For the longest time I thought the SNES version Mario Kart was the best. But then this game came along and proved me wrong. So very wrong.

If you ever needed a good argument for Tetris being the greatest video game of all time, keep in mind I bought this game when I first got my Xbox and every year I keep coming back to it. Without fail.

Deadline mode is crack for being between games.

Starting to understand all the years of Sega arcade love. Simple and I love it.

Honestly wanted to like this more than I did. I still enjoy bouncing around on waves though.

It's absolutely crazy that Pac-Man can keep getting reinvented and not suck. This is probably my favorite version now.

After beating the main story last year around it's release I found a lot of fun out of climbing to the tallest structure and jumping off trying to missile dropkick one zombie out of a large horde. It's a whole new game after that.

Another game from last year that I already completed but felt compelled to fire up again. People play up the atmosphere and rightfully so, but I keep coming back for the puzzles. Still love them.

This game is great for zoning out while listening to podcasts. Also a lot of variety in the mission mode. Love the Samba de Amigo tracks. Racing and music.

Probably my most played game of 2009 still creeps up from time to time. I'm probably nowhere near as good as I use to be at it but tackling the leaderboards is always fun. Also got a little deeper into creating tracks.

Scratch another game off the backlog. Really enjoyed this throwback shooter. Love the design and crazy pacing. If you want action, Sam has your back.

Fucking god damn is this game hard. Truly a beast, but a beast I did tame. Pretty rewarding to finish. Probably the only game where I noticed and used the Super Guide. With only a little shame.

I don't get why people dislike this game at all. I'm biased for all things Castlevania so maybe that has something to do with it. Really epic adventure that I need to go back to.

The sheer amount of content in here just makes other developers look lazy by comparison. The fact that the quality of the content is also high is quite remarkable.

This title's relatively short length worked out perfectly for filling the gaming quota of a weekend. Two down in the Future trilogy, one to go!

It took me an embarrassing long time to get the dual analog controls down for this game, but it finally happened. After years and years of Smackdown games I felt conditioned to play the old way for so long. Still love creating finishers and wrestlers.

Scratch another game off the backlog list! I came into Killzone 2 with an open mind and came out really really enjoying it. Combat was fun, visuals were amazing, and the guns felt damn good. Really big surprise for me.

Finally started cracking down on some of the PSN essentials. And everybody was right! This game is awesome. Love the music. Will pick up the DLC someday down the road and play some more for sure.

I think I purposely put off this game until after the indie hipster hype died down because it was getting too obnoxious. Whether that's fair to the game or not, I ended up having a great time playing it. Loved the Anamanaguchi soundtrack.

This is one of those games for me that no amount of game coverage or reviews would suffice. I just had to get my hands on it and try it out to figure out if it's for me or not. Overall it was alright but another fighter resonated much better with me.

After playing the demo I came away feeling damn confident in how great this game was going to turn out. And I wasn't wrong. Mortal Kombat was the highlight of the year for me in games. The Undisputed Game of the Year hands down.

The Left 4 Dead series remains the only online shooter that I like to play. And playing local coop with the wife is so much fun still how many years running?

See above.

MotorStorm is capable of providing some great thrills and great visuals. It's hard to go back with the improvements of Pacific Rift though.

If there was ever a game that I disagreed with game reviewers about it's this one. Everybody is stupid and wrong.

Picked this up on sale and then I murdered a bunch of dudes. Really liked the sharp animations and unlocking all the costumes.

I bought this for my wife and she loves it. To understand the appeal I fired it up for myself one weekend and became hooked and instantly got it. I made a fat hillbilly named Shotgun Arizona. Great time waster.

Another on sale purchase. More Peggle yo. I still suck at trying to clear all the pegs in all the levels.

I've played the ever-lovin' shit out of the demo. And it's so addicting. Need to pick up Bit.Trip Complete eventually.

What better title to top the string of casual games than Zuma? You shoot colorful gems or stones or something. It's fun.

If I'd played this game sooner I would have been in a bad spot making my game of the year list for 2010. Easily top 3 material. Not since Ninja Gaiden Sigma have I enjoyed an action title so much.

This is probably my most pleasant surprise of the year. Even if it didn't come out this year. Really liked everything about it. The humor, the charm, the retro-ness. Just a solid ass rpg.

Had to fire up 'Splosion Man for the fee DLC leading up to Ms. Splosion Man. Fuck did this little bit on content test me something fierce.

The game of the generation is packed with so many levels and content that I kept having urges to try and 100% it. While I'm not there yet I'm getting closer. Those daredevil runs are brutal.

Along with Breath of Death VII, Yakuza 3 was another pleasant surprise. I had no idea going in if I'd like this but holy shit! I loved it. Played probably my longest gaming marathons going through the story. Lifelong Yakuza fan from here on out.

Man there is a good reason that the classics never die! Ken Griffey is the baseball game for me. Love the sprites and the simple gameplay. I love firing this up from time to time and getting a game in.

Another classic that I have to play from time to time. The best game for having that Ric Flair Vs. Steve Regal dream match everybody is clamoring for. Also The Claw's dancing taunt should be more recognized.

Despite owning this since around it's launch and never really touching it, the Nintendo Selects line inspired me to try it out. Admittedly I'm still pretty early in but so far I think I like it more than most.

After playing Doom II I quickly realized that I'm not super pumped about the direction of most of today's shooters.

The consistent high quality of the Ratchet games keeps me coming back time and time again. Really great PS3 exclusive.

I have to applaud this game for going out and doing something different and innovative with the genre. Especially in today's gaming climate of sameyness. Fantastic racer.

I feel like I'm from another world when discussing this game with others. Apparently I really like this game more than everybody else. Great Mad Max vibe, great shooting, and some very well laid out level design. If the story held you back from enjoying this then I can tell you that we play games for very different reasons.

For a couple weekends there this became my go to game. Love the dynamic soundtracks and love trying to best my high scores. So replayable.

I truly enjoy these hard as nails platformers, and man Aban Hawkins does not disappoint. Don't take it personal, you ARE going to die. Just beating one level feels like a weeks worth of progress sometimes.

This is the most disposable game I purchased this year, but I don't think it's all bad. Actually I think there is some potential here. The characters and story were paper thin, but I enjoyed the short time I spent with it. It reminded me of the Leisure Suit Larry games in a weird not there yet way.

Man Vorpal is so awesome. The music, the clean ass presentation, the gameplay, the stress gauge. Everything comes together and it's a steal for it's asking price. Can't wait to see what Red Wolf does next.

The greatest wrestling game of all time begs for attention every year from me and I always oblige. Apply the grappling engine from this game to a new wrestling game and I'll be there foaming at the mouth convulsing uncontrollably.

The sequel to one of my favorite XBLA titles delivers so hard that I knew it'd crack my top ten for the year only a couple hours in. It's 2d, dark, visceral violence and has some late game surprises worth experiencing.

Had an absolute blast playing this with a friend coop. Trying to work together to finish levels was maddening and hilarious. So many close calls and last second fuck-ups.

Out of all the games I played this year Contra: Legacy of War has the distinction of being the hardest. I might never clear the first level legitimately.

Thanks to a good buddy for getting me this. Haven't played very far along but I can recognize it's uniqueness.

I played the demo and wasn't feeling to high on this but thankfully the full version was a different story. Had a lot of fun with it. Reminded me of Wrestlefest from the arcades.

This game can be so frustrating with it's demand for precision. Currently stuck somewhere in the third world.

I can finally understand everyone's disappointment with this game after playing through a large majority of it. It's a shame that it's ambition gets in the way of the fun.

MVC 2 is still balls out ridiculous fun. I largely prefer this roster over 3. What were they thinking!?

This hd remake is one of those things that I hope this generation of games continue to do. Expose more people to some of these overlooked gems. Great game is still great.

I had no idea I'd be playing a racing sim this year and enjoying it as much as I do. This is an amazing exclusive and one I've barely scratched the surface on in regards to content.

Full disclosure: I've never played a Halo game until Reach. After playing some of it I get why others like it so much. Enjoyed the combat, but the story and everything else is wholly uninteresting to me.

Everything about Rayman: Origins is a delight. Love the visuals and the personality. Top five of the year material.

PS Plus freebie! I didn't think pinball would necessarily lend itself well to consoles but i was wrong yet again. Another great podcast game. Probably gonna pick this up eventually.

This is exactly the type of game that makes brief pick up and play handheld gaming make sense. Beautiful animations, short levels, fun puzzles.

Yay sales! Happy to finally get to check out Bastion. Sure to be greatness.

I wasn't really sure what to expect here, but goddamn I couldn't put the controller down at all. Lost track of time just exploring the map. Love it so far.

Such a strong opening for this game. Already think I like it better than Oblivion.