Cracked LCD Games of the Year, 2009 Edition

Here they are, fashionably late and probably not very surprising- your Cracked LCD Games of the Year for 2009. Pictured at left is a man eating a giant hamburger. It has nothing to do with this article. It came up on a Google image search for "Warhammer Trophy". I was looking for an appropriate image to celebrate this year's Game of the Year award recipient and this appeared. Note to Mr. Eric Lang- your giant Cracked LCD Game of the Year commemorative hamburger was shipped Parcel Post this morning.

I thought 2009 was a pretty sorry year for gaming overall, compared to past years when we've had more top games contending for "best in show". This year, it was really just two games that were even in the running for me. And it is disappointing that we continued to see FFG and Z-Man remain pretty much the only names in town barring a couple of scrappy independents like Warrior Elite, Plaid Hat Games, and the Arctic Scavengers folks. There just wasn't a whole lot to shout about if you rule out the big reissues. I thought the year in wargames was particularly dull, but that may be because the past couple of years were a period of tremendous evolution and growth in that segment. But there wasn't a TWILIGHT STRUGGLE, HERE I STAND, WORLD AT WAR, or CONFLICT OF HEROES: AWAKENING THE BEAR this year to rise to greatness.

So here's hoping 2010 brings more surprise, growth, and innovation. There's a lot to look forward to, and with RUNEWARS hitting in a couple of weeks, a new COSMIC expansion booked, and the promise of DUNGEONQUEST appearing imminent there's plenty of fun to be had this year. But wait...those are all FFG games, reissues, or both. Hmm.