Back when the Super Nintendo was still in high swing, and Mario and Sonic were bitter rivals, another series of platformers came and wowed us with 3D rendered visuals and solid platforming that could easily stand tall against our favorite plumbers. It’s been a while since a Donkey Kong Country game has been made, since the 3rd installment way back when, but now the King of Swing is back, and he brings to us an all new adventure. At the hands of Retro, the guys who brought us the fabulous Metroid Prime series, Donkey Kong and his side kick Diddy are ready for some action, but does the return of Donkey Kong hold up to recent games like New Super Mario Bros? Or would he have been better off left in our memories? Lets find out.

Story:
Much like most platformers, Donkey Kong Country Returns doesn’t focus on its story. Regardless of that though, the cutscenes at the start of the game, and before each boss fight do a decent job of telling what story there is, and are more then capable of bringing a smile to your face. Fans of the old series will be disappointed finding out that the Kremlings and King K. Rool are nowhere to be found. But we are given a new set of enemies known as the Tiki’s. They are basically musical instruments who are hypnotizing the animals in the Jungle, and they have stolen Donkey Kongs horde of bananas! So off you go on your epic and heroic quest to find your bananas. Its silly and ridiculous but it works very well with the style of the game. The Kremlings will be missed, but the Tiki’s are an interesting replacement for this game. Who knows, maybe the Kremlings will return one day too?

Gameplay:
If you have played any platformer in your life, then you will be familiar with how this game works. You jump over cliffs, and you jump on the enemies. Donkey Kong also has the ability to roll into certain enemies, as well as throw barrels if you can find some laying around, blow on random objects like candles for items, and slam on the ground to break boxes or the ground itself. This game changes things up a bit from the original DKC games though. Instead of having a tag team that you could switch on the fly, Diddy hops on DK’s back and sort of acts as a power up. You can use Diddy’s jet pack to glide a little bit and having him on your back allows you to continually roll into enemies as oppose to stopping after a certain amount of time. It works very well, though it takes some getting used to for hardcore DKC fans. You also have 2 hearts per Kong so getting hit isn’t instant death save for a few special situations.

The control scheme is fairly basic. There are 2 ways to play, just the wiimote on its side, or with the nunchuck. Either way works great, with the waggle usage actually working. To roll, blow at certain objects or pound the ground you waggle the wiimmote. While this may seem odd at first, it really becomes second nature to you and it becomes extremely fun to shake the controllers furiously as DK slams on the ground, giving you the feeling that you’re actually doing the slamming.

Each level contains 2 things to collect. the K O N G letters, and puzzle pieces. Collect all the letters in each level of a world, and you will unlock an extra hard level in that world. Beat all of those levels, and you will unlock one last very challenging level to beat. The puzzle pieces vary in number depending on the level, and they unlock some absolutely gorgeous art work for your viewing pleasure. Also, once you beat a level for the first time you unlock the time trial for it which is just for bragging rights, but sometimes its fun to see how fast you can make it through a stage. And if all of that isn’t enough there is one extra challenging way to go through the game, but I wont spoil that for you.

You can also buy items from Cranky Kong (the only other returning Kong) such as more lives, a power up that allows for one extra heart if you use it before a level, one that causes a sort of invincibility for a certain amount of time and Squacks, who will help you find puzzle pieces. Other then Squacks the only other animal buddy for you to ride on (and only in certain levels) is Rambie the Rhino. This is rather unfortunate considering the animal buddies were some of the most interesting parts of the old games, but with how crazy some of these levels get, it is understandable and you wont be too sad about it while playing.

The game also contains a 2 player multiplayer, where one person plays as DK the other as Diddy at the same time ala New Super Mario Bros Wii. It works quite well, but you’ll want your partner and you to be at the same skill level, or else the lesser of the 2 will fall behind and probably get frustrated.

Presentation:
The amount of effort put into this game is astounding. The music is some new, and some very nicely remixed from the very first DKC game. The nostalgia you get when hearing these tunes is incredible. On top of the excellent music, the level design is some of the best seen in any platformer for a long time. Every level feels different and fun in its own right, and some of them get very hectic and crazy. Just as a few examples, DK has to deal with pirate ships bombing him on a beach, flying on a rocket barrel through a collapsing cave, and surfing on a mine cart while riding a breaking rail track with pieces of rocks falling all over the place. On top of all that insanity you have some peticularly stylish looking levels, most notably the one in the sunset which you have to see to believe. A lot of love went into making this game and it definitely shines through.

Overall:
Donkey Kong Country Returns is one of the best platforming experiences this generation. It easily lives up to the old games, and has an odd feeling of nostalgia while still feeling fresh and new. While some fans will be sad about the lack of characters like Funky Kong and King K Rool, there is still so much enjoyment to be had in this game that it would be a shame for everyone to not give it a well deserved chance. Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii earns a well deserved 5/5.

These days, some people don’t have a whole lot of money to spend on video games, and even if you do, 70-80 bucks a pop depending on the game and the system can be really hard on the wallet. That’s why this week I’ve compiled a list of 3 really good games that you can download for 20 dollars or less.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game (PS3, XBOX 360)
If you haven’t heard of Scott Pilgrim yet, here’s a quick rundown. Scott is a boy aged 23 (or 22 in the movie) who falls for a girl named Ramona Flowers, thing is, she has 7 evil ex boyfriends he has to fight in order to date her. The story can be seen either through an amazing movie titled Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, or through the original graphic novels. The game more closely follows the novels, but fans of the movie wont feel out of place here either. It’s an old school beat em up type game, reminiscent of River City Ransom. You go through the level, beat up every baddie you see on screen, and then fight the boss, which is usually one of Ramona’s evil ex’s. Every boss feels different and interesting, and the game just oozes with retro style. The music is one of the best parts of the game as well, written by a group called Anamanaguchi who are known for blending old gaming sounds with newer sounding music. It’s bliss for the old school gamer’s ears. You can choose between 4 characters to start with, Scott, Ramona, and two of Scotts band mates. There are two more unlockable characters as well. Variety is a good thing since you can have up to 4 people playing at the same time. Sadly, there is no online, but sometimes its nice to actually invite your friends over and play games side by side.

ClaDun: This is an RPG (PSP)
ClaDun stands for Classic Dungeon, and this game is in fact, an RPG. Made by the guys at NIS, this game is another one that feeds off of retro feel. They even give you the option to switch from newer sounding music to 8 bit music mid game if you want. This game is an action RPG, with gameplay very similar to that of The Legend of Zelda. The difference is in this game, you can grind your characters up to ridiculous power and you will have a lot of characters to train. I would get into the leveling up system but its fairly complex and would take the rest of the review to explain how it works, but I can tell you that it works very well and leads to a very fun experience if you’re a hardcore rpg fan. There is even a character creator which you can use to build your own heroes, 8 bit style. The games story is fun and full of humor, and you can clearly see the game poking fun at its routes in a way that shows the creators really love the genre and had a lot of fun making this game, and if you’re a fan of RPG’s there is no doubt you’ll have fun playing this one.

Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (DSiWare)
This is one for the DSi owners. Shantae: Risky’s Revenge is a side scrolling platformer that actually plays quite a bit like a Castlevania or a Metroid type game. The difference here is you play as a Genie named Shantae, who must go out on a quest to stop Risky, an evil pirate woman, from completing her plans. You’ll travel the land, go through dungeons, and gain new power ups as you go. As an example, Shantae gains a power up that turns her into a monkey, which allows her to climb on walls. The gameplay is very tight and the game is an enjoyable and fun experience. It has a very special brand of humor as well, sometimes bordering on perverted but still keeps itself innocent enough at the end of the day. As you progress through the story, you’ll gain power ups as you go, and you can buy magic spells with the money and the magic jars you’ll find scattered along the way. And of course, Shantae’s most trusty weapon of all…..her hair, which she whips at enemies to kill them. If you own a DSi and are looking for some fun side scrolling action, Shantae is definitely the way to go.

So there you have it. 3 very fun games of varying genres, all for less then $20! They all will also fill your retro gaming quota if you feel the need to go back to the basics in new and interesting ways.

Final Fantasy XIII. Just saying that name online has the effect of causing a stir among Final Fantasy fans and pretty much anyone who has ever loved an RPG. The company who is responsible for this game, Square-Enix, have brought us a lot of amazing RPG’s throughout the years. Any RPG fan will most likely be able to look through their collection and find that one of their favorites was made by either Squaresoft, Enix, or Square-Enix after their merge, but what about FF13? The buzz and the fanbase are all very mixed, and it oddly mirrors how the game plays out. There are good parts, and there are not so good parts, but the question here is, is it worth the hype? Is it worth your time and money? Today we will look into why it may or may not be all that we have been expecting.

So I’d like to start with a positive, but everything in this game seems to have good and bad parts of it, so lets just dive right into the first area, the story. This is of course what should be the main focus of any RPG game, especially one coming from the so called Kings of the genre, Square-Enix. Xenogears, Final Fantasy 6 and 7, Star Ocean 2, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, when you think of great Japanese RPG’s you’re bound to have one of if not all of these games come into it. All these games were well written and are adored by RPG fans, but somewhere along the way, sometime after the merge, it seems the company lost its knack. One of the first games the company released was Final Fantasy X-2, for example. One of the first sequels to a main line Final Fantasy game and is to this day considered one of the worst. But we’re not here to talk about the old days or how much Square-Enix has changed, we’re here to talk about Final Fantasy 13, and sadly I have to say I have yet to be impressed.

The story starts you right in the middle of the action, you play as Lightning and Sahz, two of the main protagonists of the game. Their goal is to… well.. see this is where the problems start, right at the start. The main problem with FF13 is bad writing. The story, once you sort of know whats going on (about… 7 hours in?) isn’t bad but the way it is written is horribly confusing. All the characters have a habit of throwing out terms like Fal’Cie and l’Cie around like we would say cat and dog, but they never explain what they really are. I admit sometimes it is nice to have some mystery but you can’t expect me to care about what a Fal’cie is 2 minutes into the game when I haven’t even figured out why the main characters are there in the first place, or why everyone is being attacked, or who is attacking, none of it makes sense. It’s not mystery it’s just confusion and the writing staff did a terrible job at it. The characters aren’t very interesting until quite a bit into the game, when things finally start being explained, but by that time you’re already bored and you probably don’t care.

She looks just as confused as me..

I have a theory, the game lacks a character to act as a blank slate. Someone you can discover things with. Take for example, Tidus from FF10. Yes he was a whiny little twit but the fact that he was stupid meant that the characters had to explain to him what was going on, and in turn we learn what is going on. In FF13, everyone knows everything already so you almost feel like you’re in a room and people are talking about a hilarious story, except you came in half way through and you have no idea why it’s so interesting or funny. It’s just flat out bad writing. If you can get through all that to around chapter 9 then maybe you’ll find something interesting but by that time, you’ll be annoyed with the other issues like I was.

Gameplay for example! The battle system is a very fast paced turn based system using the active time bar that a lot of the older FF games use, except it’s done oddly. You only control one of your characters the whole time, and you issue commands of sorts to your 1 or 2 other characters through the paradigm shifts. The battles are fast and interesting for a while, then you find out about the stagger meter. Basically it’s a meter that you need to build up by hitting an enemy with magic attacks and normal hits, and when its full the enemy becomes staggered allowing for attacks to deal more damage. For bosses it works well and keeps fights challenging and interesting, but then they start using it on normal enemies too where it takes you about 2 minutes to even stagger them, then you have to deal a bunch of damage which usually takes them down to half health before the bar goes back down and you have to stagger them all over again. This ends up making random encounters last a lot longer then they should when you’ve got 3 bigger enemies attacking you that all need to be stunned. I took about 15 minutes once on a normal fight because of this and it becomes really tedious really fast and drags things out (usually into the mud). Other then the battle system, there really isn’t much else to the gameplay. The maps are really just straight narrow halls (even when its a forest, it still acts like a hall) with very little branching and no puzzles to be seen. Supposedly around chapter 11 (30 hours into the game) an area is available that is big and vast and you can explore it but who wants to go through 30 hours of tedium to get to it?

Looks hectic and fast, but somehow manages to be slow and clunky. Sure is pretty though!

Lastly is the presentation, there is no denying the game looks beautiful. The facial expressions on the characters look dead on, the areas are lush and colourful, and everything looks brilliant. The music is not bad either, though fails to capture some of the original FF charm. It’s obvious they put a lot more effort into making the game look pretty then they did the rest of it though, which is sad. It’s a very pretty game to watch, unfortunately the shiny objects can only mask the problems the game has for so long.

Overall this game is very mixed. On one hand the graphics are gorgeous and everything seems nicely polished, but once you start getting into it you start noticing the polish is there to advert your eyes from the gaping holes. I really wanted to like this game but it pains me to know that a game this bad gets notoriety while other great games get left in the dust due to lack of publicity or being an original idea. On top of that the liner nature of this game just bores it’s audience who are costumed to exploration and challenging puzzles. This game almost perfectly depicts what is wrong with this generation of gaming and hopefully other companies will learn from Square Enix’s mistake.

Once in a while, game developers stop trying to think about how to make lots of money and decide to actually try something… different for a change. This year one game company known as Quantic Dreams decided to do just that in their newest title, Heavy Rain. This PS3 exclusive was hyped to be something we haven’t seen in a long time, an adventure game with a very heavy (no pun intended) emphases on story and characters as opposed to action and hacking away at hords of enemies. The story seemed emotionally charged, meaningful and well thought out, but is this the case? Is Heavy Rain the type of game that will leave you thinking? Lets dive in and find out!

Story:
This is definitely the main focus of this game. The game wants to draw you in and get you involved, and it seems to do a really good job of it. It starts out a little slow but if you give the game some time, it will definitely sink its hooks into you and you will not be able to break free until the end of the game. The story revolves around a serial killer named the Origami Killer, who kills young boys and leaves their bodies for the cops to find, with an orchid and an origami figure in their hands. The mystery of who this mysterious killer is is what drives the story further, but that is not all. There are 4 main characters you play the game as. Ethan Mars, the main protagonist of the game, is dealing with the loss of his first son Jason after a tragic accident. His life since then has fallen apart and things are only going to get worse as his son, Shaun, is kidnapped by the origami killer. Ethan’s story revolves around him trying to get his son back and are easily some of the most emotionally charged and interesting in the game. Some of the things he must go through are very torturous for him, and really show just how much he cares for his son. He has some other mysteries about him too but I will not spoil those for you.

The next character is Jayden, an FBI agent on the trail of the origami killer. His sections are very much about investigation though there are some twists as well. He uses a system called ARI which lets him find clues easier and get instant information about them, such as who’s blood it is and that sort of thing. Jayden was a very interesting character and it is fun to play as him trying to figure out the clues on the crime scenes, as well as tracking down suspects. Next is Madison, and while I don’t want to get too much into who she is, she has some of the most intense sections of the game that you will experience. Lastly is Scott Shelby, the PI who’s been hired by the families of the victims of the Origami Killer, you go around as him finding clues left behind by the killer. Once again, I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, but this games story and characters all feel very real and will have you hooked up until the thrilling climax (which changes depending on your choices, more on that later) The story is outstanding and apart from a few very minor details (like why is the medicine at the back of the convenience store and not near the front) the story is tight knit and very enjoyable. 10/10

Gameplay:
The gameplay is really quite literally a series of quick time events. You press buttons and move the analog sticks in directions to make the characters interact with things. This does make the game at times feel like more of an interactive movie but at other times, namely during fight scenes, you get a very strange sense of urgency that a lot of even the most action oriented of games fail to meet. It is a hard feeling to describe but the fact that you know a character can die, and the story will still go on without them, makes the scenes all the more intense. There are lots of different choices you can make in the game, and they all have effects on how the story plays out. Characters can die, even main ones, and things can unravel very differently depending on how you go about everything. I personally remember talking to a friend about how my story turned out and he said it felt like a weird alternate reality version of how his turned out. There are a ton of different endings and different ways the scenes can turn out, so the replay value if you are into the story is very high. On top of that they have new downloadable content on the way, one of which is available now to those who preordered, and it is just as fun as the rest of the game. I think my only gripe with the gameplay is walking which uses some very weird tank like controls. You press R2 to walk forward and left and right to turn, unlike most games that just have you press left on the stick to go left. But it hardly detracts from the experience so it’s just a minor complaint. The gameplay gets 9/10

Presentation:
This game is absolutely gorgeous, there is no way anyone can deny that. The character models are stunning, the landscapes look very real and everything fits together so well. The amount of motion capture that has gone into this game is staggering. Faces move like faces should, bodies movie like bodies should, and everything feels very real. There were even times that I’d forgotten it was computer generated at all because of how real they looked at times. The music is also very well done and fits the moods of the chapters very well. Ethan Mars’s theme in peticular is especially moving and really captures the feel of the game perfectly. On top of all that the voice acting is outstanding, probably some of the best in a game to date. All the actors take the game very seriously and it shows. As far as presentation goes this game is pretty flawless. The presentation gets a 10/10

Overall:
This is a game you just have to experience to understand. It is about 10 hours (I know because I actually devoted a whole day to playing it my first run through and I couldn’t put it down) and has a lot of replay value if you want to see how much you can change things. This game is a must have for those who love a murder mystery or love stories with heavy character involvement. You really do start caring for these characters and that is a lot more then you can say about most game characters these days. Final Verdict: 9.5/10

Intro

Back in 2008 Wii owners were treated to one of the first great “mature” games on the system. That game was No More Heroes, created by the very strange Suda 51 (yes that is what this man likes to be called) it was an action game that boasted lots of blood, swearing, and everything you would never see in a Zelda or Mario game. And that is exactly what we got. The game did very well in reviews and since its release has gained a fairly decent fan base, so it’s no surprise that Suda 51 decided to make a sequel. But the question is does this sequel live up to its predecessor or does the game fall flat?

Story
The story continues from the first game, sort of. You once again play as Travis Touchdown as he once again gets thrown into the strange world of assassins. This time though the assassin fights have become almost like a sport for the fictional city of Santa Destroy. Fueled by the death of someone close to him, Travis decides that it’s time to take down the UAA (the group who runs the assassin fights) by fighting his way back up to rank number 1, ending the fighting for good. Travis himself is still the insane psychotic killer we knew from the first game, the difference is instead of him just wanting to get laid at the end, he wants his revenge on the one who killed his friend. He also seems to go through quite a bit of development. Yes that’s right Travis’s character actually has growth. The story itself keeps the game moving but unfortunately, the assassins you fight don’t feel as fleshed out in this game as they did in the first, which is too bad considering a lot of them seem very interesting. Even so, the game is just as crazy as the first and the ending is even a little touching which is strange and welcome. The story gets an 8/10

Gameplay
The game plays very similarly to the first, which is a good thing. the action is fast and tight and the bosses are all very fun and unique. The sandbox like map of the first game is gone however, leaving us with a map and menus to click on locations as opposed to Travis riding his motorcycle to his next match. Though this may seem like an odd choice it actually works a lot better, since the map from the first game was fairly barren anyways. You no longer need money to advance to the next ranking battle and boss, so the mini games are optional, though if you want to buy clothing or the two extra beam katanas (you get 4, 2 from the story the other 2 from a shop) then you’re going to want to play them. Lucky for us they are a lot more fun this time around. Instead of the odd and tedious mini games we had in the first game, we now have 8 bit old school type mini games which really match the style of the game. Though not all of them are fun, there is a decent variety and you are bound to find one that you are willing to play over and over to get more money.

But we didn’t buy the game to play 8 bit mini games, no, we bought it to kick ass and chop some heads off am i right? Well Travis has a few tricks up his sleeves to let you do just that. First is his trusty beam katana. This time there is even a weapon that lets you have 2 out at a time, which is pretty badass. Travis will use a variety of high, low, strong, and fast attacks to bring all who oppose him to their knees (if their knees are left after hes done that is..) He also has kicks and punches, which can then be used to pull out a random wrestling move that will instantly defeat your enemies if you do it right. Last but certainly not least is his special modes. In the corner you will see a tiger. This is your ecstasy gauge. When you land a lot of hits without getting hit yourself this gauge fills up and once the tiger is red hot and ready to fight you can either press the minus button on the wiimote to unleash Travis’s darkside mode or you can keep lobbing peoples heads off until the random roulette spins in a certain way which will let Travis do a lot of different things ranging from shooting fireballs out of his katana to turning into a tiger with instant kill capabilities. Does it make sense? Of course not but its No More Heroes and its badass and fun as hell.

Duel Wielding Beam Katanas... Badass

Even though the mini games could be more fun, and the combat while fighting the henchmen may not be as deep as it could be, the bosses are really fun and we even get a few surprises in 2 characters who are now playable for a period in the game (I wont say who, it’ll be a surprise) which is why the gameplay gets a 9/10.

Presentation
There is no denying it, this game is stylish as hell and is one of the best looking games on the Wii, period. No More Heroes 2 really pushes the Wii and shows that it is possible for the system to look amazing. The character details are nice, the graphic style is gorgeous, and the design of it is really something to behold. On top of that, the voice acting is great (Quinten Flynn reprises his roll as Travis) and the music is really very catchy and good. You can really tell they tried their best with this game and it’s great to see that someone knows the Wii is good for more then plumbers who eat mushrooms and fitness training. That’s why the presentation gets a 9/10

This guy wont know what hit him...

Overall
This game is really a great game, and not in just the “well it’s a good Wii game” sort of way, it is a flat out great game. It really seems to come together perfectly, with the story, the game play, and the presentation all complimenting each other. Is it as good as the first one? Yes and no, but in its own right it is amazing and for fans of the series or any Wii owners looking for some action, it is a must play. That is why this game gets a 9/10.

Since it’s the new year there are a lot of new games coming out soon, and that means we’re all going to forget about the ones we played last year which in my opinion is a bit sad. So this week I’m going to give you all my top 5 games of 2009. The criteria for being on my list is that I have to have played it, so don’t feel bad if I forget your favorite games it likely just means I haven’t played it. I’ll also try not to be too heavy on the PS3 exclusives but there are a couple that were just completely outstanding and I can’t ignore them so sorry if I alienate the 360 players a little with that. But without further adeiu, here are my top 5 games of 2009.

Number 5: Mario and Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story (Nintendo DS)
This one might seem like an odd choice for some of you but this game is really outstanding. It is a Mario RPG, but this time there is a huge focus on everyone’s favorite spiky shelled turtle/dragon, Bowser! Yep it almost feels like Mario and Luigi take a step back and let Bowser take the spotlight in this game, and it’s all the better for it. Basically Mario and Luigi get sucked inside bowser and they have to help him get his castle back. I wont say too much about the story itself but I will say that I have never liked Bowser as much as I do in this game, it really gives him a sense of character and he becomes very likeable. The gameplay is also very entertaining and enjoyable, though maybe a bit easy if you are an RPG veteran like myself, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Number 4: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Yep I did a review of this one already so I will keep it short, but this game is amazing. Without repeating myself too much, it mixes just the right amount of nostalgia and new to blend together a very fun and exciting new 2D Mario platformer. The music is catchy, the levels are unique, and its bloody Mario for god sakes! Mario at his best. And while I feel a little bad about putting 2 Mario games on here already, they’re just both games I can’t ignore. If you want to know more about this one please check out my review and you’ll find out just why it’s so great in full detail.

Number 3: Uncharted 2: Among Theives (PS3)
So this is the first of my PS3 exclusives and I apologize for that but the PS3 had a very very good year so it shouldn’t be too big of a suprise. If you don’t know the basic plot of the Uncharted series, Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter, and he gets himself mixed up in plots to take over the world with anchient artifacts that have special powers. It’s very Indiana Jones like but it doesn’t really try to say it isn’t. Infact the game itself isn’t anything new, it just does everything so right. The gameplay is like Gears of War and Tomb Raider rolled into one, but fine tuned to a T, the story is basically any blockbuster action movie but it’s told absolutely amazingly, there just isn’t anything wrong with this game. They also throw in a multiplayer which I personally find highly fun and addictive. I couldn’t get into Call of Duty 4, but this game caught my attention so take that as you will. A huge improvement over the already outstanding Uncharted: Drakes fortune, this game is not only one of my top 5 of the year but probably one of my favorites of all time so if you have a PS3 you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Number 2: Borderlands (PS3, XBox 360, PC)
Another game I already did a review of, is it really a surprise that it is up here though? I have already praised it once so I again wont go into full detail but this game is just far to addictive and the multiplayer is awesome. I literally played this game for the majority of my day more then a few times. Once again if you want to know more about it I encourage you to check out my review, because I don’t feel like repeating myself too much, but if you are an FPS fan or are an RPG fan looking for something a little different, this game is more then worth giving a shot.

Number 1 Demon’s Souls (PS3)
I feel a bit bad about putting a PS3 exclusive at #1 but honestly this game is just too fun and to awesome to not be my Number 1 game of 2009. I got this game for Christmas and ever since then my life has been consumed by it. I was thinking of doing a review on it but I’m not sure if it’s fair to do a PS3 exclusive, though if you want me to do a full review please let me know! The game is a Japanese game styled off of western RPG’s like Oblivion and Dragon Age. You make your character, choose his or her class, and then you set off into the world of Boleteria which is a world consumed by demons. The thing about this game though, is that these demons? They’re going to kick your ass. Hard. This game is very challenging and that is probably one of the reasons I love it so much, it doesn’t hold your hand it doesn’t coddle you, it throws you into the dark atmospheric and amazing world and tells you to just go for it, and if you die then screw you try again. This to me makes the game probably the most rewarding experience I’ve had in a video game in recent years. It’s got a bit of an old school feeling in that way because you will find yourself memorizing where the enemies are and what the best way to defeat them is. And on top of that you have epic boss fights with monsters that will destroy you if you’re not careful. This game also has a story that you have to piece together yourself, and when you do it’s actually very good. I wont go on too much longer but if you own a PS3 and are a fan of RPG’s, Action games, and getting your ass handed to you on a silver platter, then I highly recommend you check this game out.

So that’s my top 5, to see some runners up please check out my post in the game forum. Thanks for reading!