I simply love this time of year, lots of fun stuff to do, and one of these fun things is Gamespot's yearly gaming awards. As I did in the past years I'll be celebrating the year's ending by listing my own winners for each of the categories Gamespot presents. I was reluctant in modifying slightly my method of doing it, taking into account the manner I keep doing year after year since, I don't know, one or two years. Not a long-time tradition I know, but I thought of including brief comments after each award to just point things out, tell the reader (if any) how or why I was selecting that game. I ultimately decided not to, instead, I'll just gather the pieces and give a little overview before the important part. Onto work.

For the most surprisingly good game I have to say Alice in Wonderland, it's a great DS game, I actually did like Hydro Thunder for the Nintendo 64, so I never doubted Hurricane could be at least slightly fun. It's good not having Crysis competing on best technical graphics because that's obvious win, at least for now and the near future, none of the candidates actually stand out, I voted God of War II. For artistic graphics Alan Wake has the atmosphere in its favor, Castlevania has its characteristic Castlevania charm, Red Dead Redemption looks pretty fresh, and Mass Effect 2 is also great; but Kirby's Epic Yarn takes the crown, such a wonder to behold that game was. For best new character I chose a character stereotype that's easy to find in movies but hard to find in games, feels fresh. I'm not sure I'd pick Super Meat Boy for best downloadable console game if I had a more diverse set of choices, I've had little contact with Super Meat Boy, since this is a game that demands time and dedication.

I chose Alice in Wonderland for best creative license, it's clear that Disney Epic Mickey doesn't deserve to be even listed. For funniest game I wouldn't pick DeathSpank if I had more choices, but DeathSpank is not a bad choice at all. As for best original game mechanic I found it an awkward award, a flashlight doesn't look that "original", the stand-off may have been used before but it's used nicely in Red Dead Redemption, the way something is done may be more important than what is actually done, I believe the one that deserves this the most is the Rocket Sliding, although I have to say I'm not completely sure of it; my vote still goes to Rocket Sliding. Looking at the most improved sequel award I consider the presence of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 there a joke, I voted Red Dead Redemption. Not much thinking about best boss fights, God of War III wins easily. The competitive multiplayer award is pretty even, every game has a chance of emerging victorious, but I voted Call of Duty: Black Ops.

When I reached worst game everyone played I felt compelled to vote the Wii game, I'm sure a good share of the Wii's demographics played that, according to vgchartz the game has sold almost eight hundred thousand copies and it wasn't released in Japan--yeah, I know, the world doesn't seem fair when I say that--it will eventually reach the 1-million mark, I'm sure of that. The least improved sequel seems fit for Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. Donkey Kong Country must be praised, be it when it runs for best platformer or best Wii game or anything else, I'm such a fanboy, I know, I'm disgusting. I hate Rhythm/Music games, though Dance Central seems pretty fun, hate to admit that, I even mentioned I'd like to try it out, and I will someday, I hope (I also hope no one reads this). Voted Civilization for best strategy game over Starcraft II, it was actually hard choosing one of them, not sure what led me to this decision.

My game of the year has nothing to do with my choice, I'd be amazed at how much I fail choosing it, my choice would shock. From the ones listed and leaving my own personal convictions aside, considering the game inserted in the context of the industry as a whole and the magnitude of the impact it caused in the gaming world this year, I've come to two names. Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2. Out of these ones I chose Red Dead Redemption as my game of the year because it felt more fresh, both display undeniable quality, so either one would be a great choice. For my decision on which game I'm most anticipating on early 2011 I chose Mortal Kombat, I can't wait to play Mortal Kombat and Dragon Age II, both are great, as well as other choices there like Crysis 2, but my vote on this goes to Mortal Kombat, finally a new Mortal Kombat game I can look forward to.

Now enough talking and onto what really matters. It's worth reiterate that these are my own personal choices.