10. Mutemath – Armistice: From their early garage-band days in New Orleans to their debut self-titled album on Teleprompt records, and their eventual current-day signing with Warner Bros. Records, Mute Math has come a long way. Armistice, while not the album that many expected, reflects their evolution as a group of musicians and “band of Christians” who are not a “Christian” band. It's a fun album. Don't think too much about the fact that they were on the Twilight soundtrack, and you'll find little to complain about. 
9. Shadow Complex (Xbox Live Arcade): A Metroidvania-style dungeon crawling platforming combat heavy adventure, Shadow Complex is obviously difficult to describe in few words. With an adventure than can easily last eight to ten hours in a straight run, and upwards of fifteen if the player takes the time to explore everything the titular underground installation has to offer, Shadow Complex is well worth its weight in Gold – or Microsoft Points. 
8. Star Trek (JJ Abrams): JJ Abrams alternate/parallel universe/reboot/whatever the hell you want to call it was met with both critical acclaim and box office success. Many decried the liberties taken with the story and the apparent overuse of lens flares, but there’s practically no denying that 2009’s Star Trek was a thrill ride unmatched by any other film last year. Sorry, Transformers. 
7. David Crowder – Church Music: Crowder is back. The long anticipated follow up to 2007's Remedy is rife with what's made the DGB so well loved by the CCM community, while doing a fair job of avoiding the trappings of stagnant repetition that so often plague it. This is no “Jesus Messiah”, no Amazing Grace rewrite. It may not be the genre defying masterpiece that was A Collision, but it is very much its own animal. With tracks like Phos Hilron (Oh Gladdening Light[an updated version of the first Christian hymn ever known to exist]) a cover of Flyleaf's All Around Me (Lacey of Flyleaf also sings backup in one track) and whole table original pieces give Church Music a many-faceted and addictive quality. The collectors edition also came with an autographed vinyl of the album, which my friend Ryan gave me for Christmas. 
6. Halo 3: ODST: By no means the best game of 2009, and not the most innovative (okay, not really innovative at all), ODST may seem rather mediocre when stacked up against other shooters – hell, other games in general – released during 2009, but there’s no denying that it was fun. ODST humanized the Halo universe in a way not done previously within the games in the series. We even reviewed it for you. 
5. N9ne: CGI films about sentient toys, animals and automobiles have run a dime a dozen since Toy Story popularized the medium back in the day. N9ne, however, is not your run of the mill talking [insert object here] family film. Set in a post apocalyptic future where Humanity is extinct, N9ne follows a band of sentient robots as they struggle to survive and complete the mission left to them by their now-dead creator. It’s a moving story, with a gloomy art style and atmosphere, and some cool monster designs to boot. 
4. Left 4 Dead 2: The best way to make a game just might be to hand the player a gun and say “OMG ZOMBIES.” This year we fought Nazi zombies, Dr. Ned’s zombies, and top-down indie zombies (I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!!). But Left 4 Dead 2 doesn’t complicate things, by doing what its predecessor did so well and adding new gameplay modes and elements to keep the idea fresh. With three other players, either human or computer controlled, you are placed in a massive level and told, “OMG ZOMBIES.” Then you kill them. That’s about all there is to it, but the formula never seems to get old. The addition of new weapons such as chainsaws, guitars, a variety of new guns and modifiers such as laser sights and incendiary ammo all ensure that players will be surviving this apocalypse for a long time to come.
3.Mini Ninjas: perhaps the sleeper hit of the year, Mini Ninjas is a deep, rich adventure game disguised as a kiddie title. You are placed in control of Hiro, a ninja sent by his master to rescue his ninja buddies and defeat the evil samurai warlord. As you defeat the warlord’s minions, they transform back into cute forest animals. Then you platform for awhile and fight some more minions. Simple as it sounds, there’s much more to it. As you progress you gain access to Hiro’s friends’ unique powers and abilities as they are rescued. You also unlock Kuji magic spells and items to aid you in your quest. The interesting part is that any and all of the items and spells are rarely, if ever necessary, allowing the player to tackle the game’s individual challenges in whatever way best suits their playing style. The ability to switch ninjas on the fly can make for some interesting combat scenarios. Intriguing elements like a hat that deflects arrows AND can be used as a boat, and the ability to create healing potions and other items using “alchemy” mean that Mini Ninjas has a lot to offer anyone who’s not put off by it’s cutsie art style and presentation. And if we’re being honest, the game is just so darn cute.
2. Halo Wars: Halo, the first person shooter than practically made the Xbox was originally intended to be an RTS. While the formula has never really worked on a console before, the late Ensemble Studios proved that it can, providing that players are willing to sacrifice some of the resource management that has so long been a staple of the RTS genre. Ensemble Studios brought us the Age titles (Age of Empires and Age of Mythology), and know what they’re doing when it comes to RTS gaming. The Halo universe translates well into a top-down battlefield, giving players a new look at the weapons, characters and settings that make up the Halo mythology. The Master Chief is nowhere to be seen, but I doubt you'll miss him.
1. Borderlands: In terms of graphical stylishness, solid gameplay mechanics, originality, approach to multiplayer, sheer fun and myriad other concerns that are tried and weighed by reviewers and players alike, Borderlands stood apart from the crowd in 2009. Seamlessly merging RPG leveling and looting with the frantic instant-satisfaction of first person shooters, Borderlands is a title that offers a lot – a LOT – to anyone willing to put the time into its campaign. New-game-plus functions and the most player-friendly co-op I've ever seen, as well as four character classes with unique abilities and playstyles ensure that you'll be returning to the wastes of Pandora for years to come. Also, who doesn't love Claptrap?HONORABLE MENTIONS (Almost, but not quite): A Day To Remember – Homesick (Yes, If It Means A Lot to you is great, but the rest of the album runs together), Watchmen (So close, yet so far. I want my Brain Monster back.), Resident Evil 5 (RE4 should have just been moved to Africa. You didn't need to change anything, Capcom), Lost Planet 2 Demo (LP2 would probably be on this list if it hadn't been delayed. Twice.)
