Best of 2010
These games suck but I love them.
List items
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Much like Grand Theft Auto IV before it, there are many things in Red Dead Redemption that are really amazing that it might be too much if every aspect is explained.
One of the most prime factors include its engaging story. With a man to save his family, it's one of the most interesting journeys by Rockstar that can rival Niko Bellic's time in Liberty City during Grand Theft Auto IV. There are so many themes like the end of the Old West and government security that works flawlessly into that game and provide commentary to what is currently happening today.
The atmosphere is absolutely perfect. Red Dead Redemption captures the very cold and isolating landscape excellently thanks to its very open play field and dynamic soundtrack.
Playing with revolvers, repeater rifles, and vintage shotguns have never been fun until now. The gun fights feel like they came out of mix of classic Western and crime films. The added Euphoria implementation makes the fights much more exciting.
There are so much other things in Red Dead Redemption but it's better left played.
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2010 was the year I got back to fighting games after departing (from a casual level) with Street Fighter Alpha 3 back in the late 1990s. I did see streams and tournaments like the Evolution Gaming Series during the early year but I was fully engaged when I got my first arcade stick and immediately later Super Street Fighter IV.
The first months were full of punishment when competing against other players online and in local tournaments. The losses dramatically changed how I felt about fighting games. Initially, my thoughts with Super IV were full of discouragement almost to the point of wanting to sell my copy and stick. I later settled with what I endured along with studying up on fundamentals and strategies.
This learning process helped me have a much better experience when playing this game. I can now analyze and reanalyze the many situations I was in (won or lost) to help myself become better which only increases the fun factor.
I now enjoy most of my fights even if my opponent can be the most obvious Ryu/Ken/Akuma player. Apart from them, it's more exciting to fight players using the new group of characters like Street Fighter III's Dudley and Super IV's Juri which peaks my interest in finding ways to defeat them as much as they would want to beat my Gouken.
With rumors of content and balance changes from the recently Arcade Edition arriving as a downloadable add-on, my time with Super Street Fighter IV will continue on to next year for sure.
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It brings the feeling of sorrow that Reach is Bungie's farewell to the franchise they have nourished and gained mainstream success from. The feeling would appear in the game's campaign detailing a battle previously explained through paperback. We know Reach falls but seeing how it affects the characteristic Noble Team and their exploits in video game form, it makes me wish the journey doesn't end.
The formula for Halo is still sustained in Reach but optimized to the best of Bungie's ability. The campaign is still formidably challenging and the multiplayer is still competitive. Reach is the highest quality Bungie could have done with Halo.
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Out of all the time I dedicated to video games, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was probably the biggest. DICE expanded what was great about the original's multiplayer component resulting in a crazier and more tactical game. There is also the single player which is still fun to play. It's great to see Sweetwater, Redford, and Haggard once again in an outrageous storyline about a rag tag team against the world.
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It's very fast. Exhilarating, exciting, mesmerizing. Vanquish.
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Commonly known as the other Call of Duty developer, Treyarch has stepped up their game once again that can rival Infinity Ward's previous entries. They deserve a much more prestigious title after making Black Ops. They went leaps and bounds with the campaign that features the most dense content out of all in the franchise as well as being one of the most memorable. Black Ops' array of characters like Frank Woods, James Hudson, and the returning Viktor Reznov deserve some praise as they are absolutely likable. With a very balanced multiplayer that beats Modern Warfare 2 to dust, Black Ops excels in being one of the best games in the series.
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This is some God of War clone. Funny thing though, this beats God of War 3 by a mile. Its reasonable challenge factor, the beautiful graphics, and its somewhat engaging story are one of the many things that help Lords of Shadow become probably one of the best in the series.
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Seeing Splinter Cell: Conviction in its true form was exciting but playing it was a different story. There is more freedom to engaging enemies thanks to the Sam Fisher's more active approach to stealth. There is no real unfair disadvantage of how a situation can be dealt with and with the "Mark and Execute" feature, the exhilaration of enemies blocking Fisher's way increased dramatically.
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Out of all the games in this list, Kane & Lynch 2 serves as the black sheep. While in simplistic terms, it's no different to other third person cover-based shooters. The mechanics work just fine but what makes Kane & Lynch 2 interesting is its supporting presentational style. Using a amateur YouTube-like approach to its camera work, it dramatically increases the intense gun play although the journey in the slums of Shanghai lasts a normal sitting. Despite its length, the brevity of the action works excellently. And with a consistently pacing action movie story filled with characters who DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT SHIT, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days combines all the elements to make an efficient product. Video game developers and movie makers take note!
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If you played the trial version at the least, you know there is a heavy emphasis on its COMIC presentation. Twisted Pixel done an excellent job with blending so much elements to create an unique and funny style. With protagonists Captain Smiley and his embedded sidekick Star (both voiced by Christopher "Vegeta" Sabat), it's always hilarious to hear them awkwardly bantering between each other and their enemies about the dumbest shit. Although there are non-sequitur, broken 4th wall, and parody jokes abound, Comic Jumper doesn't make them seem like overkill.
There is also gameplay too which recalls many older games like Gunstar Heroes, Mega Man, and Cabal. While Comic Jumper's side scrolling/rail shooting is simplistic at its core, there is the additional factor of providing a challenge. It's not too easy for hardcore players but not too hard for audiences who can rage quit easily; Comic Jumper hits the playability factor right on the spot. The difficulty keeps Comic Jumper consistently active throughout until every humorously satisfying end.
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