These are the shining examples of gameplay greatness this year, as decided by Snackbar Games staff. In this second installment, we look at consoles and PC. 

Graham Russell: This was a packed category, because we love downloadable games around here. Costume Quest, Pinball FX 2, Chime and Protect Me Knight all had substantial support, but ultimately two classics come out on top. Polish tops innovation, I guess, but give these two credit.

 

Andrew Passafiume: Even those who don’t call themselves Pac-Fans can probably find something that will get them hooked here. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten thirty ghosts in a row. 

 

Runner-up: Mega Man 10

Chris Ingersoll: While MM10 wasn’t the polished awesome throwback of MM9, it still contained plenty of 8-bit difficulty in the classic Mega Man style. Whatever failings the robot master stages might have suffered, the first stage of Skull Castle made up for it by being one of the most epic ever.

 

 

Shawn Vermette: The Civilization series is a huge timesink for me, Civilization IV especially so. As it turns out, changing to one military unit per tile and hex tiles rather than squares doesn’t destroy Civilization. Instead, it makes it even more addicting and strategic.

 

Graham Russell: I dream in hexes these days. Civilization is just one of those games that gets in your head, making you think up new strategies and avenues for explanation even when you’re not playing. That’s quite a feat when you factor in how long you actually are playing.

 

Runner-up: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Shawn Vermette: Poor Starcraft II. In almost any other year, it would easily have been PC Game of the Year. Unfortunately, it came out in a year when Civilization V came out, thus making it fall to #2. Nonetheless, it was well worth the wait for it to come out, as the multiplayer is as addictive and fun as ever, and the campaign does a splendid job of adding onto the story of the universe of Starcraft.

 

Andrew Passafiume: Very few games put emphasis on story and character development over gameplay, but Quantic Dream does it and does it well. Despite some spotty voice acting (play with the French voice acting, trust me), this game weaves a memorable story with many different scenarios that could go several ways. It was quite an emotional journey, but one well worth taking.

Justin Last: Heavy Rain is not without its warts, but it kept me engrossed from start to finish in the story of the Origami Killer. Quantic Dream handily proved that interactive fiction can work and that story can take precedence over gameplay. It’s something that everybody should play and the branching paths increase the replay value tremendously.

Runner-up: God of War III

Andrew Passafiume: It may be very similar to its predecessors, but God of War III is one of the most action-packed games of the year, and it did not fail to live up to its lofty expectations. 

 

Gerry Pagan: I got to rip out Hades’ soul, stick my thumbs into Poseidon’s eye sockets, cut off Hermes’ limbs, sever Helios’ head with my bare hands and pummel Hercules to bloody pulp. Mythological genocide has never been as fun and as satisfying as this. 

 

Eric Schabel: I have always been of the opinion that games feature mediocre storytelling at the best of times. Even so called story-driven massive RPGs almost always suffer from recycled plot lines, terrible dialog, and over-the-top melodrama. The first Mass Effect made me question these assertions, and its sequel has got me damn close to eating a crow for dinner. I don’t think I’ve ever cared more about a cast of characters in a game than I did when I was playing through Mass Effect 2—no doubt thanks to BioWare’s well-crafted “decision points”. It doesn’t hurt that the gameplay is top notch as well—this game is a perfect example of the action RPG done right, and I can’t wait to play the final installment of the trilogy.

Shawn Vermette: As an avid sci-fi and RPG fan, and after repeatedly telling people that the first Mass Effect built the best sci-fi universe I’ve seen or read about since Star Wars or Star Trek, Mass Effect 2 had to be amazing to live up to my expectations. Somehow, it did, making it my top 360 game of the year.

 

Runner-up: Rock Band 3

Andrew Passafiume: Rock Band 3 is a groundbreaking success and easily the best music game I have ever played. I honestly cannot see Harmonix topping themselves after this. It really signifies the fact that this is much more than a game, it is a platform, a point the team has been trying to get across since day one. Well Harmonix, bravo, you’ve finally done it. 

Graham Russell: There’s all this talk about the Move and Kinect being new platforms unto themselves, but I think the most successful platform launch this year was Rock Band 3. It’s a series I thought couldn’t get better, and it did by leaps and bounds.

 

 

Graham Russell: This isn’t the tightest game design I’ve seen, and some parts are just silly, but there’s nothing that can beat a game that puts a smile on your face every time you turn it on. The strategy in the battles actually works, and it’s nice to have a strategy RPG where I don’t have to worry about EXP or micromanagement. For now, all I’ll say is that if you didn’t buy it, you deprived the West of localized versions of the rest of the series, and that makes you a horrible, horrible person.

Gerry Pagan: Picked up on a whim, and I loved every second of it. It’s a shame that we probably won’t see any more of this series stateside, despite it having such a strong Japanese following. 

 

Runner-up: Donkey Kong Country Returns

Gerry Pagan: An excellent comeback to one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, Donkey Kong Country Returns is everything you want in a platformer, from the challenging difficulty to the brilliant level design.

 

What do you think of our picks? Agree? Disagree? Discuss in the comments!

These are the shining examples of gameplay greatness this year, as decided by Snackbar Games staff. In this first installment, we look at portables and special categories.

Shawn Vermette: Dragon Quest IX is a great RPG that harks back to the good ol’ days of RPGs. It’s story is a little strange, but the gameplay is all classic turn-based JRPG. You only have one character that matters in DQIX, the rest are characters you can create on your own, or you can adventure around with three friends if you desire. In addition to the nostalgia factor, the party customization, and the classic turn-based combat, the sheer amount of content in DQIX is enough for it to be one of my best games of the year.

Graham Russell: I’m pretty sure this game doesn’t end. Designed for the compulsive tendencies of the Japanese hardcore gamer, DQIX has a wealth of post-game content and many advanced strategies and classes to pursue. (And unlike a game like Disgaea, it stays fun after the first hundred hours.)

 

Runner-up: Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Chris Ingersoll: Seven years of dormancy (and thirty years of story progression) haven’t dulled the shine on Camelot’s handheld RPG series. The unique djinn mechanics and the use of psynergy to solve puzzles are just as fun as they were on the GBA the first two times, and it’s neat to see how the world has changed since the exploits of the original heroes, in a rare display of sequel continuity.

 

 

Mike Clark: Fast-paced action mixed with a RPG system featuring a main character who isn’t annoying like other RPG heroes and a game progression that’s tough but fun. Ys: The Oath in Felghana kept me going even through my anger at the tough bosses. It did have hard bosses but the way it did those bosses was right: not artificially difficult, just requiring the right strategy.

Runner-up: Valkyria Chronicles II

Graham Russell: Many have griped about the series’ move to the PSP (me included), but Valkyria Chronicles II was about as good as a game can be on the device. The segmented, recycled maps got a bit annoying after a while, but after all, these guys are fighting on their turf. They should know it well, right? 

 

 

Graham Russell: Kairosoft’s little iPhone game certainly had an undeniable charm. Not only that, though, it’s hard to put down. While that may interfere with your ability to get things done, it’s a sign of a game with some tight design.

 

Runner-up: Rock Band Reloaded

Eric Schabel: Rock Band Reloaded is the series’ second outing on the iPhone and it only improves upon its predecessor’s formula. The game is not as feature-rich as its console brethren, but its core gameplay is still very fun and familiar. 

 

 

Graham Russell: It’s clear that this game was designed by Magic: The Gathering pros as soon as you start it up, but that’s not always a bad thing. The tactics involved with every decision are balanced and require an awareness of others, and it’s a testament to its design that it doesn’t get old after a few dozen plays.

 

Runner-up: Fresco

Graham Russell: It’s hard for a worker placement game to break out of that box of having placement be a matter of arbitrary point values. Fresco’s framework of a day in the life of a fresco painter actually works, and manages to maintain its coherence well into its lifespan. 

 

Eric Schabel: Before I played Red Steel 2, I had serious doubts about just how well MotionPlus would work for accurate swordplay. Thankfully, the game delivers not only as a proof of concept, but also as an enjoyable East-meets-West action adventure slice-em-up. Switching between swords and guns is seamless; the combat is so well done that it lifts up parts of the game that sag a bit, such as the mostly lifeless environments.

Andrew Passafiume: This is the first (and still only) Wii MotionPlus game I have played, but it’ll be hard to top it in terms of fluidity and controls. It’s a bit of a repetitive game, sure, but it manages to take the basic (and poorly implemented) sword fighting controls from the first and complete change them for the better. I was skeptical at first, but the MotionPlus really does add a lot to the gameplay, even if it is just the little things. 

Runner-up: Kinect Sports

Graham Russell: The Kinect, as a product, lends itself to body movement, and Kinect Sports is the best real game so far that takes advantage of it. Just be careful, everyone: you’ll probably break things if you don’t clear out your play space.

 

What do you think of our picks? Agree? Disagree? Discuss in the comments!

We’re human. We don’t always get to every game before the end of its year of release. This is our way of making amends: the best games we missed out on until 2010. Because we can’t go back in time and honor them in a more timely fashion.

Shawn Vermette: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I have to say, I love Star Wars. The best Star Wars games are, without a doubt, the KotOR games. However, after finally playing Lego Star Wars, I have to say that it comes in second, by a wide margin. The humor that Lego Star Wars infuses into such an epic and serious series is great, and the seamless co-op makes it a perfect game to play with a spouse. And of course, any game that I can play for hours on end with my wife is an instant winner.

Chris Ingersoll: Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon was a 2009 DSiWare release from the Fuse team responsible for Metroid Prime Pinball on the DS. 500 points earns you a single table packed with awesome, and the option to see how high you can score on a single ball once per day. If you love pinball and own a DSi, this needs to be an immediate purchase. For actual releases, check out the bizarre Atlus RPG My World, My Way and Konami’s point-and-click adventure Time Hollow (both DS) if you can find them.

Andrew Passafiume: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. It’s definitely no secret that I am a huge fan of Insomniac Games and their hugely successful action/platforming Ratchet & Clank series, and this is one of the best platformers I have ever played. It takes everything I’ve loved about every previous entry in the series and manages to expand and improve upon them tenfold. When I played it, I was under the impression it might be the last time we see Ratchet and Clank, so it was a very sad, but great sendoff for two of my favorite game characters. 

Gerry Pagan: Some people would probably murder me for this, but it wasn’t until early this year that I managed to play the oh-so underrated Psychonauts. I’m a sucker for a good platformer, and Psychonauts delivers with extremely well written dialogue, a diverse list of abilities to use as well as incredibly memorable stage design, all of which stand out on their own. Had I played the game when it came out, it would have most likely been my Game of the Year choice multiple times over.

Mike Clark: I didn’t become an owner of the Wii until September of this year. Due to this I was never able to experience all of the excellent Wii games released over its lifetime until now. Being able to sit down and fully play through Super Mario Galaxy three years later was quite a treat. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the 3D Mario games. Yet just from a few hours of playing Galaxy, I was already in love with it. The gameplay was excellent barring a few motion control segments, the pacing was wonderful, the audio was delightful, the visuals were great, and so on. Playing this after a three year drought was a blissful experience and I loved almost every second of it. Because surfing on those manta rays and rolling around the giant balls can go away.

Paul Bishop: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Even though I absolutely loved the original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I just didn’t feel like buying Uncharted 2 when it came out late last year. It eventually took a deal at the store for me to pick it up this year, and now I don’t know why I didn’t pick it up earlier. It’s amazing.

Justin Last: Torchlight. I picked this up on a whim during a Steam sale one morning and when I looked up it was time for bed. The Diablo formula has been improved on in every way here with easy modding (at least the installation – I’ve never tried to make one), great chunky WoW-like visuals, and randomly created dungeon floors. It’s completely possible to get lost in Torchlight for hours on end, and that’s why I had to uninstall it – other things required my attention.

Graham Russell: I only experienced the cathartic joy that is Red Faction: Guerrilla during the summer dead months. (I found it on clearance. I love clearance.) Shooting people isn’t that great, and the driving controls are adequate but unspectacular. What’s great here is building destruction, be it with explosives or just hacking away at it. There are days when you need that.

What older games did you just discover this year? Let us know in the comments.

Editor’s note: Brad Talton is an independent game designer and developer. What kind of games? Video games? Board games? Card games? Well, yes. His company, Level 99 Games, creates all kinds of geekiness. In a series of columns here at SBG, Brad shares insights into the game creation process. In this installment, he talks about lingering issues and what’s next. 

I’m currently in the very last stages of putting together Chibi Fighters, with only a few graphics and a little polish left to do. Since I’m still producing and polishing, I suppose it’s not too late to write a little bit about what kinds of polish are needed at the very last steps of the game design. 

At the moment, the only large thing that remains unfinished is the story mode. I need just a few more pieces of background artwork to put in, and am currently working on doing all the animation for the story segments. The way that the characters move on and off of the screen, as well as what music plays, what animations appear, and what sound effects are used are all stored in large configuration files. The process of tweaking these files, running through the story, then retweaking the files again and again to match the final effect I want can be a tedious process. However, the end result is that story mode comes out looking clean and playing fluidly.

A large part of developing a game is not in creating the content for the game, but in making the interpreters for these configuration files. Almost everything in Chibi Fighters, from the text used in Training Mode to the high score Jonathan needs in Target Attack, is contained by configuration files. With these files, there is no need to rebuild and reprogram the application every time a variable needs to be tuned or a misspelling needs to be fixed. Currently, just about everything that is being polished for Chibi Fighters is being done in these kinds of files. In a sense, the game is complete—it’s just the content that is being tuned and refined.

At around this stage of a project, the question comes to mind: what’s next? The more successful products that Level 99 Games has released have been things that let users create for themselves—DM Toolkit and RPG Cartographer—for planning RPGs and making game maps respectively. We want to continue to give people the opportunity to make their visions a reality and enable users to use our products to make the games that they want to make.

Our current toss around idea is an ‘RPG Maker’-style of application, that will let you design a JRPG style game and play it with friends. Another option would be a tactical game maker (that lets you create a Final Fantasy Tactics or Disgaea-style game). And there’s always the option of another video game, as well. I am always open to suggestions, so if you have a preference in this, please come and let me know!

Also, for those in the board game scene, I managed to get down to BGGCon this weekend, and hang out with some of the up and coming developers. We talked about the possibility of iPad versions for a few games—so look out for those soon on the Level 99 Games home page. I’m also working with Kevin Brusky of APE Games on a big licensed game—but no public information on that right now either, sorry!

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Next time, Brad will celebrate the release of his game. Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

Character art by Victoria Parker for Level 99 Games.