If I had to pick a theme to describe 2009, it would be "The Power of Two," as quite a large handful of game titles were sequels ending with the numeral "2." Uncharted 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin's Creed 2, and Modern Warfare 2, to name a few.
Among those just listed, the only one I've gotten to play extensively is Left 4 Dead 2, and I've got to say that I enjoy it a lot. Although the new toys (new special infected for the infected side and a slew of new weapons for the survivors) are fun to play with, the main attraction is the new game modes. Realism mode makes regular campaign seem like taking a nap, and scavenge mode alone is worth the price of admission. One of my biggest gripes about Left 4 Dead was that it was that the versus format made matches extend to around 90 minutes in length on average, this wasn't remedied until the release of the Crash Course DLC earlier this year. Stopwatch has always been one of my favorite game modes and it seems to be one of the fairest scoring systems, so scavenge is great in that respect.
I recently picked up Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story to keep myself entertained on a 8-hour bush ride when returning to school by bus at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. I enjoyed the first two Mario and Luigi games, and I've got to say that this title outperforms both of them. I like the way that it incorporates the beloved 2-D platformer-style gameplay that Mario is known for. It also makes impressive use of the DS hardware. I love the way that it uses the familiar button-based layout while also taking advantage of intuitive touch-based controls while keeping them compartmentalized enough that they don't bleed into each other. This could quite conceivably be the best DS title to date.
When I first discovered video games, role-playing games were my favorite. However, during my early video-gaming days, I possessed one precious commodity which I unfortunately no longer have in abundance: time. The typical RPG usually includes arduous dungeon crawls spent hunting for a save point, lengthy and repetitive grinding sprees, and other timesinks that make it difficult to fit gaming time into a busy schedule. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is an RPG that is able to eliminate these boring and time-consuming aspects by masquerading as a strategy game. It takes the grid-based combat system of SRPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics and combines it with the turn-based combat system of traditional RPGs like Dragon Warrior and Mother, with the monster collection aspect of Pokemon and Monster Rancher thrown in for good measure.
The Playstation 2 continues to be the platform that outright refuses to die. 2009 brings us Melty Blood Actress Again. In the words of one of my 2D-fighter-fanatic friends, "I think it [Melty Blood Actress Again] is going to be my main fighting game soon, due to Guilty Gear dying, BlazBlue being super mediocre, and Street Fighter IV is like taking a nap." It caters very specifically to those who enjoy 2D fighters, unlike Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue which seem tailored to accommodate those newer to the genre. That being said, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but apparently it has come at the expense of alienating some more aged and hardcore players.
What 2009 releases have you enjoyed most?
Among those just listed, the only one I've gotten to play extensively is Left 4 Dead 2, and I've got to say that I enjoy it a lot. Although the new toys (new special infected for the infected side and a slew of new weapons for the survivors) are fun to play with, the main attraction is the new game modes. Realism mode makes regular campaign seem like taking a nap, and scavenge mode alone is worth the price of admission. One of my biggest gripes about Left 4 Dead was that it was that the versus format made matches extend to around 90 minutes in length on average, this wasn't remedied until the release of the Crash Course DLC earlier this year. Stopwatch has always been one of my favorite game modes and it seems to be one of the fairest scoring systems, so scavenge is great in that respect.
I recently picked up Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story to keep myself entertained on a 8-hour bush ride when returning to school by bus at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. I enjoyed the first two Mario and Luigi games, and I've got to say that this title outperforms both of them. I like the way that it incorporates the beloved 2-D platformer-style gameplay that Mario is known for. It also makes impressive use of the DS hardware. I love the way that it uses the familiar button-based layout while also taking advantage of intuitive touch-based controls while keeping them compartmentalized enough that they don't bleed into each other. This could quite conceivably be the best DS title to date.
When I first discovered video games, role-playing games were my favorite. However, during my early video-gaming days, I possessed one precious commodity which I unfortunately no longer have in abundance: time. The typical RPG usually includes arduous dungeon crawls spent hunting for a save point, lengthy and repetitive grinding sprees, and other timesinks that make it difficult to fit gaming time into a busy schedule. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is an RPG that is able to eliminate these boring and time-consuming aspects by masquerading as a strategy game. It takes the grid-based combat system of SRPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics and combines it with the turn-based combat system of traditional RPGs like Dragon Warrior and Mother, with the monster collection aspect of Pokemon and Monster Rancher thrown in for good measure.
The Playstation 2 continues to be the platform that outright refuses to die. 2009 brings us Melty Blood Actress Again. In the words of one of my 2D-fighter-fanatic friends, "I think it [Melty Blood Actress Again] is going to be my main fighting game soon, due to Guilty Gear dying, BlazBlue being super mediocre, and Street Fighter IV is like taking a nap." It caters very specifically to those who enjoy 2D fighters, unlike Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue which seem tailored to accommodate those newer to the genre. That being said, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but apparently it has come at the expense of alienating some more aged and hardcore players.
What 2009 releases have you enjoyed most?
