Another year almost done, and a relatively mellow year will be through.  While 2009 did have it’s hardships and one massive downturn, there was still a ton of gaming to be had.  Quite frankly, I think we were quite lucky that a few of the larger titles got pushed to 2010, because even by the way things stood right now we had a greatly overcrowded holiday season.  Off the top of my head, there are already a few games that have purchase written all over them in my mind: Mass Effect 2, Crackdown 2, Halo: Reach, Blur, Alan Wake and believe me, there are plenty more; not to mention these were only games that can be found on the 360, not even on other platforms.

Keep in mind, we tried to only pick games we’ve played, so if we didn’t pick a game you were expecting to win that category, it was likely due to us not having played it. With that said, here’s the breakdown of this year’s categories:

• Part 1 (this post) – Best Platformer, Best Shooter, Best XBLA Game, Best RPG
• Part 2 – Best Multiplayer Game, Best RTS, Best Racing Game, Best Music/Rhythm Game
• Part 3 – Best Sports Game, Best Developer, Biggest Disappointment, Best Overall
• Part 4 (new this year) – Missed Game, Looking Forward to in 2010, Best Game on Other Platform, Best Achievement Set

So that’s what you have to look forward to in the coming days. And so here are our picks for this year!

Best Platformer:

• Devin (DaKing240) – [PROTOTYPE]
• Rob (Esko) – Assassin’s Creed II
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Assassin’s Creed II
• Brett (Donski3) – Assassin’s Creed II
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Assassin’s Creed II

Best Shooter:

• Devin (DaKing240) – Modern Warfare 2
• Rob (Esko) – Modern Warfare 2
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Left 4 Dead 2
• Brett (Donski3) – Left 4 Dead 2
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Borderlands

Best XBLA Game:

• Devin (DaKing240) – Trials HD
• Rob (Esko) – Trials HD
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Shadow Complex
• Brett (Donski3) – Trials HD
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Shadow Complex

Best RPG:

• Devin (DaKing240) – Borderlands
• Rob (Esko) – Borderlands
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Borderlands
• Brett (Donski3) – Borderlands
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Dragon Age: Origins

And that’s Part 1! Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow for Part 2, and a big surprise! (Hint: Think back to early 2009.)

Speaking of 2009, if you’re interested in our choices last year, check out the 3 part series.