You could destroy pretty much anything in the game. Seriously. Buildings could be taken down piece by piece, floor by floor, however you wanted. Not just some buildings. Any building. This really makes the game a blast to play; even if you're not doing missions it's fun to just run around blowing stuff up.

Wii Sports Resort (Wii)- Basically Wii Sports 2 (but with a lot more games), this game comes with a lot of fun mini-games that take advantage of the Wii's motion controls. This game was also the first to use Wii-Motion Plus, which is an attachment that adds additional sensors to the remote that lets it pick up your movements much better. If you enjoyed Wii Sports, you'll like this game too.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (360, PS3, PC)- Not only the best Batman game I've ever played, but also the best superhero game. If you want to know more about why I liked this game, check out my review here.

The Beatles: Rock Band (360, PS3, Wii)- I will admit my bias right away: the Beatles are my favorite band of all-time, and have been since I was a kid. So I obviously loved all the songs in the game. What makes this game so great though is not just the music, but the way they really captured the spirit of the Beatles in a game. The art direction and graphics are great. Often times I've done poorly playing because I stopped looking at what color notes to play in order to watch the "dreamscapes" (background images) that go on while the song is playing. Also, the addition of three part harmonies for singing really added an extra element to the game that allows more people to play (especially at parties). If your friends can sing well, it actually works very well too. I hope to see Rock Band 3 and any following Rock Band games add that in too.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)- So much has been said about this game that there's really nothing left for me to say here. It won almost every Game of the Year award for 2009. Everything about it is great. If you have a PS3 and haven't at least checked this game out yet, then you dont deserve to have said PS3 (I'm looking at you, David Slaght).

Demon's Souls (PS3)- Another great PS3 exclusive, you really have to play this game to understand what makes it so great. It's a third-person action game in a very dark fantasy setting that is incredibly challenging but still a lot of fun. There are some really cool multiplayer elements that make this game stand out as well. If you have a PS3 and are looking for a challenge, definitely check this game out.

Borderlands (360, PS3, PC)- A great mix of first-person shooter and RPG. The people who design the game refer to it as a RPS (role-playing shooter), which is a pretty accurate description. The shooting/combat feels great (it's very similar to Call of Duty), and the role-playing elements are fun and helpful while not being overly complicated. The art direction and graphics are really cool and unique too. This game is really meant to play co-op with friends, but even by yourself it's still fun to play.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360, PS3, PC)- Another game that there is nothing left to say about. If somehow you haven't heard much about this game (which is doubtful), you can check out my review here.


Biggest Disappointment:

The Conduit (Wii)- For most of my other "Biggest Disappointment" sections, I usually start off by saying that this game wasn't terrible, it just didn't live up to my expectations. That is not the case here. The Conduit is a pretty terrible game. In retrospect I'm not sure why my expectations were so high, as most games on the Wii not made by Nintendo usually suck. But still, The Conduit holds a special place in my heart as a game that failed me miserably. Live and learn, I guess. Also, if you want more detail on why The Conduit sucks so bad, check out my review here.


Well, that's all of them. The last ten years of my gaming experience in a nutshell. From looking at the lists, it seems to me that as time goes on developers start to more clearly see what makes a good game and what doesn't, which is why we see more and more good games every year, and less really terrible ones. To anyone reading this- I hope you enjoyed these posts and maybe even took something from them. As always, feel free to comment and post your own opinions. Now that I'm done this series, I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, if anything. I'll probably still do reviews and the like once in a while, but if you have any ideas for anything else you'd like to see feel free to let me know. Thanks!

Review: The Conduit (Wii)

"Dear God, how many levels are left?"




...is what I kept asking myself after about the first level of the game. This will be a brief review. I didn't like the game. I will admit I had very high expectations for the game based on what I saw and heard up to its release. I thought it could be a great game, or at least a good one. It's neither. I wouldn't even say it's a mediocre game. It's a bad game. A very bad game. Not the worst, but bad.

Quick Facts:

Platform: Wii
Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: June 23, 2009 (US)
Rating: T


I will give a little credit to the developers for at least trying to bring a "real" FPS to the Wii. The idea is good. The execution is just terrible. The only quality that gives this game a little redemption is the fully customizable controls and HUD, and just the sheer number of game options. More games should take a lesson from the Conduit in that department. In every other department though, the Conduit fails.

As I mentioned above, the amount of customization you have for your gameplay is unlike anything I've ever seen on a console shooter before. From mapping the controls to however you like them, to changing how you move and the very feel of the game, to placing items like your health bar and ammo count anywhere on the screen you like them, there were some really cool features they introduced. I will give credit where it is due for these things.

The rest of the game does not inspire happy feelings though. The graphics are sub-par even for the Wii, and I believe we were promised somewhere that the Conduit would have "the best graphics ever on the Wii" or something like that. The sound is below average and repetitive (even with Hercules). The story is uninteresting and incredibly cliche. From what I've heard, the ending is just as bad and obviously leaves it open for a sequel (God forbid). There aren't really even cutscenes (there may have been one at the end, I dont know, I'll admit I did not have the heart to finish the game. I got about 75% of the way through and finally gave up). The characters are bland and completely unexplored in the least by the "plot" of the game (if you can call it that). While the customization for the controls was good, even with all the options I could not find a setting where I really felt comfortable with the gameplay. The motion controls for the melee and grenade throwing really screw you up if you try to do them while aiming precisely (I know you can change those to other buttons, but even if you do, something still has to be assigned to the motion controls). The "puzzles" the game had to offer were insultingly simple and consist of rotating three circles to all match each other. Every time. Seriously.

In my experience, the multiplayer was pretty bad as well. It lagged a lot, and even just getting into a FFA deathmatch takes a five minute period to gather players- there's actually a timer that counts down from five minutes! That, coupled with the time it takes to get onto the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, is just too long. I like to be able to hop into an online game pretty quickly if I want to, I dont want to wait seven minutes to get into a game that may last three or four minutes. Maybe part of that is Nintendo's fault and not High Voltage's (the developers of the game), but either way the Conduit is not going to be gaining any points for it.

All in all, do not buy this game. Maybe if you see it for $10 someday in a bargain bin it might be worth it, but there are tons of great shooters on other consoles. Even if you only own a Wii (which, if you like FPS's is unlikely), still do not buy this game. Go with the Metroid Prime Trilogy. I've heard High Voltage say they'd like to make a sequel. All I can say is that if they do, there is no way I would even consider buying it until after it comes out and I have read a lot of reviews. And they would all have to be really, really good reviews.

In Summary:

Pros: control/gameplay customization options.

Cons: graphics, sound, some gameplay elements, story, characters, voice acting (sorry Kevin Sorbo, I love all your other stuff though!), multiplayer, singleplayer, puzzles, motion controls... just about everything else.


FINAL SCORE: 2 out of 5.





Note: All reviews on this site are solely the subjective opinion of the author. If you disagree with my review please feel free to post in a polite manner and state your opinion. I welcome respectful discussion on my blog and would love to get feedback on my review and also read yours. Thanks!