Before I get started here, I wanted to take a minute to apologize.  For a while, we were updating daily with news and new reviews and articles, and then it... it just stopped.  Truth be told, I don't think any of us had any idea how busy we would all be over the holiday season.  I can't speak for the rest of our crew here, but I can tell you that the last two weeks, in addition to this week, have been absolutely crazy for me.  I feel like I haven't gamed (or slept) in a lifetime.  That said, as Jha mentioned in his Christmas post last week, we will be back soon (here's looking at you, January 3, 2010), and things will get a little closer to normal.  Okay, enough of that.  Here's a brief review of 2009.

2009 was nothing short of monumental in gaming.  We saw the introduction of Project: Natal, Modern Warfare 2 break every conceivable record, Mario return to his 2D roots (and Metroid will as well), Batman prove that licensed games don't have to suck, and a sequel to almost every successful franchise out there (read: Halo, Left 4 Dead, Assassin's Creed, Zelda, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc, etc, etc).  

I couldn't begin to cover every single game that I played (read: conquered) over the last 12 months, but I thought I needed to take some time to cover the highlights (and lowlights) in the span of 40 "one sentence reviews".  That said, in (not quite) chronological order, here are 40 sentences about 40 games of 2009.

1.  Retro Game Challenge (DS)  The absolute most fun way possible to feel like a kid in the 80's, without having to have a shitty haircut and neon clothing.

2.  Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)  Simply put, the most fun GTA game ever made, and the best handheld game I've ever played.

3.  Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (360)  A game with tons and tons of content (yet no title screen...?) that is fun because of multiplayer, but not fun because... it just isn't fun.  

4.  Punch-Out!!! (Wii) You loved it when you had two red buttons and a little black d-pad... you can't get enough of it now because you can actually feel like you're knocking Glass Joe right the fuck out.

5. UFC 2009 Undisputed (360) A quality MMA game that is fun to play... just not online.

6. inFamous (PS3)  Constantly compared to Prototype for no reason, but if we're going to go there, Prototype has more depth and won't bore the hell out of you.

7. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360)  Although the campaign is not terribly amazing, this is hands down the most under-rated multi-player game ever.

8. Prototype (360)  Take the agent from Crackdown, give him some crazy Venom (read: Spiderman comics) powers, run wild, and have an absolute blast.

9. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360) I laughed, I healed my teammates, I scanned for ghosts, I healed my teammates, I busted some ghosts, I healed my teammates, I scanned for ghosts, I scanned for ghosts, I healed my teammates, I wanted my sixty bucks back.

10. Overlord II (360) A steaming hot pile of Meh.

11. Battlefield: 1943 (360) Moderately fun online-only game that everyone wanted to play the hell out of... until they fixed the servers so that everyone actually could play.

12. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord (Wii)  For me, this is the most fun "Tower Defense" game I've ever played.

13. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)  Tons of fun in this sequel, and believe me when I say that if you come to my house, I will kill the shit out of you in sword fighting.  

14. Fat Princess (PS3)  I hear it's fun... no, seriously, I read that somewhere.

15. Madden NFL 10 (360)  I wanted this to be the year that I started to like the Madden series, but... no dice.

16. Wolfenstein (360)  Shit, I can't believe I forgot about this game... someone, send me a message on XBL to remind me to rent it or something.

17. Metroid Prime: Trilogy (Wii)  A re-issue that I hope sets a precedent:  I want compilation discs for Zelda, Mario, and all of the DS Castlevania games.

18. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360)  I hated the demo, but after rave reviews, I gave it a shot and came to the following conclusion:  it is more than likely the best single-player third person game I've ever played.

19. The Beatles: Rock Band (360)  Nothing to say here, it is what it says it is. 

20. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)  Immensely fun and entertaining.

21. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (360)  Even while playing with the best of friends, this series is intensely boring.

22. Scribblenauts (DS)  Amazingly innovative game that translates in to tons of fun, or at least it would if the amazingly innovative controls would allow you to use the d-pad for something useful... like movement.

23. Wet (360)  Well, it is a mediocre game with a decent art style that translates to something mildly entertaining in small doses unless you're a 14 year old boy, in which case you'll probably rub more than one or two out to it.

24. Halo 3: ODST (360)  My personal favorite Halo campaign/gameplay ever, and there's no way to argue that Firefight is intense, and tons of fun.

25. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)  The puzzles and more fun and the game is wonderful, but keep in mind, it still moves slower than Captain Price when he's been downed and shot to hell.

26. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)  Make no mistake, there are some fun activities in this package, and if you like to challenge yourself and (pretend that you) keep yourself in shape, this is totally worth it.

27. Brütal Legend (360)  A game with tons of style, a wicked soundtrack, and a clusterfuck of gameplay that boils down to a forgettable experience with a core value of teaching me how to type an umlaut, and also how to spell umlaut.

28. Unchartered 2: Among Thieves (PS3)  Possibly the first game (other than maybe Little Big Planet) to honestly make someone say "I would buy a PS3 for that."

29. Borderlands (360)  There's not much left for me to say about this game other than this:  I honestly believe that this is the best game of this console generation, so far.

30. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3)  The first one for the PS3 was brilliant, and so (without playing it) I can only say that I've heard this one is as well.

31. DJ Hero (360)  A fresh look at music rhythm games that actually proved that Activision could produce a fun game with the word "hero" in the title.

32. Lego Rock Band (360) My kids love it.

33. Dragon Age: Origins (360) The kind of game that you might end up loving, but it is really hard to actually make yourself play it.

34. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360)  You knew it was coming, so here it is... this is a realistic (LOL) military training simulation on how to camp, snipe, and cheat by using game-breaking exploits.

35. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)  This is a completely amazing return to your childhood, with all of the fun of playing with your friends, and now includes a new feature: wanting to kill your friends because those sons of bitches always jump on your head, knock you off ledges, and steal your power-ups.

36.  Left 4 Dead 2 (360)  L4D2 has been called "Game of the Year" by some, and although I can't really agree with that at all, I will say that it has a lot of fun, intense moments.

37. Assassin's Creed II (360) I'll be honest: I never gave this game a chance because I hated the first one to such a magnificent degree that there's a little bit of bile that runs up the back of my throat whenever I have to type its name out... and yet, Jamaicans and Crafty Nerds seem to love it.

38. Tony Hawk: Ride (360)  From what I've heard, this game is aptly named, because if you bought it based on hype, you were totally taken for a ride.

39. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)  Zelda fans, rejoice... this is fantastic gameplay.

40. The Saboteur (360)  RT @Wet (360)  Well, it is a mediocre game with a decent art style that translates to something mildly entertaining in small doses unless you're a 14 year old boy, in which case you'll probably rub more than one or two out to it.

So that does it.  I have some things to say about some of the XBLA games this year, like Shadow Complex and Trials HD, but that'll come soon enough.  Thanks again for stopping by, and we'll have some really, REALLY fun things coming up in the new year.  So, until then... have a safe, and happy new year.

-Jason Omega