On a very special forty-eight episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, Jesse, Dave and Jonah discuss their top ten picks for game of the year.

It was a good discussion of our likes and dislikes and why we picked what we picked. We even give out a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list at the end of the show.

I don’t want to give it away here, so hit up after the break to download the episode and hear for yourself.

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Music during the break – “The Robot Band Tune” by Tomas Dvorak (Machinarium Soundtrack)

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

"Archive Footage"

2009 was a busy year for me. I had just started a new job, I launched WingDamage with my bro and suckered a few friends into writing for us. A ton of amazing games came out. Here I present to you my personal favorites. This is my top ten, and it doesn’t quite line up with the majority of other people’s that I have found online. That’s just fine with me.

Some releases, while I liked what I played, I just didn’t have enough time to get a good enough impressions to rank them one way or the other. That said, I give you my top ten games of the year.

#10 Borderlands (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

While I do enjoy the occasional FPS, it is not always my genre of choice. A good co-op mode is usually required to really get me interested. Borderlands does a great job of mixing fun FPS gameplay with RPG elements and looting to create a very addictive experience. Better yet, it’s meant to be played with up to three of your friends.

#9 Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a great way to kill time on your DS. The plot is super goofy and the dialogue is hilarious. Timing is everything for both the attacks and for your defense. This keeps the battles fresh throughout the entire experience. It is any easy recommendation for all ages. Best of all, it’s an RPG that actually works well in short bursts.

#8 inFamous (PS3) [Full Review]

Most open world games have a bad habit of making me lose interest after a few hours. inFamous does several things very well. The free roaming works really well and is always fun. There is just enough of an assist to your climbing that it never feels like they are taking the controls away from you, but you also don’t get frustrated from being a pixel off from any given jump. That combined with the ever increasing lightning powers and a fun, though simple, good/evil mechanic really sucked me in to the game’s world.

#7 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2) [Full Review]

When I first saw footage of DJ Hero, I had no idea what was going on. The concepts involved in scratching and mixing songs live are way above my level of musical understanding. Much to my surprise, they were able to boil it all down into a game that is fun and engaging with a soundtrack that has made its way into my regular rotation. The price is a sticking point for some people. but since the game hasn’t had the huge commercial success of it’s guitar based counterparts, I recommend picking this one up at a sale near you.

#6 Torchlight (PC)

The combination of a fun art style that mixes fantasy and steampunk with addictive hack-and-slash gameplay was all it took to get me hooked on Torchlight. People who have been waiting for something in the Diablo style that makes some improvements on the genre need look no further. Inventory management has been streamlined. Your pet’s ability to run back to town and sell all your unneeded junk keeps you in the action. The fact that they opened Torchlight up to the modding community almost immediately also speaks to the games longevity. Not only do you get a great self-contained experience, but thanks to other fans, you get one that is ever expanding.

#5 Punch-Out!! (Wii) [Full Review]

If you were to look at a list of my top games of all time, the original Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! would rank very high. I am very happy to say that Punch-Out!! on the Wii lived up to all of my expectations. Long time fans will have no problem blasting through the first part of the game, which plays almost exactly like the original. Fortunately, that is only the beginning. In Title Defense Mode, they have taken our favorite old school characters and completely switched up their move sets, while still staying faithful to the characters and the gameplay, making for a hugely challenging, arcade style experience.

#4 Machinarium (PC) [Full Review]

Some games have so much personality that you know you will remember and return to them years down the road. Machinarium is one of those games for me. The art style has such an interesting, sketchy, storybook feel to it and the characters really come to life. There is no dialogue in the game, yet through animations alone you get a full sense of the story. While some point and click adventure games will reach a point where you click around the screen in frustration, Machinarium did a great job of cluing you in to what you needed to do. If you ever get stuck, the games built-in hint system works amazingly well, telling you what needs to be done without giving everything away. For a small game that you can finish in around five hours, Machinarium‘s charm will stick with your long after you finish it.

#3 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) [Full Review]

Somehow Nintendo was able to craft a game that is amazingly fun to play both in single player and with up to four players. The most impressive part about that is they are the same levels. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the kind of game that you can bring out with your friends and family of any skill level and have a great time just goofing around in. The mechanics that require you to be cooperative, while at the same time allow you to be competative, go a long way towards the longevity of the title. If you have a Wii, you should have this game.

#2 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Another franchise that successfully managed to return to its roots and come back with a fantastic experience; Street Fighter IV delivered for both casual and hardcore fans. The character designs were taken one step further towards looking like a cartoon, which lends itself well to the way over the top fighting action of the franchise. The combination of new and classic moves really helped keep every character feeling fresh and unique. Gone are the days of pallet swapped characters. They even managed to make Dan a viable character. The addition of new move types even helped balance the game for newcomers just learning how to throw down on the mean streets of the World Tournament.

#1 Dragon Age: Origins (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

I originally was not following Dragon Age: Origins because I thought it looked a little too much like the film versions of Lord of the Rings. Boy was I wrong. This game has earned it’s place as my Game of the Year. Bioware brought their classic gameplay ideas from their old PC days and mixed them with the versatility of modern gameplay mechanics, a good story, and fun characters to bring an RPG masterpiece back to the PC. All complaints I have heard about the game seem to involve the console editions, so I highly recommend the PC version if you can run it. The way you move around in battles and control the action flows perfectly. I was also impressed with how the good/bad meter of other Bioware games was replaced with a party member specific meter of how well that character liked you. Your actions and conversation effect both those in your party and the world around you. With six distinct origin stories and the upcoming two years worth of DLC on an already expansive game universe, Dragon Age: Origins is a title I will be playing for a good long while.

"WingDamage writer by day, Little Mac by night."

The first full year of WingDamage is officially over. Though we all played a lot of games, we’re also enthusiasts with full-time jobs outside of the site. While there’s just not enough time in the day to play every game that comes out, we do our best. Below is a list of my personal picks of the games I felt where a cut above the rest. Expect to see the picks of our other writers soon after. And don’t worry, you’ll probably agree with their picks more than mine anyway.

#10 Retro Game Challenge (DS) [Full Review]

As you might have guessed after seeing our “Friday Old Games” article series, we like our retro games here on WingDamage. Retro Game Challenge was made specifically for people like me whose favorite genres still include 2D platformers and SHMUPs. The zany plot about Japanese comedian, Shinya Arino, transporting you back to the eighties and forcing you to play fake Famicom games is not only wonderfully absurd, but a great way to take advantage of my feelings of nostalgia.

While the achievement-style challenges you complete in each of the 8bit games are fun, my favorite part is that each game is unlockable for free play. Essentially, what I really bought is a bunch of never-before-released NES games; a fact I am more than satisfied with. It saddens me that the sequel will probably never make it out of Japan.

#9 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) [Full Review]

The first night I brought home DJ Hero, I played for over four hours straight, having not gotten home until the late hours of the evening, on a work-night. I did not do this intentionally, but as they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” The satisfaction I felt while playing DJ Hero is something I haven’t felt since I first played Dance Dance Revolution.

In a stagnant and saturated genre, DJ Hero felt fresh. The input requires much more than a series of colorful button presses (though it uses those, too) and the soundtrack is made entirely from never-before-heard mashups of popular music from various decades mixed by legendary DJs. While it might not sell as well as Rock Band or Guitar Hero, I think it’s exactly the breath of fresh air the rhythm genre needed.

#8 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) [Full Review]

I’ve never been into sports, but I’ve been a fan of golf videogames since Golf on the NES and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, while using the Wii Motion+ attachment, is the best golf videogame I’ve ever played. This is the game that makes me eagerly anticipate future WM+ enabled titles. The three different control settings make it easy for people of all skill levels to play together and the advanced control scheme is incredibly satisfying once you’re ready to take it on. There’s a ridiculous number of courses to play and tons of customization. I can’t imagine the next iteration doing anything this game didn’t already do well enough.

#7 Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) [Full Review]

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is absolutely stunning to look at. It’s not just a pretty face, either. The game manages to achieve an insane combat style that’s more “ninja-like” than anything I’ve ever seen on a 2D plane. On top of that, it featured a “Metroidvania Light” map structure, giant bosses, multiple playable characters, RPG elements, and a vast quantity of swords (each with their own stats and special attack) to collect. I can’t wait to see what Vanillaware cooks up next.

#6 Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) [Full Review]

Batman: Arkham Asylum, while not perfect, is a great game. Rocksteady did an excellent job of making you feel like you’re every bit as fear inspiring and every bit as vulnerable as Batman should be. You can take on huge unarmed groups, but once they have guns it’s time to be a stealthy predator. The pacing is great, there are tons of secrets to find, and the voice cast reprising their roles from Batman: The Animated Series is fantastic. It manages to not just be “good for a licensed game”, it’s one the best games of the year.

#5 Assassin’s Creed II (Xbox 360, PS3)

I’m not usually a fan of open-world games, but Assassin’s Creed II is a lot of fun. Each of the game’s cities are huge and climbing around all the buildings is so satisfying that I found I hardly used the “fast travel” system. The game is full of detail from the hustle and bustle of the cities lively inhabitants to the viewpoints, codex  pages, glyphs, feathers, and any number of other important things scattered throughout Italy for you to find.

#4 Punch-Out!! (Wii) [Full Review]

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is the very first videogame I ever remember playing. When I heard they were making a new one, I flipped out with excitement. This game did not disappoint me one bit. It is 100% pure, unrestrained fun. Nothing in this game gets in the way of that. It is simplicity at its best.

The cartoony art style is fantastic and fits the game like a glove. Every boxer is extremely expressive and full of life. The controls are tighter than ever and the new “Title Defense Mode” doubles the length of the otherwise short experience without feeling like cheap padding. It may be “old school”, but Punch-Out!! doesn’t feel any less relevant to me now than it did back then.

#3 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3)

2009 was the “comeback” year for fighting games. A ton of great fighters came out, but Street Fighter IV trumps them all. With a huge cast of fan-favorites as well as new characters, I’ve been able to enjoy some pretty lengthy multiplayer sessions. Capcom struck the perfect balance between old and new with the move-sets. Focus attacks, specials, supers, and ultras allow for a very deep fighting experience while still managing to not feel too intimidating (a problem I had with the critically acclaimed BlazBlue). Street Fighter IV is my new favorite fighting game and I eagerly await the next iteration.

#2 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) [Full Review]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is so incredibly fun that I went back and forth numerous times on whether or not it was my number one game. Ultimately, it landed in my number two spot, and I hope it also lands in every Wii owner’s home. While the themed worlds may feel cliche, the actual level design is incredibly imaginative. Playing alone is as satisfying as Mario games of old and playing with friends is an entirely new, ridiculously enjoyable experience.

#1 aka GOTY… Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) [Full Review]

This game has already been called “Game of the Year” by a large number of media outlets. You know why? Because it’s incredible. Uncharted 2 is one of the most entertaining media experiences out there. It’s full of a cast of likable characters that are better acted and more believable than many you’ve seen on the big screen. The pacing is so good you’ll want to play it in one sitting (but you won’t because it actually takes a decent chunk of time to complete).

The single-player would have been more than enough to blow me away, but the multiplayer is the icing on the already delicious cake. Rather than feeling tacked on, it’s very fun in both versus and co-op and gives me more excuses to revisit the game. This is the kind of game you can feel comfortable recommending people buy the system for.

"Just like this!"

On a very special forty-second episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we avoid the use of any Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy references.

Then, after the princess is captured for the fifteen-thousand, three-hundred, seventy-sixth time, it is up to the Super Gregorio Bros. to successfully get through an entire episode of the podcast without the help of their regular co-hosts.

In “What We’ve Been Playing”, we discuss more on Uncharted 2, but then move on to Borderlands and Left 4 Dead 2, the two multiplayer shooters that everyone on Jonah’s friends list seem to have abandoned for Assassin’s Creed 2. We also talk of what were, at the time of recording, awesome Black Friday sales that have now come and gone.

Then, in “Let’s Play Together”, we discuss how amazing New Super Mario Bros. Wii has turned out to be as both a co-op and competitive game. As it turns out, we are hooked on the brothers.

Then in the news, we talk about the new lawsuit Microsoft is facing with Datel over memory card lockouts, the new Super Street Fighter IV character announcements, and much more.

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"The Wizard never saw it coming."

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

Today is a special themed edition of “Friday Old Games”. With our recent review of New Super Mario Bros. Wii now live, I’m taking this opportunity to talk about my favorite game in the franchise, Super Mario Bros. 3.

While the original Super Mario Bros. laid down an excellent starting point for the series, the sequel (known to us non-Japanese gamers as The Lost Levels) felt like more of an expansion than a new game. In October of 1988, Nintendo of America released their own Super Mario Bros. 2 (later to be titled Super Mario USA in Japan) at the same time that Japanese gamers were getting their hands on the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. 3.

Instead of feeling like another new level pack, SMB3 actually expanded on the old gameplay mechanics while adding new ones that would become a staple of the series. The game features a map-screen for each world, allowing different paths to be taken. All the worlds have a distinct theme and more levels than before.

The map also contains special event squares. Toad houses allow you to get a power-up (usable on the map screen at any time) from one of three chests, there is a couple matching games to earn extra lives, and you can also occasional run into a hammer brother who you can defeat to earn another power-up.

While previously there was only the fire-flower, SMB3 added a large variety of different power-ups to the mix. The most common of which is a leaf that puts Mario in a raccoon suit. This grants you the ability to fly (if you have enough room to get up to speed) and whack enemies with your tail.

The addition of the raccoon suit alone would have been enough to be a big game changer, but SMB3 didn’t stop there. Instead, it added several more items including the frog suit, the often coveted hammer suit, the tanooki suit (a variation of the raccoon suit that allows Mario to turn into an invincible statue temporarily), and a few map-screen specific items like the cloud, music box, and warp whistle.

The levels themselves were better than ever, making effective use of the themes present in each world. Each stage is so much more intricate than those found in previous Mario games. Though I love the original Super Mario Bros. for its simplicity, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a much deeper platformer and ultimately, feels more rewarding to play.

Why did I pick this game?

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released last week and our review went up two days ago. While the new entry borrows elements from various games in the series, Super Mario Bros. 3 is, by far, the biggest influence. Once of the more blatant examples is the koopalings.

While Bowser use to stand on an unstable bridge at the end of every world, he finally decided it was in his best interest to let others take on the “world boss” role. Each of the koopalings, though very similar, had a little something to spice up each boss fight. While hitting an axe on the right-hand side of the screen eight times has its moments, new bosses were a welcome change.

Really, Super Mario Bros. 3 marks a drastic evolution for the series. The amount of new features that were added between the second (The Lost Levels) and third game are truly incredible. It was everything a sequel should be. It was a completely new experience that managed to stay true to its roots the whole time.

How does it hold up?

Fortunately, it wasn’t just a conceptually good game. Practically everything in SMB3 is executed perfectly, making it as fun a game now as it was when it was released in North America almost twenty years ago. It remains not only one of the greatest games found on the NES, but one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time.

"The true successor to Super Mario World."

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the follow up to the DS game entitled New Super Mario Bros. It was only a matter of time before having the word “new” in the title of a game would become terribly confusing. Despite what the poor naming choice might suggest, this is not a port of the DS game, but rather a completely new Mario game.

Like any 2D platformer in the franchise, the game will have you running and jumping on the heads of enemies through eight themed worlds before finally reaching Bowser and rescuing the princess yet again. But this time around, Mario has new powers, multiplayer, and some of the zaniest level design (in a good way) the series has ever seen.

If you’ve played the DS entry, controlling Mario feels almost identical. It can best be described as “if Mario 64 was on a 2D plane”. I refer mainly to the way your running momentum feels as opposed to the NES and SNES games as well as the presence of the “wall jump”. If you missed the previous New Super Mario Bros., it will take you a second to adjust, but will become natural quite quickly.

"Many familiar enemies make an appearance."

While the fire flower and mini mushroom make a return, there are also three new power-ups: the propeller suit, the ice flower, and the penguin suit. The propeller suit allows you to shoot up into the air by flicking the wiimote (which is held sideways like an NES controller throughout the course of the game). Once you’ve done that, you can glide downward or hold down on the d-pad to drill toward the ground. It allows you to get to high areas without giving you the game-breaking (but fun) flying abilities of the leaf (Super Mario Bros. 3) or cape (Super Mario World).

If you combined the fire flower with the ice beam from the Metroid series, you would get the ice flower. Hitting an enemy with an ice ball will put them in a block of ice that you can stand on, destroy, or throw at an unsuspecting enemy. You can even freeze enemies in midair and their blocks will stay suspended, effectively flipping gravity “the bird”.

The penguin suit can do everything the ice flower can and more.  Besides not slipping on icy platforms, pushing down while running will allow you to slide great distances, breaking blocks along the way. It’s very similar to the blue shell in the DS game.

The level design in New Super Mario Bros. Wii is simply stellar. Most of its influence comes from Super Mario Bros. 3 and to a lesser extent, Super Mario World. You might know these best as “two of the greatest 2D Mario games ever created”. Combine that with the dynamic flair the DS game added, lots of new ideas, and heaping gobs of variety and you have one hell of a package.

"Toad houses and map screen enemies are back."

Each world is divided into eight or more levels including a mid-castle and a final castle. In both castles, you will fight one of the koopalings, though the second battle will be spiced up with Kamek’s magic. Ghost houses make a welcome return as do a few airship levels. Alternate paths and three giant coins hidden throughout every stage add even more enjoyment to the levels. Finding all the gold coins in a world will unlock a new level in the secret ninth world (after you’ve beaten the game).

One of the game’s biggest selling points is simultaneous multiplayer. At any point on the map screen, you can add or drop up to three additional players. Playing with friends is an entirely different experience than singleplayer. Players cannot occupy the same space which results in lots of jumping on heads. Sometimes this helps a player get to a higher location. Other times it causes the lower player to plummet to their death. Of course, these outcomes are not mutually exclusive.

To make multiplayer more balanced, the game will spit out more power-ups when there are more players. However, there’s nothing to stop other players from stealing them when they appear which can make things interesting. I found that the camera is very good at zooming out enough to see each player when we got separated. Occasionally though, a player who is left behind would die from being too far back.

"Motion controls are used very sparingly such as this ledge rotating with the wiimote."

The best way to describe multiplayer is utter chaos. The more players you add, the more ridiculous the game gets. What is so fascinating though, is that it is also exceptionally fun to play. I spent a lot of time laughing at the hilarious antics that resulted from multiplayer. There may be no online, but this isn’t the kind of experience I would want to share with a random person or a disembodied voice through a Wii Speak peripheral.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii isn’t particularly difficult in singleplayer, though there are a few tricky sections here and there that I spent a decent amount of lives on. You won’t find The Lost Levels style of difficulty here. Instead, it feels similar to what you’d find in Super Mario World. Strangely, multiplayer is much more difficult since you have the added requirement of working together. At the same time, multiplayer feels more rewarding to play (with the right people).

What makes New Super Mario Bros. Wii so great is that it feels like a loving tribute to the classic series as a whole while adding plenty of its own flavor. It manages to strike the perfect balance between old and new elements. While the original New Super Mario Bros. on DS was entertaining, the Wii iteration feels better by leaps and bounds. Unless you hate 2D platformers, this should be in your game library.

On a very special forty-first episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, it is up to us to find the secret of the lost Ark via some sacred stones and a Crusade of some kind; all the while fighting off the G-Virus. Will Jesse, Jonah, and Wes survive to fight another day for the Crystal Skull?

It’s time once again for the gang to get together and talk about what they’ve been playing. This week, there is some more love for Uncharted 2, this time from Jesse, and talk of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Jonah has been rocking out, Lego style, with Lego: Rock Band and fighting monsters with the power of words in Bookworm Adventures Deluxe. And Wes has been killing stuff in Assassin’s Creed 2 to restore his family name.

After that, we take a look at last week’s FOG, Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures, and are happy with what we “find” (see what I did there?). We also play co-op through Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles in this week’s “Let’s Play Together” segment.

After that, it is the news, followed by our latest giveaway, a copy of Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (how appropriate). In fact, you should go enter that giveaway right now!

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Show Notes:

Intro and Middle Songs are from Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

Dino D-Day (Half Life 2 Mod)

Dark Void Movie Rumors

It’s that time of year again! The fourth quarter of 2009 is already upon us and we at WingDamage are here to keep you in the loop about some of the notable games coming out for each platform. Below you’ll find some of our most anticipated titles for the Nintendo Wii along with a few multi-platform titles.

A Boy and His Blob

“A revival of an NES classic with beautiful visuals that look like a children’s book. If anybody knows how to bring back an old franchise it’s Wayforward, the developer who brought us the outstanding Contra 4.” -Jesse

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

“Square-Enix doesn’t hold back on Nintendo’s white box in this epic action RPG. Crystal Bearers lets you explore the distant future of the Crystal Chronicles world alone as a boy with powerful telekinetic abilities that I will immediately abuse by chucking all the characters around in a comical fashion.” -Jesse

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

“It’s safe to say that every platformer with “Super Mario” in the title has been worth playing. From what little time I had with “New Super Mario Bros.” at PAX, this title will be no different. Not only can we expect another great platformer from Nintendo, but a fun party game as well. The levels are short, creative, and coolest of all require you to play both cooperatively and competitively.” -Jonah

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

“If you missed Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, it is worth going back to. In the arcade days, light gun games were always a blast to play with a friend and they work extremely well on the Wii. From what I have seen, RE: Darkside Chronicles picks up the light gun shooter torch from UC and runs with it. I can’t wait to pick up my fake plastic gun and shotgun some monsters in the face with a buddy.” -Jonah

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

“The strength of the Silent Hill series has always been the storytelling. Like all early survival horror games, the play control is a huge hurdle to a lot of people. Combine those two facts and you’ll know why I’m completely fascinated by this series despite never having played it for more than a few minutes. This remake is their big chance to do the gameplay right. The use of the Wii remote as a flashlight/radio seems like the perfect way to suck people in” -Jonah

DJ Hero

“Over 100 individual songs used to make over 90 never before heard mixes created by legendary artists including DJ Shadow and Daft Punk. DJ Hero is a unique take on the stagnant rhythm genre that even has Paul Oakenfold’s approval.” -Jesse

Rock Band: LEGO

“Yes, I realize I am a sucker for wanting this game. I am looking forward to the new songs, the fact that your Lego guys battle space monsters while you rock out, and that it will be one more game to play when my niece and nephew come over. They can’t get enough of those crazy Lego games.” -Jonah

Let us know which Wii games YOU are looking forward to!