Best 5 games of 2009

5 - Prototype

At number five it’s Prototype. This was one of those games that really took my by surprise as it’s something that was completely off my radar until I played it. As escaped biological experiment Alex Mercer you have complete freedom of the city as you pull helicopters out of the sky, run up buildings, absorb people and run about causing as much destruction as possible. It’s probably the most fun you’ll have with your clothes on.

• Watch the original review of Prototype
• Buy Prototype from Amazon

4 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

At four it’s Modern Warfare 2. The single player game is short but oh so sweet with its intense Hollywood-style set pieces and fantastic visuals and soundtrack. Single player may be short but the multiplayer modes just keep on giving as you earn what seem like an infinite amount of rewards and weapons in the team games and then you can try to earn three stars in all the Spec Ops missions.

• Watch the original review of Modern Warfare 2
• Buy Modern Warfare 2 from Amazon

3 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

At three it’s another game with superb set pieces; Uncharted 2. Nathan Drake’s second adventure sees him seeking the lost treasure of Marco Polo and features an improvement on the shooting, running and climbing of the first game. If you’re looking for single player thrills and spills and also a great 3rd-person multiplayer game thrown in for good measure, you’ve definitely found it here.

• Watch the original review of Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
• Buy Uncharted 2: Among Thieves from Amazon

2 - Assassin’s Creed II

At 2 it’s Assassin’s Creed 2. Ubisoft have taken out or changed all the things people didn’t like about the first game to make a sequel that’s sublime. Free run around 15th century Italy as Desmond enters the Animus to find clues in the past to stop the Templars in the present. It may have a convoluted plot but the combat, collectables, intrigue and variation in the missions make this one game I just couldn’t put down until I’d completed it.

• Watch the original review of Assassins Creed 2
• Buy Assassins Creed 2 from Amazon

1 - Batman: Arkham Asylum

And the number one spot goes to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Taking inspiration from the comic books, you must fight your way through the island as The Joker sets a trap to finally put an end to Caped Crusader. With great visuals and a well balanced mix of stealthy gameplay and the best fighting combo system I’ve every played, this is the only game which compelled me to complete it 100%. Some of those challenge modes are tricky but this is truly a near-perfect game and so deserves the Gamesweasel award for Game of the Year 2009. Well done Bats!

• Watch the original review of Batman Arkham Asylum
• Buy Batman: Arkham Asylum from Amazon