One of the problems I find with end of year polls, is that most of the time I can't remember what actually came out this year. In other media, like film or music, it's maybe a bit easier to associate releases with the seasons or time of the year, but by the time we get to October gamers seems to develop a kind of tunnel vision where the accepted "best games of the year" candidates are all released within about a month and a half period. But when we look at the actual releases, there was plenty to like at the start of the year, like Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5. Also, with high profile delays, likeBioshock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Diablo 3 pushed into 2010, this year's list of candidates probably isn't as big as people would think. So what did I pick? Modern Warfare 2, Brutal Legend, Left 4 Dead 2 or Curse Of Monkey Island Special Edition? No, my game of the year is Plants Vs Zombies.



What? A $10, downloadable casual game? That's right, and do you want to know why? Because I've ploughed more time and effort into PvZ than any other game this year, apart from TF2: hey, old habits die hard! (Just so we can quantify this statement, I didn't play SF4, RE5, Prototype, InFamous or a number of other big releases). So what made Plants Vs Zombies so compelling for me? Well for starters it was very simple to pick up; I had never played a tower defence game, mainly because I assumed my sucking atRTS games would have some bearing on this. However, PvZ is very easy to pick up and the difficulty level rose at a natural level, so I never felt out of my depth or unfairly up against it. With new plants and new zombies every level, it was imperative to work out what worked and what didn't. Often the flashier, more expensive plants weren't needed but a solid lineup of cheaper plants was the way to go. Differing my strategy for the night, pool and rooftop levels was a great way to keep the game interesting. Throw in some fun mini-games too meant it never got boring. Plus there's a shop where you can buy upgraded plants and other goodies. Once you complete the game, there's Mini-Games, Puzzle Modes and Survival-games to play. Also, you can replay the game with a number of plants already selected for you.



Plants Vs Zombies was one of the few games that almost everyone I know personally, got into. For starters, the guys I work with all bought it; first Phil in IT went and bought the game on Steam when it was on special offer. After hearing me and Phil talk about it nigh on end, Ry and Pete went and got it for their Macs (yes, Macs play games too) and Ry even finished the whole game over the weekend. Dave picked it up to after it was released onXBLA . Plants Vs Zombies was the game that people on all formats took on board. If my mum and dad's PC was working, I'd get them a copy. My wife's cousin, who's a married mother of two loves the game (in between her crippling addiction to Defence Grid: The Awakening). I'm getting a copy of the game for my dad as a belated Christmas present.



Plants Vs Zombies is the game that proved that so-called "casual" games weren't worthy of attention or coverage by the hardcore press. What madePvZ a casual game was the fact you do a round in just a couple of minutes, so it was great for quick games. I think PvZ was also thought of a casual game for no other reason than it was a $10 downloadable Pop Cap game. But it's a game that I find myself inexorably drawn to. 5 minutes to spare? Fit in another round of PvZ! That's why it's my game of the year; whereas I grew quickly tired or frustrated with other games, PvZ always drew me in for more zombie bashing fun.



Best ending song since Portal.