2010 is a year that started strong for gaming, and good stuff has been coming out all year more or less.
 
Here's my personal candidates for game of the year.
 
- Mass Effect 2

Oh crap, Bayonetta came out this year. Seems like so long ago. This is a good list.  :) 
 
Sadly I never got to finish Mass Effect 2 (I borrowed it), but RB3 and SMG2 are definitely right up there for me as well.

Mass Effect 2 is the only game there that I've played. 

Very Solid list. Alan wake was a great experience. I thought the story and the atmosphere was amazing. I think it will be under represented in a lot of GOTY lists. ME2 i think is going to sweep the lists this year. ( I can't believe it is already time to start thinking about game of the year games.)

Nice list!

I'd definitely say ME2 will have the best shot at GOTY out of those on this list. These are all great games, but IDK... I just think that ME2 is the only GOTY worthy title there. Maybe its just my extremely biased Mass Effect Fanboy opinion though... plus I totally suck at fighting games and rhythm games and therefore kind of dislike them, so thats 2 games off the list for me right there :P

It's really between Mass Effect 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2.  Strange how they are both the refined sequels of genuine inspired game of the year candidates from 2007.

I find your like of Red Dead Redemption disturbing.

I forgot Mass Effect 2 came out this year.

it saddens me that for various reasons i havent played any of those 6 games you listed :/ 
 
 
@CitizenKane said:

" I find your lack of Red Dead Redemption disturbing. "

I also came to the realization a few days ago that Mass Effect 2 was a 2010 release, I think the early release has thrown people off. It is definitely my pick for GOTY though.

I'ma go out on a limb and say you don't own a PS3.

" I'ma go out on a limb and say you don't own a PS3. "

" I find your like of Red Dead Redemption disturbing. "

" @EVO said:

" I'ma go out on a limb and say you don't own a PS3. "

Unfortunately, no. I don't have a Wii anymore either. But I do love me some SMG 2... Did that many PS3 exclusives come out this year? There was Heavy Rain, and...MAG? Did that come out this year? "

" @CitizenKane said:

" I find your like of Red Dead Redemption disturbing. "

I haven't played it and don't plan to. I don't like the raunchy crap Rockstar puts in their games, and I haven't ever enjoyed one of their games anyway. "

New Vegas is GOTY.

" @MormonWarrior said:

" @EVO said:

" I'ma go out on a limb and say you don't own a PS3. "

Unfortunately, no. I don't have a Wii anymore either. But I do love me some SMG 2... Did that many PS3 exclusives come out this year? There was Heavy Rain, and...MAG? Did that come out this year? "

Yep. There was also God of War III and ModNation. 

Mass Effect 2 is still by far the best experience I've had from, not just games, any form of media I've experienced this year. 

I think Jeff's right on this one - Mass Effect 2 is the entire list.

ME2 is the winner on the list, but I don't understand your moral distinctions.  Why go for ME or Bayonetta but not rockstar games.  Doesn't seem consistent to me.

"Candidates"? So what you're saying is that all of these six games are so close in quality, it's borderline impossible to choose one over the others?

" ME2 is the winner on the list, but I don't understand your moral distinctions.  Why go for ME or Bayonetta but not rockstar games.  Doesn't seem consistent to me. "

Nice list. It's either Mass Effect 2 or Bayonetta for me.
 
@Jimbo said:

"I think Jeff's right on this one - Mass Effect 2 is the entire list. "

"Mass Effect 2 is still by far the best experience I've had from, not just games, any form of media I've experienced this year.  "

well good for you, if everyones list looked the same it would be boring.

P.S. I didn't ask for my moral values to be questioned here, thank you. John Marston may be a more upstanding character than many others in Rockstar's games, the overall game is far too raw and gritty for me so I won't bother playing it. Bayonetta is just ridiculous, and really shouldn't have so much swearing so I skip the cutscenes and just play the game. Mass Effect 2 is mostly fine. I would've preferred Jack to not swear so much, but what can you do...I just never used her and rarely talked to her. RDR has an explicit sex scene from what I hear, and horrible filthy and racist language throughout, plus incredibly brutal violence at times.

I don't understand why people are talking about game of the year now when a shit tonne of games have yet to even come out yet.

 Out of the games you listed, I've only played ME:2 and Alan Wake, but they're both in my top 5 for the year at the moment.

Starcraft 2, Red Dead Redemption and Alan Wake. Superb games!

Mass Effect 2 wins it for me.  That said, Fallout New Vegas is straight up busted and still in my top 5 this year. 

" I don't understand why people are talking about game of the year now when a shit tonne of games have yet to even come out yet. "

You have good taste.

Some very nice picks in there, I approve.

For most people it seems that GOTY is a competition between ME2 and RDR. Personally, my vote goes to RDR. Why? Because it is the first and only Rockstar game I ever liked enough to finish. In fact, I played through it twice. John Marston was just a great character that you grew to love. He was a nice guy who was trying to put his past behind him and was being screwed over by both sides of the law. Despite all that, he never abandoned his morals. You spent the entire game with him as he fought tooth and nail to redeem himself and earn a little bit of happiness. The fact that the game actually managed to evoke an actual emotional response from me is something I have to applaud it for. It is something that no other game did. And on top of that, it had a lot of fun stuff to do, had great graphics, and the sound design was top notch. Oh, and all the glitches you came across were so weird and confusing they somehow made the game better. Luckily, they weren't all that common. Also, Nigel West Dickens. 
 
Point is, you owe it to yourself to play that game. Seriously. Give Rockstar a chance on this one. It would kind of be like if in 2007 you gave your opinion on the best game of the year and then said you didn't play Bioshock, or what your best film of the year for 2008 was without watching The Dark Knight. Sure, that might not change what your pick would have been anyway, but it was still one of the more important and impactful releases of the year.

" it saddens me that for various reasons i havent played any of those 6 games you listed :/ 
 
 
@CitizenKane said:

" I find your lack of Red Dead Redemption disturbing. "

fix'd :P "