It’s that very special time once again, when the GamerNode team members get together to honor the year’s greatest achievements in gaming… and try not to come to blows or throw tantrums over our democratically selected winners. This final year of the decade has turned out to be an excellent one, with many high-scoring and multi-million-selling titles hitting consoles and PCs consistently from beginning to end, so it’s only fitting that we are celebrating that fact with our biggest Nodie Awards “ceremony” to date.
Below, you’ll find the links to all 24 categories and winners, which will be posted in four sets over the course of the week. Alternatively, click through each and every page in sequence using the numbered links at the bottom of the article to get the full Nodie experience. Without further ado, the winners:
Special Honors
Monday, December 28, 2009
Best Visuals
Best Audio
Best Story
Best Multiplayer
Most Innovative
Best New IP
Biggest Surprise
Most Disappointing
Genre Awards
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Best Action/Adventure
Best Shooter
Best Role-playing Game
Best Strategy/Simulation
Best Fighting Game
Best Racing Game
Best Sports Game
Platform Awards
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Best XBLA/PSN/WiiWare Game
Best Handheld Game
Best Wii Exclusive
Best Xbox 360 Exclusive
Best PlayStation 3 Exclusive
Best PC Exclusive
Best Multiplatform Game
Game of the Year & Most Anticipated
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Game of the Year
Most Anticipated Game of 2010
Best Visuals
Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
In terms of visual spectacle and cinematic excellence, nothing topped Uncharted 2 this year. The game’s characters are some of the best yet seen in a video game, and the visual achievement there breathes life into the entire experience. The environments, too, are incredibly polished, and become even more impressive during the game’s many action-packed scenes and set pieces, where they feel more tangible and real than most anything else to date. If the views from Uncharted 2‘s Himalayas don’t impress you, nothing will.
Honorable Mention: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Audio
Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Winning the best audio distinction takes more than just a great soundtrack or just great voice acting, as evidenced by the voting for this year’s Nodie winner in this category. So many games came through this year with excellent music to accompany the on-screen action, but it was really the voice acting that made the best stand out above the others. Both Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Batman: Arkham Asylum delivered in that area, but it was Uncharted 2 that brought the complete package in terms of excellent, believable voice acting, a great score, and immersive environmental sound effects like nothing else. More cinematic and human than any other game of 2009, Uncharted 2 owes much of its success to its audio.
Honorable Mention: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Best Story
Winner: Assassin’s Creed II
What. The. F@#$. Those are the words uttered by Desmond as the big reveal of Assassin’s Creed II comes to a close. I think every person who got to that point was thinking or saying the exact same thing. Assassin’s Creed II is a broad, yet fast-moving story of intrigue, conspiracy, and blood. Each of the characters, from Ezio himself to “The Spaniard” Rodrigo Borgia, is but one ink in a chain of events that were set in motion even before the first game began. When the Vault is opened and Ezio steps inside, what transpires is unlike anything gamers have ever experienced before in gaming. Developers, take note: if you want to see how an incredible twist is executed, play Assassin’s Creed II. Ubisoft Montreal has figured it out.
Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Multiplayer
Winner: Left 4 Dead 2
What’s more fun than killing millions of zombies across the American South by yourself? Slaughtering them with as many as three of your friends. The frantic and fast-paced nature of Left 4 Dead 2 makes every co-op and versus session exciting and addicting. The very nature of the gameplay, especially in versus modes, forces players to co-operate to survive and to kill their enemies. With new “special infected” to play as and a new scavenge mode introduced, plus new weapons and the introduction of melee weapons, it’s no surprise that Left 4 Dead 2 has earned this award.
Honorable Mention: Borderlands
Most Innovative
Winner: Scribblenauts
It’s hard to argue with the innovative prowess of a game where the player creates essentially whatever they want to aid their playable character. And so Scribblenauts follows in the tradition of create-your-own-games that have come before it. Like LittleBigPlanet, the game has an extensive “story mode,” despite the lack of a story, and a level creation mode, and the player is afforded all kinds of awards and brownie badges for succeeding in almost any capacity. But the real star of Scribblenauts is the collection of nouns that the player types in to solve puzzles, fight, and navigate the levels, of which there are over a cool 20,000. This means that Scribblenauts will allow you to conjure most things you can think of, including a doppelganger, keyboard cat, and various gods, on a whim. This nearly complete list of nouns (not including all the explicit ones) serves as a remarkably fun innovation in gaming that makes it possible to toy around on the first level for hours and hours and still not get bored or run out of ideas. It’s hard to beat the imagination of the developers that transforms so well into the creativity of the player, which is why this Nodie goes to Scribblenauts.
Honorable Mention: Demon’s Souls
Best New IP
Winner: inFAMOUS
Sucker Punch nailed all the right areas with their brand new IP, inFAMOUS. With solid controls and exploration elements, a twisting story with heart-wrenching morality choices, and satisfying electrical abilities, inFAMOUS throws down one of the most memorable experiences in a while. Combine that with some amazing graphical and sound design and inFAMOUS is easily one of the most impressive open-world action games to date, and the best new IP of 2009. This year’s runner-up, Brutal Legend, also presented a wonderful game world, excellent writing, and solid storytelling, but squandered that excellent IP in a game that suffered from questionable design choices and gameplay mechanics.
Honorable Mention: Brutal Legend
Biggest Surprise
Winner: Demon’s Souls
This year’s Biggest Surprise award goes to an incredibly unique and engaging title that would likely have received even more awards and recognition from the gaming community had it been slightly less obscure. Demon’s Souls is an impressively deep and epic minimally multiplayer online rpg that challenges players to survive a harsh world full of formidable demons and both fearsome and friendly apparitions of other players whose indivdual game worlds represent parallel dimensions of the kingdom of Boletaria. Precise combat controls and realistic physics are building blocks in an overwhleming and richly detailed game world that changes based on players’ successes and failures, and an extensive weapons-forging system and character-building process makes Demon’s Souls a game that will last players a very long time… once they discover it.
Honorable Mention: Little King’s Story
Most Disappointing
Winner: Brutal Legend
Brutal Legend is proof that even the best ideas for characters, story and setting can’t save a game with mediocre gameplay. With all its clever writing, likable characters, and Tim Schafer’s creative mind behind it, Brutal Legend‘s gameplay just wasn’t there to back it up. Rather than focusing on a single genre, it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be an action adventure, an action RPG, an open-world driving game, or a real-time strategy. Without really succeeding in any of those areas, Brutal Legend goes down as the most painfully disappointing game of the year.
Honorable Mention: Scribblenauts
Best Action/Adventure
Winner: Assassin’s Creed II
The thrill of waiting for a guard to walk towards you as you hang off the roof of a tiny Italian house…. The anticipation of knowing what’s about to befall the poor sap as he saunters toward you…. Finally, the moment of truth as you plunge your hidden blade into the guard and toss him off of the roof into the water below…. Scenes like this are what make Assassin’s Creed II a fantastic experience. A simple combat system blends seamlessly with excellent platforming and a brilliant currency system, making Assassin’s Creed II one of the most complete games of 2009, earning it the Nodie for Best Action/Adventure of 2009.
Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Shooter
Winner: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
When the first Modern Warfare came out, it revolutionized shooters with its RPG-like leveling and unlockables in multiplayer. It’s no surprise then that Modern Warfare 2 stepped it up a notch when it released this November. The great shooter gameplay that has kept the Call of Duty franchise a leader in the genre has been combined with realistic modern weapons, the multiplayer leveling system, and the great perk and killstreak systems, making this a must-buy for many gamers. On top of that are the engaging single-player story and the challenging two-player special ops missions, which helped Infinity Ward’s latest effort edge past the “bazillion guns” and attractive art style of runner-up Borderlands.
Honorable Mention: Borderlands
Best Role-playing Game
Winner: Dragon Age: Origins
In one of the closest contests of this year’s Nodie Awards, BioWare’s character- and relationship-focused tale, Dragon Age: Origins was able to edge out sleeper contender Demon’s Souls‘ austere solitude and unique gameplay mechanics. Complete with all the key components of a well-executed RPG, including a substantial party of a variety of characters, anepic storyline, and enough character customization and novelty to keep players busy for multiple play-throughs, it’s easy to see why BioWare has become a household name for western RPGs, and why Dragon Age has earned this year’s Nodie Award for the best in the genre.
Honorable Mention: Demon’s Souls
Best Strategy/Simulation
Winner: Empire: Total War
The real-time strategy genre has grown thin over the years, but The Creative Assembly has managed to develop and consistently improve upon a formula for what is essentially total domination in the grand strategy picture. Empire: Total War takes the successful franchise to a new era and puts players in control of imperialistic European empires seeking to expand and control the new worlds of India and the Americas via land and sea. From the political, economic, and social management of the turn-based portions of the campaign, down to the immense real-time battles the series is known for, Empire pays very close attention to detail and emerges as one of the most complete strategy games to date. Although so immense it is at first daunting, once you are entrenched, there’s little turning back from “just one more turn.”
Honorable Mention: Plants vs. Zombies
Best Fighting Game
Winner: Street Fighter IV
Fighting games have seen a steady decline in popularity, thanks to the closing of arcades and the increasing complexity of the genre. If you don’t know how to dash cancel out of a hadouken, you could easily be labeled a “newb.” Then, Street Fighter IV came and reminded us all why we fell in love with fighting games in the first place. Echoing the classic Street Fighter II, SFIV is simple, easy to pick up, and most importantly, fun. It is also deceptively complex for those who want to dive deeper, featuring cancels, focus moves, and EX moves. It reinvegorated the arcade scene as well, but this time online, thanks to Capcom’s GGPO online system that virtually eliminated lag and created a smooth environment for fierce competition. SFIV proves that fighting games can be played online and be played well. Above all, though, SFIV is a reminder that games were once simple and fun endeavors that everyone can enjoy, no matter what your skill level.
Honorable Mention: Tekken 6
Best Racing Game
Winner: Forza Motorsport 3
The Forza Motorsport series has quickly become one of the most prominent racing franchises in gaming over the course of its relatively short life. Forza 3 just may have solidified its position as one of the best racing games, period. The game is massive, featuring over 400 cars, a refined and immersive career mode, and countless technical and visual updates that make Forza 3 the ultimate racing game and a virtual compendium of the sport. Count in the new and innovative rewind feature, robust online community tools such as the online auctions and custom paint jobs, and the easily approachable difficulty modifiers ensuring any player can have fun, and Turn 10 Studios has created a game that is truly the best racing game this year.
Honorable Mention: DiRT 2
Best Sports Game
Winner: FIFA Soccer 10
There may be much debate about which sport is indeed the best in the world, especially by those of us who reside in the United States. When it comes to video games, however, the distinction is clear: “football” (soccer) is the dominant form of virtua-athletic competition. FIFA 10 not only ironed out the little bugs of previous yearly entries, as most sports franchises tend to do, but it also added new (and rebuilt) game modes, better control, and highly refined AI, not to mention the fact that it includes nearly 550 clubs and national teams from around the world. That number is just staggering.
Honorable Mention: NHL 10
Best XBLA/PSN/WiiWare Game
Winner: Shadow Complex
Downloadable games have seen a huge increase in the past few years, making the category of best console download game increasingly more competitive. Edging out this year among an extremely wide array of game types is Shadow Complex, the Xbox Live successor to 2D base-exploration games like Super Metroid. But Shadow Complex takes on new challenges and revamps gameplay by incorporating new elements like three-dimensional interaction with enemies and the environment, new, multi-use weapons and armor, and some intense boss fights that rival the invincible Ridley. Shadow Complex also boasts a decent story and solid length for a downloadable game, and the spirit of exploration embedded therein will keep completionist gamers busy for hours after that. It certainly doesn’t look identical to other projects coming out of Epic or Chair Studios, but this game plays just as well, despite the XBLA price tag of $15. For most, this is a paltry sum for the great gaming experience that is Shadow Complex.
Honorable Mention: Flower
Best Handheld Game
Winner: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
While there have been numerous portable GTA games, GTA: Chinatown Wars was the first one to mimic the feel of GTAIV on a handheld. All of the GTAIV features are replicated here, from the GPS map system to the random missions that pop up around the city. The drug trading meta-game makes Chinatown Wars stand out from the others though, featuring a full-fledged and illicit economy that is a beast on its own. Trade info and turf-specific suppliers await you in a surprisingly deep system. The game is also the first portable GTA to make you feel like you are in a vibrant, living city. People walk the streets to their jobs, talk on their cellphones, and even pop umbrellas when it starts to rain, all from the classic GTA overhead viewpoint. The game also has a dark, comical story that will make you cringe and laugh. Whereas GTAIV was trying to be a serious affiar, GTA: Chinatown Wars is a goofy, over-the-top crime story that is definitely welcome. Whether you are playing on the Nintendo DS with the touch minigames, or the revamped PSP version (the better version in Matt’s opinion), GTA: Chinatown Wars is one of the best GTA games and the best handheld game of the year.
Honorable Mention: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Best Wii Exclusive
Winner: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Say what you will about Nintendo, but they know how to make an extremely fun game. New Super Mario Bros. Wii takes the classic Mario formula and multiplies it by four. Playing classic-style Mario with four players is an insane, hectic, and fun experience. Players can work together in harmony or battle their way through the game’s eight worlds and it works perfectly either way. Nintendo has built a game that anyone can enjoy, regardless of your gaming status, and one that will entice people who haven’t picked up a controller since the original Super Mario Bros. to sit down and enjoy either a fantastic bonding experience or a reason to start hating their friends.
Honorable Mention: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Best Xbox 360 Exclusive
Winner: Halo 3: ODST
What started as a simple expansion and grew into something all its own, Halo 3: ODST emerged as a solid installment in the Halo franchise. It features the best storytelling in the series, using flashbacks to tell the stories of every main character and features an addictive new multiplayer mode in Firefight. The game also comes with the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience, including all the original and DLC maps. Halo 3: ODST not only stands on its own, it has become an evolutionary benchmark for the Halo series.
Honorable Mention: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Best PlayStation 3 Exclusive
Winner: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
While previous years have earned Sony the ridicule of many in the gaming community, 2009 has truly been the year of the PlayStation 3. Along with the new, slimmed-down version of the console and a welcome price drop, the PS3 has seen exclusive hit after exclusive hit, none more exemplary than Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. A strong candidate for Game of the Year, Uncharted 2‘s improved blend of platforming, exploration, and third-person shooting combine with the best audio and visuals of the year to form a cinematic masterpiece that wins this most decisive victory over runner-up (always a bridesmaid…) Demon’s Souls.
Honorable Mention: Demon’s Souls
Best PC Exclusive
Winner: Empire: Total War
As in the strategy genre, there were few games that could compete with the epic scale brought to the table by Empire: Total War. Nearly every last detail involved in controlling an expanding empire in the 1700s is in the game, and it’s enough to keep players locked in for hours — days, weeks — on end. Like GN’s runner-up, The Sims 3 (which now offers a fully open game world for sims to roam), Empire has taken a great formula and improved and expanded upon it for 2009.
Honorable Mention: The Sims 3
Best Multiplatform Game
Winner: Assassin’s Creed II
On either the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 (and eventually the PC), Assassin’s Creed II will wow gamers with its beautiful cities, rich in design and historical accuracy, with top-notch visuals and immerive audio. The long road to revenge and Ezio’s growth into both a mature character and a refined killer is a satisfying experience, as are the near-perfect climbing mechanics and highly enjoyable combat and stealth elements. So much has been poured into Assassin’s Creed II‘s playground that there is rarely a dull moment and always a number of options for the gamer, be it assassination, discovering secret messages encrypted in the animus, seeking out ancient tombs hidden throughout northern Italy, or simply exploring all of the art, architecture, and partially fictionalized history of the time period. This is a hard act to follow.
Honorable Mention: Batman: Arkham Asylum
2009 Game of the Year
Winner: Assassin’s Creed II
What else is there to say? The visuals are awe-inspiring, the controls are tight and responsive, and the story has twists and turns worthy of Lost. Couple that with a brilliant soundtrack by Jespyr Kyd, and Ubisoft has created a masterpiece, capturing the essence of Renaissance Italy in one epic game. There were not many games this year that kept us wanting to play “just one more mission,” but Assassin’s Creed II did just that. If you are apprehensive about playing this because of the first game’s flaws, don’t be: everything that went wrong there is fixed here and then some. Perhaps Assassin’s Creed II can itself be considered a renaissance in platforming, storytelling, and improving on the predecessor. However history will come to remember it, there is a definite way to describe it right now: GamerNode’s 2009 Game of the Year.
Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Most Anticipated Game of 2010
Winner: Mass Effect 2
2009 was a hotly anticipated year in video games, largely due to the prospective releases of some of the industry’s biggest sequels. However, a number of those anticipated for 2009 were moved back to 2010 to allow further development time (and probably to avoid the competition of other sequels released this fall like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed II), including our most anticipated title of 2010, Mass Effect 2. ME2 still faces stiff sequel competition, though, from games like Bioshock 2 and our runner-up, God of War III, but edges out the competition for a few innovations and improved gameplay elements over the first Mass Effect. For starters, the original was a fantastic game with an intriguing plot, fun, fast-paced action, and believable, interactive dialogue. But it seems that BioWare has taken those elements and spit-shined every one, the biggest being improved combat mechanics, and has added in some interesting, fresh details, like the ability of Mass Effect 2 to take save data from a completed Mass Effect file and integrate choices made in the first game into consequences in the second. With a late-January release date, gamers are already getting ready for another round of interstellar communication in Mass Effect 2.
Honorable Mention: God of War III
Contributing writers: Tyler Cameron, Dan Crabtree, Matthew Erazo, Jason Fanelli, Eddie Inzauto, Mike Murphy
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