The Evil Awards - 2009

[modeps]

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December 25th - Kragg (Borderlands, Street Fighter IV, Shadow Complex)
December 26th - pwnophobia (Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Torchlight)
December 27th - Emabulator (DiRT2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, ARMA II)
December 28th - modeps (Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2, Street Fighter IV)
December 29th - lost (Uncharted 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Killzone 2)
December 30st - Evil Avatar (Killzone 2, Fat Princess, Batman: Arkham Asylum)
December 31st - Evil Game of the Year 2009 (Batman: Arkham Asylum)
January 1st - Community Shame of the Year - 2009 (Tony Hawk: RIDE, Modern Warfare 2)
January 2nd - Community Game of the Year - 2009 (Dragon Age: Origins, Batman: Arkham Asylum)

[modeps]

KRAGG

Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Assorted Pagan Druid Ritual everyone!

People will tell you the holidays are a time to gather together and spend quality time with family and friends, but we all know scoring "teh l00t" is what it's REALLY all about. So here's hoping there were epic drops under the tree, or menorah or metal Festivus pole in your living room this morning.

For me, whilst I sit by the fireplace with my eggnog, and regular yearly gifts of a pony blanket, carton of Newports, and subscription to Swank magazine, I'm reminded of the past year and it's many great games. 2009 was certainly an exciting and controversial year if you were a gamer. We had highs and lows, matchmaking and dedicated servers, a lot of zombies, and a bunch of pointless online petitions. With that, I've been bestowed the great honor of kicking off the "Games of The Year" awards here on Evil Avatar. The "Reds" will have their say about all that was fantastic for 2009 in a day or two, but first you have to deal with me.

So without further ado, I give you Kragg's "I Don't Give a F*ck What The Internet Thinks!" Awards. All games will be rated on a scale of Awesome* (*Awesome = Radical/Tubular²)

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Borderlands: Rating - Awesome x 10

Yep. Borderlands. Game of the year. Suck it.
It has been a lightning rod for controversy among nerd communities on the internet. Many of you know Gearbox as the developer who stole your lunch money, ran over your dog, and ripped your childhood dreams from you. I know them as a relatively unknown (to the mainstream) company who took a chance with an original IP during the pivotal sales season in a year where huge sequels were dropping, and nailed it with a game that became a critical and financial success. I like to think of Borderlands as the "gay pride parade" of video games. You may not like or personally agree with it, but it's out there, it's in your face, and one of its characters is wearing ass-less leather chaps.

No other game this year has consistently drawn me back for extended play sessions with my friends, and obsessive loot hunting via multiple playthroughs. Borderlands took the best elements of games like Diablo, and distilled them down into a fairly accessible FPS format. Combine that with stylized art, a dark and at times sophomoric sense of humor, and massive explosions, and you have a winner in my book. It really satiated my compulsive need to collect items without having to play a Pokemon card game with the sad, obese guys at the comic book shop down the street. While light in the story department, its characters were memorable. I still laugh whenever I hear Scooter talk about his momma's "lady parts" being defiled.

The game has its flaws, but I was able to look past them for the sheer fun factor and re-playability of fighting raiders and scouring Pandora for crazy new weapons with my friends. Oh, and shooting skags in the face. Can't forget about all those skags.

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Street Fighter 4: Rating - Awesome x 8

Where to begin about how fantastic Street Fighter 4 is. How about the beginning? BEST THEME MUSIC EVER. "The Next Door (Indestructible)" by Exile is the greatest prelude music to a fight since "The Karate Kid" soundtrack. If "Game of The Year" was based solely on title music, SF4 would punch every other game that was released this year through a brick wall at the same time, say something derogatory about their collective fighting skills, and then wink and smile.

Street Fighter 4 really raised the bar. Incredible graphics, fluid animation, razor sharp controls. It's all there. With the addition of new Focus moves, re-vamped counters, and Ultra Combos, SF4 contains an extremely well-balanced fighting system. The idea of using cel-shaded art on 3-D models while constraining the game play to a 2-D environment to retain the classic feel was a stroke of genius. Good job Capcom.

I only found two issues with SF4. The first being that Seth and Gouken are totally overpowered. But if you're playing against your friends using the endgame boss character, or the secret endgame boss, you're a douche bag and you should stop because everyone is talking about you behind your back at the party right now. Second, the online matchmaking left a lot to be desired. This doesn't really matter though, because you're not supposed to play Street Fighter across the internet.

You're supposed to play it in person at that party I mentioned before where you can scream at your friends and throw beer on them in a fit of rage when you lose.

As a sidebar about online play; If you're from the USA and sign online, you are going to lose to any player from the following places. Europe, Asia, South America. This game is like soccer to them. They are just born inherently better at it than we are. I did a scientific study about this, but don't ask for any proof because I DVR'd over it with that episode of Jersey Shore where that chick got punched in the face.

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Shadow Complex: Rating - Awesome x 6 (5+1 point for Orson Scott Card controversy)

ChAIR Entertainment is a quality gang of people. So quality in fact that they decided to re-make Super Metroid into the best XBLA title of the year, and also one of the best overall games of the year. Thing is, ChAIR is a smart group. They knew if they made their game 2-D you'd say "Meh, this isn't innovative." but they also knew that you're afraid of change, grandpa, and if the game was 3-D you'd become confused and agitated by fancy new technology like when you tried to program your DVR to record that episode of Jersery Shore where that chick got punched in the face. So they met you halfway and did it in 2.5-D because they are just THAT GOOD. 2.5-D retains the original feel of a platforming side-scroller, while adding new elements of depth and freedom. So basically, if you argue with ChAIR's design decision, that means you hate freedom. And if you hate freedom, get the hell outta here Commie, because these colors don't run.

This game provided a stellar "metroidvania" experience on a next-gen platform. As you guide their "every man" character Jason Flemming through a complex series of tunnels and labs you can increasingly upgrade your abilities with new power armor pieces and gadgets. More importantly, all the bad guys look like G.I Joe villains. This makes you want to shoot them even more because you love freedom and hate facists.

The point I'm trying to get across here is that if you loved Super Metroid or any of the newer Castlevania games, you'll love Shadow Complex. If you haven't played Super Metroid or any of the newer Castlevania titles, then you need to re-evaluate everything, because up to this point as a gamer you've been living a lie.

So there it is. My awards for game of the year. I hope you enjoyed reading them. If you didn't, or you think I'm wrong or that the math in my rating system is off, that's OK, because by reading this I've stolen five minutes of your life away. Time that you should have been spending with your family and friends on Christmas , but decided instead to use staring at the internet.

Happy holidays everyone (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/10/jersey-shore-girl-punched_n_388203.html)!

[modeps]

PWNOPHOBIA

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Modern Warfare 2

If I could describe Modern Warfare 2 in one word it'd be "addicting", from the first day until today I haven't been able to set it down, even taking vacation days to play. Some of the best moments of the game come from the single player campaign, Infinity Ward did a great job of taking the player and tossing them head first into the thick of battle. While some video games only toss one or two plot twists, MW2 laughs in their face with a story that made me scream "Oh crap!" and jump out of my seat. Without a seconds notice your squad mates scream your name and before I knew what was going on I was tossed into the battle mowing down enemies.

How can I talk about MW2 without giving a nod to Spec-Ops? A two player mission based environment that tests your skills and communication in 5 different categories of non-stop action. When I play Spec-Ops I know I'm in for the long run because its just not easy, and the experience differs from each play through. Every time I sit down to play 1 mission it turns into a 45 minute romp because my partner and I can't ever seem to get it right the first time, but you know what? I love that about the game. It forces you to play it because it gives you achievements for doing so, and I'm an achievement whore.

Of course the action doesn't stop there, MW2 is all about the multiplayer. I've logged three play days, thousands of kills and invested just about all free time I've had into MW2, and I keep coming back for more. What really draws me in is the leveling system and the unlockable weapons, I'm a sucker for "just one more level". I don't pick up a lot of multiplayer games because I can't be competitive straight away or even a year after it comes out but MW2 offers so many different game modes and starting classes that the veteran player will never feel bored and the newbie can jump right into the action and be competitive. Sure some of the maps and guns need a bit of tweaking but that's nothing that Infinity Ward hasn't been trying to solve since day one, with such a dedicated team behind the product I expect more great things to come out of the Call of Duty franchise.

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Left 4 Dead 2

Zombies, Shotguns and a Chainsaw. Do I really need to say anymore? Hell yes I do.

I played the hell out of L4D when it first came out and then revitalized my need for Zombie slaying near the end of the year, right before L4D2 hit the shelves. It was almost perfect timing to add more to the game because what came with L4D2 was a furious storm of game improvements, maps and more Zombies for killin'. Unlike its predecessor, L4D2 doesn't feel like its missing anything. Easily the best game I have to grab a group of friends for 30 - 45 minutes and even better is the versus modes in which you can utterly demolish the opposing team and end the night with the sick satisfaction that you get from knowing the person playing on the opposite team is cussing his lips off. L4D2 is going to keep me coming back for more for a long time because I laugh every time that I hear the twang from the guitar as it cracks across a Zombie skull.

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Torchlight

Torchlight sharply cuts into my Modern Warfare time, I never knew how much I pined for a new Diablo-esque experience until I started playing. While playing through what felt like my two hundredth dungeon the other night I realized what makes this game so great; its so addicting I'll continue to play into exhaustion. Whenever I sit down with Torchlight all I want to do is "just one more dungeon" or "just find one more piece of loot" and I can't contain myself from running into large groups of enemies and AoEing them down. If you enjoy the aforementioned then you must pick up Torchlight today, its the best way to kill seven of the eight hours of sleep you get should be getting a night!

[modeps]

EMABULATOR

When I sat down to pick my top three I started out by making a list of games I enjoyed playing over the past year. By the time I was done with that task I ended up with a much longer list than expected, over a dozen titles. Adding another layer of doubt was the fact I have not played Dragon Age: Origins yet, which might have ended up in the top three, judging from what I've read about it and my personal experience with BioWare's games. Setting aside that caveat, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play a large number of PC games this year, giving me a deep pool to choose from.

Although I feel Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, Torchlight, DCS: Black Shark, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Resident Evil 5 were all good enough to make the final cut I had to narrow it down to three choices. I believe the final three are all excellent games. Bear in mind, I do most of my gaming solo these days, so I'll be focusing on that aspect of the games.

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DIRT 2

Codemasters Racing Studio's games have shown steady improvement over the years and this generation is no exception with the EGO Engine powered titles DiRT, GRID and now DiRT 2. This time around they pulled it all together by addressing the weaknesses found in the previous games and building on their strengths. While the game is nowhere near a simulation, the vehicles now behave in a manner that at least acknowledges the laws of physics do exist. The vehicles now require you handle the brake and throttle with a greater degree of finesse. In DiRT 2 you can run the turns much faster by braking earlier and using a lighter touch on the analog trigger. The same applies to the throttle, you need to ease down on it gradually coming out of the turns or you'll end up sideways. In the past you could brake, pivot and slam the throttle.

An improved driving model would be worth squat without some white knuckle racing to put it to the test. This is where DiRT 2 really shines. The game has a wide variety of racing disciplines and extremely well designed tracks and environments. DiRT 2 will take you on a wild ride as you skid, smash, bounce, slide and splash your way through each race on the edge of control.

Driving in the cockpit view conveys an excellent sense of speed and provides the player with a considerably more challenging experience. From the driver's seat you have to focus on your best line while dealing with a bumpy ride on the tight, twisting, tracks. Codies loaded them up with things like elevation changes, clouds of dust and puddles to make every moment of the race demand your full attention. The puddles in particular are a marked improvement as splashing through them will temporarily cover your windshield with a, realistic, blinding flood of water.

No matter what your skill level is you can dial it in for a tight race with a generous selection of difficulty settings. You can even chose to turn on 'vehicle setup', in the pre-race options, if you want to dial in your ride with some basic adjustments like brake bias, downforce, suspension and gear ratios. A new role-playing style experience system for the Dirt Tour, complete with leader board, and the online fame system for multiplayer are welcome additions. It was also nice to see they carried over the 'Flashbacks' feature from GRID, which comes in handy when you're learning the tracks. All of this adds up to some intense, edge of your seat, racing that keeps you coming back. In this way the game comes off a bit like a simulation. Each time you race on a track/course you learn a little more about it and the desire for that perfect run builds. I expected the game to be good, just not this good. DiRT 2 is now my favorite off-road racing game by a wide margin.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum

When I first heard about Batman: Arkham Asylum I thought, as many of you probably did, a game with 'Batman' in the title, mercy! As the screenshots and previews rolled out my level of interest grew and I got to the point where I was saying "please don't screw this up Rocksteady Studios." Well, it turns out Rocksteady didn't screw it up, in fact, they kicked some serious ass.

I was expecting to end up using an Xbox 360 controller, considering it's a third-person action game. Too many times in the past developers have done a piss-poor job with the mouse and keyboard controls in similar games. Not this time around, Rocksteady nailed them down wire tight. It did not take long to get comfortable with said controls and things kept getting better from there. I was also quite happy with the way you could take cover at a corner, as opposed to a 'sticky' cover system, that constantly engages every time you get near an obstacle.

The game has a long list of positives including top notch production values, a good story, great graphics, great voice acting, moderate replay value and most importantly excellent gameplay. On the negative side there was one design decision I did not like, detective mode. It was very well done and certainly one of the most useful features in the game. The problem I have with it is you're tempted to leave it on the whole time, not wanting to miss something. As slick as detective mode looks I much prefer the way the games looks with it off. I would have preferred they subtly highlighted things and left it out entirely. It was hardly a game breaker though, I'm nitpicking here. Overall I think Rocksteady did a great job with a game that does the name Batman proud. Sign me up for the sequel!

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ARMA 2

Bohemia Interactive created, by far, the best military combat simulation on the market. ARMA II shipped with an unacceptable amount of bugs though. If it shipped in its current state it might be a notch higher on my list. I was one of the lucky ones, the game ran well on my rig and I was able to work my way around the bugs in the campaign. At this point, after a few patches, the game is in pretty good shape - setting aside the brutal manner in which they string together the AI voice chatter.

ARMA II is an intense simulation, set in an open-world environment, that is about as realistic as one can expect while sitting at a computer. For the most part you're free to move about as and how you please. You have a great amount of freedom in how you want to go about completing your mission objectives. When you kill the enemy they stay dead and if you get popped you'll drop like a box of rocks. That said, you'll spend much less time reloading your last save this time around thanks to the much improved AI. If you stick in tight with your squad-mates and keep your head down, chances of survival are good. Once you get the method-to-their-madness controls down you'll drop prone and roll, in a second nature manner, at the first sign of trouble. Patience is they key as the tension builds. I've played a good number of games that were designed to scare the pants off of you and nothing is as frightening as the sound of a bullet whizzing by your head in ARMA II. On top of that, the game has a mission editor that's easy to use and really does provide endless hours of fun.

[modeps]

MODEPS

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Dragon Age: Origins

When Dragon Age: Origins media started coming out, I really wasn't interested in the game. Yeah, it was BioWare but come on... Lord of the Rings again? Where's my Mass Effect 2? Oh yeah, it's in 2010. Alright BioWare, fine... I'll play your bloody game.

I don't think I'll ever doubt you again, BioWare, unless somehow you really screw up with ME2.

While it certainly is the game freshest in my mind, it is also simply the best of the the year. Not only has BioWare delivered one of the finest RPGs of this generation, but have brought back what made them popular in the first place. The number of grey-area choices that need to be made combined with the different character origins lend to one of the best bangs-for-your-buck games all year. I never thought that I'd be compelled to replay a game as long as Dragon Age the moment I had finished it, but learning that I missed out on a few side quests forced me to allow a friend to borrow it just so I could do some proper reviewing for games that I had put aside. I still kind of hope he doesn't like it and returns it sooner rather than later. Maybe I'll roll a female rogue this time and be a complete douchebag...

If your jaw isn't on the floor by the time the story hits Lothering, there's a very good chance you may not have a soul.

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Left 4 Dead 2

I love killing zombies and have long before Left 4 Dead 1 came out a year ago, which taught me that it's just as fun to kill humans AS a zombie. While there's plenty of people out there that hate Valve for releasing a game so close to its predecessor, I'm most definitely not one of them. Left 4 Dead 2 takes the greatness that was defined in Left 4 Dead 1 and nearly perfects the formula, giving it a graphical enhancement, more implements of destruction, and a crapload more content. Versus mode continues to be the single best multiplayer mode I've ever played and now we've got a way to play Versus without having to devote two hours to it (Scavenge). There's nothing quite like the feeling of a properly coordinated zombie attack that wipes the survivors.

While I don't necessarily think that Left 4 Dead 3 needs to come out next year (seriously, how can they top this?) as long as they can keep cramming awesomeness in, I don't think I can resist more levels and more special infected. If you're every wondering where I am on Thursday nights, just hop onto Steam and come find me... chances are I'm riding a survivor off a bridge or getting puked on while revving a chainsaw.

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Street Fighter IV

This final runner up was a bit tough to call for me. It was between Batman: Arkham Asylum and Street Fighter IV. I decided to go with Street Fighter IV for a few reasons over Batman. Firstly, it is just about infinitely replayable. Games are fast, furious and over within a few minutes and just about every session ends in a fight with myself "No, you should really go to sleep... SHUT UP! One more match." Second, it almost single handedly revitalized the fighting genre. Not since Tekken 2 have I personally been excited to head on over to a friend's place just to play a fighting game. Grab a couple beers, a handful of nachos, and kick the crap out of each other virtually.

Despite having Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe scratch a bit of an itch last year, it didn't do what Street Fighter IV did. People began caring about fighting games again and events like EVO saw their highest attendance yet, based almost completely on the back of Street Fighter IV. While some may see Super Street Fighter IV coming out next year as a meager opportunity for Capcom to grab some more cash, throwing more characters, more stages, and more online options will most certainly keep the drive alive in 2010. Beware Sumo Butt's return.

[modeps]

LOST

Merry Christmas everyone! With the new year almost upon us, and my Big Evil Preview of 2010, it's my turn to look back on 2009. I've had a great year reviewing some great games but my Game of the Year was easy like Sunday morning. Here's my picks brought to you by lots and lots of whiskey.

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

In a year where the competition was thinned out by the Modern Warfare 2 curse Uncharted 2 would have probably won for me anyway. For me it represents so much of what I expect from a modern videogame. The veteran developers, Naughty Dog, put together a game that featured the best third-person shooting mechanics, the best platforming mechanics and the best set pieces of the generation. I loved the levels - they provided a much better balance between the core mechanics than in the predecessor. Spanning more interesting locations and pulling together a smarter narrative it was an improvement in every regard. The games content and its impact is difficult to describe. You start in a train hanging over a cliff, leap from roof to roof on speeding vehicles, leap around a collapsing building and finish in a beautiful forgotten kingdom. Thats a snippet of the long list of cool, cool stuff you'll do in the game.

I won't ramble on. I managed to remain coherent for the review but it was tricky. Uncharted 2 really did make my gaming 2009. Also - yes it is absolute bullshit that Nolan North didn't win ALL of the VGAs. He's awesome, I heard he even fucked your mom once.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum

Pipped to the post really. This is another game that really struck a chord with me. I love Batman but like every other fan I've been disappointed by almost every one of his games. The 'Begins' one from EA was alright and this looked, initially, like it would feature similar gameplay mechanics. The end product was more than anybody expected I think. Arkham Island was a major surprise - sprawling and intricately designed in every regard it felt like a real place. The twisted aesthetic was a great way to handle comic characters given the amount of pixels modern machines can chuck around.

The game is a great mix of action RPG and survival horror. With a great story it was entertaining from start to finish - even the filler like Riddler challenges delivered the awesome.

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Killzone 2

It's easy to forget the games that come out earlier in the year. Provided they aren't Killzone 2. Easily by favorite FPS of 2009 this much-hyped exclusive delivered a visceral, beautifully chaotic experience. Sure, the story was merely on par with the likes of Gears but the visuals and level designs were uniquely brilliant. Helghan's streets were perplexing towers with as many vantage points for you as for your enemy. The desert areas were open battlefields fraught with danger and the great mech section completely unexpected. On top of that the climax moments were well timed and the difficulty sat comfortably in the bracket of 'challenging'. At times the game is overwhelming with the smart AI creating a scary, intimidating battlefield.

Brilliant multiplayer was stuck on top and I loved every minute. Definitely within the top tier of videogames. I don't think I'll ever forget the reaction to my 5 'Evil Eye' review but I stand by it!

[modeps]

EVIL AVATAR

They saved the best for last! Ok, they saved me for last because I refused to stop playing my top three picks long enough to write about them.

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Killzone 2

Bowled over by the unstoppable juggernaut that was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 it is easy to forget that a far superior first-person shooter came out way back in February. The shadow of Modern Warfare 2 grows even longer when you take into account that my Game of the Year was a Playstation 3 exclusive. Sadly, a metric ton of EvAv readers never had the pleasure of trying out Guerilla's Killzone 2.

There is so much here to love. A Hollywood style epic storyline, iconic 'Red-Eye' enemies, brutal AI, partially destructable environments, highly detailed levels with a sense of height and scale not present in other shooters, class-based (free) multiplayer all wrapped up in an orchestral soundtrack that would make John Williams jealous. While Guerilla were their own worst enemy with the old E3 2005 'target' video they rose to the challenge and delivered a shooter that makes the Playstation 3 a must have system.

The level design in Killzone 2 blows everything else away. These aren't the clean, almost sterile, environments you find in Modern Warfare 2. Dust blows and nuclear ash rains down on you from above while the intelligent AI spray bullets everywhere, giving every level the feeling of a futuristic battlefield. The (free) class-based online multiplayer allows you tailor your character and your weapons to your play style. Even if the last level was a touch on the difficult side, Guerilla are the new 'Game Gods' and every shooter I play from now on will have to try to live up to Killzone 2. Gears of what?

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Fat Princess

Playing the 'value' gamer for most of 2009 I attempted to catch up on some of the dozens of older titles in my collection. That made it difficult to come up with a first runner up and a second runner up. Difficult until I looked back at the titles I played in 2009 and one cake-eating indie title stood out. This cute downloadable game offers little more than isometric capture the flag multiplayer gameplay at a value price.

More than enough! With fun Lemmings-style artwork and addicting gameplay I put more time into Fat Princess than most of the AAA titles from the fall of 2008. If you can put 40+ hours into a $20 game and still want to come back for more that title is something special. Yes, Virginia, there is single player against AI bots if you want to turn your little ones loose on the game and you don't want them playing online. (And an upcoming patch adds the option to remove the blood and inserts 'confetti mode' in return.)

Once again, Xbox 360 owners are left out in the cold... Fat Princess is a Playstation 3 exclusive. Titan Studios has proven to gamers that the cake isn't always a lie.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum

A Batman game that doesn't suck? Did I fall into a dimensional rift and find myself in Bizzaro world? Me am think so. Despite the glowing reviews, I held off on the Bat-mania for several months. Deep down in that cold dark place I call a heart, I suspected that no matter how great everyone said the game was, it would end up being one Batarang short of a full utility belt (if you get my drift).

Like a criminal with a tasty chocolate ice cream cone, I didn't see what was about to hit me when I finally caved in and picked up a copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Peppered with a plethora of classic villains and boasting the voice work of Batman: The Animated Series stars Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamill (The Joker), this is the Batman experience I was waiting for. Using 'Detective Vision' on my reasons for loving the game, I keep coming back to the amazing voice work. For me, Kevin Conroy is Batman and Mark Hamill is The Joker. Putting their voices on artwork I would compare to the gritty 70's style of artist Neal Adams brought the Batman of my youth swinging out of the page and onto my Xbox 360.

A fantastic game. It will have you doing the Batusi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8BZDwLExPI). And there is a sequel on the way next year. As they say... same Bat time, same Bat channel.

[modeps]

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Batman: Arkham Asylum
As written by lost

Evil Avatar is a website based, mostly, on qualitative opinions. When me and the other Reds sit down to write up a review we always score a game based on how likely we are to recommend it to you guys.

I think it's this freedom of opinion that has given rise to a clear winner for our, as in all of the Reds, overall Game of the Year. When modeps asked us all for our picks only Left 4 Dead 2 and this game appeared more than once. This game also only just missed out on winning the Community Game of the Year too. Our Game of the Year? Batman: Arkham Asylum.

You'll have read why I and so many others enjoyed the game so much. The brilliant mix of gameplay, the excellent visuals and the feeling that somebody finally succeeded in making a great Batman game. With a structure akin to Metroid or Castlevania it provided brilliant role-playing as you felt yourself grow into the cowl. Upgrading your abilities and grabbing new bat-gadgets felt natural given the game's remote location and the constant flow of extra content rewarded you at every turn while you explored Arkham. In all, a brilliant combination that delivered an experience that wowed critics and provided stores with impressive sales figures.

People come at Batman from so many different angles. There's the people that merely know him from movies and animated series'. To some he's just a cool logo on their t-shirt. There's comic fans who buy all 1 trillion different monthly Batman books that DC puts out. Each and every one enjoyed this game – for it to please such a diverse fanbase really says something about the achievements of Rocksteady.

The British based developers game to the game following a fairly disastrous set of events while EA held the license. In the years that Riccitello's mob had the keys to the Batcave they produced a decent game based on the 'Batman Begins' movie. According to all reports the now defunct Pandemic Australia team were given the opportunity to develop an open world Batman game in time for The Dark Knight. That team's inability to develop a game within the tough time constraints led to Warner Brothers taking control of things themselves. In partnership with Eidos and Rocksteady the game that pleased so many in 2009 came to be.

Paul Dini, famed for his work with the animated series and then brilliant comic books, wrote a story that called upon various parts of Batman's continuity to entwine famous characters with a smart plot while Wildstorm, a DC Comics imprint known for taking on the darker side of comics, developed the character designs. With a sequel, reportedly expanding the open-world available to players, already on the horizon we are awarding Batman: Arkham Asylum our Game of the Year because it pleased so many and disappointed so few. A rare achievement in 2009.

[modeps]

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Tony Hawk: RIDE
as written by lost

Have you played every single Tony Hawk game? I have. That includes the likes of Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land and even Tony Hawk's Motion. Yet not one of those games stirred up level of dislike that this motion controller disaster has.

Neversoft, now occupied with the Guitar Hero franchise, put out Tony Hawk's Proving Ground in direct competition with EA's newcomer skate a couple of years back. Proving Ground was actually bloody good but in comparison to the flick stick controls of skate it appeared dated and a little daft. Frustrated and panicked Activision decided to hand it over to an entirely new team, Robomodo, and decided that a skateboard peripheral was the way to go.

That's a pretty weird decision when you consider that numerous crap peripheral companies tried to put out very similar devices at the peak of the Pro Skater series' popularity. People didn't react well then and they didn't react well when this was announced. When the publisher slapped a hefty price tag on the package you could feel the growing dislike filter through the forum pages of the internet. If it had, in the end, contained a good game then people may have been willing to forgive and forget. Shame they got that bit wrong too then.

The general consensus is that the motion controller doesn't work the way it should - just like all those failed attempts years ago. The game is buggy, poorly tested and lacking any fun content. There were reports that as little as a few months before release that Robomodo were still puzzling their way around the problem of how to let the player complete rotations. That was as bad an omen as I think anybody needed.

The reason Guitar Hero and now DJ Hero work is that the peripherals and game have been designed in unison. A chicken and egg situation. With Tony Hawk: RIDE a bad idea for a peripheral has had a game crudely designed around it. Shoe-horned and shambolic the whole review debacle didn't help. When commercial game critics were asked to review the game after 3 hours at a press even most balked, nearly all scored poorly.

The sad thing is that skate 2 didn't even turn out that well and the series that spawned this unsuccessful 're-engineering' appears to be falling into the same traps as its forefather. Tricks turning into stunts, gimmicks controlling the entire structure of the game – we've seen it all before. It is, however, difficult to imagine that the Rock Band publisher will ever make one as big as this.

The Shame of the Year award here at Evil Avatar is a very open forum to voice disappointment – the well reviewed Modern Warfare 2 almost won thanks to the new glitches that seem to pop up every other week. I'd like to think that RIDE 'won' Shame of the Year because people still had a lot of love for the TH games. That their disappointment with the results of Robomodo's experiment have been multiplied by the fact that everybody wants another great Tony Hawk game.

None of that really matters though, this game stinks and is a worthy winner of this booby prize. Activision – from one hardcore Tony Hawk fan – please dump the stupid board.

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Modern Warfare 2
as written as by modeps

Losing out by a hair (2 votes) to Tony Hawk: RIDE was the single biggest entertainment release ever. Selling close to half a billion US dollars in one week, Modern Warfare 2 flew out of retailers both online and off and immediately shot itself to the tops of all charts... but that didn't stop the ridiculous amount of controversy surrounding it.

Shortly before release, Robert Bowling from Infinity Ward let loose the information that the PC version of the game would remove one of the most required features for PC gamers: dedicated server support. While pitching it as something that would ultimately help the game remain cheat free and create a simple experience for everyone to just jump into a game, due to the immense popularity of its predecessor, the pitchforks were grabbed and the fires were lit. PC gamers were completely pissed.

Not only would the ability to host dedicated servers be lost, but no longer would modders be able to create their own customized versions to play on; a staple for PC gaming for years and one that helps games stay relevant.

What made this situation even worse was that only a couple days post release, there were already people claiming to have created cheat packs for MW2 including aimbots and wallhacks. Couple that with plenty of overseas users complaining about lag filled games due to the lack of dedicated servers and earlier statements from Infinity Ward indicating that the multiplayer for PC would remain unchanged and you can see where the ire comes from.

While Bowling recently hinted that mod tools may indeed be coming to the server-less game, there's no release date or official confirmation at this time and will likely do little to appease those who have already ditched the latest IW developed title.

[modeps]

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Dragon Age: Origins
as written by modeps

Being the only staffer to actually finish this game, I can honestly say I completely agree with the majority who chose it as their Game of the Year (I also picked it for my own personal pick!). While the runner up was nominated many more times than Dragon Age: Origins, when push came to shove and you had to pick a single defining game of 2009, you went with BioWare's epic fantasy roleplaying masterpiece.

Completely jammed with content (some people boasting an upwards of eighty hours to complete from start to finish), your journey will take you across the land of Ferelden in your struggle to defeat the looming threat of annihilation by the hands of the Darkspawn.

Explained in a few sentences, it sounds like it may be your run of the mill story, but the way it is executed is second to none. You've got many grey area choices to act on which will significantly change the outcome and your party, tons of side content that all feels unique, and great character development throughout. I really don't know of another game with girth such as this that made me want to play it again as soon as the credits rolled.

Even more, the crafting masters at BioWare have set it up as just a single piece of an overlying world, allowing the fiction to be extended to other lands and with more DLC coming within weeks, you could potentially be taking part in the Dragon Age universe for... well, a dragon's age. A truer RPG of this caliber has not been seen this generation or in recent memory.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum
as written by modeps

What is there left to say about Batman: Arkham Asylum? Not only did a majority of the reds pick it as a runner up to their game of the year, but we decided to award it the Evil Game of the Year (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103064) as well.

Like Uncharted, three aspects that really help it excel are superb voice acting combined with a well written story and phenomenally tight controls. It's hard not to scream for more after defeating the Joker at the end of the game, and Rocksteady has already answered the call by announcing the sequel at this year's Spike VGAs.

Even if you aren't a huge comic book fan, there's plenty to love in this gritty super hero game. If you haven't played it yet, do yourself a favor and run to the store to enjoy one of the best games of the year.

[modeps]

That'll do 'er folks. Here's the compilation thread for all of our awards and commentary.