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Let’s face it, if 2009 told us anything, it’s that we’ve been getting way too many Guitar Hero and Rock Band games over the past few years. Ever since Harmonix released the original Guitar Hero, we’ve been inundated with rock based rhythm games. Even Activision have said ‘maybe we are overdoing this’ and that’s something.

Nevertheless, 2009 brought us five interesting rhythm games that are worth checking out, one of which finally caters to those not into rock music…

It feels slightly awkward to give the best rhythm game of 2009 award to something that failed to sell, reviewed averagely and filled our cupboard with another plastic peripheral. Despite that, DJ Hero wowed us, with it’s eclectic assortment of original tracks, stunning visuals and an innovative control system, there really aren’t any other releases worth serious consideration.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking this is here by default, quality rhythm games have been released this year, but none that can even compare to the satisfying feel of flicking the crossfader to perfection. Granted it’s not the most accessible game but that’s because it’s entirely new. New music, new levels of complexion and most importantly a new controller. All of this resulted in a completely original game that still had the familiarity of a Guitar Hero or Rock Band, it was cleverly conceived and expertly balanced. The disappointing thing is, that it didn’t exactly go down a storm at retail.

The poor sales of DJ Hero can be put down to one thing, the price. It’s a steep barrier to entry, one that’s not made better with the renegade edition, but the January sales are kicking in and you can pick it up for a fraction of the retail price. Without sounding like too much of an advertisement, if you are serious about your rhythm games then DJ Hero is more than worthy of your immediate attention. The originality alone would have made this our rhythm game of the year, it just helps that it’s also a pretty damn good game as well.

DJ Hero

Beatles Rock Band

The irresistible combination of a top-knock Rock Band production and arguably one of the greatest bands of all time, come together. Beatles Rock Band was a lesson in how to do the single band release justice.

Rhythm Heaven

We would like to give a concise, well written sentence or two on why this game was close to being our favourite rhythm game of the year, but we didn’t really know what was going on. I think we enjoyed it though.

Rock Band Unplugged

Frequency and Amplitude are easily contenders for most underrated game of the decade. While we aren’t doing any decade lists, Rock Band Unplugged gave 2009 a pretty good feel of what those games were all about.

The Bit Trip Series

We couldn’t pick a sole entry in this minimalist series, so we picked the lot. Not only are they stay-up late for releases, but they gave us reasons to stay tuned to WiiWare. Something that must be applauded

Stay tuned to Nidzumi all week for more Best of 2009 Awards as we celebrate the past 12 months in gaming