I haven't been this hooked on a game in a long time. I've never been too big a fan of RPG's, but Bioware's games have always sucessfully been able to pull me in and not release me until I've played it so much that I feel like my thumbs are going to fall off.

In my first playthrough of the game, I played as the Dalish Elf in the Warrior Cl@ss. I decided as soon as I began that I was going to be a good little Elf the entire game, as that is usually what I do with all the RPG's that I play. Sadly, it wasn't very fun playing it through like this while going through the dialogue. I always ended up being kind to everyone and not getting a whole lot of reward out of completing stuff. I managed to get to about Level 17 as my character, and I clocked in right at about 40 hours of total play, which included completing the Golem DLC. I was amazed at some of the Quests, as some of them stacked up one after the other and lasted for a very long time. The Dwarven City was one of the longest Dungeons of the game, and I think it probably lasted more than 10 hours of total play. Mind you, despite it's length, I had a lot of fun playing through it and managed to get a lot of XP and loot.

(Taken with cellphone so quality sucks)

I'm now a couple of hours into my 2nd playthrough as a Human Noble Rogue who is a cocky jerk to everybody he encounters. I've been having a lot more fun doing so, and I've already collected a fairly nice sum of money from demanding larger rewards from the people I've helped. It should be fun to see how the story changes based on the new decisions that I'm making, as I am going to try and make the opposite decision of every one I made in my first playthrough so I can get the achievements for them. I think I'll try and play through the game once more after this as a Mage since I've never ever played an RPG with that as my cl@ss.

Now here's a funny glitch that I encountered where my character was randomly carrying 2 swords and an Axe (which was my secondary weapon slot) on his back:

I can't even remember the last time I had such a difficult time coming up with my Game of the Year. There's been so many fantastic games this year that it's really hard to choose from. In 2010, all the games that were delayed from this year are going to be released and it looks like it could be even tougher. So here are my nominees as well as their awards followed by my choice for the 2009 Game of the Year.

Game of the Year Nominees:

Assassin's Creed II

My Score: 9.5/10

-Most Improved Sequel

-Best Story

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

My Score: 9.5/10

-Best Multiplayer

-Best Lead Characters

Borderlands

My Score: 9.0/10

-Most Distinstive

-Most Creative Graphics

Dragon Age: Origins

My Score: 9.5/10

-Best RPG

-Most Intriguing Story

-Most Badass Villains

Halo 3: ODST (X360)

My Score: 9.0/10

-Most Addicting Multiplayer

Batman: Arkham Asylum

My Score: 9.5/10

-Sleeper Hit

-Best Use of Gadgets

-Best Villains

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

My Score: 9.0/10

-Best Use of System Features

Shadow Complex

My Score: 9.0/10

-Most Rewarding

The Sims 3

My Score: 9.0/10

-Most Addicting Gameplay

Street Fighter IV

My Score: 8.5/10

-Most Competitive Multiplayer

-Toughest Game

Resident Evil 5

My Score: 9.0/10

-Most Terrifying Villains

Forza Motorsport 3

My Score: 9.5/10

-Best Use of User Created Content

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

My Score: 9.5/10

-Funniest Game

-Most Memorable Characters

Guitar Hero 5

My Score: 9.0/10

-Best Cameos

-Best Use of Creative Liscensing

As you can see, it was a pretty tough choice coming up with the Game of the Year. There were dozens of fantastic games this year, and it was really hard to sort through them all and come up with a clear winner. In what was quite possibly the closest race for the award...

Game of the Year 2009:

***SPOILER***

I'm sure most will be surprised with my choice, especially for those who read my blog about the two main contenders for the award. But after much deliberation, I decided to go with what was a little bit of the underdog. As much as I wanted to give other games the precious award, I had to go with it. It was the game that surprised me the most, and it was one that I will never forget. It is also the game that I regret selling the most, and I plan on soon buying it back.

Oh, the glory days of my childhood. I went from a Super Nintendo to a Nintendo 64 one Christmas, and with it a copy of Goldeneye. Soon I was so hooked on the game that I was playing it for many hours at a time with my older brothers. I completed the campaign more times than I could count, and my collection of games expanded to more than 20 in the time of my having it. Here's a list of my favorite games for one of my all time favorite video-game consoles.

#5: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

The game that got me into a huge love and appreciation for the long-running skateboarding game franchise, I got this for Christmas from my grandparents and played it so much that my parents probably thought I was going to ruin the cartridge. I played multiplayer with many people, and I got so good at it that I was beating every single person I played at it. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for the N64 brought me into a love and respect for skateboarders everywhere, and I became such a huge fan of the series that I bought every single game up to Proving Ground and loved every single one of them.

#4: Super Mario 64

Oh, Mario games. You hold such a special place in my heart. I borrowed this game from a friend and got so hooked on it that I didn't return it to him for several months (much to his displeasure). I eventually bought my own copy and managed to get every single star in the game on all the Files in the game. I was the first person to tell my friends about what the canon did outside the castle, and that Yoshi made a special cameo when you used it properly. My favorite moments in the game included the Koopa Race, Penguin Slide, and the final Bowser Stage & Battle. I still enjoyed Super Mario World more than this, but I loved every single minute of playing Super Mario 64 and still do to this day.

#3: Goldeneye

Arguably the best game based on a movie there is, Goldeneye 64 got gamers to see that there were some movie-based games out there that were actually good. Actually, stratch that, REALLY good. My brothers and I played through the game many times, figured out all of the game's secrets, and even succesfully unlocked the two secret bonus levels in the Campaign. Even the cheatcodes in the game added in tons more fun, and anyone I talk to recalls Big Head Mode and Paintball Gun Mode almost instantaneously. Goldeneye is the game to beat for best movie game.

#2: Perfect Dark

Two words: Laptop Gun. Anyone who has played Perfect Dark can think of that and automatically say "Ohhh yeah! I LOVED that thing!" Then we've got the alien Elvis that Joana Dark rescues from a base and we're lead on this crazy journey through many different epic stages. Perfect Dark helped establish a love for First Person Shooters for me, and the multiplayer had me so hooked at times that I questioned my gaming addiction.

#1: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Also holds the honor for being my Favorite Game of All Time, Ocarina of Time holds such a special place in my heart that whenever I begin talking about it I could go on for a long, long time. I've spent countless hours playing through the game, and I even can proudly say that I beat the Water Temple without needing a stratedgy guide or too much frustration. I've memorized how to complete nearly every dungeon, and any time a friend would ask me how to beat a certain part I would be able to recall it and walk them through it with ease. I can't remember most of that too well anymore, but I can say that Ocarina of Time is one game that is going to be incredibly tough to beat.

Other Favorites: Super Smash Bros., Conker's Bad Fur Day, Mario Party 2, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask