Best of 2009

[Julianking93]

I thought I was the only one who hated future Desmond.

Must be because him and Nathan Drake from Uncharted are voiced by the same person.

 

[Abedeus]

I've noticed a bit of a rule of thumb with trilogies: the first one is usually fairly tepid, since they're still finding their feet; the second is the best, now they've learned from experience and cut off the unnecessary flaps; and the third is where they get cocky and it starts to go downhill again.

What about LotR? I find the first one the most boring, the second great, but the third...

Wait, stratch that. I can't stand the last 30 minutes of the third movie...

GAAH NOW I MUST GO AND WATCH THE TWO TOWERS AGAIN!! Happy now, you Australian Maniac?

You've got to be kidding? The first was the best. It had more colours, more romping through different environments, and it had actual happy, jolly, pastoral bits as well. I found the other two boring because I couldn't deal with the continuous orc killing and duller hues for so many hours.

Meh. I didn't like all the colors... It was a movie series about a WAR of the Ring. Not about "Happy Hobbits and the Old Man".

I loved the epic battle scenes, especially the extended edition where Aragorn threw Gimli over the ledge, or when Legolas got Gimli drunk under the table.

 

[TheSkaAssassin]

I've noticed a bit of a rule of thumb with trilogies: the first one is usually fairly tepid, since they're still finding their feet; the second is the best, now they've learned from experience and cut off the unnecessary flaps; and the third is where they get cocky and it starts to go downhill again.

All I've got to say is this

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

 

[kuposenpai]

This less than noble year year wasn't much in the shitty shitty shitty, but more like stinky farty smelly.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

Wish you didn't include this bit:

Halo: ODST

BAH ha ha ha ha. But seriously.

Not because there's anything wrong with the opinion that it's bad, but I have never heard so much bitching about Halo since you mentioned disliking it.

I most certainly agree with not liking Desmond in AC2 though, I haven't played the first game but I immediately told my friend (upon borrowing AC2) "They should have just made the game set in the past where you are really an assassin rather than all this memory stuff" I can't get my head around why they thought the whole Animus thing was a good idea.

It is an ingenious system to make some aspects of the game plausible. Ubisoft stated in an interview that they hated that a character could die, and then come alive a second later with no explanation. They used the animus to make the health system more interesting. By making the game focus on synchronization, as opposed to merely health, they can restrict the player on health and GTAS (grand theft auto syndrome (killing everyone you see)without making the restrictions too obvious.) Also, aspects of the game such as time fast-tracking and target reticules can be explained by the fact that it is all developed by the Animus. I actually think that it is an ingenious idea, and that they should continue to develop it with the next game.

 

[DigitalSushi]

Screed 2 is a huge game with tons of things to do and people to kill, with the niggling unpleasantries of Screed 1 graciously plucked out.

I've got myself Assofass screed 2, and I must say, grind quest.

Go to this point on map, get new marker on map go there, do whatever NPC tells you. I know thats how most games play out but with Screed's massive play area and actual database to the locations I expected more in the way of me controlling Ezio to figuring out where to go instead of following markers.

 

[Shikkakku]

On the side, is it wrong that when I read any Extra Punctuation article, I hear it in Yahtzee's voice?
Because that either means I need to stop watching so much Zero Punctuation, or get myself committed. o_0

 

[Skooterz]

"Shits in the punchbowl" Heh. I don't know. I liked the original Assassin's Creed, even if it did get a bit repetitive after a while. Here's hoping that Ubisoft doesn't "get cocky" during the last installment, as you put it.

On the side, is it wrong that when I read any Extra Punctuation article, I hear it in Yahtzee's voice?
Because that either means I need to stop watching so much Zero Punctuation, or get myself committed. o_0

I read it in his voice as well. What's the problem? He still uses the same style of writing, and the humor is similar.

 

[TheScarecrow]

Of the games listed I only played ODST. I find it confusing that you found Halo 3 to be alright but are dead set against ODST.

As for Creed, I feel I must say I agree with what someone said earlier, why couldn't it just be about assassinating people in the past without all the future shenanigans. Although saying that it is an interesting direction and a useful way of explaining why you get to respawn.

It's great to see some positive opinions from Yahtzee, though I can't see it as very popular with the usual audience of ZP. Also it feels a bit out of character. The Painkiller review worked great for example, but a list of reluctant praise and a few shots still at the games is kind of weird. I guess it has to be all or nothing with the persona Yahtzee has built for himself. In whatever way though, I'd like to see more of this kind of thing.

Really? I quite like it.

 

[LTK_70]

I haven't played Infamous, but when it comes to super-powered asshole games like Prototype, a deeply intriguing storyline is not one of the things that stands out, probably because Alex Mercer is a bit preoccupied with throwing zombies at soldiers, throwing cars at helicopters and destroying buildings by pounding on them. Even so, Prototype's storyline was pretty outstanding to me, so was Infamous also similar in that?

 

[SamuelT]

Anyone ever notice that Ezio has an Italian accent whereas Altaír spoke in a flat American accent? I haven't played the sequel, did any character give an ingame excuse for this inconsistency? Is it simply the case that developers thought gamers could tolerate a sexy Italian accent, but not a Middle-Eastern one?

They say it's

Spoiler: OMGSPOILERS

The Rebecca figure, programming the Animus 2.0 so that you actually feel like being in the time and place, rather than seeing it.

And with they, I mean my interpretation of various online sources.

And only now I see that there are two PS3 exclusives in it. Sony's had a good year.

 

[Heeman89]

I really would like Yahtzee to give a more compelling reason to his dislike of ODST besides the fact that it's Halo, especially when two games before it he says

concentrating a little more on characters with some actual humanity, rather than just being a load of minced beef piled into a power armor suit.

ODSTs aren't running around in invincible power armor. Out of all the Halo games so far, ODST's story is the only one that I thought really had a decent story regarding the imminent destruction of the human race and how desperate they really were. I thought it really captured the human element, the strain the war put on relationships(Dare and Buck), what witnessing destructive power can do to even the hardest soldiers (Buck and the Rookie). I think that this has been the most "human" story in the Halo universe which seems to be what Yahtzee is looking for in a "good" game.

 

[johnman]

On all the "Games of 2009" lists I seem to have played none of them, I really should at least look at them on youtube to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[GrinningManiac]

I really need to get round to buying Uncharted 2

 

[mjc0961]

I have to disagree about everything regarding inFamous being a sandbox game done right. inFamous is a sandbox with no sand: all you get to do are those side missions and collect things. Sure, the side missions actually serve a point in the game, but almost all of them are recycled story missions, and there aren't enough of the original ones. Plus, once you do them, they're gone. Then you just get to collect the random things, and... That's it. Yeah I suppose you can climb around, but why bother fighting with the awful climbing mechanics? There's nothing to do once you get up there. Grinding around isn't enough fun to warrant just grinding around for hours. And once you clean up the city via the side missions, there aren't any psychic hobos to zap in the nads anymore.

And in regards to who ripped off who between Prototype and inFamous... My money would be on inFamous doing the ripping off. If only Prototype had made its original 2008 release date, people wouldn't have to worry about such things. Of course, on the other hand, it might have been as bland and empty in the sandbox department as inFamous was had it not been delayed. I mean, at least when I'm done with everything else in Prototype, there's still both military and infected to screw around with along with just being a dick to regular citizens. And Alex's abilities are way more fun anyway.

Oh, and Prototype was much better written than inFamous, simply because inFamous decided to crap itself at the end with who Kessler turned out to be.

 

[Gongon]

If you're tired of the "smug" voiceacting of Nolan North, try enabling the donut skin. Makes it a whole new game.

 

[WafflesToo]

"Earth to Ubisoft: Nobody. Likes. Future. Desmond. "

Funny... I felt the same way about the Archon in HALO 2, especially since the forced you to play that goob on the heels of taking down a Scarab and then all hell breaking loose for the characters that I actually care about.

Which strangely enough reminds me of reading a Robert Jordon novel...