"Peggle."

The first thing I thought when I heard of Peggle was, "What the fark is Peggle?"

In the early months of 2009, it seemed like Peggle was the most popular thing in the world - at least for those in the TAG community. I felt like Peggle was pretty common in discussion amongst the members of this site, and I didn't get it.

Months later, I had some spare MS Points laying around and I decided to invest in Peggle.

Best decision of 2009? Certainly.

Best decision of my life? Maybe.

I'm going to be completely honest with you. Considering all of the games I've ever reviewed, played, rented, seen, or even given the time of day, I've never loved a game like I love Peggle.

To me, Peggle is:

-the most exciting game I've played, ever.

-the best multiplayer game I've played, ever.

-the best game to play intoxicated, ever.

-the best video game to use as a drinking game, ever.

-the only game I'd buy again just because it's a handheld version, even if it's twice as expensive (Peggle: Dual Shot is $20; Peggle on XBLA is $10), ever.

-easily my favorite game of 2009. (Ever?)

But...is Peggle really the BEST game of 2009?

I think that you have to be careful when you start considering the "bests" of any year / decade, and that has been the gaming media's hottest trend for the last couple of weeks. People are throwing around their "Best Game of the Decade" choices like they're red-headed stepchildren in a drunken midget-toss contest. I don't think that it's as easy to pin down one game, so I always break it up into three categories. I saw Deschain do this in a topic on the TAG forums.

I think there is always room for a "best", "most important", and "favorite" game of any year. I believe the true "Game of the Year" for any one person is the last of those three. Your favorite game of any year should be your personal Game of the Year, period. Peggle falls into that category for me.

Best? Modern Warfare 2.

Most important? Uncharted 2.

I don't need to go over it all for you. You've probably played Peggle if you're reading this, so you know how exciting it is to get an Extreme Fever and hear that crazy ass song start playing in the background. When I introduce my friends to this game, they never predict that tune blasting out of the speakers, and the thrill on their faces is priceless. I always tell them, "You'll never forget your first time."

It's true. I will forget my departure with virginity long before I forget my first Peggle experience.

Peggle is the greatest game of 2009, and it makes a strong statement as my favorite game of the entire decade. It isn't the best, it isn't the most important - it's just my favorite, and I could give a rat's ass about anything else at this point.

P.S. Just to throw a wrench in the gears and start some controversy, these are some other little "awards" I'd like to hand out to the games of 2009:

The Game That's So Overrated That it Hurts to Include it in a Game of the Year Editorial
inFAMOUS

The Game All the "Cool Kids" Will Label Game of the Year So They Don't Have to Conform
Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Game That's Proof That it's Sad No One Respects Indie Games
Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

The Game That Should Have Quit When It Was Ahead
Brutal Legend

The Game That Everyone Knew Would Suck, No One Cared About, and They Were Right
Tony Hawk Ride

The Fallout 3 Award for the Game I Hate and Everyone Else Loves
Borderlands

The Most Tragically Overlooked Game From a Respected Franchise
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Most Tragically Overhyped New IP That Never Could Have Lived Up to its Name
Scribblenauts

The Game With the Best Mini-Game That Kept Me From Playing the Actual Game
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

The Game That I Never Thought I'd Love So Much, But I Couldn't Stop Playing
Red Faction: Guerrilla

The Most Improved Game Award for 2009
Madden NFL 10