While 2010 might have been a tremendously terrible year for film-making (I think we can all agree "Inception" was probably the most original film released this year). video games had one of the best years in quite some time. Below here is my list of the top ten games I enjoyed in 2010, and what I personally think should be the game of the year.
Game of the Year. With out a doubt, I was hooked the minute Lords of Shadow was announced at E3 in 2009. I've long prayed and hoped that one day a proper 3D platforming version of Castlevania would finally be released, and that somebody could actually grasp the concept of making a real and decent 3D Castlevania. I never imagined how close to perfection Mercury Steam would come.
No game sucked me in as quickly this year as Lords of Shadow did. This is much more then a prequel to all events of Castlevania, it's actually a retelling that doesn't necessary follow the series long list of canon events. That is the first correct decision anyone has made with this series in about thirteen years. This is a series that desperately needed a reboot, and it is delivered here.
But much more is at stake here then just a great storyline. The voice acting is top notch, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the most beautiful game I have played since Oblivion. The environments are jaw dropping, and the full on scale is nothing short of epic here.
While many will argue that this game feels very "Un-Casltevania" like, I highly disagree. Two of the game's ten chapters are spent scaling a gigantic Castle, and whilst the beginning seems very Lord of the Rings like in comparison, the ending left me not only shocked at where Konami and Mercury Steam decided to take it, but I was left desperately wanting a sequel. This is exactly what I wanted from Castlevania.
John Marston is my favorite new video game character of the last five years. He is a modern day John Wayne and Clint Eastwood all rolled into one seemingly badass character. Red Dead Redemption is the best game that Rockstar has created now. While I was disappointed in 2008 with Grand Theft Auto 4, Rockstar has fixed everything I hated about that game with RDR. Sure, many will mistake RDR as nothing more then "Grand Theft Horseback", but those calling this game that are doing it a huge injustice.
What Rockstar has done here is created perhaps the best story they have ever told in a video game, with characters that relate to real life so intensely, I'd argue you probably didn't see a better character driven film in 2010.
The gameplay mechanics, along with "Dead Aim", are also top notch. With some very impressive dlc mechanics (the haunting "Undead Nightmare" was perhaps the best dlc I played this year), Read Dead Redemption is a game that rewards the player with its amazing storyline unlike any game before it.
I've never been a big fan of my PS3. The thing collects dust for me to be honest. The only thing I use it for is blu-ray. However, in 2010, that all changed.
"Heavy Rain" blew me away with its amazingly dark storyline. This isn't your typical game, but it is more of an interactive movie. I haven't played this developer's previous game, "Indigo Prophecy", so this whole concept was new and original for me. But the story and the premise sucked me in from beginning to end, so much, that I finished the game within two days. The multiple storylines and multiple outcomes made me itch for a second playthrough. And graphically, there are some real jaw dropping moments in this game. The first time Norman Jayden puts on his crazy futuristic sunglasses, you'll be blown away as I was. Simply stunning.
The original Mass Effect was a game that grew on me over time. From my original purchase of it, I wasn't instantly sucked into the world and the mythology of the title. Instead, it sat on my shelf for nearly two years, until March of 2009, when I sat down and actually gave the game the time of day. And I was blown away. However no game this year had a better sequel then Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 2 is a superior game on almost every level. Graphically stunning, redefined controls, and a much tighter and darker storyline. Voice acting, which was strong in the original, is even stronger here in the sequel. And almost all of my gripes about traveling around the galaxy were fixed here. Mass Effect 2 also has one of the best endings of any game this year. Highly recommended.
On pen and paper, Halo: Reach seems awesome enough. However, I'm in the category of people that honestly don't think that this game should exist, at least from a campaign point of few. Any diehard fan of this series' universe knows what the hell happened on Reach by reading "The Fall of Reach", and thus the story here wasn't a necessity to tell. Also ditching Master Chief a second time is a huge mistake for Bungie, especially for their last Halo game.
However, with the bitching and moaning aside, let's get to why Reach is even on this list: multiplayer. Reach is probably the most redefined and perfected version of Halo you are going to experience for online play. Sure, there are some small things I gripe about, like the nerfed chain gun on the warthhog, or the fact that most all vehicles are nerfed in this game. However, Reach has some great maps for multiplayer (including new dlc maps), and forge world is an absolute love letter to Halo fans. The inclusion of the addictive firefight mode is only the icing on the cake for what makes Reach an enjoyable experience from 2010.
Ok, ok. I'm going to take all the heat now. I know I wasn't on the fence with Black Ops, as I've consistently hated Treyarch ever since I picked up Call of Duty 3 nearly five years ago. I never thought I could put the words Treyarch and awesome in the same sentence, but Black Ops goes above and beyond almost everything that was introduced in Modern Warfare 2. Yes, I am a diehard fan of Infinity Ward. And yes, I have hated Treyarch and cursed their name for quite some time. But after hearing the immense praise (and realizing that Black Ops is the first, real Halo killer), I tried out the game firstly on the Ps3. The campaign blew me away from start to finish. Not only is the campaign better crafted in storyline and intensity then Modern Warfare 2, but I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Combine that with the most balanced version of Multiplayer this series has seen, and an addictive zombies mode, and you have one of the best games of 2010. Yes, from Treyarch.
Here's a game that surprised the shit out of me. The original Just Cause had a great concept, but was limited by the hardware it was developed on (it only showed up on the 360 as a port of the Xbox version). Just Cause 2 is an insanely beautiful game that is built from the ground up on new technology, and is probably the best open-world game I've played this generation. The amount of what is possible here is mind blowing.
The story and setting are a bit weak, but that's all made up but the great gameplay and open world setting. Don't skip it.
I'm a huge Zelda fan. So it's no surprise I was extremely excited for Atlus' Zelda clone, 3D Dot Game Heroes. The music and setting are pretty much directly ripped form "A Link to the Past", so players of that excellent game should feel right at home here. The customization is also a great aspect of what makes 3D Dot Game Heroes an excellent title for the PS3's small library of exclusive titles.
If you didn't know, I'm a damn big Castlevania fan. I enjoy every 2D Castlevania game I can get my hands on. But nearly 60 hours of my gametime this year went into Harmony of Despair. The brillance of Harmony of Despair is in it's addicting, 6 player online co-operative play. You can choose one of five characters (of which has since been expanded to nine through dlc), and together you have 30 minutes to make it through a level to defeat the boss. It's a crazy concept that works. However you also won't find a game with a more steep learning curve then Harmony of Despair. I'll tell you right now, that unless you are a hardcore fan of this shit, skip it. You'll be lost as hell.
The Rock Band series of games probably shares about as much time spent for me on the games as Oblivion does, but Rock Band 3 is simply put: the end of the music game genre. I don't think I can imagine a better music game. It's been done to so much perfection here, it's simply impossible to think of Rock Band 4 at this point.
I was originally skeptical at the idea of implementing real instruments into the gameplay, but it is done on such a gratifying level that there's really no room to complain. Hey, if Harmonix wants to teach people how to play real music, who wants to stop that?
Also, pretty much the library of music you've been building since the original game is playable here. Add it on with a great last few months of added dlc to the game, and Rock Band 3 is simple the end all for music/rhythm games.
