Q4 2009 gaming report - PS3, Xbox 360 and PSP

Being late to a party, not so bad. Being late to your wedding, bad. Being over a month late with a recap of one of the deepest gaming quarters in recent memory, not so bad. How can this be? Well it’s simple; there are so many solid games from October, November and December of 2009 that this piece is still relevant to gamers buying decisions. Buying online or at local gaming shop, keep these titles in mind.

First up are the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PS3 had a rock solid exclusive showing while 360 was a bit on the weak site. Both systems rocked with multi-platform and of course, not talked about there, are the amount of downloadable games and content. Ah, since the PlayStation 2 is really non-existent now the PSP will move into this category, at the bottom, as next up will be the Nintendo Wii and DS.

PlayStation 3 – Are you kidding me! When was the last time a system scored three such unique titles? Yes three of the four are first party but still, stacking the deck with solid, solid gaming on PS3.

• God of War Collection – A sweet tweak and re-package that benefits all those non-backwards compatible PS3 owners. The real icing on the cake was the God of War III demo, but from a gaming standpoint getting to play as Kratos from the beginning all over again, or for the first time is just a great bundle.
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Unlike Sly and Jak, Ratchet & Clank have not faded into systems of gaming past but rather have jacked up the graphics, continued to refine gameplay and keep it fresh all at the same time. New gamers will get a bit of the back-story and should not be too lost while playing the definition of a video game.
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – A game, a move, a total experience for all senses. Winner of many gaming awards in 2009 the level of perfection reached by Naught Dog is plain sick and no gamer should miss out.
• Demon's Souls – Any gamer looking to abuse themselves, meet Demon’s Souls. Atlus unleashed this beast on pampered gamers used to living. Demon’s Souls will chew gamers up and leave them begging for more. Not the prettiest game on PS3 but still so dang hard it’s good.

Xbox 360 – Two sequels. Two very, very solid, high-scoring games but still, only two that did not hit the PS3 also.

• Left 4 Dead 2 – It redefined how to do zombie killing and kept it on the 360 with a bunch of friends and more of the same gameplay that made Left 4 Dead such a great and well selling title. Killing zombies … so much fun.
• Forza Motorsport 3 – Said it before, will say it again. While Gran Turismo gets so much attention it’s Forza that continues to put out games more often with such great polish and gameplay that many 360 owners wonder what the big deal with GT is. EA upped the game with Need for Speed Shift but Forza still is the king on a yearly basis.

Multi-platform – So may truly original titles and a few blast from the past. These games, as well as those above, could keep gamers occupied will into 2010. Don’t have a crowded gaming marketplace be the reason you miss out. Rent, borrow, do whatever you need in order to experience these titles. One title this gamer did not have a chance to play but which is highly recommended is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, so just wanted to note.

• DJ Hero – Sad, fun and addictive but buried with so many other Hero titles. Many gamers may have missed on DJ Hero but its quite east pickup with some good, non-Guitar, music.
• Brutal Legend – Tim Schafer and Jack Black team-up for an over the top tribute to all things metal. This game plays great, has a sweet sense of humor, great voice work and soundtrack. It is brutal, so no kiddies, but what fun action for anyone who missed Psychonauts.
• Borderlands – Multi-player freak fest in a Mad Max, end of world type setting. Sweet!
• Tekken 6 – More of the same, updated story, new fighters, improved graphics and online play but still one of the best fighting games on any system.
• Dragon Age: Origins – BioWare just knows how to do games. Fantasy fans need to dive in and then beg BioWare to pick up the DragonLance license as they have brought the world of Dragon Age to life with great support in novel form from Tor Forge.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Games are not supposed to be this realistic. CoD: MW2 is sublime. A great story and single-player campaign is only the beginning for gamers as the real fun in online. Overall it feels like an extension of Modern Warfare as they tweaked and updated what was needed without going over the top in any one area and ruining a solid franchise.
• Assassin's Creed II – Stick with it, which is the motto for the first few slow hours of back-story and training. Once gamers get past this the game shines form outstanding level design, unique combat and just pure beauty. The story may not be every gamer’s cup of tea but it moves along the sweet gameplay. 
• The Saboteur – Borrowed but not played too long. A good title lost among giants but for WWII era fans and spy fans, a nice romp.
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast – Everything an updated, next-gen DBZ title should be. It’s icing on the cake, what DBZ and anime fans deserve and just plain rock solid. A great fighting title and never has a game looked more like, even better, than the source material.

PSP – Surprising is the one way to sum up the titles for PSP in Q4. These are unique, fun and while not Game of Year worthy still great on the go. Who says we don’t need UMD’s, not I.

• Tekken 6 – Better on the PSP than big brother, really.
• LittleBigPlanet – This, like Tekken 6, is how you do a game on PS3 and PSP. It’s everything gamers love without the next-gen graphics. 
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 4 – Every year the DS gets a nice championship edition and PSP is keeping page with another great card battling title where the story is secondary; gaming with friends and their decks is first and foremost.
• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines – Not a direct port of Assassin’s Creed 2, Bloodlines may have been better served in that manner. Yeah it’s Assassin’s Creed but the graphics are not as sharp as other PSP titles and the gameplay/story feels forced at times. Why on the list, more as a warning but some gamers may dig it.
• Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble – Read the title again, nuff said.
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier – While they may have retired from next-gen (for now) they are alive and well on the PSP where the story continues with some really good graphics.
• Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron – New story, character classes and online tweaks but it’s the same Battlefront fans dig. Just like Monster Hunter, Battlefront has a loyal following.
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – Continuing the history of PS2 and now DS ports to PSP, GTA fans need to run out and buy some Chinatown Wars now. It’s GTA on PSP, why do I have to say more?
• Half-Minute Hero – Quick battles, solid RPG action but sadly one of those titles that will get lost on the shelf with so many trade-ins. Worth picking up for those RPG fans with a decent bus or metro commute.
• Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising – For fans only. Not a bad game, but not great either. The recent console Naruto’s have been fun but the PSP suffers from hand-me-down syndrome of having other system settings shoved on a UMD. Give us some next-gen love, shrunk down or just downloadable PS2 offerings from Japan please

Overall the PS3 did very well with four great, exclusive titles and a horde of multi-platform goodness. The 360 clocked in with just two exclusives of grade-A quality but benefit from the same multi-platform titles. Due to the pure quality both systems have to get an A as it’s safe to say no gamer was left unhappy with the titles listed here (or were you? Chime in gamers).

The PSP is another story. The PSP Go is a flop right now but considering the investment made on the system to see the number of titles released, on UMD at that, for the PSP have to both surprise and delight gamers. Like the perpetual C-D student who finally scores an A, the PSP deserves some praise for it’s variety of titles, not new, old and ported. Been a long time since that’s been said about the PSP.

Up next will be the Nintendo Wii and DS, both of which saw a ton of releases in 2009 and the holiday season. With a focus on more casual gaming how did the house of Mario fare??? Check in soon to see.