Not only can we not play all the games that come out in a year, there are still games that came out last year (or later) that we still want to play. And play them we did. Here are the games we had the most fun with this year that did not come out this year.
Brock – This is a tie for me between Persona 4 on the PS2 and Fallout 3 on the 360. Both games consumed enormous chunks of 2009 and were incredibly fun to play. Persona 4 is probably the most memorable game that I played this year and it will be very hard to top it going into 2010.
Jason O – I don’t like ties because they feel like a cop-out, but I actually have two games. One is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky for the PC. By the time the game hit my radar I didn’t have a machine that could run it. After inheriting a fairly powerful PC and finding it on Steam for all of $5 I decided to give it a try. This is a “survival” game that gets it right. Maybe not a “fun” game, but it is an engaging one that I keep coming back to despite how quickly I die. My other game not only wasn’t released in 2009, it hasn’t been released at all. Of all the games announced this year that was delayed, Alpha Protocol was at the top of my watchlist. While I’d much rather delay a game then release a subpar product, games that are delayed rarely come out as a decent product. I’m still holding out hope for this one though as it explores a theme that is oddly absent in the videogame industry. Open-world espionage gaming? Sign me up!
James – I will definitely go with Team Fortress 2 on the PC. When this game came out I wasn’t interested in it at all to tell you the truth. My brother raved on how much fun it was and how much I would like it. After playing it I could see what he meant. Whenever I had the chance to play a game the the one that was on the top of the list was always this one. The way Valve (the TF2 team) is keeping this game fresh with always coming out with new content and updates for FREE makes me even more eager to purchase the games they come out with.
Nat – I purchased n+ twice–for the DS and PSP. The funny thing is that I acquired the DS version in January and just received the PSP version this week. It’s really the only non-2009 game I played this year.
Will – Audiosurf wins my FGotY 2009 [Didn’t come out in 2009] award, hands down. After playing the Zune HD’s Audiosurf Tilt, I was intrigued to see what the original game was like. I didn’t think it was possible to like this game anymore than the portable version. There is a nice community built around the title. I love comparing my scores to my friends as well as other players in the area. It is a simple and engaging game, and I will continue to pour my time into it.
Tony – This one is a no brainer for me. I started Mass Effect back in 2007 when it came out and only made it about two hours in when other games caught my attention. I didn’t make it back to guide Shepard’s quest to save the universe until late 2009. Now that I’ve finished the game (in preparation for ME2) I can see why everyone was loving this game. Yes, it has some issues and it definitely isn’t perfect but it has really amped me up for Mass Effect 2 to come out. And I definitely won’t wait two years to finish it off.