The decade is coming to an end (actually it has already come to an end in certain parts of the world), and this year was the year that downloadable games saw some quality titles released, which didn’t go the usual retail way. We’ve compiled our top 10 downloadable games of 2009. We did not include DLC or expansions as part of retail games (like GTA 4 DLC etc.).

10: Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic (PS3)

The original Rag Doll Kung Fu was a hit on Steam when it was released way back in 2005, and the new PSN version, which featured brand new and rather stunning HD visuals, however, a short single-player campaign kept it from being a must-own title for PS3 owners.

9. Bejeweled 2 (multi-platform)

The original Bejeweled was nothing short of a sensation when it came out in 2001, and has sold millions of copies on all sorts of platforms. The sequel, while keeping many of the same gameplay elements, is a worthy successor and should be in any puzzle-player’s collection.

8: Splosion Man (Xbox 360)

Downloadable games are often where developers take big chances in terms of gameplay, and developer Twisted Pixel Games certainly took some chances with Splosion Man, where your character simply explodes whenever you do something. Anything, really. It’s one of the most entertaining downloadable games of 2009, sadly though, it’s an Xbox 360 exclusive.

7: Trine (PS3, PC)

Easily one of the most beautiful games of 2009, including the retail blockbusters that were released as well. It’s not only a great single player experience, but also features co-op for up to three players, who can take on the puzzles and challenges together.

6: Trials HD (Xbox 360)

Remember the original, and highly addictive “Motocross” game Elasto Mania, released way back in 2000? A spiritual successor named “Trials” was released online years later, and now, Trials HD on Xbox 360. It’s easily one of the most addictive games you’ll find on Xbox Live.

5: Plants vs. Zombies (PC, Xbox 360, other)

Developer PopCap seemingly cannot do anything bad, each game seems better and better, more and more addictive. Plants Vs. Zombies is a new take on the Tower Defense genre, and if you know the concept, you’ll know just how addictive it can get. Throw in Zombies and the usual PopCap humor, and you got yourself hours upon hours of fun.

4: PixelJunk Shooter (PS3)

The PixelJunk games have been highly successful and have attracted a decent following among fans. Their latest game, PixelJunk Shooter, released only last month, features some interesting gameplay mechanics not seen before in gaming. The use of water and fire (or rather, lava) in the levels is crucial. For instance, blow a hole in a reservoir and the spilling water will cool the lava, forming a rock which can be used to solve a puzzle etc.

3. Flower (PS3)

If games had cult-classics like movies (which games do, to some extent), Flower for the PSN would be the first member to join that club. It not only features stunning visuals and artwork, but an amazing ambient soundtrack and controls that make Flower one of the most innovative games of 2009, if not the most innovative game of 2009.

2. Fat Princess (PS3)

Team multilayer games saw something new with Fat Princess, an interesting take on Capture the Flag game mode — where instead of flags, you got Far Princesses — with a cute 3D cartoon style. It had all the bells and whistles of multiplayer games, with different classes, awards and rankings and much more, but unlike most other games, it had style.

1. Battlefield 1943 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Nothing short of a game which challenges most games released at $50 price-point in retail. While it was a cut down version of the Battlefield formula, it still featured exciting multiplayer action, great visuals and fully destructible environments. It’s one of the best multiplayer games of 2009, and for $15, it’s worth it for anyone with an Xbox 360 or PS3.

If you’ve been following Capcom for a while, you may have heard that they previously held an event in New York called the Fight Club. The event pitted competitors against each other in a wide array of games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Tatsunoko vs Capcom and Super Street Fighter 4.

Why does this matter? Because Capcom will be holding a similar event early next year, but this time in Las Vegas. And considering they streamed said event on UStream

via joystiq

The very excellent Modern Warfare 2 myth busters is back, this time proving such things like you can’t shoot someone through plants, and that if you jump on a car, it’ll explode. Enjoy.

The original Gears of War, arguably the biggest blockbuster in the early years of the console and one that fueled a ton of sales, is now available on Xbox Live as a download title on the Games on Demand program. The game costs $20 and weighs in at 6GB, and is available now in all territories except Japan.

Over the Holidays, Microsoft has run Xbox Live deals with some sweet discounts on Xbox Live Arcade games. Today, it’s Castle Crashers, one of the cutest and finest co-op games on the platform. You can get it for $7, more than half off the usual $15 price tag.

If you’re a fan of casual PC games you’ve probably heard of Plants vs. Zombies. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a tower defense type game that pits well, Plants against Zombies.

It was released towards the middle of ’09 but has yet to be ported to a portable platform. Luckily, for fans of the game, PopCap has announced that Plants vs. Zombies will be make a leap to the iPhone in late January.

There’s no word on how much it will cost. However, considering PopCap’s other iPhone games like Chuzzle, Peggle and Bookworm cost $1.99 it’d be safe to assume Plants vs. Zombies will too.

via destructoid

Modern Warfare 2 has been on shelves for quite some time now and has been selling like hot cakes ever since. Here we are 7 weeks later and still Infinity Ward’s latest title is topping the charts in the UK.

Trailing Modern Warfare 2 is none other than FIFA 10, followed by Assassin’s Creed 2, Wii Sports Resort, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

How long will Modern Warfare 2 hold the top spot? Which title will be the one to knock if off its thrown? Only time will tell.

via joystiq

BioWare has announced that the upcoming Dragon Age DLC, named “Return to Ostagar”, will be released on the PC and Xbox 360 on January 5, while the PS3 version will be released later that month. The DLC will open the gates of Ostagar and offer a lot of new gameplay for just $5.

Online MMO portal and add-on manager Curse.com has reported that they’ve raised $6 million in second round of funding in 2009 from Ventech Capital and SoftTech VC. Curse.com previously raised $5 million from AGF Private Equity.

Curse.com started as a World of Warcraft add-on repository, and has since grown to a fully fledged community, with forums, blogs, wikis etc. The site now also includes other MMO games, such as Age of Conan and Aion.

It’s been a few years since the introduction of this year’s generation of consoles, which means it’s about time the rumors start flowing about the hardware in the next gen consoles. We already know that the PS4 won’t feature Intel’s Larabee, as we reported yesterday, and now new rumors suggest that Intel and Nintendo are working on a CPU/GPU hybrid that’s a bit like Larabee, but not quite.

It also seems that Nintendo once again won’t fight the “most powerful console” battle that Microsoft and Sony fought this generation, and Wii 2 might just end up as the least powerful console again — but nevertheless, a lot more powerful than the current Wii.