Taking nearly half of the more than 16,000 votes in our Game of the Year poll, this PlayStation 3 exclusive garners Kotaku’s 2009 Reader’s Choice Award for Game of the Year.
No, despite Mike McWhertor’s vigorous defence of the game, it wasn’t Demon’s Souls.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves earned about 48 per cent of the total votes for Game of the year. Assassin’s Creed II came in second with about 21 per cent of the vote and Demon’s Souls grabbed a distant third with about 16 per cent.
The remaining 15 per cent or so of all votes went to a wide selection of write-ins which included Batman: Arkham Asylum, Left 4 Dead 2, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins.
Stay tuned Monday for the official Kotaku Game of the Year announcement. We’ve posted our early thoughts on the three finalists and are now all debating which game should get the final nod. Keep in mind, those early discussions were designed to let you see some of the process, not to show you our decisions. We’re still all arguing here in the tower. Promise.
Actually surprised ACII came in second, thought it was going to be the underdog in this one. Nevertheless, three great games.
And Kotaku didn't even have it on their top 10 list of best games of 2009. What does that tell you Kotaku?.... you need to be more in touch with us gamers.
We're quite happy to embrace a diversity of opinion here on Kotaku. Feel free to enjoy your Uncharted 2, I'll be over here playing a good game...
Gee David, I've been reading your reviews ever since you started in Hyper and generally agree with you but to say that uncharted 2 isn't a good game is utterly astounding. The production values of that game are off the charts and I wish other games would pay the cinematic sides of games a little more attention like U2 does.
Yes it's linear, yes it's not doing anything really new in the way of breaking new ground in the genre but what it does do, it has done better than any game like it since .... well.... ever.
I never really feel the urge to play through the single player campaign on every difficulty with 99% of the games I own. Uncharted 2 falls in that very small category where I felt compelled to max it out, it's just so damn fun to play. And the graphics?..... best I have ever seen, and that's coming from a self-confessed XBOT.
I got a free PS3 with my HDTV not long ago and just had to have at least one game to own on it as I mostly only play the 360 online. So after seeing good reports on Uncharted 2, I got it. BEST. DECISION. EVER. This was one of those games, like Goldeneye, that I'll never forget playing till the day I die.
BLAU!
well said mate....
Harsh.
Not enjoying Uncharted 2 is like not liking the taste of cake and I don't trust people who don't like cake.
LOL, way to be a dickhead Dave.
You know Dave, when you gave your top 10, we accepted it was your opinion. And I think UC2 is overrated... but it is clearly a good game. And there's no need to be an ass about it.
The fact that you didn't like either UC2 or DA:O leaves me wondering if years of reviewing crap games have warped your perceptions though, like someone who can only appreciate food with a ton of chilli dumped on it :P
Perhaps I should have put a ";-)" at the end of my earlier comment.
Uncharted 2 is a decent, solid, competent action game. If I'd reviewed it out of 10, I'd have given it a 6 or maybe a 7. I'm just not as willing as many of you are to accept "great production values" as a reason why a game is worth my time.
I think you just want to be different and attract attention by saying UC2 is just 'decent'. Your probably one of those guys that hates on something just because its popular.
Going to have to agree with Dave on this one. The game is entertaqining and solid, but it did nothing new and really wasn't anything amazing other than it was very pretty.
Transfer your "production values" argument to movies. Does Michael Bay make great movies? Absolutely not. He makes pretty movies with incredibly high production values and great action, but does absolutely nothing new with any genre he touches. Uncharted 2 was a Michael Bay game. Pretty, lots of action and explosions, but dumb and safe as far as anything else goes.
That isn't to say it's bad. Bay makes great movies to turn off your brain and just enjoy for the explosions. I just want a little more substance. Same for Uncharted 2.
Since when does a game have to do something "new" to be the best of the year? Given the choice, I'll take a game that takes existing ideas and executes them at a level this medium has never seen before over a game with amazing ideas going on but halfassed execution.
You want to talk movies, why bring up Michael Bay? Let's talk about The Godfather instead. Nothing all that original there - people have made movies about organized crime, about families, about fathers and sons etc before. It wasn't particularly original (in fact it was based on a novel so the movie is by definition unoriginal since it's just reproducing a story that had already been told). But good Lord - the execution of it... script, acting directing, cinematography all came together to set a benchmark that you could put up a strong argument to say has still not been surpassed nearly 40 years later.
And that's what Uncharted 2 did - took existing videogame mechanics and polished them to a point where any other game played immediately after it was lessened just by having the misfortune to have to endure the direct comparison.
oh.... and how does Batman Arkham Asylum move the genre forward in any way? That got your number one.... Number one?... Really? Something is wrong there, yes it's a good game but better than U2?.... you gotta be joking.
I voted for borderlands :D
As much as i LOVE Uncharted 2 - i'm not going to get all hot-headed like everyone else over the fact that David didn't enjoy Uncharted 2 like the next person did.
However, I hope he actually played through the whole game and has the opinion. Cause i really don't wanna see David's response to the game when he gets to the last few levels, cause they killed it for me and thats why my vote went to AC2.
Uncharted 2 will always be remembered by me. For being such a great game, but also letting me down SO much at the end. It's laughable really. But i do genuinely LOVE the game - not like MW2 where it started off good and just took a dive. The dive that Uncharted 2 did take, was forgiven for being awesome in the rest.
Haven't played Uncharted 2, but I can't see it being better or more worthy than ACII, imo.
I really like U2, I think it deserves it, but I voted for Batman. I thought it was amazing (best superhero game ever). I knew this would win but I had to vote Batman.
UC2 is the most memorable game I've played this gen.