Games of 2009

On the, "played it, finally!" list was Metroid Prime 3, Final Fantasy V, Uncharted, and Braid. FFV was the most surprising since it ended up being more unique and enjoyable than I thought it would be. In some respects, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with IV and VI. I know what you're thinking, but play ALL the way through and you may agree.

I played PixelJunk Eden most obsessively, with the journey to 50 spectra leading to an affliction now known as, "PixelJunk Eye". Ouch. I had a slight relapse the weekend before Christmas trying to get all the seeds in Garden 7 (I failed). I had to stop so I wouldn't look like a drug addict in holiday pictures!

Half-Life was my most disappointing purchase this year. People rave about it, but it became incredibly repetitive. I think I was roughly halfway through when I finally quit. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was going well, but I've played so many Mario RPGs that it had a "been there, done that" feeling. Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Fusion gave me a tinge of that feeling as well, but they were still engaging enough to complete.

I'm so "indy" now. That's why You Have To Burn The Rope, World of Goo, Tag: The Power of Paint, and Machinarium are on the list. Short-and-sweet games that do something different are definitely appealing to me. More!

LEGO Batman and Pure were included in my Xbox 360 bundle and Dragon Quest Wars was a "what the hell" purchase using the free points that came with my DSi. On the other hand, I started and didn't finish Patapon, Half-Life, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Overall, I think I made a little headway on the "vital" backlog this year.