GAME OF THE YEAR
Winner: BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM--Rocksteady's triumphant Batman experience is the best game of 2009. It is polished in every aspect of its design, from its fluid combat to its sprawling world, its detailed characters and environments to its superior voice performances, from its stunning graphics to its original story to its excellent pacing to its addictive Riddler puzzles. Its filled with easter eggs for batfans and its addicting Challenge mode extends the game past its fantastic story mode (even further if you included DLC Challenge packs). Despite its superb competition, there is no doubt that Batman: Arkham Asylum is an excellent thesis on video game design and the most well-designed, fun, and simply best game of this year.
Honorable Mentions: Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Assassin's Creed II
DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Rocksteady Studios (Batman: Arkham Asylum)--Rocksteady has emerged as the darling of the industry with their hit title Batman: Arkham Asylum. With this game, Rocksteady was able to borrow various gameplay elements from other big games out there and refine them so that they fit into their own polished product. And their game is one of the most polished, enjoyable, and expertly-paced games available, all a product of excellent decisions at the design level. We all can't wait to see what they bring out next, Batman or otherwise.
Honorable Mentions: Naughty Dog (Uncharted 2), Infinity Ward (Modern Warfare 2), Ensemble Studios (Halo Wars)
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Electronic Arts-- under new-ish CEO John Ricciatello, EA has flourished. Gone are the days where EA resembled the Evil Empire, pumping out yearly sequels and milking their properties (a torch that Activision has now taken). Instead EA has established itself as a publishers willing to embrace the next big idea and foster development of new IP's. It has also helped independent developers out with its EA Partners program, chief among these Valve and MTV Games. EA looks to continues this Ricciatello-led success into the next year, but for 2009 it can truly claim to be the best publisher in the industry.
Honorable Mentions: Sony, Microsoft, THQ
BEST NEW IP
Winner: Dragon Age: Origins--it's very hard to create an engaging new IP in the sequel-driven game industry, particularly when you've got a bad economy hindering sales and causing publishers to want to lean toward sure-fire successes. Despite that, we saw a number of interesting new IPs from various studios this year, but the brightest star among them all was BioWare's original take on dark fantasy role-playing.
Honorable Mentions: Borderlands, Shadow Complex, Infamous
BEST FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER (FPS)
Winner: Modern Warfare 2--Infinity Ward once again proves to be "the" developer for the Call of Duty franchise. Their latest is the epitome of the game industry's version of Hollywood's summer blockbuster: it's big, it's flashy, it's fun, and it has very little story. Despite that last bit, this is without a doubt the best FPS out there and a true genre-definer. Other FPS developers have been playing catch up since 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and that gap just got much, much wider.
Honorable Mentions: Halo 3: ODST, Borderlands, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
BEST THIRD-PERSON SHOOTER
Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves-- Naughty Dog's thriller is simply the best game on PlayStation 3 this year. Yea, it's gorgeous, but it's also got an engaging story and some incredible shooting sequences. These shooting sequences were arguably the weakest part of the first Uncharted, so the fact that Naughty Dog has brought them up such a long way is a testament to the developer's willingness to listen to its critics.
Honorable Mentions: Resident Evil 5, Red Faction: Guerilla
BEST FIGHTING GAME
Winner: Fight Night Round 4--after a couple years in hibernation, EA's boxing franchise comes back better than ever. In a time that the sport of boxing itself is on the ropes (pun intended), the game comes through by delivering a variety of dream matchups that we never would have seen in real life, spotlighted by the cover's Ali-Tyson bout. There really isn't too much bad to say about this game especially as EA continues to support it through downloadable content.
Honorable Mentions: Street Fighter IV, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Tekken 6
BEST PLATFORMER
Winner: New Super Mario Bros. Wii--the Mario formula has repeatedly stood the test in time and the latest iteration being no exception. The series goes back to its 2D roots (at least until the 3D Galaxy 2 drops next year) much like the similarly-named DS title before it, but this time mixes in up to 4 players. The result is a fantastic traditional Mario platformer infused with both chaotic hilarity and cooperative freedom to create what is possibly the best 2D Mario yet.
Honorable Mentions: LittleBIGPlanet PSP, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, 'Splosion Man
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
Winner: Batman: Arkham Asylum--really enough cannot be said about how well Rocksteady Studios was able to blend together gameplay systems established by other developers. It is a technique many developers to not do, which is to learn from others and apply to their own work. The simple-yet-engaging combat system and the sprawling-yet-contained world that constantly opens up further are testaments to the studio's success.
Honorable Mentions: Assassin's Creed II, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Infamous
BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME (RPG)
Winner: Dragon Age: Origins--despite the shadow of its sci-fi big brother Mass Effect 2 on the horizon, BioWare delivers again with Dragon Age, its original take on the fantasy realm where the studio started with Baldur's Gate. The game delivers on many BioWare staples, such as branching paths, the abundance of choice, a robust and uber-imagined storyline, and powerful voice acting and characters. Not to mention this is likely the longest single player game you will play this year with estimates in the 60-80 hour range (not even counting DLC!).
Honorable Mentions: Borderlands, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Star Ocean: The Last Hope
BEST SPORTS GAME
Winner: Madden NFL 10-- This year's Madden will be a remembered as a pivotal moment for the series. They slowed down the game speed just a notch, which--when combined with the series' best animation system to date--provides for the most realistic virtual gridiron game ever made. It also differentiates the series from EA's NCAA Football series and throws in many features lacking from Madden since the PS2 days. Next year's game has a lot to live up to (again).
Honorable Mentions: FIFA 10, NBA 2K10, Fight Night Round 4
BEST RACING GAME
Winner: Need for Speed Shift--following a number of mediocre retreads for the Need for Speed series the past few years, EA came out of the gate flooring it with this year's Shift, a true breath of fresh air for the series. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios instead of the series' traditional EA Black Box studio, Shift feels unlike any other racer out there and gives you an amazing sense of adrenaline and control in its superior cockpit mode.
Honorable Mentions: Forza Motorsport 3, DiRT 2, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
BEST MUSIC GAME
Winner: Guitar Hero 5--the godfather of the music game genre returned to the top this year as Guitar Hero 5 included a number of features to make it more party-friendly, such as allowing any combination of 4 instruments to be played at once. It is simply the most refined version of a very tired formula, even though it lacks the robust downloadable catalog of its main competitor.
Honorable Mentions: The Beatles: Rock Band, Lips: Number One Hits, Rock Band Unplugged
BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Winner: Modern Warfare 2-- is their really any doubt that Infinity Ward's mega-blockbuster is the pinnacle of online game design, particularly in the FPS genre? Infusing the multiplayer with RPG-like experience and upgrade systems has reshaped the way the entire industry looks at online multiplayer. The numbers speak for themselves: Modern Warfare 2 is the king of online gaming.
Honorable Mentions: Halo 3: ODST, Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2
BEST OFFLINE MULTIPLAYER
Winner: The Beatles: Rock Band-- The Beatles are a band that transcends generations of music as is beloved by just about everyone, so what better group is there to feature in their own dedicated game and bring generations together in one living room? Harmonix nailed the Beatles vibe with their dreamscapes and full-album downloads to create a package that truly anyone in the house can enjoy.
Honorable Mentions: FIFA 10, Guitar Hero 5, Halo 3: ODST
BEST VOICE ACTING
Winner: Batman: Arkham Asylum--the voice cast of Arkham Asylum is simply phenomenal with each actor bringing their character to life masterfully. The cast is headlined by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker, respectively, from the hit 1990's show Batman: The Animated Series. Excellent across the board.
Honorable Mentions: Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Brutal Legend
BEST LICENSED SOUNDTRACK
Winner: Madden NFL 10--This year's version of EA Tiburon's annual football hit is infused with a high-energy soundtrack that features a wider variety of music than any of its predecessors, most notably a great selection of hard rock and metal hits that complement the hard-hitting nature of football.
Honorable Mentions: DiRT 2, FIFA 10, Skate 2
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Winner: Halo 3: ODST-- All Halo games have featured a powerful and emotional original score that really boost the story of the campaigns, and ODST is no exception. Composer Marty O'Donnell strikes a new mood for dark streets of New Mombasa and creates another fantastic audio set piece.
Honorable Mentions: Halo Wars, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II
BEST OVERALL SOUND DESIGN
Winner: Halo 3: ODST--Bungie's Marty O'Donnell does it again in ODST, another great Halo game featuring very detailed sound design. From chatter, voice acting, weapons fire, the incredible score, and subtle little sound effects here and there, ODST is really brought to life by its distinct sounds. Particularly memorable is the contrast between the gloomy, solitary night sections from the frantic, action-packed day levels.
Honorable Mentions: Assassin's Creed II, Modern Warfare 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum
BEST ART DESIGN
Winner: Batman: Arkham Asylum-- Rocksteady was able to put their own spin on the classic character designs of the more twisted comics, and this approach is applied throughout the game. As the world morphs due to in-game events, you get to see the art come alive with it. Just keep off detective mode so you can actually appreciate this craftsmanship.
Honorable Mentions: PixelJunk Eden, Brutal Legend, Muramasa: The Demon Blade
BEST GRAPHICS
Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves-- developer Naughty Dog really flexed the power of the PlayStation 3 in this beautiful continuation of their new hit franchise. The gorgeous vistas, the serene atmosphere, the visual diversity, the incredibly detailed character models...Uncharted 2 is the new standard by which graphics will be judged.
Honorable Mentions: Killzone 2, Modern Warfare 2, Resident Evil 5
BEST ORIGINAL NARRATIVE
Winner: Assassin's Creed II-- The second entry in Ubisoft Montreal's stealth-action blockbuster series ratchets up literally every facet of the original's design. Like its predecessor, it also features a totally unique setting in Renaissance Italy while continuing the intriguing tale with even more mystery and subtlety.
Honorable Mentions: Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Resident Evil 5
BEST ADAPTATION
Winner: Batman: Arkham Asylum-- Rocksteady Studios and publisher Eidos made the decision to craft a Batman game not as a cash-in based on the blockbuster film The Dark Knight, but instead on the comic source material. The result of this passion project is arguably the best game adapted from another medium ever created, from its art design, storyline, gameplay, and voice-overs ripped sraight from the equally illustrious 90's cartoon.
Honorable Mentions: Shadow Complex, Ghostbusters: The Game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
MOST INNOVATIVE GAME
Winner: Scribblenauts--developer 5th Cell's adorable puzzle/adventure game lets you summon just about anything you can think of by merely writing out the word.
Honorable Mentions: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, MadWorld, Assassin's Creed II
BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Winner: Shadow Complex--Chair Entertainments' Metroid-inspired adventure is simply fantastic and arguably the best downloadable game of any year. A true must-play.
Honorable Mentions: Battlefield 1943, Peggle, Trials HD
BEST ADD-ON
Winner: Broken Steel (Fallout 3)--this add-on tweaked the way players approached Fallout 3 by opening up the world past the endgame while adding new quests, weapons, and a 50% higher level cap.
Honorable Mentions: All Fronts Collection (Gears of War 2), Map Pack 2 (Call of Duty: World at War), Point Lookout (Fallout 3)
1 comment:
I hope MW2 wins some awards! I might have to check out Batman now, seeing as how many awards it got.
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