The Gaming Experiment

2009 was a great year for downloadable games. From Xbox live to WiiWare to Steam, downloadable games made their mark on the videogame landscape. I definitely partook in my share of the downloadable titles, definitely some bad, some good, and some really great games.
Here are my top five downloadable games. For this category, I need to make it clear that I am only looking at games that were only available through downloading. So games like Plants vs Zombies are not eligible because there was also a retail release.

5) Torchlight (Steam)

I’ve been to Blizzcon and loved it there, but I was probably the only attendant that never played any of the Diablo games. Torchlight was made by a small company that led by the creators of the original the Diablo games.
I downloaded this one from Steam and put in 15 hours or so into the game. There are three class types, warrior, ranger, and mage.

Torchlight is a dungeon crawler that is all about loot. Almost every monster gives you loot and the anticipation of the next epic loot kept me going. The style of the game is cartoony and similar to World of Warcraft. For fans of Diablo, this is a must buy, and for first timers, this seems to be a great starting point.

The game has been discounted on Steam for $10, this is a real no brainer. Download it now.

4) Splosion Man (Xbox Live)

Splosion Man came out of left field. The second game from Twisted Pixel Games is humorous, unique, and challenging. The concept is pretty simple, you are Splosion Man, a human experiment that well, can splode (explode).

You have to get through the stages in the lab where you have been experimented on. One thing though, you don’t jump, you explode to propel yourself through the stages. This is definitely a fun platformer that needs to be played, because I can’t explain this crazy game well enough of give it the justice it deserves.

Plus it has the best song in a game all year! This is an Xbox live exclusive, and you can pick it up for $10

3) Pixel Junk Shooter (PSN)

This is the fourth Pixel Junk game, and by far their best. This is a PSN exclusive that came out in early December. There is little story, but you are a ship that needs to save some stranded workers.

What really makes this game fun is it’s gameplay. It uses environmental elements like lava, water, gas, and oil to create a unique puzzle game. Again, this game needs less explaining, and needs to be seen to be understood.

Check out the video below to see what I mean.

2) Flower (PSN)

This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever seen. You are a flower petal, and need to re-animate the land that you are in. The music is fantastic and really one of the best parts of the game.

I like to jump into this game as a method to relax. This is a definite showcase title for PSN and the kind of graphics we can expect to see going forward on the service.

Check out this video.

1) Shadow Complex (Xbox Live)

Like I said earlier, this was a standout year for downloadable games. Shadow complex is my downloadable game of the year. This is a fantastic looking game, not only looked great for a $15 title, but was an amazing value proposition with more than 8 hours of game play and a lot of reasons to come back and complete the game to 100%.

If you are connected to Xbox Live, you owe it to yourself to play this game.