Ah yes, the
noughties. Weren't they great for gaming? Well they were for me cos I was a kid/teenager for most of it so had nothing better to do. I started the decade with a
Gameboy Colour, a
PSX, N64 and a Sega
Megadrive (which looking back on is vaguely disturbing considering I've been playing Mortal
Kombat since the age of about 8) and I end it with an
Xbox 360, by way of the
Xbox, Gamecube and PS2. A brilliant decade for gaming, in my opinion.
2009, though, was a bit shit. There were a couple of sparkling releases but a couple of titles I was really looking forward to were delayed from a Q4 release due to the inevitable exodus caused by the massive spectre of Modern Warfare 2. Although a brilliant game, I would have preferred to wait for it than for say,
Bioshock 2,
Bayonetta and Mass Effect 2, although the next couple of months are gonna be awesome because of these titles. Thank god for those generous aged grandparents with more money than sense.
Anyway, top 10 of 2009:
1. Batman:
Arkham Asylum (
Rocksteady/
Eidos)
Was sceptical at first but the demo convinced me to buy. Having slightly lower expectations, this game gradually grew and grew on me. The mechanics are intuitive, the combat was surprisingly simple yet deep, and the graphics were pretty pretty pretty good. But the standout element for me was the manner in which I was drawn into the
gameworld, similar to playing
Bioshock or Dead Space. Plus, you get to be Batman, which was just fucking cool.
2. Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward/
Activision)
I too had no massive expectations for this, sure I expected something good but I was surprised at the thoughtful nature of the changes from the first installment. Lack of co-op was a massive flaw of the original, and the Spec Ops included here was a great addition. The storyline, while at times descending into sub-James Bond territory hooked me in (the apocalyptic thing gets me every time), despite being short and a little easy, even on veteran. Although I'm more of a Halo kinda guy when it comes to
multiplayer, the depth offered here is incredible, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. A brilliant package of a game.
3.
Fifa 10 (EA)
I was
PES until 2009 but it will be hard for
Konami to top this anytime soon without a huge overhaul. I really enjoyed
FIFA09 too but there was something slightly off about it. As my friend said to me once, it was a bit '
blergh'. In 10 though the action feels smooth and intuitive (despite occasional slowdown online, but that's not a huge problem), the new Be a Pro took up hours of my time and it all feels perfectly natural and organic. EA have created a brilliant physics engine, and the football just happens. In
PES you can always feel the machinery grinding away in the background, and it feels sluggish and contrived next to
FIFA10.
(I can't be bothered to say anything about the rest)
4. Halo 3:
ODST5. Left4Dead2
6. Prototype
7. Halo Wars
8. Assassin's Creed 2
9. Resident Evil 5
10. The Chronicles Of
Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena/Escape from Butcher Bay
Top 10 of the decade:
1. Final Fantasy IX
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
3. Halo: Combat Evolved
4.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
5. Fallout 3
6.
Bioshock7. Smash Bros Melee
8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
9. Braid
10. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
So Lovefilm actually got around to delivering another game after several weeks, unfotunately this game was that mentioned in the title. It's not a bad game, but I would have much preferred any of the other 9 games on my list that were actualy high priority, other than one of the ones that I just casually threw in on low priority to make up the numbers. Anyway, it's kinda fun, sort of like Gears of War (except on Earth and less racist) with a weapon customization aspect. It's always good blowing away random henchmen with a Zebra-stripe adorned AK-47, and being designed for co-op play it's pretty fun with a friend, although the AI exhibited in my brief 10 minute solo foray resulted in a lot of angry muttering on my part. The aggro system is pretty novel as well, meaning that if you have a jewel encrusted rocket launcher, the baddies will try to take you down while your buddy flanks the enemy and shoots them in the back. It's a decent addition, but a little gimmicky.
So I've pre-ordered the two games mentioned above, probably my two mose anticipated releases of 2010, and all within the first 2 months of the year. Gave my wallet a bit of a battering but I'm sure they will be worth it, their debut titles being a couple of my favourite games for my 360. Bioware have made a few brilliant games in the past, KOTOR, Jade Empire and Baldur's Gate being past favourites (yet to play Dragon Age but might give it a go once I've got through my current inundation of games) and the original Mass Effect continued this. Despite having numerous flaws, the odd interfaces, freaky uncanny-valley character models and clunky teammate AI and direction, it was a brilliant game. I loved the storyline, environments, visual style, voice acting and Bladerunner-esque soundscape. Might have to give it another whirl over the next week to get back in that universe before the sequel's release.
So, as the title suggests, last night I saw Avatar 3D at the Imax. It was the second time I've seen the film (the first time being regular 3D) and it was still pretty enjoyable. Clichéd plot, bad writing, lots of sentimental guff but enjoyable. I don't get 3D though. I really just don't find it that impressive. Just seems like a marketing gimmick that cinemas are using to get the maximum amount of money possible from the punters. Don't particularly like the colour loss with the glasses on either. Would like to see this film in regular flat screen just to see if it's any different. I suspect it wouldn't be. Anyway, I'm sure Dances With Smurfahontas: ODST will clear up at the Oscars this year.
