As the year comes to an end, I have decided that it's time to strike up the keyboard again and give you and inside look at what I thought were the best games I played this year. Just as a side note, the games on this list are those that were released this year, it does not include those that I played this year from previous years. With that business out of the way I present to you the list.

5) NBA Jam: This game was originally supposed to come to the XBox as an incentive for people to buy EA's NBA Elite 11. Fortunately, that was not the case because the game wouldn't have ever come to this console, due to Elite being canceled. $40 later I have found myself not being able to put down the controller and reliving my childhood with this excellent reboot of the franchise. This is an excellent tribute to a game that many of us spent many quarters playing at the arcade. The attention to detail is second-to-none and for this it comes in at my list at number 5.

4) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit: It has been several years since I purchased a racing game and it has not been a disappointment nor a waste of my time or money. The game is a solid arcade style racer and the implementation of Autolog, an online component that includes leaderboards and game recommendations, helps make this game a must play, nay, a must buy for anyone with any dose of competitiveness in them. If you enjoy competing against your friends, even when it's not shooting at each other in COD, then you will not be disappointed.

3) Red Dead Redemption: This was going to be on the list. Just a matter of where it was going to land. On this list it lands right in the middle at number 3. This game puts together all of the things that worked in the Grand Theft Auto series and brings them to a different setting and time. The story is solid and the gameplay simply works in this one. Too me, this game was more enjoyable than GTA IV, and that is saying something because I really enjoyed that game. Unlike other games that are being put out today, this is one that will require you to sink in many hours into the single-player campaign. On top of that, there is a multiplayer component to the game.

2) Alan Wake/ Halo Reach: I admit to doing a little cheating here but I just felt it necessary to do so. First, these games are both XBox exclusives. Second, they both seem to be significant to Microsoft going forward. One is the end of an era and the other, I hope, is the beginning of the next era for Microsoft Game Studios. Alan Wake is a solid title for the Xbox that delivers one of the best stories in a game. More about what I thought about this game can be found here. As for Halo, well, this title brings an end to Bungie's involvement with the game that revolutionized console first-person shooters. Though technically a prequel in the series, it truly feels like the end of the series. The way in which the game ends makes you believe that this is the case. The multiplayer in this game confirms the reason that this is still one of the best, if not the best console multiplayer shooter out there today.

1) Mass Effect 2: This game was released at the beginning of the year and has had a lot of competition up to date to be dethroned from its spot at number one. Unfortunately for other games and fortunate for this one that it did not happen. For those that have a PS3, consider yourselves lucky that this game is finally coming to your console of choice. Hell, you will get a double dose of this game in the same calendar year as Mass Effect 3 will be released next year. Though their is a clear beginning and an end to this game, how you get there is all up to you, Sheppard. This is one of those games that once you finish it you will want to dive in again and invest 40 more hours in it. To this day, I have yet to meet someone that did not enjoy this game. This truly has something for every one.

So there you have it. The list of the my best games of 2010. Here's to hoping that 2011 is as good as 2010 was.