Mathurin47

	0	( 1 )	[ 60 ]
	13	( 24 )	[ 110 ]
	33	( 10 )	[ 75 ]
	2	( 17 )	[229 ]
	7	( 7 )	[ 22 ]
	6	( 8 )	[ 57 ]
	8	( 6 )	[ 38 ]
	0	( 1 )	[ 80 ]
	22	( 19 )	[100 ]
	91	( 93 )	[1166 ]

Avg 2010 cost: 22.95

Publisher:
#1 Nintendo – 9
#2 Atlus – 6
#2 Microsoft – 6
#3 Sega – 4

Developer:
#1 id – 16
#2 Nintendo – 5
#3 Raven – 4

Genre
#1 FPS – 23
#2 RPG – 21
#3 ARPG – 11

20 (37) [224]

Breakdown by platform:
Console | Beaten | Played
360 – 8 of 13
Wii – 3 of 7
GCN – 3 of 4
DS – 2 of 7
PS3 – 1 of 3
PSP – 1 of 3
PC – 1 of 6
SNES – 1 of 1
PS2 – 0 of 1
XB – 0 of 1

20 beaten of 46 played. (43.5%)

One of the most glitched games I’ve had the pleasure of playing, right down to one the three ending scripts I was able to run on this save being broken. Guess I’ll have to try the House ending again on my 2nd run when I support Caesar’s Legion. I even got stuck in a cave wall and plummeted to my demise when I ran out of floor. Glitches aside, I spent a good 100 hours with game and have no regrets in doing so.

On par or better in every regard to the first Mario Galaxy. Phenomenal soundtrack and mechanics. Challenges without feeling impossible. Definitely one of 2010′s best offerings.

Level 5 continues to do nice things with the Dragon Quest franchise. While it doesn’t stray far from the Dragon Quest formula, it does it very well.

Perhaps in part because I never got far into the original PS2 release (or start FES), and because I haven’t really played the other contenders (Ys Seven and Valkyria II) I name Persona 3 Portable my top PSP game for the year. Atlus tweaked a lot of things that bothered me about the game and I found this version far more playable than the console release.

Another year, another Bioware game as my top pick. More streamlined as a third-person shooter than its predecessor, Mass Effect 2 aims to keep you from micro-managing in the menus and moving forward. The focus is less on the main story and more on the companions you travel with.

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	24	( 26 )	[ 97 ]
	10	( 5 )	[ 42 ]
	17	( 24 )	[227 ]
	7	( 5 )	[ 15 ]
	8	( 11 )	[ 51 ]
	6	( 15 )	[ 30 ]
	1	( 39 )	[ 79 ]
	19	( 32 )	[ 78 ]
	93	(197 )	[1068 ]

Avg 2009 cost: 27.79

Publisher:
#1 Atlus – 16
#2 Nintendo – 8
#3 NIS America – 6

Developer:
#1 Nintendo – 4
#2 Atlus – 3
#2 Capcom – 3
#2 Gust – 3
#2 tri-Ace – 3

Genre
#1 RPG – 42
#2 Action – 18
#3 Adventure – 6

37 (27) [204]

Breakdown by platform:
Console | Beaten | Played
360 – 15 of 21
DS – 4 of 15
PS3 – 4 of 7
PS2 – 4 of 5
Wii – 3 of 6
PC – 2 of 3
GBA – 1 of 2
GBC – 1 of 2
PSP – 1 of 5
XB – 1 of 1
GCN – 1 of 1
PS1 – 0 of 1
37 beaten of 69 played. (53.6%)

I grabbed Batman: Arkham Asylum on a whim because the store had one extra collector’s left and was pleased to find that not only was there a game in the box too, it was pretty good. One of only a small number of games that successfully takes a license and builds a compelling game around it.

I’m a sucker for a good Metroid-style adventure game. Give me a huge map that slowly expands as your repertoire of skills expands and I’ll happily explore every nook and cranny for days. Classic 2D play in a 3D world.

One of the games that slipped through my now playing list this year, I can’t wait to dive into this atmospheric and brutally challenging RPG.

Take a 20 year platforming game, spruce it up for the current gen, add in support for a friend or three and you have a recipe for some fun. The young’ins may not appreciate it as much, but nostalgia certainly enhances this already fine game.

Alphadream shows they still have it after a lackluster 2nd entry. Playing as Bowser is a blast.

I wasn’t really expecting much out of Dissidia. A 3D fighting game… However, combat was surprising robust, and content expansive. Just don’t expect anything out of the story and you’ll get many hours out of this one.

I couldn’t let a best of the year list go by without mentioning Bioware’s latest. This may not be their prettiest game, but they make up for it with great characters, dialogue and story.

I also will give an honorable mention to Borderlands. A fantastic blend of FPS and a loot-grinding RPG, it just came up a little short against Dragon Age and Arkham Asylum.

That concludes the final post for 2009. Coming up next is a look at what my eye is on for the year ahead.