Still Playing: the games of 2009

2009 has produced some of the finest experiences to date in games, along side some absolute turds. Though many of the games I have played or finished here is a run-down of how I spent my time this year:

REPEAT OFFENDERS-Games I started last year (or earlier) and have not yet finished. Not surprisingly most of them are RPG's.

Witcher:Extended Edition-In August of this year a patch failue destroyed my install so I am taking the advantage of this week's sale at www.steampowered.com to re-buy the game so I can finally finish it. Extraordarily compelling, it is a long form RPG with truly mature content.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-This rpg shooter is still on my drive, though I have played some recent marathon sessions to blaze through the story. It remains a graphically striking game and I have finally figured out how to play it, I think. Like Far Cry 2, emergent gameplay happens throughout the eco-system of fauna and factions.

Titan Quest: This Diablo clone is clicker's paradise but not quite compelling enough to keep me hooked. I am thinking of finally ditching it, and installing Torchlight.

Supreme Commander: This massive RTS measures its victories in inches, not miles, and each encounter is a pleasant if time consuming slog.

Oblivion (360): Over 80 hours into this game and I haven't completed a fifth of the main story quest.It has become a perennial favorite, though I don't get back to it often enough.

Condemned 2 (360): Having beaten Condemned this year I tried for the too-fer but haven't yet finished this moody, scary brawler.

Grand Theft Auto 4 (360): Imagine my surprise when I played both branching paths of what I thought was the ending and traded the game, only to find out later there is still one mission to go. Combined with the lure of the well-reviewed DLC, I have it again and intend to finish it.