Multiplayer not only adds hours upon hours of replayability to a game, but can also provide us with a ton of enjoyment. Cooperative multiplayer got a shot in the arm with Capcom’s Resident Evil 5, allowing two people the opportunity to try and take down Umbrella together. The Pacific campaign of Battlefield 1943 was a ton of fun to play, and proved that the classics could still be entertaining. Even though the original Modern Warfare’s multiplayer was one of the most complete experiences of all time, Modern Warfare 2 tightened everything up, and added a few new features to make the online even better. New Super Mario Bros. Wii also added cooperative play to make what would have been one of the most addictive single-player games of the year into one of the most entertaining games to play with friends and family. Of all the games with multiplayer this year, one had us coming back more than any other.

While the core of Left 4 Dead 2 is still very much the same as the first game, the addition of new weapons, new special infected, new maps, new modes, and four all-new characters made this game a clear front-runner for Best Ever Multiplayer 2009 from the very start. Playing through all the campaigns over and over again with friends often led to memorable nights, particularly when trying to save Gnome Chompski, and proved that Valve is synonymous with great multiplayer.