Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.

Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.

Anyway, let’s get down to it.

Sam and a friend practice their headbanging skills for next year's Death Metal Expo in Finland

Aaron

What a low-key week for my gaming escapades — let me tell you somethin’. I finally capped off my time with Mass Effect 2 by beating the Insanity playthrough I started last month. I’m glad to put that game to rest for a while, despite my adoration for it. Or I was glad: Word hit the blogs yesterday that another DLC mission is coming. Knowing that I’ll buy this “Overlord” pack, even though I’m moving on to greener gaming pastures soon (Red Dead Redemption!), makes me a bit sad. What is free will if I choose not to exercise it?

Maybe I should have dubbed this Backlog entry “Aaron is a Hardcore Machine Fueled by Sex Appeal and Intelligence.” Why? Well, in addition to beating ME2 on its highest difficulty, I also completed Splinter Cell: Conviction on Realistic, which is the pinnacle of Sam Fisher-ness. Yeah, I pretty much did it for the achievements. There’s a bit less shame when I admit that fact to everyone.

Also, contrary to my statement above, I’m not a hardcore machine fueled by sex appeal and intelligence. I thought that needed some clarification. No, in reality I’m a soft-core primate fueled by carbohydrates and self-deprecation.

And on a final note, I’m receiving personal compensation from the insurance company from the accident I mentioned in the last Backlog to the sweet, sweet tune of $300. Because I’m going to be working this summer anyway, I’ve decided that this check will be used irresponsibly for the purchase of a new gaming console. Now I need your help in choosing either a PS3 or a Wii. I have my own pros and cons for each, but additional perspectives would be welcome. I’d like to read about why you yourself enjoy either console, and not such arguments as the following: “Lulz Ps4: it haz betur gaimms THAN teh Wii-nis!1111!!2

One…more…game…just one more, I promise, then I'll write my Backlog…

Doug

Sorry, too busy to write a Backlog contribution this week. Nah, it’s not homework. Nah, not finals. Nah, not family.

What’s that? Oh, sorry, was too busy playing Bejeweled Blitz to hear your question.

Yes. You may scoff; you may laugh. I am absolutely addicted to Bejeweled right now, and it’s actually not because of the game. It is a well-designed PopCap game, this is very true. However, the reason why I’m addicted to playing the Blitz mode both on my iPhone and on Facebook is because of the meta-game that’s been crafted.

If you tie in to your Facebook account, it will compare your score to your friends. The leaderboard resets every week, but amongst my grad school friends, it is a hotly contested timekiller right now. Yes, there is Bejeweled smack talk going back and forth, for what it is worth. I just know that I’m absolutely terrible and getting my ass routinely kicked by a group of Thai girls. My sense of nerd pride is somehow not okay with this.

I’m also still battling Nick and a few others on Words with Friends — still open to challenges! The more games of Scrabble, the better.

In more hardcore gaming news, I’ve spent some time again this week in Forza Motorsport 3 preparing for a racing series hosted on one of the forums I’m on, and also a bit with PES 2010. For PES, I’m still working on my Master League saves, but I’m also trying to go get some of the low-hanging achievements to help boost the ‘ol gamerscore.

I’ve also been playing Super Street Fighter 4 some more as well. I tried going back to a little SSFIITHDR earlier this week (a friend in grad school wants to throw down on some old-school SFII) and it was very hard to go back to, simply because I feel like SFIV (and Super in particular) is such a great evolution of the Street Fighter gameplay style. I played for damn near an hour online with Nick last night, and though he kicked my ass most of the time, I was improving…and still having a ton of fun. What a game. It’s well worth the $40.

Lastly, since Steam is now available for Mac, I’ve gotten my account set up and downloaded a few titles. Apparently I can’t run Portal on my era of MacBook, which makes me sad…but at least I’ve got Torchlight! I need to spend some time on that; between class, SSFIV, and not bringing my wireless mouse with me, I haven’t spent any time with it yet at all.

Oh well; I wasn't too attached to living anyway

Nick

My mind may be working overtime to learn the nuances of Super Street Fighter 4, but my heart belongs to Demon’s Souls — and maybe not in a good way. I recently picked up a copy of the hard-as-nails RPG expecting to stand a fighting chance against its ruthless challenges and devious traps, but man, I really wasn’t prepared. No amount of playing Diablo 2 on hardcore could have prepared me for the frustration that comes with losing half an hour’s worth of progress because of one stupid misstep or late parry.

But the strange thing is that I love the game. It’s got that sort of slow-burn enjoyment that requires a hefty investment into its learning curve up front, but after a few hours things start to click. You learn from all your mistakes, and eventually you develop the skills to explore and defend yourself without dying every few minutes.

After six hours of play, during which I started the entire game over with a new character three times, I finally took down the first demon and progressed onto the second area. If you make it this far — if you stick with it, despite its valiant efforts to batter you into submission — you’re in for an absolutely top-notch game.

I also want to mention that I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the English translation of Mother 3. It’s been about 15 years since I finished Earthbound, and I never imagined I’d get the chance to play a game that maintains the same strange feel and wit that made Earthbound so distinct. Mother 3 is better than Earthbound, and if that’s not reason enough to play a game, I really don’t know what is. It proves that no story is too difficult to portray in a believable, immersive way on even the most limited hardware. If you have the means to play it, it’s absolutely worth the effort.

Mass Effect 3.

My Fellow Earthicans:

Good evening.

This is the 68th time I have spoken to you from this laptop, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Blog. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the blogosphere’s interest.

In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Blog. Throughout the long and difficult period of struggling through Mass Effect 2, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to overlook BioWare’s overzealous streamlining, to stop viewing the game as a RPG, and to make every possible effort to complete the sequel to the game I loved so much.

In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that Mass Effect 2 is, in fact, the brilliant, evolutionary sequel everyone has been raving about. And with that in mind, I come before you to admit that I made a grievous and inexcusable error in judgment.

Therefore, I shall resign to having been “completely, totally, 100% dead wrong” about Mass Effect 2 effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Thayer will be sworn in as “Guy Who Was Totally Right All Along Even Though Nick Won’t Admit It” at that hour in this office.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go flirt with Miranda some more. Don’t judge.

Boasting improvements to the series' trademark intense, squad-based combat, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has the potential to be the first major evolution in the franchise's time-honored formula since 2005's Battlefield 2

Aaron

Don’t be surprised that Mass Effect 2 is once again dominating our Backlog this week. I’ll even bet that next week’s entry will highlight Shepard’s sophomore exploits for a third time. I’m not sure where Nick and Doug are in the game, but I happened to finish it this past weekend. Mass Effect 2 was, in words taken at random from my thesaurus under the entry for “fantastic,” the cat’s meow.

After nearly two days of playtime logged with the double-disc beast, I still stand by my initial awe-filled impressions. Buy this game, rent this game, borrow this game; whatever it takes to play it, please do so. And no, BioWare didn’t hook me up to its Kubrick-inspired brainwashing machine yet — it didn’t have to. But if there’s one aspect about Mass Effect 2 I would criticize, it’s that the Insanity difficulty level is absolutely unfair. I’m going on record right now: I hate Insanity. But, as hypocritical is it is, I’m determined to finish it anyway.

Okay. Let’s switch gears and gab about the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer demo (on Xbox 360). Or rather, I’ll type and you read.

The Battlefield franchise sits near the top of my list of all-time favorite videogame series, placed comfortably among peers such as Zelda, Mario, Suikoden and Prince of Persia. I love Battlefield. I do! So after a few years of feeling let down by the post-Battlefield 2 offerings from DICE and EA (Battlefield 1943 being the one exception), I’m happy to welcome Bad Company 2 into my home where it will receive the insomniac-driven, retina-burning devotion it needs over many, many late nights. Although I’ll be purchasing the Windows version, I’ve been having a blast — literally and metaphorically — with the demo on Xbox Live. All the classic variations of DICE’s so-called “Battlefield Moments” are there. For example: Today I launched an RPG at a tank, which never made it to its target because an unlucky pair of enemies on an ATV happened to launch from a dilapidated roof at the wrong time, thus intercepting my grenade with their faces. That unpredictable “anything can and will happen” atmosphere is the reason I continue to play each new iteration of the formula. In short: Battlefield Bad Company 2′s multiplayer is fun, fast and feels more like Battlefield 2 than I ever expected another Battlefield game could. It’s a pleasant surprise, especially when comparing it to Bad Company 1.

Also, the final season of Lost premiered this week. I don’t know what’s going on (which is normal, I suppose), but I certainly didn’t expect/want an alternate reality storyline. And Sayid? Come on.

Doug

While ambitious for a mobile rendition of the multiplatform music hit, Doug came away less than impressed with Rock Band's iPhone adaptation

Oh lordy. After not getting the chance to pick up Mass Effect 2 until late last week, I took most of the day last Sunday to power through almost half of the game.

Also, I’m blaming Nick for my nascent Facebook Bejeweled Blitz addiction. That game is pretty good.

Nick

High drama!

I’ve finally warmed up to Mass Effect 2 and, in doing so, found inner peace.

It was difficult being so dissatisfied with a sequel to one of my favorite games ever — and a sequel that has received almost universal adoration from fans and critics alike. I adored the first game’s merging of a Gears of War-style tactical shooter with modest elements of traditional role-playing games. Of course there were a number of flaws, such as the tedious exploration of mostly empty planets and cumbersome inventory system, but I was even more distressed to see so many of the first game’s systems either redesigned extensively or eschewed altogether.

But I stuck with it, and I began to realize just how much thought went into rebuilding Mass Effect into a newer, sleeker, and more accessible game. As a result, the combat is fiercer and more tactical in nature. Most importantly to me, the character development and conversation aspects have been dramatically improved. As I approach the game’s final act, my investment in and appreciation for each of my crew members has developed to a level I’d only previously seen in one other role-playing game — Dragon Age: Origins, which by no coincidence is also a BioWare production.

If I’d gone into Mass Effect 2 with open expectations I would have immediately been floored. Instead, I tried to play it like the first game, and I was promptly stonewalled by the new systems in place. If only BioWare had included a warning to veterans of the series to forget everything they knew about Mass Effect before diving into the sequel. But at this point it doesn’t matter — I’m having the time of my life scouring the galaxy, and I couldn’t be happier. BioWare has done something incredible in releasing two top-flight games that represent two extremes of the role-playing game spectrum within mere months of each other, and they deserve nothing but the highest praise for it.

While our Top 10 Games of 2009 deserve attention for their overall excellence, we can’t neglect this year’s other fantastic games — titles that just missed the final cut. Be it their charm or presentation, our Honorable Mentions were simply hard to forget. We’ve arrived at the final installment in our five-part series with Nick’s list of honorable mentions.

There’s been an ongoing joke about how I was the only person here who played every single game on our top ten list. While it’s a testament to my superhuman persuasive abilities, it also raises some questions about how I spend my time and money. In my defense, this was probably the single best year ever for high-quality games in both the mainstream and the independent scenes.

Below is a list of the few games that couldn’t make the list, either because nobody else at Silicon Sasquatch had played them — or because the poor fools didn’t know what they were missing.

Machinarium

October — Windows, Mac

2009 was the best year for adventure games in a very long time. With Telltale dishing out five episodes of a brand-new Monkey Island series and LucasArts providing a lovingly crafted remake of the classic Secret of Monkey Island, those of us who dream in dialog trees were pleased as punch with the selection on offer this year. The only downside was that most of the games were mere iterations on old franchises and design principles.

Except for Machinarium.

The first full-length game from Czech developer Amanita Design, Machinarium is the story of a little robot and his journey to be reunited with his metallic sweetheart. The game stands out from its peers for a number of reasons — such as the beautiful, stylish artwork and great soundtrack — but what’s most notable is that it manages to tell a story without a single word. Characters communicate with wild gesticulation and cartoon thought bubbles, adding an immense amount of personality to an already charming world. It’s the best adventure game released this year, and it comes with my highest recommendation.

Street Fighter IV

February — Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows

Sakura leaps over a bewildered Ken while a fat child rejoices

I’m what you might call a casual fighting game fan. I know and love the classics like Street Fighter II Turbo, Soul Calibur and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, but I’ve never invested in the time or hardware to rise to a true competitive level. The amount of manual dexterity, patience and practice required to learn how to use a character’s moves wisely is part of a fighting game’s enduring value, but for whatever reason it never clicked with me as a fun way to spend my time.

Street Fighter IV converted me to the world of the hardcore fighter with its fine-tuned roster of exaggerated personalities and remarkably well-paced learning curve. I started out just playing a few versus rounds with friends and playing a few games against the computer, but over time I began to see hints of just how deeply strategic the game could be. Before I knew it, I was spending hours grinding out the challenge modes to master a few of my favorite fighters. As of this writing, I’ve played more than 200 online matches and logged a grand total of 43 hours — and that’s in a game where a round takes just a few seconds!

DJ Hero

October — Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2

I’m a pretty fierce critic of Guitar Hero, and with good reason: Ever since Harmonix and RedOctane/Activision split ways after Guitar Hero 2, the series has failed to even come within reach of its former quality. Iteration after iteration and band-specific spinoff after spinoff, Guitar Hero has all but rendered itself irrelevant.

So you can imagine my surprise when a brand-new Hero game showed up this October and it wound up being excellent. FreeStyleGames managed to launch a new music franchise with all the right ingredients: an excellent soundtrack, a solid and rewarding learning curve and a sturdy, enjoyable turntable controller. The only thing lacking was a more robust interface to help organize gigs and add some weight to the single-player experience. But with a sequel almost certainly on the way, I’m certain FreeStyleGames has great things in the works.

The only downside? Having “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe permanently lodged in my brain. Actually, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Assassin’s Creed 2

November — Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

A presto, Ezio

It’s a shame we couldn’t squeeze Assassin’s Creed II into our top ten list. Although I was a huge fan of the original Assassin’s Creed, its repetitive mechanics and somewhat stunted narrative didn’t appeal to everyone. Fortunately, Ubisoft Montreal did the impossible by addressing just about every complaint that was leveled against its predecessor and producing a sequel that appealed both to fans and detractors of the original game.

I rarely take the time to complete 100% of the tasks available in a game anymore, but with its breathtaking, living cities and excellent pacing — a rarity in games with open worlds — I was compelled to find every last feather and treasure box within Renaissance Italy. Fortunately, with more downloadable content on the way, I won’t have to hang up my white cloak and daggers just yet.

Rock Band 2

September…of 2008 — Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2

Just so we’re clear: Rock Band 2 came out in September of 2008. As in, it’s not a game from this year, and it technically has no business being on this list. But thanks to exceptional downloadable song support throughout the year and a patch that offered a number of significant improvements to the core experience, Rock Band 2 was the rare game that only got better with age. And with Rock Band Network launching in just a few weeks, the floodgates show no signs of closing. Based on my experiences participating in the closed Rock Band Network beta, there are a lot of interesting songs in the pipeline that are being peer reviewed and polished to the point where most are indistinguishable in quality from the weekly releases Harmonix has been putting out. It was easily my most-played game of 2009, and it’s all but guaranteed to dominate my living room in 2010.

—

And to round out the list, I’ve included a few games that may not have much enduring value but stand out for providing some truly exceptional moments:

• Windosill – discovering just how much fun a game can be when the player is encouraged to stop and smell the roses
• Bejeweled Blitz — competing in weekly tournaments against friends in sixty-second bursts makes it easily the most addictive experience of the year
• Red Faction: Guerrilla — demolishing an entire military-industrial institution with a single sledgehammer