Let's start with Tiger Woods, since he's all anyone wants to talk about suddenly. His video game was one of the best of 2009. Tiger doesn't meet girls in the game.
10. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: In this fun if morally bankrupt GTA experience, you kill people, hijack cars, deal drugs...same old, same old, but executed nicely. (Nintendo DS. Rated Mature.)
9. Brutal Legend: You play as a roadie (voiced excellently by Jack Black) who slips into a fantasy land where you drive hot rods across vast fields and kill baddies with an ax and a guitar, accompanied by Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford and other metal heroes. Crazy! (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.)
8. Wet: It looks and plays like a Tarantino film (sword play and gritty cinematography) mixed with Lara Croft (jumping and pole-swinging). (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.)
7. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena: Vin Diesel is back in this first person, stealthy action-adventure. Half of it is an upgrade of 2004's Escape from Butcher Bay. The rest is all-new spaceship action; shimmying ledges and ladders, and shooting idiots. PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.
6. Scribblenauts: This was maybe the most groundbreaking game of 2009. You write words like "god" and "TNT," and god and TNT appear on screen. Tens of thousands of words are in the database. Write words, those objects appear, then interact. Amazing. (Nintendo DS. Rated Everyone 10+.)
5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10: Insanely addicting golfing. (Wii, PlayStation 2 & 3, PSP, Xbox 360. Rated Everyone.)
4. The Saboteur: The best GTA rip-off of 2009 is a fantasy set in Nazi-controlled Paris. You get great guns and blow up zeppelins with rocket launchers. (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.)
3. Afro Samurai: The sword fighting is above-average. But the astonishing look, feel and sound are beautiful art forms, narrated with attitude by Samuel L. Jackson, set in a silky mood of American anime. (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.)
2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: Play as an Indiana Jones type in this beautiful shooting-and-climbing game, featuring a satisfying storyline with quirky twists, tongue-in-cheek cinema scenes, and clever dialogue delivered by perfectly cast actors. (PlayStation 3. Rated Teen.)
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: The solo mission is quite good, but the online shooting is the most addictive and realistic in years. The new cooperative mode called "overview" is groundbreaking. (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Rated Mature.)
