To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of the year, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from editor-in-chief Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto.

Baccano!: I had been looking forward to this show ever since Uncle Yo's review many moons ago, so when FUNimation announced that it would be streaming for free on Hulu, I was pretty excited. As luck would have it, Baccano! did not disappoint. Its combination of a complex, nonlinear story, memorable characters, and thrilling action scenes make it one of the few anime series in recent years that compares favorably to Sunrise's masterpiece Cowboy Bebop. It takes a lot of intense concentration to understand all of the connections between the characters in this mixed-up story of immortal gangsters in Prohibition-era America, but the payoff when it all comes together is more than worth the effort. Go for the dub, though – the American actors' voices bring an effortless sincerity to the characters

Pluto: Being a huge fan of both Osamu Tezuka's original Astro Boy manga and Naoki Urasawa's crime thriller Monster, I was naturally enthralled by Pluto, the adaptation of famous Astro Boy story "The Greatest Robot on Earth" by Urasawa himself. The eight-volume manga adaptation follows the German robot detective Gesicht as he searches for an enigmatic murderer who seems to be singling out and destroying the world's most powerful robots (whose ranks include both Gesicht and Astro). The story takes Tezuka's love of technological innovation, concern for robot-human interactions, and unshakable belief in human dignity, and modernizes them all in the distinctively realistic style of Urasawa. Viz continues to release new volumes into 2010 through their "Signature" line.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of the year, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from reviewer/podcaster Mitchell Dyer (now re-posted under his actual account).

Assassin’s Creed II: I wasn’t expecting much out of this Assassin’s Creed because I was so thoroughly disappointed by the original ... twice. I went back to try and pump myself up about "Ezio’s Italian Adventure: The Bloodening" but I was bored to the point of putting on sock puppet shows to amuse myself. Assassin’s Creed II is Ubisoft stepping up its game in a big, bad way, and my expectations have been crushed by a Venetian war hammer. The world is gorgeous and beautifully constructed, while the story is genuinely engaging. But it's the way AC2 keeps rewarding you for your actions, whether it's earning money through an in-game economy and buying new gear, or unlocking secrets in the depths of hidden catacombs, that really drives the experience. Oh, you also get to shove wrist-knives into fools' eyeballs. Sorry Mario – you’re not my Italian icon anymore.

Dragon Age Origins: As I write this, I'm just 15 hours into my first (city elf) campaign. Regardless, I can tell I'll be spending way too much time with this brilliantly-crafted totally-not-fantasy RPG. When I walked out of BioWare's booth at E3 this year, one of my editors was shocked to hear how much I disliked the game – about as surprised as I was that he liked the console port so much. I condemned Dragon Age from the second I saw it. The cheesy, predictable fantasy cliches and played-out dungeon running I wanted to hate so bad, well, simply didn't exist. The loot-gathering sinks its hooks as deep as the stellar story, and it's a role-playing masterpiece I fully plan to experience for another 100-plus hours.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of the year, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from reviewer Elliot Page.

Detroit Metal City (manga): Detroit Metal City doesn't care what kind of music you like; it's going to mock it mercilessly and make you laugh yourself silly at the same time. Not just metal (my personal love when I was younger), but all other genres and elements of music fall under its gaze. The series focuses on Negishi, a truly contemptible wuss who, come nighttime, dons a set of KISS-style makeup and becomes "Lord Johannes Krauser II," frontman of the titular band Detroit Metal City. He doesn't want to front a death metal band, but you have to pay the bills somehow. The manga is a rousing success not only because of the obvious absurdity of the main characters situation, but also because of the inherent craziness of the music industry, so rich for lampooning. Even better is that it looks not only at the bands themselves, but the managers and especially the fans, who make up my favorite characters in the series. From being one myself I know first hand the craziness of metal fandom and I find myself groaning though the laughter whenever something particularly mad happens.

Red Faction - Guerrilla: To be honest, this is not the best game of the last year. But more importantly, it has been the one that I have found the most entertaining. The premise is simple: You are a rebel (on Mars, bonus points for a cool setting) on the run from fascist oppressors. Smash the state! What follows is a glorious orgy of violence and explosions as you take down The Man in a world with fully destructible buildings and crazy weapons to get the job done with. There is a rifle that melts people for goodness sake! The missions are varied, well designed and, most of all, fun. Even better, there is a very well made set of both local and online multiplayer modes to have fun with, and thankfully the playerbase for the online mode is still active to this day. Have a go, and you'll discover the joy of slapping soldiers with a sledgehammer for yourself.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of the year, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from reviewer Chris "Kit" Colalella.

InuYasha: The Final Act: Finally, closure comes to one of the most popular anime series of all time. InuYasha: the Final Act takes place right where we left off...sort of. This “series finale” takes only the last twenty-some chapters of the manga and converts them to the anime. The best part about the series is that, for both the Japanese and English dubs, all of the original voice actors were able to return. If you're a fan of this series you are definitely going to want to check this out.

Halo Wars: In my opinion, this was one of the most overlooked games of the year. Halo Wars takes a different approach from its older brothers in the Halo trilogy. Instead this is a real-time strategy game rather than an first-person shooter. You take control of the UNSC Spirit of Fire and its troops as you battle your way through more than a dozen different scenarios each with its own set of both Primary and Secondary Missions. I have to recommend this game to any one who even remotely likes RTS games. Ensemble was able to meld the point and click advantages of a normal RTS with the capabilities of the Xbox 360 seamlessly.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of 2009, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from contributing editor Karl "Uncle Yo" Custer.

Batman Arkham Asylum: I say "Batman," you say "Arkham Asylum." Before the quick-to-learn and gadget-immersed gameplay gets discussed, before the fitting graphics get discussed, even before we question how Harley Quinn found an outfit from Hot Topic in her cell, we have to talk about the reuniting of Mark Hamill as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman. This dynamic duo lent their voices to the title characters since the early nineties of Batman: The Animated Series, which laid down the foundations of dramatic, animated noir storytelling. B:AA is a return to the good old days with the processing power of today. For the first time ever, you aren't a blocky black pixel who punches things: you can BE THE BAT to the hilt. One of the most compelling, creepy and satisfying games of the year. I even overlook the disappointing boss fights because of detective mode and the joys of throwing three Bat-a-rangs at once.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Marvel comic readers remember the Civil War as one of the great years in comics, and to be able to choose sides and play alongside the shattered Avengers is just as much an honor as it was in the first game. Though buggy on the PS2, the Xbox version of this game is loaded with extras and alternate costumes, as well as the sheer joy of getting into intense political dialogues as...the Hulk. Fusion powers make the team-up of Deadpool and Thor just a click away, and the engine that was tested so well in X-Men Legends is finally tweaked to be smoother than ever. Now when I call Johnny Storm "hotpants," the name makes sense and the joke sticks like Spidey to a brick wall.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of 2009, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from columnist/reviewer Ink.

Soul Eater: Soul Eater revolves around a bunch of kids, classified as anthropomorphic tools of destruction (weapons) or those that wield them (meisters), whose end goal by training at the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) is to keep the world safe from witches as well as those that feast on human souls for the sheer guilty pleasure of it. The art, while a bit CGI-heavy, offers viewers surrealistic backdrops, and the fight scenes are as interestingly executed as they are engrossing. With the first 3 episodes dedicated to getting to know the 3 main pairings of weapons and meisters, character development isn’t missing either. And it only gets better from there. Do yourself a favor and watch the subbed version; the voice acting is far superior despite the major talent brought on board by FUNimation.

Continuity: A student project created by Ragtime Games, Continuity (www.continuitygame.com) isn’t the three-dimensional puzzle game Valve’s Portal is, but it is just as tricky at times, requires some serious and inventive thought to complete, and is ultimately addictive. This Flash-based game requires players to move (simple run/jump controls) a figure through anywhere between one and eight sliding panels – which can also be maneuvered – to find their way through mazes to get a key and then get to the exit door. Simple, right? But mental tricks are a plenty: sure there may be as many as eight panels, but not all of them have to be used, and inter-panel interaction may require some bending of timing/physics rules on the player's part.

Check out previous 2009 Staff Picks after the break.

To celebrate the new year, Ani-Gamers will be counting down an unranked Top 14 list of sorts. Every day for a week, starting on Christmas and ending on December 31st, one of our bloggers will post their two favorite titles of 2009, whether they are anime, manga, or video games. We now present the choices from copy editor Sean Kim.

Borderlands: Guns, guns, and more guns. What more could anyone want on a desolate alien planet? Borderlands is all about mindless self indulgence of power. There's an ancient treasure on the planet of Pandora and four treasure hunters are dead set on finding it. The stylish mix of FPS and RPG elements makes for an extremely fun ride as you explore the desolate planet, killing anything in your path. Despite the lackluster story and relatively easy difficulty, Borderlands is a wonderful experience for up to four people.

Street Fighter IV: Capcom’s latest venture into the Street Fighter franchise produced Street Fighter IV, a beautifully rendered "2.5D" fighting game, and the first numbered Street Fighter title in a decade. With a roster of 25 characters, plenty of challenges, and online play, Street Fighter IV is a must-have for fighting game fans. The enemy AI is spotty at times, and can be difficult for newer players to beat, but the game is still quite enjoyable. However, the major drawing point for me was the thrill of competition in the online mode. Be sure to be on the lookout for the sequel, Super Street Fighter IV, coming out in 2010.