IndustryGamers' 2009 Persons of the Year

#4 Richard Lemarchand / Neil Druckmann

We can't say enough good things about Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2, which has already won Game of the Year from Spike TV's VGAs and the Associated Press. The game truly shows off the power of the PS3, and the timing couldn't have been any better. The game, when combined with the price drop this fall, undoubtedly gave Sony's console the surge it so desperately needed. Beyond that, however, it's also one of those games that ultimately brings the medium of video games another step forward. It perfectly blends action, storyline, cinematics and superb voice acting into one package. Anecdotally, there have been plenty of stories about people who aren't even gamers completely fixated on watching someone else play Uncharted 2 because of the great presentation by Naughty Dog – it's almost like watching a summer blockbuster movie for these folks. Co-lead game designers Richard Lemarchand (on right in photo) and Neil Druckmann did a marvelous job. We realize it's a team effort, however, so in a sense this award goes to the whole Naughty Dog studio, including co-presidents Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra, creative director Amy Hennig, and everyone else. Now bring on Uncharted 3!