2009 Round-Up: Part two

The grand 2009 video game universe round-up continues with:


My ex-girlfriend took the Nintendo Wii with her when we broke up towards the end of 2008. Which meant that 2009 was the first year since 1993 where I didn't own the current Nintendo home system.

(Yes, despite my claims of complete Sega loyalty, I owned a SNES Back in't day and I bought both my N64 and Gamecube on launch day.
I REGRET NOTHING.)

So, how many must-have Wii games have been released in the past 12 months that I should feel pained about missing out on?
*fires up metacritics best of 2009 list*

Jesus Christ.
New Super Mario Bros and maybe Punch out?
Is that it?

D-
Must try harder.
See me after class young Nintendo.


In the interests of being somewhat fair and balanced, I should point out that the DS did fair quite a bit better.

Love Plus and Scribblenauts in particular showed us all a fascinating glimpse of just how fucking strange the future of gaming might become. And Phantasy Star Zero is such a perfect spiritual successor my beloved Phantasy Star Online that I've been avoiding playing it for weeks it as I don't want it to ever end.

Yes I know. I am a huge wuss.

2009 Round-Up: Part One

As the last days of 2009 drift away like drunken butterflies,
virtually every website in the world is throwing their own take on the end of year round-up into the ether...

And I'm not about to stand up and be different.
No sireebob.
So here's the first part of my round-up of important Video Game related things from 2009



Being an English gamer in the 90s, I was spoiled for choice when it came to gaming magazines.
(There's a post on this very subject coming soon-ish)
But despite the onslaught of (now classic) local reading matter available, I still kept one filthy yankee magazine on monthly subscription at GT News:

EGmotherfuckenM.
It was so thick compared to the English magazines of the day...
Nigh oozing with screenshots of games that the UK rags were still whispering about.
It was a window into a wonderful world that I felt wasn't entirely meant for me, but that just added to the appeal.

And the covers. Oh the covers. Featuring games that were my little 13 year old world:
Mortal Kombat! Street Fighter 2! Mortal Kombat again! Street Fighter 2 again!

Halcyon days indeed..

Cut to a decade later,
I stumbled upon 1up.com and somehow, that same spirit lived on.
Whenever I listened to the 1upYours podcast I felt like I was sneaking a glimpse of a secret world all over again.
(Especially in the early days, when NDAs were often forgotten in the heat of discussion).

1upYours, CGW/GFW radio and the EGM podcast became hugely influencial on the way I thought about video games as an industry and an art form. And they did this while being really fucking funny.


Special mention must go out to the CGW/GFW radio podcast, which managed to cover subjects as disparate as the decline in modern comic books, the wonders of griefing Furrys in Second life*, the dangers of Meth addiction, the horrors of the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom, the difficulty in being a balanced games journalist and the wonders of french hip hop.

Often all in a single episode.


All of these podcasts all ended with the purchase of 1up.com by UGO from the long struggling Ziff Davis in January (or just before, in the case of the CGW/GFW magazine/podcast)

And while 1up.com is still a damn fine website
and 4guys1up is a great podcast with the best name in the business.
(And often features Jeremy Parish, who's opinions I always enjoy listening to/reading despite disagreeing with about 90% of them)
For me, much of the magic left along with a large percentage of the staff.

Fortunately, that magical-ness wasn't lost to us forever like dust in the wind (dude)
Instead, we gained a pleasingly large number of new websites and podcasts in the weeks and months following the buyout.

Here's a rundown of my favourites for your convenience:


A life well wasted
I've raved about this jewel of a podcast from Ex-CGW radio man Robert Ashley before.
It is to be savoured like the finest of wines.

Bitmob.
Again, I've spaffed over this site and podcast before, but it's worth mentioning here. Their involvement makes the recently announced re-launch of EGM genuinely exciting.

Out of the Game.
A semi-regular, Skyped-in podcast Featuring Ex-CGWers Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot and Robert Ashley alongside ex-1up yours, current Bungie employee/heavy breather Luke Smith and ex-1up yours guest/newsweek writer N'Gai Croal (another man whose opinions I enjoy listening to/reading despite disagreeing with 95% of them)

EA.com
Alright, it's not quite the same as the other sites I've listed here,
but Jeff Green is my favourite person on the Internet
and now that he finally has a position of power as EIC and Head Podcasting Man of EA.com the world feels just a little more right.


Part two of my 2009 round-up will be with you shortly...


*My BFF Hetro Life Partner and I have similar Second Life stories that would make your hair curl. I may share some of these in the future if I'm feeling especially filthy.