AArmyofJuan

The winner overall for me is RDR. There are a few reasons RDR edges out Mass 2 for me. RDR is the first game I can remember that truly gives the wild west justice. It is an era that few games touch upon but none get right. The story of John Marston is intriguing and fun to complete. The characters you meet along the way are very memorable and Rockstar hits another home run with the Euphoria engine. The visuals of RDR are breath taking in places. There are some glitches but these are also easy to overlook. This also is the first Rockstar game I sat down and played until I completed it. I usually have to come back to a GTA game to finish it but RDR kept me hooked in the story and would not let go until I had finished it. In addition the thing that pushed this to the top over Mass 2 was the fun I had playing co-op with my friends. Something about seeing your friends horse getting shot in the head by your other friend and seeing your friend wipe out while the other is laughing hysterically is something that will not leave my head for a very long long time.

The top two choices were the most difficult to make but Mass Effect 2 comes in as my number two of the year. Mass2 greatly improves over it's predecessor in every way imaginable. All the new characters and their stories draw you in like no game has done before. It accomplishes this because the cast is HUGE! There are so many worlds to explore and new enemies to experience. No more Mako makes me smile. All the worlds seem different and fresh, which is hard to pull off with that amount of content. The only negative I can say about this game is the mining but it is easy to overlook. I spent the beginning of 2010 as Commander Shepard once again for well over 60 plus hours of game time and enjoyed every minute. I look ahead to 2011 and can't wait to finish this tale.

Rock Band 3 is the must have party game. The amount of time I have spent playing a plastic instrument is staggering. Rock Band 3's new pro modes start making you believe you could REALLY play a real instrument. Everything is so streamlined and easy to use it makes the whole experience that much better to enjoy with plastic band mates! This is the one game I own that can bring large groups of people together and enjoy playing a video game.

AC: Brotherhood is my biggest surprise for 2010. This game was under my radar right up until about the month before it came out. After watching Ryan Davis do the quick look I was sold. This game DOES do everything AC2 did but better and it expands on the already great formula. Managing your guild and renovating the city were great additions. Also the fact they cut the amount of flags you have to find is great touch. The only thing AC: Brotherhood fails at was the marketing. They stressed the muliplayer too much and left out the fact they have an excellent continuation to an already marvelous story.

DJ Hero was a great first installment for the franchise and the sequel expands on everything that made that title great. I have a blast playing DJ Hero 2 the set list is huge and the difficulties actually give me a run for my money now. I found myself only playing this game until I finished the career mode. It is a great title and I love how they interfaced your friends scores right into the score bar so you know how good you're doing against your friends at all times. Now I just need to get more friends on my list to play this game. DJH2 is a great addition and I hope this franchise keeps going because it is one of the best rhythm games to play.

Aside from what you have read from all the critics who draw comparisons to Zelda and this game, this title is worthy of being in everyone's top ten. Yes it is a Zelda clone. Yes you can draw comparisons to other games as well but the developers at Vigil told everyone that right out of the gate. I followed the production of this game since it was announced two years prior and it did not disappoint. I am a huge Zelda fan from growing up but there is nothing like that on other systems. I have always found myself by a "last" generation Nintendo system just to see how that Zelda was. Now FINALLY I have a game that scratches my Zelda itch on my own "Mature" system and it is a mature story as well. Darksiders hit all the bases I was hoping it would and it is a great game for anyone who would like their Zelda itch scratched.

What can I say about Dance Central but it is the first game I can actually get my fiance' to play. The controls with Kinect are rather responsive and it gives you a taste of what is to come for this very interesting piece of hardware.

I has been a while since I actually was drawn to a racing game, but NFS:Hot Pursuit does just that. The graphics and weather effects are great and the need autolog brings the whole experience together. I love that I can see how my friends are doing and it makes me want to go back and replay tracks and not even for achievements.

I hate Halo. Crazy to start of a review of a Halo game in my top ten but I truly don't like the Halo franchise. I never have gotten caught up in the Halo multi-player and the Master Chief story doesn't interest me and don't get me started on the God damn Flood...but I digress. That is why Reach makes my list, for the first time I actually cared about a Halo title. The story of Reach is a far better tale than all previous Halo titles in my opinion. The character development is solid and the set pieces were great. I also enjoyed all the new gear they threw at you like the jet pack and armor lock. All around I really enjoy this title...despite it being a Halo game. ;)

All right the only PS3 exclusive on the list. I do not own a PS3 but I have followed Kratos' story from the PS2 and enjoyed the first PSP title as well. The formula to these games are great and the brutality totally sells the product. Me friend let me use his PS3 just to roll through this title. While the story side of this installment was lack-luster, the graphics showed the true potential on the Playstation's hardware. I'm definitely a gore fan and this title did not disappoint.

Honorable mention: Limbo is a game that I need to mention. When I first saw the footage of this game I knew I wanted to play it. The puzzles of the game were great and the style is awesome. I found myself playing this for almost the whole first day it was out and finished it shortly there after. The only downside and why it's not in the top is I can't see myself going back to play it again anytime soon because I have already seen everything it has to offer.

Honorable mention: It had been a long time since I had even thought about picking up a Dead Rising game. After playing Case Zero I actually bought Dead Rising 2. The reason Case Zero is on this list and not DR2 is it is just the right dose of Dead Rising for me. It is a 3-4 hour chunk that fulfills my zombie killing fix without being to drawn out to the point where it feels like a chore to pick it back up. I still have not beat the main quest of DR2 but I have the S-Rank on Zero. ;)