So, more than a year has passed since I made my 2009 list of favorite games. And what a year it has been. I've played way too many games this year, and yet some of the better ones I have still not yet got the chance to try out, for example , Super Meat Boy, Blur, F1 2010, Rock Band 3, Gran Turismo 5 or Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, but I'll try and get my hands on them before the year ends, and then I might actually update the list. So, without any further nonsense, here's the list:
Red Dead Redemption is many things. It's the best western game ever made. It's an outstanding work of a very talented studio. It's a masterfully told story full of humor, emotion, violence, terror, love and grit. It's an approachable game that I would recommend to everyone. It's quite simply amazing, and it's my favorite game of the year. I love the western thematic, and I have to say, that's the only reason why this game came out on top of Mass Effect 2 on my list. Those games are about equal in quality, but when it comes to personal choice, Red Dead Redemption is my game of the year for 2010.
If you're looking for the perfect RPG, you might want to take a look at Mass Effect 2. If it isn't perfect, it sure comes mighty close to that. The universe is huge, the characters are deep and interesting, the storytelling is excellent and the graphics also look very good. I love that the game is more of a shooter than Mass Effect was, I prefer the balance between shooting and RPG elements in Mass Effect 2. This game is a must-buy for anybody who likes to call himself a gamer, then again, anybody who likes to call himself a gamer should already own Mass Effect 2.
I absolutely loved Fallout 3, though I only started playing it early last year. I was absolutely stoked to hear that the New Vegas was to come out this autumn, and it surely did not disappoint. Sure, it may have some bugs in there, but none of the one's i encountered would mess up my gaming experience in any way. The storyline, characters, voice acting and gameplay are still all of high quality. The graphics may be outdated a bit, but there's a huge game world to explore, quest and play around in for many, many hours.
Ezio's welcome back once more for this thrilling and long adventure. Brotherhood might not have a new protagonist or be set in a different time period, however, it's much more polished than the previous game and offers tons of new content, so it's very much worth the price tag. There is also a multiplayer component to AC: Brotherhood, but that's not to my tastes. It's by far the best game in the series, but it's not the best place to start if you haven't played any Assassin's Creed game.
This game is genius. I waited for this game to come out in Europe since March, and once I finally got it in this October, I was very excited to play it. And it didn't let me down. Sure, you might argue that the game's technical side is awful, and yes, it is awful, but somehow that fits the game perfectly. I don't think I have to say anything about the game's outstandingly ridiculous storytelling, which is some of the best I've had to experience in video games...ever. The quirky characters, genius soundtrack and storytelling define this game, which is the uniquest of the year by far.
It's a Mario game, how could it not be on my list? Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a great example on how you should make games. It's very good looking on the Wii, it has perfect controls, and brilliant level design and game mechanics. And when I say brilliant, I'm not kidding - Mario Galaxy 2 takes the basics of the first Mario Galaxy game, and improves upon them in every possible way. Plus, there's Yoshi in this game. Yoshi.
It's yet another awesome Civilization game, that greatly improves on Civilization IV. Civilization games are the only strategy games that are a must-buy for me, and that speaks for itself. I only hate that Steam is now obligatory in order to play the game on Mac.
This year had some truly great indie and downloadable titles on offer, but Limbo is surely one of the uniquest. It's artistically the most beautiful game of the year, and it's also very, very atmospheric. Limbo could be compared to Braid, as both are very challenging puzzle games, but I think Limbo is much more unique. It may be short, but the three or so hours you'll spend playing Limbo will be exciting, fun, scary and challenging. It's a quiet little indie masterpiece.
It's Bungie's swan song to the Halo franchise, and it's such an awesome shooter. Seriously, it would've been much higher on my list if it hadn't been such an excellent year for gaming overall. I was very pleased with everything Halo: Reach had to offer - a great single player campaign, exciting multiplayer modes and even more customization options than before. Also, it looks quite nice, unlike the outdated Halo 3: ODST.
I know, Heavy Rain wasn't much of a game, was it now? But it was a very interesting, innovative way to tell a story, and that's why it belongs on this list. Sure, there were some quirks along the way, but Heavy Rain was an atmospheric and thrilling experience, unlike any other I've experienced on a video games console this year. I still haven't played Farenheit, but after playing Heavy Rain, I might give that game a try.
