Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Classes are over, and you just realized that you didn’t spend enough time taking advantage of your roomate’s bigass TV and game system. So, make up for lost time this winter break and get caught up on some Must-play games of ’09 before you head back to school in January. We’ve got you covered by putting together our list of the ten must play games of 2009 – they may not be THE ABSOLUTE AWESOMEST GAMES OF THE YEAR, but each of them brings something unique and worthwhile to the table, and you should absolutely spend some of your much needed time off with them.
 
 
 
 
 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: 11/10/09
Why you need to play it: Spec Ops Mode
Sure, “Modern Warfare 2″ has a solid single player campaign, topped off with one of the best multiplayer experiences around, but the game was lacking the ability to play WITH a friend, instead of just against them. Spec Ops Mode changes all that. Try to tackle all of these uniquely tailored challenges that pull from the game’s main storyline with a friend in order to master each, and be awarded all three stars. A great addition to an amazing game.
 

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Platform: Wii Release Date: 11/15/09
Why you need to play it: It’s multiplayer Mario.
It’s been almost fifteen years since Nintendo released a 2D Mario game on a console, but that isn’t the reason that you need to play this game. It’s because you, and three of your friends, get to play a 2D Mario game on a console, together. The game’s co-op completely changes how you, and your friends, play “Super Mario Bros.” Suddenly, even the little things like grabbing coins and jumping across pits has a whole new level of challenge added to it, as you try and avoid bumping into anyone as you do it.
 

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Platform: Wii Release Date: 9/8/09
Why you need to play it: It’s gorgeous and surprisingly deep for a Wii game.
A lot of people say that Wii games are all boring party games that look like they should have come out on the Dreamcast. Well, “Marumasa: The Demon Blade” proves both of those points wrong. Not only is the game a virtual work of art, but the hack-n-slash gameplay, and impressively deep RPG elements prove that there is not only room for pretty games on the Wii, but also ones that make you think.
 
 

Borderlands

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: 10/20/09
Why you need to play it: It combines FPS and RPG games in a new way, and then makes the game co-op
When two behemoth genres like First Person Shooters and Role Playing Games come together it usually causes more problems than it solves. However, “Borderlands” managed to find the sweet spot right in between grinding and fragging, and then made it so that you could play the entire game, from start to finish, with three of your friends. When you add in the fact that the game includes over three million different gun combinations, you’ve really got a solid package of a game here.

Batman Arkham Asylum

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: 8/25/09
Why you need to play it: It could be the best Batman game ever made.
It’s almost impressive how badly licensed properties usually translate to video games, but, in the past 30 years of video games, one game has emerged as proof that if people care enough, and the developers are given proper time to work on a game, that you can in fact make a good game that’s based on something else. That game is “Batman Arkham Asylum.” And, it’s not just good because it’s a Batman game … it’s just good.
 

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

Platform: DS Release Date: 3/17/09
Why you need to play it: It’s Mario meets “Tetris”
Never has looking for a fancy outfit been so fun. You play as the great adventurer Henry Hatsworth as he goes in search of mystical articles of clothing that give him amazing powers. Along the way he happens to reopen a rift to an alternate, puzzle-based dimension where strange beings are invading from. Okay, the story is a little odd, but the gameplay mixes platforming and puzzling AT THE SAME TIME. It’s unlike anything else that came out this year, and should keep you entertained for weeks to come.

DJ Hero

Platforms: PlayStation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii Release Date: 10/27/09
Why you need to play it: It’s a whole new spin on rhythm games
The time has come to put away the plastic drums and microphones, and break out the wheels of steel. “DJ Hero” is unlike any other rhythm game on the market, allowing the player to get behind the turn tables and rack up the points as they mix some of the biggest hip-hop artist for their virtual club crowd. It’s got a whole new feeling to it, and that’s something the genre has been in search of for the last few years.
 
 

Demon’s Souls

Platform: PlayStation 3 Release Date: 10/7/09
Why you need to play it: It’s one of the most challenging, and therefore satisfying, games of the year.
Every now and then a game comes along that reminds you why there are difficulty settings on some games. “Demon’s Souls” is one of those games. Simply put; it’s hard, and you’re going to die… over and over again. It will drive some gamers mad, and make others nostalgic for a time when this level of difficulty wasn’t such a novel experience. At the same time, all that death makes getting anything done in this game bestow a level of accomplishment unlike any other title on this list or, for that matter, any other game that was released this year.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Platform: PlayStation 3 Release Date: 10/13/09
Why you need to play it: It’s one of the most cinematic experiences of the year.
Not playing “Uncharted 2″ would be be like missing the big summer action movie. Not only does it improve on the already impressive “Drake’s Fortune” but it ups the ante in almost every regard; from graphics, to controls, to adding in multiplayer, “Uncharted 2″ is this year’s Dark Knight.
 
 
 

Canabalt

Platforms: iPhone, Flash Release Date: 10/18/09 (iPhone)
Why you need to play it: It’s insanely addictive, and proof of what a small development team with limited time can do.
If you want games that will keep you occupied, play every other game on this list, but if you want a game that will get you addicted, play “Canabalt.” Its simplicity is striking in every way, and that’s what sucks you in. You run, and you jump. That’s all this game is. You don’t know what you’re running from, or why, but you need to get away, right now. And, the absolute best part, is that you can go play it right now, for free, AND you can take it with you on your iPhone. Your world should be complete now.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Careful with this one, it might cause you to fail a few classes. “Modern Warfare 2” builds upon one of the greatest first person shooters ever released and makes it even better. While the single player will, undoubtedly be amazing, it’s the online multiplayer that will cause you, and all of your friends to forget all about that paper that’s due for your 9 AM class, whether you want to or not.
 
 
 
 

Halo 3: ODST
It’s fall, so you know there’s going to be a new “Halo” game, which means dudes in your dorm are going to be wasting each other from down the hall. This one may not star Master Chief, but it’s got a whole new multiplayer mode, Firefight Mode, that will keep you coming back for more. Oh, and if you want to look like a “real gamer” ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper… Best. Name. Ever.
 
 
 
 

Borderlands
Did you like “BioShock”? Yeah! How about “Fallout 3”? Oh, you liked that too? Now, what if you could play a hybrid of both of those games with three of your friends? Sounds awesome doesn’t it? Well, that’s basically what “Boarderlands” is; awesome. It mixes the indepth story telling and creative weapon construction of “BioShock” blends in “Fallout”’s RPG elements, and lets you take it online with your friends, to play from start to finish. You might need to drop a class to make time for this one.
 
 

Left 4 Dead 2
Those pesky zombies are back, and they’ve brought some of their new friends. It’s up to you, and your haphazard group of three other survivors to shoot your way to safety. If you didn’t get a chance to play last year’s “Left 4 Dead,” there’s no better time like the present to make up for all those undead that you left walking around. Note: this one is best played with three other people, so try using it as a team building exercise with the roommate from hell, and see if you can work things out.