1, 2, 3

#3 - Empire: Total War

The Total War series is the king of large-scale RTS games. The sheer size of the campaigns you will undertake and armies you will command dwarf anything else that even comes close. I wasn't a fan until Medieval 2, but have since seen the light and never looked back. Where else can you watch thousands of arrows fly through the air, siege castles with ballistas, catapults, and trebuchets, then conquer the civilized world and rule with an iron fist, all from the comfort of your own home? At the end, you can research rudimentary firearms, but Empire moves you forward to the 1700s, where gunpowder reigns supreme and is found in the hands of even the most basic foot soldier!

Naval combat was vastly improved since Medieval 2, as well as a lot more fun with cannons galore, and trade routes along the coasts of Africa and South America are hotly contested among the major sea-faring powers. For the first time in a Total War game, you can play as the Americans, though only in their own shorter campaign; In a conquer-the-world scenario, they break off from Britain and become an autonomous protectorate. Also new is the Indian theatre, where two factions fight for control of the entire country while the Dutch try desperately to keep their foothold. I'm anxious to see what new things Napoleon: Total War brings to the series this February.

#2 - Left 4 Dead 2

Precisely one year after the release of the smash hit Left 4 Dead, the sequel has arrived with even more 4-player co-op FPS goodness. Despite several controversies surrounding its somewhat immediate release and abundance of brutal gore effects, it succeeded in further refining the survivors vs. infected gameplay that we all liked so much. New weapons, items, zombies, and a new cast of four playable characters come together with many older elements to form 5 new campaigns to fight for survival through. On top of that, new realism and scavenge modes offer more specialized gameplay than campaign and versus, respectively.

The Source engine just refuses to go away. They keep upgrading it, and the new effects are impressive, but it simply lacks the sparkle it had 5 years ago. That means it runs very well on older hardware, though, so if your rig isn't quite up to snuff for some of the other titles on this list, you should know that you can still get in on the latest co-op action. I'm guessing that'll hold true for a while longer, too... Valve knows they have a good thing here, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a L4D3 next November.

#1 - Dragon Age: Origins

If you told me a year ago that an old-school role-playing game focused primarily on the PC would turn out to be GOTY 2009, I wouldn't have believed it. Now that I've picked my jaw up off the floor, let me tell you that it is, in fact, the truth. Bioware, probably now known more for Mass Effect than classics like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, has struck RPG gold once more with their completely original new IP, Dragon Age. The amount of history and culture they've constructed as the backdrop for this fantasy universe is awe-inspiring, especially considering it's not even a necessary component of the game itself.

Dragon Age: Origins is named for the epoch in which it takes place and also for the unique fashion in which you are introduced to your character's place in the world. Fully-voiced by well over 100 competent actors, the epic storyline unfolds as you are drafted into an elite sect of warriors called the Grey Wardens. A blight is upon the kingdom, and it is your job to unite the factions of the land in battle against the hordes of sub-human creatures. Combat is similar to that found in Knights of the Old Republic, only with more of an emphasis on finely orchestrated tactics. Dialogue options are vast, as are the consequences of several meaningful choices you must make. If you're the type that likes to get lost in the world of a single-player RPG, do not miss out on this game.