Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2009

50. Risen (PC, Xbox 360)

Age Grace says: "Best RPG I have played this year. Easy to get into and very funny."

49. Bayonetta (PS3, Xbox 360)

tatsuyarr says: "This game makes me feel like Japan still got it. This mixing of sillyness, sexyness, crazy character design and stupid sense of humour, it's good to see they can still achieve it sometimes."

48. Little King's Story (Wii)

DocDaneeka says: "A cheerful and fun take on the console strategy game. Bags of character and weirdness. And any game which references the Principia Discordia gets my vote."

47. God of War Collection (PS3)

mcwildcard says: "Still awesome, but now shinier, this is hopefully the first of many nods to the quality of the PS2 classics. Hopefully its success will see more collections spawn out of games that deserve a lick of HD paint and a second outing."

46. Fallen Earth (PC)

bloodbought77 says: "Breath of fresh air - independent studio, tons of potential, huge world, deep story, crafting, classless advancement."

45. Time Gentlemen, Please! (PC)

Ninja_Tino says: "The greatest point-and-click game ever made! The price doesn't hurt either."

44. Tales of Monkey Island (PC, Wii)

DADHAT says: "I loved the whole season but Lair of the Leviathan stood out the most. Great writing and some cracking puzzles, best adventure gaming since the LucasArts years."

43. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (DS)

andywilkie35 says: "Such a simple concept - write an involving and interesting story, then add a f***load of puzzles. What's not to love? Charm oozes out of this game, and for me is the most necessary game to own on the DS."

42. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3)

Beano says: "More of the same with a few additions - but still very entertaining, pretty graphics, great humour and accessible family-friendly gameplay. Maybe the best game in the series."

41. ArmA II (PC)

Mho7276501 says: "Insanely ambitious, fantastically huge play area, a bit broken yes, but compared to similar offerings this year its way ahead of all competition."

40. Mirror's Edge (PC)

aliochou says: "Because it is f***ing Mirror's Edge! More seriously, the incredible art direction (blue sky blue sky everywhere!) and the fantastic feeling of being chase and leaping and bouncing like a Spider-Man like creature is just incredible."

39. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (PC, Xbox 360)

iHAZaCHEEZ3burger says: "One of my favourite games ever given the HD treatment, it had to make the list."

38. DJ Hero (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

OrpheusBlack says: "I don't care if it didn't sell a load, I loved it. I hope the numbers add up to a sequel. It made me a dance fan."

37. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)

cheekyjay says: "It works. That's the most important part. Like the original Wii Sports, and unlike almost all mini-game wagglefests since, this game nails the controls, shows off what the new MotionPlus can do, and is painfully addictive to boot. It may not be as immediate or as streamlined as its predecessor, but what it lacks in simplicity it makes up for in depth."

36. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)

superjag86 says: "A PC game that felt fun, was accessible and got rid of all the needless complexity of other RTS games to focus on control and tactics. Controlling only four squads was a genius idea and the whole Diablo mechanic of experience and loot made for a game that you could easily lose hours to. Of all the 'spirit of Diablo' games this year it just pips both Borderlands and Torchlight."

35. Machinarium (PC)

Vyse_Hazuky says: "The visuals are tremendous, incredibly defined with a slick and distinct style, great use of colour and light effects and great animation. The soundtrack from Tomas Dvorak is another great plus, a really fantastic score, very ethereal, very dynamic, very coherent with the visuals."

34. Football Manager 2010 (PC)

afroofdoom says: "Sports Interactive does it again. I'm already three seasons in and it's better than ever."

33. Red Faction: Guerrilla (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

nedrichards says: "Biggest bang for your buck all year. Next year, Just Cause 2 awaits for explodeyfun."

32. Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Tonne says: "It just is the best off-road racer out there. It drives you to be better."

31. Braid (PC)

Bloodkult says: "Yeah, I missed it on Xbox 360. It really is just as good as everyone says. It's about as perfectly made as you can get."

30. WipEout HD: Fury (PS3)

jpj84 says: "I am in my thirties, but I still shout at the telly playing this. That's a good thing."

29. Brutal Legend (PS3, Xbox 360)

tatsuyarr says: "We need a lot more games with original themes. It could have been first if there hasn't been online play in the game and much less RTS. Not every games need online and particularly not Tim Schafer's games."

28. Torchlight (PC)

DjchunKfunK says: "It's straight-up fun to play and in this modern age of gaming many developers forget to include such a simple thing as this in their game. Plus you have to admire the polish on a game developed by a small team in such a short space of time."

27. The Beatles: Rock Band (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

vincentw00t says: "I like tapping buttons rhythmically on a small toy guitar as much as the next man, but it's always been a bit of a chore considering the genre's proclivity to include one or two genuine musical gems amongst a sea of utter bollocks. The Beatles: Rock Band solved the problem perfectly."

26. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox 360)

DaemonSpawn says: "I haven't finished GTAIV and 'Lost and Damned, but rushed to the ending of Gay Tony in two evenings. It is fun, it is outrageously fun like San Andreas, but with live Liberty City with its advanced physics and cool visuals."

25. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS, PSP)

andyk says: "Ace cut-scene visuals backed up by an illustrative soundtrack while bombing around in a top-down environ. Great stuff being back in Liberty City - it's like I have spent all day in my PJs."

24. Persona 4 (PS2)

Silent-Hal says: "As a sequel to last year's stellar Persona 3, Persona 4 provides all the tweaks and fine tunings that fans could have hoped for, as well as providing what must be the final swansong for Sony's ageing console. With its great story, fast-paced battle system and addicting structure, this is easily the best RPG, and overall game, that I've played all year."

23. Empire: Total War (PC)

djhayes383 says: "The best Total War game to date. Complex without being too overbearing, graphics which really bring the battles to life, especially the new naval engagements, and so epic in scale that a single campaign can last literally for days. Empire: Total War is quite simply one of the best strategy games ever made."

22. Battlefield 1943 (PS3, Xbox 360)

spikeymike says: "Fantastic value for money. Good graphics, great gameplay, addictive, variety of weapons and vehicles. And so cheap, too! Great fun."

21. Plants vs. Zombies (PC)

JJKrista1 says: "Another top-draw release from PopCap. They know how to deliver a fun and addictive, yet simple game. My 7- and 10-year-olds love it too."

20. Flower (PS3)

goukiband says: "The 'game's as art' argument might be cringe inducing, but Flower is one game that definitely deserves to be mentioned. It looked stunning, sounded amazing, and was actually exhilarating to play."

19. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

photoboy says: "Not quite up there with Super Mario World, but this is a fun substitute. It's brilliantly balanced so that an inexperienced player can find it challenging to finish a level, whereas an experienced player can be challenged trying to find and capture the three gold coins in each level."

18. inFamous (PS3)

cooldawn says: "Another game where a demo is not at all indicative of the final retail product. The game never fails to better itself with each upgrade. As such the sense of power as you level up is astonishing and ripping along the city on electric cables is completely satisfying. Simply an absolute joy to play."

17. Shadow Complex (Xbox 360)

OAPslaine says: "Best arcade title on any platform. Absolutely unable to put this game down from start to finish. Appeals to all games whether you're into collecting, shooting, exploring or platforming."

16. Resident Evil 5 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Dave815 says: "Because it just oozes with atmosphere, amazing graphics, a compelling storyline, characters you care about, incredible weapons, and let's not forget incredibly cheesy dialogue and cut-scenes! It keeps you hooked even after finishing the main story, and that rarely happens for me with other games."

15. Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

mbcUK says: "Fallout 3. Plus more of it. What else is there to say."

14. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)

UltimateDave_80 says: "When I get bored of Modern Warfare I will be going back to ODST. A great single-player, Firefight is epic with friends and having all the Halo 3 multiplayer in one place is a great bonus."

13. Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Rorsch says: "It isn't every day you get to relive your childhood memories and everything seems better than you remember."

12. FIFA 10 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

LeD says: "The best footballing game simply got better. Presentation, controls, animations, this game simply has it all. It improved on the previous iteration in every area, and went further and innovated by introducing 360 degrees of control on player's movements, dribbling and passing... The beautiful game."

11. Killzone 2 (PS3)

El-Dev says: "Killzone 2 doesn't do anything radically new or different from those that have come before. What it does do though is do all these things brilliantly. The weighted feel of the movements is something that is missing all to frequently from a lot of FPS games and is what gives Killzone 2 an advantage over the rest."

10. Forza Motorsport 3

Microsoft, Turn 10 / Xbox 360

What we said: "Forza Motorsport 3 is only you, the car, the rubber and the road, in a blissful, never-bettered harmony - until the race ends, you pull back, and you get the bigger picture. Then you realise that that experience was just the centre of a huge, welcoming, flexible and shockingly complete package, a racing game that genuinely has a corner somewhere in it for everyone who loves cars, and a world-beating online platform to share that love with thousands of others. For 2009 at least, consider the racing game defined."

McPhisto74 says: "My second most played game of 2009 and again a step closer to actually driving a Lamborghini..."

AgentCool says: "Simply the finest console racing simulator ever devised. The 'feel' is flawless, the graphics solid and the career structure vastly improved over the previous title making it much more compelling and rewarding to work through. And to think it's taken Polyphony Digital more time to make Gran Turismo 5 than Turn 10 took to develop two Forzas!"

9. Trials HD

RedLynx / Xbox 360

What we said: "Wonderfully designed, justifies the price, and may end up being the best thing on Xbox Live Arcade all year. If you're in any doubt, there's even a trial version. Thud."

Scimac says: "Frustrating, annoying, taunting, ridiculous, annoying, insane, stupid, did I mention annoying... Oh go on I'll have just one more go."

kenbrilliant says: "Pure videogame crack. God knows how many hours I've spent on this, and I still haven't finished all the Extreme tracks. Puts most full-price releases to shame."

rutter says: "Brilliant gameplay, utterly addictive, perfect learning curve and instant restarts. Although I still haven't conquered Inferno II :("

8. Left 4 Dead 2

Valve / PC, Xbox 360

What we said: "Whereas once we treated Left 4 Dead as a stopgap between Half-Lifes, this is no longer a weird little side project with modest expectations, and Valve is confident enough to play around with it, safe in the knowledge that you can trust your players. Left 4 Dead proved it. And whereas that game had a personality, this one is overflowing with it."

Buztafen says: "Best. Multiplayer. Ever. The original L4D was my favourite game of 2008. The fact Valve not only brought out a sequel in such double-quick time but improved on almost every aspect deserves massive credit, not anger. No other game can bring a random group of people together and make them work as a team so effortlessly. The people I've met playing both games are the reason I'm always snooping round here, and the reason I can't remember much of the night out after the Leeds Expo!"

7. Demon's Souls

Atlus (US), From Software / PS3

What we said: "It's stoic, uncompromising, difficult to get to know, but also deep, intriguingly disturbed and perversely rewarding. You can learn to love Demon's Souls like few other games in the world. But only if you're prepared to give yourself over to it."

cjb_bjc says: "Haven't played it! Because I'm European! So bring it over here dammit. It's my number 5 and i haven't even tried it yet!"

Kris_bla says: "This game was a complete surprise! I did not know about it until I was desperate looking for an RPG game for PS3 and I found this one. Very tough game but incredibly rewarding and thrilling. We need more games like this."

6. Borderlands

2K, Gearbox / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

What we said: "This should be a favourite game of the year for a huge number of people, since it plugs into gamer impulses at such a fundamental level. We blow things up and collect the goodies. That part, at least, Gearbox has nailed."

Fletche says: "The surprise of the year, highly addictive combination of genres, one of the few games where you can forgive flaws and just concentrate on getting to that next level with the promise of an uber weapon."

Buztafen says: "LOOT! \o/ Plus four-player co-op RPG'ing. What more do you want?"

Syrok says: "Fantastic co-op. Makes Fallout 3 fun!"

Vanmunt says: "Still playing this at the moment, it was a toss-up between a few games for the fifth spot [on my vote list], but I just lose hours in Pandora and I look forward to my next visit. This year's BioShock for me."

5. Assassin's Creed II

Ubisoft Montreal / PS3, Xbox 360

What we said: "Ubisoft Montreal has never been afraid to try new things, but after a few missteps with games like last year's Prince of Persia, perhaps the bravest thing it could have done with Assassin's Creed II was simply to make a classic open-world adventure, filled to the brim with things you want to do and the narrative motivation to continue doing them."

andywilkie35 says: "The original Assassin's Creed was an ambitious game with bundles of potential, but was an ultimately flawed game when released. Ubisoft took the unorthodox approach of listening to gamers' gripes with the first game, fixed them and built on this foundation, giving gamers the game they all wanted and much more."

kl00t says: "Massive game with lots of new features, great mystery story."

bemani says: "Fixes all the flaws of the first game and makes almost everything you have to do a joy. Great voice acting and control (inside the Animus 2.0, mind) and beautiful to look at. A third game set in feudal Japan with forests, grappling hooks, throwing stars, samurais, gorgeous scenery and Desmond jumping into the life of a ninja, please!"

4. Dragon Age: Origins

EA, BioWare / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

What we said: "In its desperation to infuse this setting with maturity - be it of the sober, political kind, or the game's painfully clumsy gore and sex - BioWare has forgotten the key ingredient of any fantasy: the fantastical. Without it, you're still left with a competent, often compelling, impressively detailed and immense RPG, but it's one that casts no spell."

Old_Books says: "Because not even Bethesda Softworks knows how to craft a coherent world like BioWare does. A wonderfully immersive experience."

lucasmax says: "On the PC this is gaming bliss, rock-hard but well-executed and epic in storyline."

mathewjm says: "It's not Baldur's Gate II, but it's still engrossing fun. After you get past some of the rubbish starting quests (Human Noble is particularly terrible) it's awesome."

Empedocles says: "Well-executed engine (fit for purpose), engaging plot, well-written and humorous dialogue, sufficiently rounded core characters to make you actually care about them a little. Huge production values."

3. Modern Warfare 2

Activision, Infinity Ward / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

What we said: "Modern Warfare 2 balances the spectacle and silliness of its single-player campaign with a deep, enduring multiplayer core, carefully covering its bases for players of all persuasions. But there is no denying it seeks merely to build upon the successes of its forebear while doing very little to expand its scope or redefine them."

DiamondIce says: "More of the same but this is what made COD4 so good. Campaign wasn't as good but the action was there is huge amounts with some interesting new elements like the skidoos and boat bits."

pablodiaboloescobar says: "The plot may have had some flabbergasting holes in it and wasn't particularly well explained, but I still had a massive grin on my face at, 'Da, I know a place'. Like everyone else it's all about the multiplayer for me. So many hours piled into this and so many more to come."

Scurrminator says: "Spec ops and multiplayer - that is all."

Juninho says: "Simply the best multiplayer experience I've ever had. Compelling, addictive and fun. The single-player is impressive without ever being that enjoyable though."

DFawkes says: "They took everything and turned it up to 11. It did end up making it a bit silly, but good-silly. Multiplayer is like an 18 rated shooty Mario Kart in its randomness, and I love it!"

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Eidos, Rocksteady / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

What we said: "Rarely does a game do a character justice in such a satisfying way. Arkham Asylum finds room for every major aspect of Batman's enduring appeal, and it does so in a game compelling enough to work even without its masked star. Fans of the caped crusader really shouldn't hesitate - this isn't just the best grown-up Batman game, it's the best superhero game, bar none."

Optimaximal says: "It's simply the most balanced game out this year - it doesn't get much wrong, and as a result, gets most right. Playing Batman has never been more cool or less kitsch."

psychokitten says: "A very polished complete experience, fell a little flat towards the end and could have used some more variation in the boss battles, but overall few games were as enjoyable this year."

damatman says: "This game has a fantastic combination of stealth and action elements glued together with a compelling story which made me want to see how it all concludes. The amazing environment of Arkham Asylum is brought to life with fantastic visuals and a need to explore every nook and cranny to solve all of the Riddler's challenges. On top of the amazing single-player story the challenge rooms give players more of what makes the game fantastic, with the chance to beat your friends on online leaderboards, which is always a good laugh."

atomboy says: "Superb attention to detail."

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Sony, Naughty Dog / PS3

What we said: "Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure masterpiece whose minor flaws are washed away on a tide of rhythm and spectacle - one that would still be an essential experience even without the option to pull your friends off cliffs and play capture-the-heirloom."

Ninja_Tino says: "Sets a benchmark for all action games in the future. Truly shows that if all action games were this immersive, would we have a need for action films anymore? The plot and characters are just as good as your average summer Blockbuster and why choose to watch a person on screen when you can be the person on screen! Gaming at its best!"

thezombiecow says: "Too much to list. Perfect."

HarryPalmer says: "The most polished, fun, and engrossing game of the year by a mile. Also pretty much the only game bar Batman to feature a really good script and extremely high quality voice acting."

DrDamn says: "A huge improvement on the first and a multiplayer game which I thought wouldn't work but did."

designerheadache says: "The closest most gamers will ever come to 'adventure' and walk away feeling as if they played apart in it. Just incredible in every way."

TonyCB says: "Epic, cinematic, sassy. How often does one care about virtual characters in a mere videogame as we did for Drake, Elena and Chloe? Will all games be like this in the future?"

DaftVice says: "Nothing comes remotely close to the level of polish and flow of Uncharted 2. A game that not only pushes the medium's boundaries but blurs them, too."

Ceelion says: "Not only is it one of the best-looking videogames in history, it has one of the most likeable character groups, and some of the best set-pieces I've seen in 20 years of game-playing. Climbing up a train with no way of dying, but being absolutely sure there is no way you can survive was one of the best openings to any video game. Bar the last 'boss', and the fun but slow multiplayer, I'd have to say this is perhaps a perfect game."

Xieldos says: "An absolutely fantastic game from start to finish, great narrative and character progression throughout and once you start you just don't want to stop the adventure."

McBradders says: "Naughty Dog has mastered blending cinematics and breathtaking gameplay together. Not only that but they have a genuinely charming set of interesting, believable characters. While it's not the best gameplay on the planet, nor is it the best 'movie', it's certainly better than the sum of its parts and gives, probably, the best single player experience in 2009. Oh, yes, it has multiplayer. That's also pretty good."

Luglug says: "As perfect as that sort of game will ever be."