To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of 2009, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from copy editor Sean Kim.
Borderlands: Guns, guns, and more guns. What more could anyone want on a desolate alien planet? Borderlands is all about mindless self indulgence of power. There’s an ancient treasure on the planet of Pandora and four treasure hunters are dead set on finding it. The stylish mix of FPS and RPG elements makes for an extremely fun ride as you explore the desolate planet, killing anything in your path. Despite the lackluster story and relatively easy difficulty, Borderlands is a wonderful experience for up to four people.
Street Fighter IV: Capcom’s latest venture into the Street Fighter franchise produced Street Fighter IV, a beautifully rendered “2.5D” fighting game, and the first numbered Street Fighter title in a decade. With a roster of 25 characters, plenty of challenges, and online play, Street Fighter IV is a must-have for fighting game fans. The enemy AI is spotty at times, and can be difficult for newer players to beat, but the game is still quite enjoyable. However, the major drawing point for me was the thrill of competition in the online mode. Be sure to be on the lookout for the sequel, Super Street Fighter IV, coming out in 2010.