Microsoft are trying in on the Xbox 360, Apple have been doing it with music and movies for a while now, PS3 has started doing it with games and movies as well, Direct2Drive has a pretty good library of PC games for download as does Steam and to be fair Direct2Drive and Steam at least have recent titles but it is deemed to be easier to distribute PC games, but I feel they are not pushing this enough. The games you can download for example on a console are old and have been around for a while. I would like to see new games available on day one of release in a digital format on a console. I would also like to see a price reduction in digital distribution as currently there is no real incentive to use the digital distribution channels unless you just physically can’t be arsed to either get to a shop or order online for delivery.

We don’t need boxes, we rarely read manuals (at least I don’t) so by distributing in a digital format surely there is a cost saving to the producers of the titles. There is no jewel case, there is no printed inlay, there is no printed manual and there is no disk. These must cost in terms of production and therefore there must be a saving when these are not produced. I can also pick up a movie from an online store or shop with all the above for less than I can by downloading it through iTunes, Zune Movies or PS3 Store. So why would I pay more for less, and at the convenience of saving the distributer some money? This does not makes sense to me.

The games available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for example are old titles and all priced at £19.99. WHY? GTA IV is £19.99 at the time of posting this blog I can buy this from Game or EBay for as little as a half of what Microsoft are going to charge me through the Games on Demand.

Digital Distribution of Movies and Games saves money for the producers of these titles, if they were brave enough to actually put some weight behind the distribution of titles on digital channels and pass on the saving to us the consumer then I believe more people would adopt this method of obtaining their media. I for one would happily download my games as this would prevent my shelves from the inevitable collapse they are due to have.

Internet speeds are becoming quicker and quicker allowing more and more data to be transferred in a shorter period of time, I believe the infrastructure is ready for this move to a digital download society, just not sure the masses are ready and I am not sure the greedy distributors are ready yet either.

My suggestion would be try it, why not release a “AAA” title on Digital Download across all platforms a week before the box hits the shelves. Find out how much appetite there is. But offer some value to the consumer, by making it cheaper for example.

I would buy all my movies and games online if I could, would you?

I this year played a lot of games some of which I frankly wish I had not devoted the time to, and others that I simply could not put down and risked my marriage over.

The games below are not an exhaustive list of the games released in 2009, and certainly there are some good games missing the reason for this is firstly I don’t have endless amounts of money to buy all the games that are released, secondly I only have so much to time to dedicate to games as I am married with a family so the games I buy I normally try and get something that will last me.

I also want to point out that I have an Xbox 360, PS3 and a very good PC (laptop), however I choose to buy most of my games on the Xbox 360. This does not mean I am a fan boy and to be honest most of the games in my top 5 are available on both Xbox and PS3 so I am sure if I did not have an Xbox then I would have bought the same games on the PS3 and felt equally the same.

So here goes from 5 to 1 the game that in my opinion and collection where the best of 2009.

5. GTA IV – Xbox 360

What can be said about this game really. This for me was always going to be on my top 5 list. It very nearly could have been my number one game but I have tried to place these games fairly in terms of the enjoyment I got from playing them, and the amount of my life that I spent playing them. GTA IV had many hours of my life I can tell you that. I am a sucker for a game that adopts a free roaming style of play. Don’t get me wrong the story of GTA IV was very engrossing and very well told, but it is the freedom and choice you get playing such a game. With the addition of “The Lost and the Damned” and “The Ballad of Gay Tony”, this is one game that has kept on my shelf and away from the eBay pile. I actually managed to finish the main story line but yet to complete the expansion packs, again time is not my side at the moment.

4. Batman: Arkham Asylum – Xbox 360

I was a little late in getting this as in I got it just before Christmas and I have to say finally a game that does a comic book character some justice. The story is engrossing, the graphics and detail really capture the dark knight perfectly and I am still playing through this trying to get all the Riddler items and just taking in the scenery. The Joker is one evil bastard in this game and I am liking the way the game holds no punches literally when it comes to the fighting and action. I am still yet to finish this game but I hope to continue playing this throughout January 2010. Loving it so far and it is defo worth putting in my top 5.

3. Dragon Age: Origins – PC

Talk about depth and story, this game has it all and it seems that even 40hours in to the game I have only just scratched the surface. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but this is a game that shows story matters over anything else. The characters and the world the game resides in is one of the most detailed game worlds I think I have been playing in. It seems everything has a back story and the choices you make shape the game moving forward. Pure brilliance and if you don’t own this I suggest you get out and buy it, I even cancelled my World of Warcraft subscription to allow me more time to play this game.

2. World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King – PC

Ok technically WOW has been around for many years, however it was 2009 when I really got stuck into playing it. I had always been one of these people that plays the game for a while, get a character to level 30 or 40 then restart with another char and move on. However in 2009 I purchased the Lich King and finally got a char to level 80. It is now I realise the amount of content within this game. I also realise that the game just begins when you hit level 80. Currently I have put my account on hold so I can continue to play Dragon Age, but I know for a fact that when Cataclysm comes out this year I will be back on WOW.

1. Fallout 3: All 5 DLC Packs – Xbox 360

Again I know technically this game came out in 2008, but it was in 2009 that I finished that game and then downloaded all the DLC. I think I have clocked in over 100hours of play on this game.

This game for me has it all, it has the story, the depth and as mentioned above with GTA IV it has the complete freedom of choice to where you go and what actions you choose to take. With the added bonus of the DLC which I am so glad the people on the PC and PS3 also have the ability to get and play it made the game even more interesting and made the hours spent playing so much more enjoyable. For me it was the game I played the most and certainly the game I am looking most forward to seeing a sequel to. Who knows if 2010 will bring us another Fall Out but I hope so. Don’t get me wrong Fallout 3 had its problems, but I am hoping that in 2010 they can create a new game with all the little issues resolved and a fresh new story with some updated graphics.

Worthy Mentions:

Forza Motorsport 3 – Xbox 360

Halo Wars – Xbox 360

Borderlands – Xbox 360

Games I wished I had bought (could not afford):

Uncharted 2 – PS3 (I will be getting this in 2010, it looks amazing)