The Best Gaming Moments of 2009

Richard – Fallout 3 or Machinarium?

I’m thinking back and trying to analyse why I have fonder memories of Fallout 3 than I do for Machinarium or Plants versus Zombies, but I’m having trouble.

In trying to choose a best gaming moment of the year all I’ve really decided is that it certainly isn’t Modern Warfare 2 on PC. Ironically for a PC gamer I enjoyed it more playing co-op with Harry on the Xbox. I suppose the single player could be described as an excellent gaming “moment”, simply because it lasts no longer.

The mental taxation and cute graphics of Machinarium earlier this year a welcome break to the usual “shoot everything until it stops moving” routine and rarely do games make me smile and ponder at the same time, so I’ve got to give it credit for that. In some respects though, the slow pace felt artificial and suffocating to someone whose staple diet is FPS.

That’s not to try anddownplay Machinarium’s excellence though. There are plenty of flash games out there, but rarely do they command the depth or subtle thoughtfulness that Amanita Design has achieved.


Fallout 3 though...I’m confused because I can’t decide whether I really did enjoy it more or whether there was just more to enjoy. When I came home every day, no matter how late it was I’d drop at least two hours into it. The FPS-RPG combo really pulled my strings and reminded me of System Shock 2 in that you could play it in any number of ways, was something I wanted to explore in my second run through the game this year. I had missed things the first time, like the Android Mission, and I wanted to try out the Super HD Texture Mod but I unfortunately lost my savegame after unlocking some of the DLC.

The problem is, despite the fondness I have for Fallout 3, I can’t put my finger on a single incident of any real note. It just all blends into one. I detonated the bomb (and would do it again), pickpocketed everyone I could that wouldn’t notice (why not, it’s of no consequence once you walk out the room) and embraced the commando style tactics that come from a high proficiency with a laser rifle… but something was missing and I was left a bit unfulfilled.

I put hours and hours into the game though, so is my brain telling me that I must have enjoyed it because of the justification of time spent and perceived value for money? Because there’s a big part of me which thinks it preferred the rare, fleeting experience of Machinarium to the prolonged indifference of Fallout 3 – just not a big enough part for me to be sure.