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Well, what can be said? Turn 10 has done it again. They have crafted a beautiful, brilliant driving, incredibly deep and very rewarding driving game. The game is just a massive success on every level, and regardless of whatever angle you approach it from, it's wonderful.
I should explain, I live in the United Kingdom, and although Tales has been out in Japan and the States for a long time, us Europeans only got to get our hands on this game this summer. It was worth the wait. This game is fantastic. It's lengthy story, good cast of characters, beautifully realised gameplay and immediate fast-paced combat combined to make one quality RPG that draws you in and doesn't let go. It's not perfect; I did find that the button-mashing heavy combat got rather tiresome after a while. But on the whole, the small flaws don't stop this game being a modern classic for Japanese rpg's.
Even when playing alone, this is an awesome and engaging Role Playing Shooter. Many have attempted the hybrid of two of video games' most ubiquitous genres, but Borderlands is perhaps the most successful of all of them. It is certainly flawed, and occasionally frustrating, but it also has one of the most brilliant art styles of any game this year.
Again, I should explain, that although Fallout 3 was a 2008 release, I feel the game deserves a place in my top games of 2009. Why? Well, my most enjoyable playthrough of the game came this year, and of course this was the year that saw all the quality DLC released for the game, which easily added another 12-15 hours to Fallout 3's incredibly deep and rich experience. I chose this pack in particular because I feel that Broken Steel and Point Lookout were the best DLC add-ons, especially Broken Steel, which really improved the ending of the game.
A fantastic DS turn-based strategy with deep gameplay, strong visuals, great sound design and a good variety of game options, as well as three good campaigns. Very addictive, engrossing and rewarding, although it does sometimes fall into the same strategy game pot hole where the only strategy is who has more dudes to throw at the other dudes. Still, great game.
There is something very frustrating about Tekken 6. The fact that the scenario campaign mode was positioned as the main attraction, the lack of mode variety, and some major online play problems can make Tekken 6 seem like a disappointing package. But in terms of gameplay, this is still the best fighter of 2009, although not by a wide margin. The smooth visceral fighting mechanics are better than ever, the character design is as strong as always, Lars, Zafina and Alisa are great new characters, and despite the size of the roster, it's still extremely well balanced - maybe not Virtua Fighter levels of balance, but certainly better than Street Fighter.
Yup. This 2006 release is in my 2009 list of games of the year. Why? Well, a few reasons. First off, I think that if it were released today, Oblivion would still be an amazing gaming experience. Second, I played through Oblivion this year - 130 hours to be exact - using a character that was drastically different from my previous characters, and I have to say that it was probably the most fun I have had with the game since it came out. Third, it's Oblivion. Seriously, this is the greatest game ever made in my humble opinion, and until it begins to age, it's going to be on my game of the year list, provided I played through it again in that year.
