Best of 2010
My blog goes into much greater detail here:
http://shoutsfromthecouch.blogspot.com/2010/12/year-in-games-2010.html
List items
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* Best voice acting.
* Best script.
* Best ending, maybe of all time.
* Best sequence (riding into Mexico).
* Best thunderstorms.
* Best horses.
* Best GTA clone that’s arguably better than any GTA game.
And then there's surprisingly good multiplayer. And the quality DLC that they keep putting out. And, of course, the ambient challenges, which sucked me so thoroughly into the world that I had trouble getting out. This game has raised the open-world bar so high that even GTA5 must take notice. An absolute masterpiece.
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Bioware has made huge leaps with this RPG, the most important being that this actually feels like a literal role-playing game - I feel like I have a visceral connection to this universe based on the decisions I've made and the personal relationships I've chosen to cultivate (or destroy). I truly feel like the commander of the most kick-ass spaceship in the universe, and I absolutely cannot wait to continue the adventure.
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I had low expectations for this. I didn't think they'd come out with a quality title so soon after the last game, and I definitely had no desire for a multiplayer side. That this turned into the best title in the franchise is a huge, wonderful surprise.
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I didn't play much on the PC this year, but this game made me glad to own a PC powerful enough to run it at close-to-top specs. It strikes the perfect balance between the hard-core Civ IV and the dummy-proof Civ Rev. I haven't played this enough, but that's because I like going to sleep at reasonable hours.
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Even though I dropped out of the multiplayer scene a little bit too quickly, I can't deny that this is a complete package. I'm not a die-hard Halo fan, but I had a blast with the campaign, and what I played of the multiplayer was fantastic.
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This is maybe the best puzzle title on the DS. It uses the DS in a novel and intuitive way, and it eventually felt less like puzzle solving and more like sculpture.
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This is a must-own if you've got an iPhone. An ingenious poker puzzle mechanic that's easy to learn and which is addictive as hell.
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This was originally going to be Split/Second, but the more I think about it, S/S is somewhat of a one-trick pony - it's an exceptionally well-done trick, but there's only so much you can do with it. NFS is just as exciting, but it feels a little deeper - and the Autolog is now an essential leaderboard feature for all racing games going forward. If nothing else, this is as close to a new Burnout game as we're going to get.
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See, Heavy Rain, this is how facial animation should be done. Hell, this is how storytelling should be done. There's more said in a character's face here than in 20 overwritten lines of dialog. The relationship between the two lead characters was thoroughly believable and authentic.
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Great writing, great art direction, great fun.
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