Here we go my Game of the Year awards 2010!

SPECIAL AWARDS!

Most surprisingly good game:

            Arcania Gothic 4: When I first saw this game I thought it looked just like any other free roam rpg port. When I first started playing I was pretty bored but things picked up once your done with the prologue. It quickly turns to be a fun action rpg with a simple combat system that anyone could pick up and play with lots of side quests and a lengthy main quest rpg lovers have much to enjoy with this game.

Best Story:

            Mass Effect 2: Seriously does anything really need to be said about this? You continue your space epic and the fight for humanity while meeting many new crew members and enemies along the way. While the story starts to get more dark and complicated in this second game there are many more twists that will have you asking yourself do you want to be good or evil.

Best Graphics Period:

            God of War 3: This game has so much detail in every little aspect it shines! This was a fantastic looking game from the artist stand point to the technical graphics stand point everything stood out with such detail it makes having an HD tv even better!

Best New Character of the Year:

            John Marston from Red Dead Redemption: If there was ever a new character that kicked as much ass this year it is John Marston. He is not the typical video game character and he is just trying to have a simple life but his past won't let him. With his personality and how he handles each situation as the game goes on you develop a real love for his character, truly a great job Rockstar!

Best Downloadable Game:

            Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game: If there was ever a downloadable game to hold my attention it was Scott Pilgrim. Yes I am a fan of the movie and graphic novels but still. This was a fantastic old school beat em up game and tons of fun for fans and non fans alike.

Best Downloadable Content/Expansion:

            Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare: Wow same great Red Dead action with a zombie twist. Not to mention one of the more lengthy DLC's this year with the same quality you would expect from Rockstar!

Best Atmosphere:

            Red Dead Redemption: When you step into this world you really feel like a cowboy living in the west. Not only that but with the inclusion of pretty much anything a cowboy would do in the west and believable characters to an addicting world all of this presents the best atmosphere of any game this year.

Best Music Period:

            Rock Band 3:  This game has a fantastic music set list with music for everyone! In fact it is so good I would say it has the best music of any music game ever!

Best Sound Design:

            Halo Reach: With amazing emotional music to every part of the campaign. To fantastic sounding weapons and voice acting no one does sound better than Bungie!

Best Voice Acting:

            Mass Effect 2: Every line is so believable and said with emotion! This is exactly what you want out of your games and Mass Effect delivers not one bad voice actor in the bunch which makes the whole experience much more engaging.

Best Use of a Creative License:

            Epic Mickey: Not only is this an original way to do a license game but it is done in an amazingly fun and respectful way.

Funniest Game:

            Deathspank: If there was any game this year that made me crack up the most it would be the Deathspank games because there are just so many outrageous jokes in the game if your a fan of comedy get your hands on this game.

Best Multiplayer Period:

            Battlefield Bad Company 2: Not only does the game reward you all the time for everything you do but its fun and you can blow everything up! They also continually gave free map packs all year which is more than what could be said about other games. Then the end of the year Vietnam pack which is just as good and add tons of content for a competitive price. There is just no better way to have fun on Xbox Live in 2010 than Battlefield!

Most Improved Sequel:

            Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: It is not that Shift was a bad game not by a long shot. It is just that Hot Pursuit takes the series where it should be arcade racing with cops and its so fun and so streamlined that every moment is just pure fun thanks to the makers of burnout!

Best Original Ip:

            Darksiders: Not only does this game feel like a mature Zelda but it mixes in God of War gameplay with it! There is no losing when it comes to this new IP great graphics, great level design, great characters it's all fantastic and it makes me hope this series sticks around for a long long time!

Best Boss Fights:

            Spiderman Shattered Dimensions: It is no secret I am a fan of Spiderman but this new Spiderman game produces some of the most fun boss battles ever around. Some boss battles go on for the entire level! Some of the greatest times I had this year was punching Carnage with tons of explosions and shit blowing up in the background all around me!

Best Writing and Dialogue:

            Mass Effect 2: Fantastic writing for story and dialogue choices nuff said!

Biggest News:

            Nintendo 3DS: Ok so before this was announced I was not sure if I was going to get another handheld system. But after it was announced I was amazed at the quality of games that looks to be coming for it along with how it just looks exciting! Making this one of the biggest news stories of 2010.

Best New Idea:

            Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer: Wow what a refreshing multiplayer system not only do you get rewarded all the time but you also get one of the most original multiplayer systems in years! So nice to not have to play death match again!

Best Motion Control System:

            Kinect: Yes Kinect is much better than Move. No Move is not bad it's just not as much a revolution in control as Kinect is and Kinect works amazingly well for those of you who have not played yet!

Most Underrated Game:

            Nier: This game got in the average of 65's in reviews. However when I picked up the game it was a blast every second to play! Very original story along with great characters and gameplay. I hope you pick this one up its cheap now and more people need to experience just what Nier is!

Most Overrated Game:

            Starcraft 2: There is nothing wrong with Starcraft its a great game and a lot of fun. It is just overhyped by fans. It still feels just like the original and after all this time I was expecting more improvements than what is really there.

Best Broken Game at Launch:

            Fallout New Vegas: There were several games that were pretty broken at launch this year which is sad (Fable 3 was a big one with not getting patched until late November/early December). Fallout was still playable but had many many bugs. It still has some! However it is still a fantastically fun game and that's why it is the best broken game at launch!

Biggest Disappointment:

            Final Fantasy 13: I had high hopes for this game but unfortunately it fell hard! The battle system was interesting but quickly became annoying and the way the game was set up was poor. Battle after battle after battle for a few minutes worth of story. The characters did not feel as deep as they should have and the story was below average.

System of the Year:

            Xbox 360: Xbox 360 had some of the best titles all year long and not to mention really kept improving Xbox live along with introducing Kinect really helped Xbox 360 have the best selection for everyone this year.

Most Improved System this Year:

            Wii: Wow what a year Wii had I have been wondering for years if the Wii would every impress me with a great year and it did this year! So many great game titles made a system that feels old feel relevant to today's game market!

GENRE AWARDS!

Best Action/Adventure Game:

            Red Dead Redemption: This game is a full out thrill ride with everything you would want from an action/adventure game!

Best Racing game:

            Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: In a year full of great racers this one comes out on top for being just pure fast fun which is exactly what you want out of your racing game!

Best Fighting game:

            Naruto Shippuden Storm 2: This may not be the traditional fighting game but it was my favorite this year. A great fighting system with some really epic battles in single player that involve some quick commands makes this one super fun fighter.

Best Platformer:

            Super Mario Galaxy 2: The sequel to my second favorite Mario game! There is nothing overally bad to say about this game it's just fantastic fun wrapped up in a box/wii game disk!

Best Puzzle Game:

            Puzzle Quest 2: Great! Even better improved than the first one this one adds more story better graphics and a better puzzle system that is just if not more addictive as the first game!

Best Music Game:

            Rock Band 3: Pro Modes! Keyboard support! Best music! Thats all that needs to be said no one does it better than Harmonix!

Best RPG:

            Mass Effect 2: This may not be as RPGish as the first one but it still is very much a RPG from dialogue choices to leveling up. The deep story and great gameplay and characters make this the most rewarding RPG experience of 2010!

Best Shooter:

            Halo Reach: Bungie went out on a high note this is if not my first favorite Halo my second! Every level is done so well and the multiplayer is so great it will have you sticking around for years on end!

Best Multiplatform Game of the Year:

            Mass Effect 2: Xbox 360 and PC got Mass Effect 2 this year and what else can I say about the game that has already got so many awards you rock Bioware!

PLATFORM AWARDS!-note I like to keep platform awards to the exclusives of that system so that's how I am doing it!

Best Xbox 360 Game:

            Halo Reach: Some of the best multiplayer on Xbox Live and some of the most fun you can have in a single player campaign! Let's hope this is not the last great Halo game!

Best Playstation 3 Game:

            God of War 3: PS3 did not have very many exclusives this year and the ones that came out were more at the beginning. However that did not stop it from having one of the most kick ass games of this gen! God of War 3 truly had some of the most epic boss battles this year along with some of the most fun you can have on the ps3.

Best Wii Game:

            Epic Mickey: Not only was this a great 3rd party game but they took a chance on the wii which not many 3rd party developers do with a hardcore game. This game is so much fun and offers you choice without overwhelming you not to mention all the throwback to the license makes this the best Wii game this year!

Best PSP Game:

            Phantasy Star Portable 2: This takes what was good about the first one and improves on it! Not to mention free online play for the first time in the franchise history! This portable game packs quite a punch and a fun and lengthy one at that.

Best Nintendo DS Game:

            Golden Sun Dark Dawn: Golden Sun finally returns! This is one fantastic RPG that keeps things interesting and continues off of the last 2 with some surprising results on how the world has turned out. This is not only a great game on the DS but a great RPG that should have any RPG fan hooked from the beginning to the end!

GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!

            Mass Effect 2: It is a hard year when the best game gets released in the first month of the year. This was an awesome year for games not nothing beats Mass Effect 2! Besides what I have already said about the game this is one I can see playing for years and years to come with so many different outcomes to see and experience!

This year was full of great games here are a few that almost made the list: Just Case 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Dragon Quest 9, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, White Knight Chronicles. Here is to 2011 kicking ass and taking names!