Year in Review
Well, let's do a year-end post. I don't have much to talk about, because I didn't do much in '09. Really, it's just a crappy cap-off to the crappy back-half of a decade that had a really awesome first half. But I'm not here to talk about 2000-05. Or 06-08.
There's one thing I did do a lot of last year, though, and that's play games. So because most of the news publications I actually read are doing their game of the year lists, I figure that's something I'm pretty qualified to do, too. I'm not going to rank them, though, because I have slept a lot since January '09, and really, it doesn't matter. If it makes it on the "best of the year" list, does it really matter where on the list it is? It's not like I have a bunch of foul-mouthed teenagers waiting to argue about it in the comments.
So let's do it! The best games Hibbsy played in 2009, because he didn't do much else worth writing about in 2009:
Trine: If you're as big a fan of 2-D platformers as I am, this one is really a no-brainer. It's got gorgeous graphics, gorgeous music, and super fun and tight (for a physics-based game, anyway) platforming action. The crux of the game is finding a way from the left side of the level to the right, but you can do that just about any way you please. There are sections where you have to fight several baddies who teleport in, and when these drag on, they're really the only part of the game that gets stale. On the flip side, though, there are times where you get to see the the bad guys before you have to fight them, and you are again free to find interesting ways to dispatch them. All in all, you should have bought this game when it was $5 on Steam last week.
Batman Arkham Asylum: Quite possibly the finest brawler in existence. Sure, you can mash punch and do alright for most of the game, but there's a real depth to the combat, and it doesn't get too repetitive until near the very end, because they vary the gameplay so often. Speaking of, the stealth sections are also some of the best around. They're very game-y, in the sense that the mechanics are very conspicuous. To me, this is vital for stealth gameplay that does not feel cheap, and is therefore actually fun. Sort of like the way Metal Gear Solid was way more fun than Metal Gear Solid 3.
Race for the Galaxy: Easily my favorite card game since Magic: The Gathering (though if you put the two side-by-side today, I'd pick Race hands down). It's not collectible, which helps at my age, where I have a lot more things to think about in any given day than when I was 13. There's very little player interaction in the game proper, as each player is just trying to score as many points as they can with the cards they've got. Of course, the players determine which turn phases everybody will play simultaneously (you'll never play them all on one turn in a 4-player game), so once you get into serious play, just as much of the game is spent trying to guess what the other players are going to do so you can get as much done on your turn as possible. Each game also goes pretty quickly once all the players have the hang of the game, so it's really easy to go for a rematch right after playing.
'Splosion Man: The Sonic the Hedgehog game you've been waiting for since Sonic Adventure. The one you always say you wish they would make instead of the one they inevitably make each and every time. This game is pretty much unadulterated fun, up until the last boss, which is still pretty awesome once you manage to get it right. Again, if you're a fan of 2-D platformers, this is the purest and most entertaining instance of the medium to hit in years.
Shadow Complex: Another side-scroller. This time it's essentially Super Metroid, and I'm not sure the case needs to be made any further. This game made me happy in a way that previously only Symphony of the Night did, and since Symphony is undeniably the greatest game ever created, that's high praise.
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition: it may have come out in 2008, but 2009 is when I was really able to get into it. I never played much of 3rd Edition or 3.5, but I understand that the rules were a lot more complex, and designed to cover a lot more side cases, non-combat actions, and actual role playing. But you know what, 4E made the basic framework simpler and a lot more game-y. Again I use that term, and this is something I like from my games. I like to know what the rules are, and how the mechanics work. I like to see how it works under the hood, and know what I'm doing when I do things in the game. To me, I find this setup actually quite conducive to role playing (at least from behind the DM screen), because it's a lot easier to get a handle on the game mechanics, and throw in your own custom stuff where you want it. It's a lot easier to get a "feel" for the rules (granted, I've put a lot more time into these rules than 3.5, but it seems that way), so instead of referencing some supplemental table, you can just make stuff up on the fly. The fact that D&D (well, most pen-and-paper RPGs really) encourages this is what makes it an experience like no other, where you're told to do whatever you need to to make the story fun. Really, that's in the rules: "The story comes first." Perhaps the beauty of the new rule set is that it's more accessible to folks who don't necessarily want to get in as deep, and it can be played just as a very entertaining board game with a lot of funny-looking dice. But the second the players want to say "Hey, it's not in the rules, but can I use my grappling hook to pull that guy off the airship?" you can say "Absolutely," and it's very easy to see how using the existing rules as guidelines.
Dragon Age: Origins: Man, this is what I wish all RPGs could be. Old-timey PC RPG players may say "But this is just a new Baldur's Gate! We've been playing games like this for decades!" No, see, I played Baldur's Gate, and it was not that entertaining. Baldur's Gate was Dungeons & Dragons on the computer. And while I just got done with my love letter to D&D, the whole point was that you play D&D around a table with humans making and enforcing the rules. When you put that into the hands of a machine, that can only do what it was programmed to do, all those arcane D&D rules (and none of these are the simplified, video-game-like 4E rules) are more hinderance than help. But Dragon Age realizes it is a video game. Its systems are designed for video game players, and its scenarios are designed to be played through in that context. Sure, it may make the game more constrained and the flow more transparent, but you're not stuck with some worthless schmoe of a player because you built someone who could talk or sneak his way out of fights just like the back of the box told you you could, who keeps getting his ass handed to him in fights he can't avoid because the box lied. Also, this is not a play-by-numbers JRPG grind, either--but you could tell that because the world is well-realized and the story makes sense. Just do yourself a favor and either be a mage or play on easy.
Boom Blox: Bash Party: Boom Blox was perhaps the full realization of the Wii's potential. An accessible game that is fun for gamers and non-gamers young and old, that makes natural use of the unique Wii controls and is a complete blast with 3 friends. Bash Party is, quite simply, Boom Blox but better in every way. There are new modes of play that help keep things fresh, and the variety of levels seems to be better than the first time around. But the biggest improvement is online functionality. The best online functionality of any game on the Wii, actually. Essentially, take all the praise being heaped onto Little Big Planet for the past year, except apply it to a good game that deserves it. You pick a game mode, and say "give me user-generated levels." And it picks some for you, be it the newest or the most favoritest. You pick one that looks neat, and you play it. Immediately. No load time, no extra menus. If you like it, you say "keep it," and it's on your Wii for when you want it. Amazing! Truly a must-have for any Wii owner.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time: I have got it bad for Ratchet & Clank. I love every single one of these games, even Deadlocked. I dropped $400 on a PS3 just to play these games. And the Ratchet games don't mess around. They are just fun with a capital F. If you ever get jaded by games that take themselves too seriously, make too many demands of the player, put millions into graphics and animation without caring how they play, or just generally think they're more than they are, just pop in Ratchet & Clank and remember why you enjoyed this hobby in the first place. Crack in Time is also quite possibly the best in the series, which doesn't hurt its standing in the least.
So there you have it! That's what I did with my year.
There's one thing I did do a lot of last year, though, and that's play games. So because most of the news publications I actually read are doing their game of the year lists, I figure that's something I'm pretty qualified to do, too. I'm not going to rank them, though, because I have slept a lot since January '09, and really, it doesn't matter. If it makes it on the "best of the year" list, does it really matter where on the list it is? It's not like I have a bunch of foul-mouthed teenagers waiting to argue about it in the comments.
So let's do it! The best games Hibbsy played in 2009, because he didn't do much else worth writing about in 2009:
Trine: If you're as big a fan of 2-D platformers as I am, this one is really a no-brainer. It's got gorgeous graphics, gorgeous music, and super fun and tight (for a physics-based game, anyway) platforming action. The crux of the game is finding a way from the left side of the level to the right, but you can do that just about any way you please. There are sections where you have to fight several baddies who teleport in, and when these drag on, they're really the only part of the game that gets stale. On the flip side, though, there are times where you get to see the the bad guys before you have to fight them, and you are again free to find interesting ways to dispatch them. All in all, you should have bought this game when it was $5 on Steam last week.
Batman Arkham Asylum: Quite possibly the finest brawler in existence. Sure, you can mash punch and do alright for most of the game, but there's a real depth to the combat, and it doesn't get too repetitive until near the very end, because they vary the gameplay so often. Speaking of, the stealth sections are also some of the best around. They're very game-y, in the sense that the mechanics are very conspicuous. To me, this is vital for stealth gameplay that does not feel cheap, and is therefore actually fun. Sort of like the way Metal Gear Solid was way more fun than Metal Gear Solid 3.
Race for the Galaxy: Easily my favorite card game since Magic: The Gathering (though if you put the two side-by-side today, I'd pick Race hands down). It's not collectible, which helps at my age, where I have a lot more things to think about in any given day than when I was 13. There's very little player interaction in the game proper, as each player is just trying to score as many points as they can with the cards they've got. Of course, the players determine which turn phases everybody will play simultaneously (you'll never play them all on one turn in a 4-player game), so once you get into serious play, just as much of the game is spent trying to guess what the other players are going to do so you can get as much done on your turn as possible. Each game also goes pretty quickly once all the players have the hang of the game, so it's really easy to go for a rematch right after playing.
'Splosion Man: The Sonic the Hedgehog game you've been waiting for since Sonic Adventure. The one you always say you wish they would make instead of the one they inevitably make each and every time. This game is pretty much unadulterated fun, up until the last boss, which is still pretty awesome once you manage to get it right. Again, if you're a fan of 2-D platformers, this is the purest and most entertaining instance of the medium to hit in years.
Shadow Complex: Another side-scroller. This time it's essentially Super Metroid, and I'm not sure the case needs to be made any further. This game made me happy in a way that previously only Symphony of the Night did, and since Symphony is undeniably the greatest game ever created, that's high praise.
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition: it may have come out in 2008, but 2009 is when I was really able to get into it. I never played much of 3rd Edition or 3.5, but I understand that the rules were a lot more complex, and designed to cover a lot more side cases, non-combat actions, and actual role playing. But you know what, 4E made the basic framework simpler and a lot more game-y. Again I use that term, and this is something I like from my games. I like to know what the rules are, and how the mechanics work. I like to see how it works under the hood, and know what I'm doing when I do things in the game. To me, I find this setup actually quite conducive to role playing (at least from behind the DM screen), because it's a lot easier to get a handle on the game mechanics, and throw in your own custom stuff where you want it. It's a lot easier to get a "feel" for the rules (granted, I've put a lot more time into these rules than 3.5, but it seems that way), so instead of referencing some supplemental table, you can just make stuff up on the fly. The fact that D&D (well, most pen-and-paper RPGs really) encourages this is what makes it an experience like no other, where you're told to do whatever you need to to make the story fun. Really, that's in the rules: "The story comes first." Perhaps the beauty of the new rule set is that it's more accessible to folks who don't necessarily want to get in as deep, and it can be played just as a very entertaining board game with a lot of funny-looking dice. But the second the players want to say "Hey, it's not in the rules, but can I use my grappling hook to pull that guy off the airship?" you can say "Absolutely," and it's very easy to see how using the existing rules as guidelines.
Dragon Age: Origins: Man, this is what I wish all RPGs could be. Old-timey PC RPG players may say "But this is just a new Baldur's Gate! We've been playing games like this for decades!" No, see, I played Baldur's Gate, and it was not that entertaining. Baldur's Gate was Dungeons & Dragons on the computer. And while I just got done with my love letter to D&D, the whole point was that you play D&D around a table with humans making and enforcing the rules. When you put that into the hands of a machine, that can only do what it was programmed to do, all those arcane D&D rules (and none of these are the simplified, video-game-like 4E rules) are more hinderance than help. But Dragon Age realizes it is a video game. Its systems are designed for video game players, and its scenarios are designed to be played through in that context. Sure, it may make the game more constrained and the flow more transparent, but you're not stuck with some worthless schmoe of a player because you built someone who could talk or sneak his way out of fights just like the back of the box told you you could, who keeps getting his ass handed to him in fights he can't avoid because the box lied. Also, this is not a play-by-numbers JRPG grind, either--but you could tell that because the world is well-realized and the story makes sense. Just do yourself a favor and either be a mage or play on easy.
Boom Blox: Bash Party: Boom Blox was perhaps the full realization of the Wii's potential. An accessible game that is fun for gamers and non-gamers young and old, that makes natural use of the unique Wii controls and is a complete blast with 3 friends. Bash Party is, quite simply, Boom Blox but better in every way. There are new modes of play that help keep things fresh, and the variety of levels seems to be better than the first time around. But the biggest improvement is online functionality. The best online functionality of any game on the Wii, actually. Essentially, take all the praise being heaped onto Little Big Planet for the past year, except apply it to a good game that deserves it. You pick a game mode, and say "give me user-generated levels." And it picks some for you, be it the newest or the most favoritest. You pick one that looks neat, and you play it. Immediately. No load time, no extra menus. If you like it, you say "keep it," and it's on your Wii for when you want it. Amazing! Truly a must-have for any Wii owner.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time: I have got it bad for Ratchet & Clank. I love every single one of these games, even Deadlocked. I dropped $400 on a PS3 just to play these games. And the Ratchet games don't mess around. They are just fun with a capital F. If you ever get jaded by games that take themselves too seriously, make too many demands of the player, put millions into graphics and animation without caring how they play, or just generally think they're more than they are, just pop in Ratchet & Clank and remember why you enjoyed this hobby in the first place. Crack in Time is also quite possibly the best in the series, which doesn't hurt its standing in the least.
So there you have it! That's what I did with my year.