Ypulse Best And Worst Of 2009: Video Games

Today we continue our Year In Review coverage with Youth Advisory Board member Julia Tanenbaum who shares her hits and misses in video games this past year…

Best

The Sims 3 (PC). EA does it again, with their seemingly infallible formula for popularity: The Sims. The graphics have been polished to a degree that they can almost compete with some mods for the Sims 2. The Sims actually act based on their personalities, and there are tons of new skills, and career options this time around.  You can actually walk from place to place in town, which gives the game a real ‘open world’ feeling.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Xbox 360/PS3). BlazBlue is arguably one of the best mainstream anime inspired fighters around. The characters all have distinct styles, and the graphics are stylish enough to compete with titles such as Tekken 6. An obvious improvement to Guilty Gear, BlazBlue offers a decent story mode as well as online play, and with this in addition to the fast paced fighting system, it ought to be enough to please any fighting game fan.

Dragon Age Origins (Xbox 360/PS3). Bioware does it again! Dragon Age Origins has involved open world stories, not only allowing the player to choose their character’s moral standards, but has different stories, and reactions from characters, depending on the class and race of the player. For example elves are treated as a sub class, and an elf character would receive a negative reaction from human nobles. However if the player’s character was human, they would react differently. The player directly chooses their character’s fate, making this game truly open world. The characters act in a generally realistic manner, and the fabulous graphics only add to the appeal.

The Path (PC). Calling The Path a “game” is subjective, due to the fact that it is more like an open world visual novel, however since there are few of these available in the U.S, The Path generally qualifies as a game. The Path is based on Little Red Riding Hood. The player chooses from a variety of Red characters, and begins the journey down the path. However if the player does not stray from the path, they are given a failing mark. The objective is rather to be disobedient. The visuals of the game are crisp and stylish. The horror presented in the game is not in the form of actual gore, but rather a slight sound, or red writing. The Path is generally a game of the mind, dripping with symbolism, filled with extended metaphors, and reminding us that wolves aren’t always dressed in sheep’s clothing.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP). As an avid Final Fantasy fan, I was thrilled to see my favorite characters together in one epic struggle. All the characters act just as they did in the original games, and their moves are unique. Characters level up just as in a RPG, and can equip new weapons and armor as they level. The story is corny, but good enough, considering this is primarily a combat focused game. The fighting is not particularly close to that of an actual fighting game, rather more like an action game, played on a large field. One of the best features is the way the characters can fight in the air, much like in Advent Children.

Worst

Persona PSP. Despite the new graphics, which look great, the game still plays like something from the 90’s. It is possible to fast forward the combat, but it is still unbearably boring. A dungeon crawler only excels due to its combat, and without an interesting combat system Persona cannot hold my interest.

The Godfather II (Xbox 360/PS3). The graphics are atrocious, and despite a loaded arsenal, gunplay is incredibly boring. AI is unintelligent, and the game feels largely unfinished, due to issues like security guards not noticing when the player breaks into a bank, and missions that are short and to the point.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (Wii). It kills me to put this on the list, but it needed to be done. Final Fantasy IV was epic in every sense of the word. It set a new higher bar for RPG’s to come, with memorable layered characters, and great combat. However, The After Years prays shamelessly on fans. The encounter rate is ridiculously high, and this would have been fine, except that everything including the monsters is recycled from the original game. Even the plot, a high point in the first game, is shamelessly reused. Ceodore, the son of Cecil, embarks on a journey ridiculously similar to his father’s. In addition, the game is in episodes and the price for a short game is ridiculous, considering you have to purchase even more to continue.

Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii). The graphics are fantastic, and the story is passable. Unfortunately, Sonic and the Black Knight fail in the game play department, which is its ultimate downfall. Combat basically consists of shaking the remote, and the platforming is not involved. The stages are repetitive and boring, and despite the games short length, it grows tiresome fast.

Rouge Warrior (Xbox 360/PS3/PC). This is a two hour game. However it is so bad that the player will get fed up and attempt to get back their 50 dollars before they have even finished it. First of all, there is an almost constant use of expletives. The AI is terrible, and the levels are incredibly linear. The shooting is repetitive, and bullets make no mark on your foe’s bodies. This is by far the worst of the games listed here, and I implore you not to waste your money by making the mistake of buying it.

About Julia

Julia is a freshman in high school in Claremont California. A self proclaimed Otaku (anime obsessive person) she strives to complete her immersion into the world of Japanese pop culture. In between school and homework she watches the latest Japanese anime on the internet, reads manga, plays video games, and practices Japanese. Though she is not a fabulous writer by nature, Julia does enjoy writing fan fiction related to said interests and occasionally immersing herself in online role-play sessions.  In addition, she loves mashing up anime and game clips into anime music videos which she posts on YouTube, participating in her school’s debate team in novice LD, and of course reading. Julia is incredibly excited to be on the Youth Advisory Board, and able to express her opinions, which she has plenty of.