Evil Awards 2009 with lost

[modeps]

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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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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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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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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!

[BalekFekete]

Great picks Lost. Uncharted 2 and Batman:AA are two of my favorite games of 2009 without a doubt. If you added in Assassin's Creed 2, that would be my top 3 of the year. Killzone 2 was great as well and did have great moments (the train sequence was gold) but didn't have the legs I look for from a GOTY contender.

[lost]

I enjoyed AC2 a lot. It still isn't assasin-y enough for me.

[yutt]

Wish I owned a PS3 at this point, as there seem to be a number of great exclusives in 2009. Not that I'd have time to play them, but alas.

[GodFather]

Im so glad you chose Uncharted2. It is hands down the game of the year and didnt think another single player game came close to the experience Naughty Dog offered.

[TheBot]

Yeah buddy, PS3 all the way =D
Especially Killzone 2. God I wish I had my house done to play that right now! Shotgun time baby!

[Entropy Effect]

I still have a lot of catching up to do on 2009 games, but Uncharted 2 met any expectations I could have for a video game. Good choice!

[lost]

Hah, yeah the PS3 had a good year. Whatever platform they were on Uncharted and Killzone were awesome.

[brandonjclark]

There are times I wished I owned a console other than my Wii, namely the PS3 after hearing the praise for some of these games.

However, I cannot afford to spend $50-60 on a game anymore. With the PC and GOG and Steam deals, I get wayyyyy more game for my dollar.

[ElektroDragon]

Lost, I love your choices! I get the feeling though that editors here really hate AC2. Not even a runner up yet?!

[pwnophobia]

Lost, I love your choices! I get the feeling though that editors here really hate AC2. Not even a runner up yet?!

I mentioned in a reply with my GOTY picks that I would have picked AC2 had I been able to drag myself away from MW2. I finally finished the last 5 sequences this weekend and LOVED it, so if I got to rechoose before the new year it'd be AC2, MW2, L4D2. :p

[gzsfrk]

Poor Batman:AA... always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Can't believe none of you have chosen it as GotY. It was far and away the best superhero game ever made. And it had MARK HAMILL DOING THE JOKER! COME ON!!!!

[dr_wily]

man KZ2 is still pretty

that m4/holo skin still kills MW2

if it ever drops in price ill have to give it a playthrough.. are people still playing the multi?

[EvilBob46]

are people still playing the multi?

Yes, plenty 32 player servers to be found. For low level players without the map packs not as many, but finding a game is still no problem.

In fact, multiplayer is the best thing about Killzone 2 by far. Singleplayer is incredibly uninspired IMO.

[lost]

The multiplayer is awesome. I got myself to the top class before I moved on. I've never done that before.

[Verruckt]

Batman was my Game of the Year until I beat Uncharted 2 just last night. The most cinematic experience I've ever had in a video-game. As much as I loved Arkham Asylum (enough to buy the graphic novel used as inspiration), nothing immersed me as much as Uncharted 2 did this year.

[lockwoodx]

This top 3 is the best list so far.

[yutt]

Poor Batman:AA... always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Can't believe none of you have chosen it as GotY. It was far and away the best superhero game ever made. And it had MARK HAMILL DOING THE JOKER! COME ON!!!!

How does it being the best superhero game make it worthy of game of the year? It isn't exactly a high bar to meet, even if it was undeniably true. Personally I thought it was a polished, but uninspired stealth action game. Few improvements over Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid games I've played. Other than the fact it had Batman, I don't see what was particularly remarkable about it.

I'm not saying it wasn't a great game, it was, I just can't understand the level of excitement surrounding something so... formulaic.

[lost]

Formulaic? Do you mean that as in generic or that the game followed a strict structure?

[vivalahazy]

I agree with Uncharted being GotY, it was breathtaking from start to finish and has the best acting and story telling by far. Batman was also great but it seems that because it was a comic book game it's getting over looked, it's well worthy of getting a GotY from someone as who can deny the feeling they had when they did their first glide kick takedown, utter immense.

I these are really good picks and I'm so glad you didn't follow the EvAv love that's flowng for Dragon Age =P

[ElektroDragon]

Personally I thought it was a polished, but uninspired stealth action game. Few improvements over Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid games I've played. Other than the fact it had Batman, I don't see what was particularly remarkable about it.


How about it was the first stealth action game not to completely suck, in my opinion. I'm sorry, but the Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid games are either way too difficult (SC), or way too boring (MGS). Batman AA was, as Catwoman might say, purrrrrfect!

[shadow763]

Awesome picks Lost. Finally someone on EVAV I completely agree with. Those would be my top three as well. All were super polished, super memorable, and ate up so much of my times. The three things I wish all games could be.

[modeps]

Batman's stealth elements did something no other game has really managed to do... Make you feel like a complete bad ass stalking their prey, instead of a squishy vagina that is scared to take a few steps. I loved those sections in Batman.

[brandonjclark]

instead of a squishy vagina that is scared to take a few steps.

Epic wordage......

[Anenome]

Poor Batman:AA... always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Can't believe none of you have chosen it as GotY. It was far and away the best superhero game ever made. And it had MARK HAMILL DOING THE JOKER! COME ON!!!!
We live in a crazy mixxed up world where Luke Skywalker voices the Joker :P

Formulaic? Do you mean that as in generic or that the game followed a strict structure?
He means it had a beginning, a middle, and an end--like every game ever made practically. So unoriginal! Okay, Halo 2 had no ending, but that's a special case :P

[Anenome]

Personally, Splinter Cell hit the mark for me. Once you master the basics, it became the best stealth game I've ever played. Batman had style and character that came from its IP, but in SC the game was about the stealth.

True, it often required patience, strategy, and planning to get anything done in SC, I can see how some people might not prefer that. There was a lot less of that in Batman, you rarely went several minutes at a time just waiting for the right moment (unless you get into the hardcore stealth), so it may be better paced compared to SC. Both were quite enjoyable to me, in different ways.

[sgtslappy]

Two PS3 exclusives? Blasphemy!

[modeps]

Epic wordage......

It's true though too, and it's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to Conviction so much. It appears to also have a sense of total bad assery along with the sneaky. Even Solid Snake, despite the awesome storytelling, is pretty much a drippy box when it comes to confrontations.

[lost]

Except when it comes to fighting robots. He mans up then.

[yutt]

Formulaic? Do you mean that as in generic or that the game followed a strict structure?
I mean that in the sense the game didn't try anything unique to the genre. It was a completely by-the-book stealth action game with beat-em-up elements we've been playing for at least, what, a decade? It had better graphics and Batman, and was, and I stress this, incredibly polished.

Make you feel like a complete bad ass stalking their prey, instead of a squishy vagina that is scared to take a few steps. Really? I felt like that everytime I ran into any random stooge with a gun. I started thinking about what an idiot Batman was for choosing to avoid using certain kinds of projectile weapons (apparently not including grappling launchers and seeking and explosive throwing weapons).

Set off an alarm and die. Or, instantly zip up to a perch and be invincible, until they added a gimmick to hinder that. Basically whenever you have to face an enemy that is aware you exist and has a gun, you die.

I focused primarily on close combat perks, maybe some batarangalang upgrade would have made that easier.

[PSPfreak]

Basically whenever you have to face an enemy that is aware you exist and has a gun, you die.


Can't say I relate on that issue. :D

[Mojopin]

I have to agree with that statement... infact I might make it my sig... if I can make'em.

[yutt]

Can't say I relate on that issue. :D
How so? All of the instances I encountered this were quite heavily pushing you to stealthily assassinate each person in the room. It was by design. Batman was weak to guns unless you were already within melee range when an enemy was aware of you.

The only solution was to run away and hide, or I suppose if there was only an enemy or two, try to close range quickly and kill them. In either case, this still makes you a "squishy vagina", as modeps put it. If you have a solution other than this, please explain rather than simply claiming somehow were unaffected by the game's mechanics.

Batman seems incapable of confronting henchmen with weapons more powerful than a board with a nail in it.

[Mojopin]

I have to agree with that statement... infact I might make it my sig... if I can make'em.

I agreed with the statement that, it was one of the best "balanced for newbs" games available. Though that doesn't make it any less great... excellent game and "product" imo... you can set a difficulty level in that game btw...

[yutt]

We could talk about the boss battles I suppose. Anything with Scarecrow was awesome, and if he had been more than cursory, this game could have been amazing.

All of the other boss encounters were absurdly cookie-cutter. Boss that charges at wall and is stunned when you dodge? Come on, how many times have we seen this before? How many times to I have to refight that same exact boss mechanic in the game? Goodness.

Both my brother and I groaned encountering the obligatory giant-plant-monster. It almost seemed deliberately comical in how cliche that fight was.

[PSPfreak]

How so? All of the instances I encountered this were quite heavily pushing you to stealthily assassinate each person in the room. It was by design. Batman was weak to guns unless you were already within melee range when an enemy was aware of you.

The only solution was to run away and hide, or I suppose if there was only an enemy or two, try to close range quickly and kill them. In either case, this still makes you a "squishy vagina", as modeps put it. If you have a solution other than this, please explain rather than simply claiming somehow were unaffected by the game's mechanics.

Batman seems incapable of confronting henchmen with weapons more powerful than a board with a nail in it.

My point was that if you were being literal with what I quoted, I can't relate because I wasn't ever killed by a random thug. They were quite easy to disarm.

I'm not going to say I was never seen, but I didn't have very many problems being stealthy; I didn't have to grapple out of situations like the ones you mention very often. IMO, the stealth is fun but almost too easy; makes MGS4 look like a chore.

[Bryyce]

Uncharted 2 along with Batman deserve the spots. I still haven't got a chance to play all the way through Killzone 2, I played through the first few levels when a friend lent me his Ps3 back in the day. Hoping I can rent it or something. I love sci-fi shooters.

[yutt]

My point was that if you were being literal with what I quoted, I can't relate because I wasn't ever killed by a random thug. They were quite easy to disarm.

I'm not going to say I was never seen, but I didn't have very many problems being stealthy; I didn't have to grapple out of situations like the ones you mention very often. IMO, the stealth is fun but almost too easy; makes MGS4 look like a chore.
Gotcha, I misunderstood.

My point wasn't that the stealth was hard to do, only that when directly confronting enemies with guns, Batman died in short order. Making him at least as pathetic as Mr. Fischer or Snake, since they didn't share his psychosis preventing the use of lethal ranged weapons.

Isn't the basis of the stealth genre that you're not supposed to easily overpower your enemies? Otherwise that makes the whole stealth aspect pointless. I suppose that would coincide with those saying the game was extremely easy.

[brandonjclark]

Well, I for one didn't really look at Batman as much of a stealth game. It felt like a lot of things put together. Yutt, you have a point that the game does have a lot of tired mechanics but so what? I mean, if you do it well enough and polish it to spewing perfection, then it's okay, right?

I too am dying to get my hands on Splinter Cell:Conviction, Modeps. That game just looks next-gen to me, much in the way Far Cry did when I first saw it. However, it's not the graphics which make it look like that, although they are excellent, but the moves. If those moves are as smooth in the end product as they are in the trailers I've seen so far, I'll be blown away.

[HALO 32]

This is the first list where I agree with all 3 and it might become the only one…unless another editor’s choice ends up being Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed and Borderlands.

[shadow763]

I just played Batman and thought it was fun to be Batman. I guess I am easy to please sometimes.

[yutt]

Well, I for one didn't really look at Batman as much of a stealth game. It felt like a lot of things put together.
I agree, I hadn't gotten to that complaint yet. You went from a very enjoyable beat'em up style game in one "room" to a gimmicky feeling stealth game in the next, to a bizarre "detective mode" palette swap with absolutely no "game" element, to a Tomb Raider-esque platformer.

Which would have been fine if these elements seemed more integrated, but it was almost like there were 3-4 different and entirely separate games. There seemed to be a lack of design coherence. The game wasn't sure what sort of game it was.

Before someone says all games in the genre are like this, that is true to a degree, but not in the way Batman did it. In most you have the option of approaching a situation guns blazing or stealthily. This depends on your preference. In AA, you were forced into particular playstyles depending on the room's mechanics.

[PSPfreak]

I agree, I hadn't gotten to that complaint yet. You went from a very enjoyable beat'em up style game in one "room" to a gimmicky feeling stealth game in the next, to a bizarre "detective mode" palette swap with absolutely no "game" element, to a Tomb Raider-esque platformer.

Which would have been fine if these elements seemed more integrated, but it was almost like there were 3-4 different and entirely separate games. There seemed to be a lack of design coherence. The game wasn't sure what sort of game it was.


Variety = bad?

[vivalahazy]

The only issue I had with batman was that I found myself always playing with the detective mode on as I was looking for the riddler stuff