Music Game of the Year: The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3, 360, Wii)
Music games are approaching “glut” range, but The Beatles: Rock Band shows that the genre still has plenty of room to grow, and that the Rock Band series is the one actually willing to do it. There wasn’t a single aspect of TB:RB that wasn’t done with extreme care. The music is completely unblemished, with no distortion effects or freestyle drum fills. The vocal gameplay has been revolutionized, allowing up to three people to sing the melody and harmony parts. The most impressive thing, though, was the presentation, with well-done concert scenes, impressive “dreamscapes” and other subtle touches like never-before-heard sound bites during loading screens. When it comes to music games, the real heroes are over at Harmonix. –Steven Rondina
Honorable Mention: None
Racing Game of the Year: Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
2009 was not a bad year for racing fans by any means. While a Gran Turismo remains AWOL, some solid sequels to established franchises and random surprises made their way across all platforms. However, one game that exceeded all expectations was Forza Motorsport 3. From car selection to its career mode and from its in-game community to the tools offered to the players, Forza 3 was a game that did many things and did them all very well. Any fan of cars, regardless of skill level, will find something they like in Forza 3, which makes it our pick for Racing Game of the Year. –Oscar Marin
Honorable Mention: Need for Speed: Shift (PC, PS3, 360), DiRT 2 (PC, PS3, 360)
Fighting Game of the Year: Blazblue: Calamity Trigger (PS3, 360)
2009 will best be remembered as the year of the fighter, with the return of the Street Fighter series, a reboot in the King of Fighters series and a new Tekken. The winner this year, however, goes to the new IP, Blazblue. The creators of the Guilty Gear series have started a new franchise that capitalizes on what made its previous series great, but refines its gameplay elements into an accessible, hugely entertaining game. Its huge, vibrant sprites and backgrounds show just how great 2D games can look, and its online is handily the best, ever. It’s a rare thing when a new series comes out so well. –Oscar Marin
Honorable Mention: Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, 360), The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match (PS2)
RPG of the Year: Dragon Age: Origins (PC, PS3, 360)
This year has been a good year to fans of RPGs with games like Demon’s Souls, Borderlands and a long list of quality handheld titles. Dragon Age: Origins takes the cake, however, and nails just about anything you could want in an RPG, with its memorable cast of characters, a thoroughly fleshed-out story, and incredibly robust gameplay. While it may not be the most original RPG this year, the all-around quality is unmatched. –Oscar Marin
Honorable Mention: Demons Souls (PS3), Borderlands (PC, PS3, 360)
Shooting Game of the Year: Halo 3: ODST (360)
Shooters, like soda, can come in all different flavors, colors, and shapes. This year had quite a few varieties as well, which shows off the versatility that can be done within the genre. This year had the two biggest series go head-to-head for top honors, and had Halo 3: ODST edge out Modern Warfare 2, by a slim margin. Despite being originally billed as an expansion pack to the Halo series, ODST takes the series to some fresh, new scenery with gameplay reminiscent of the first Halo game. The story of the game was done very well, with cooperative play hugely differing from tackling the endeavor solo. The game's online mode, Firefight, is also one of the best online modes of the year, with some unique and fun gameplay makes the experience all the more satisfying through great teamwork. Finally, ODST contains the entire online portion of Halo 3, with all its map packs and Forge (and throws in a demo for Halo: Reach, to boot). There was enough there for this to be named shooter of the year. –Oscar Marin
Honorable Mention: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS3, 360)
Puzzle Game of the Year: Trials HD (360)
Puzzle games have changed greatly since they involved connecting colorful jewels, but our Puzzle Game of the Year, Trials HD, showed everyone that you can have motorcycle racing but still have the mind-bending gameplay required puzzler. Each level has its own set of challenges and the different motorcycles open up different routes through the track. What made Trials HD so successful was the amount of content you get for such a small price, taking some people over twenty hours just too complete all of the challenges. Humor is injected at the end of each level with explosive barrels that blow your character into ragdoll heaven when you finally complete them. It’s a very, very enjoyable game and it’s one for the ages. –Justin Wheelock
Honorable Mention: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS), Scribblenauts (DS)