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Giant Bomb's Game of the Year 2010: Day Two

Best Downloadable Add-On, Best Co-Op, Best Download-Only Game, Best-Looking Game, and Best Xbox 360-Only Game get their props.

How did we come to these decisions? Listen to today's deliberation podcast and find out!

Best Downloadable Add-On


BioShock 2: Minerva's Den


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2010 might go down in history as the year story-based DLC finally really came into its own, with significant new add-ons hitting some of the biggest games of the year and giving you some great reasons to fire those games back up weeks or months after you finished playing through their core storylines. But while plenty of this year's best DLC added onto and fleshed out the games on which they were based, no DLC felt like such a complete story and package in its own right like Minerva's Den.

Rather than trying to shoehorn a misplaced interlude into the events and framework of BioShock 2 itself, Minerva acts as its own self-contained story featuring entirely new areas and residents of Rapture. Minerva not only established and explored the technological backbone of Rapture with some fantastic vintage dawn-of-computing-style trappings (vacuum tubes! Alan Turing!), it also expertly told the tragic tale of Charles Milton Porter, the brilliant computer scientist who gave so much to his fellow citizens and was rewarded for it with betrayal. Minerva arguably surpasses BioShock 2 itself and is one of the best examples so far of how much can be accomplished with a low-priced downloadable add-on. 


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Runners-up: Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker 
 

Best Co-Op

 

Halo: Reach

 
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It shouldn't surprise you to hear that Halo: Reach is a terrific cooperative experience. Like the rest of the game, Reach's co-op follows in the footsteps of Bungie's previous Halo games, letting you work your way through the campaign with a crew, laying waste to everything in your path. Sure, you might not get the real feel of the game's story, since you're probably going to be yelling at your partners through most of the game, but working your way through waves and waves of enemy forces with a crew makes the campaign way more exciting.
 
Then there's Firefight mode, which was greatly expanded for Halo: Reach to make it a far more exciting take on the whole wave-based survival style. With the ability to tweak plenty of different variables when playing with friends to the variety of different maps you can use, Firefight might be good enough to take this category on its own. But when you add all that stuff together, Halo: Reach is the best cooperative experience to be had in 2010. 

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Runners-up: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
 

Best Download-Only Game


Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

 
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Arguably one of the strongest categories in 2010, the downloadable space saw a huge number of amazing original titles this year, though none captured our collective imaginations quite like this re-reimagining of that most venerable of pill-poppers, Pac-Man
 
It's kind of unbelievable that Pac-Man could feel as vital now as he did when he first debuted some 30 years ago, but by shifting the focus from simple survival to a community-driven high-score race, and layering it with a jaw-clenching club-drug aesthetic, Namco has done precisely that. It's a miraculous balancing act between some really deep-seated nostalgic triggers and fresh, frenetic gameplay, and it's our pick for best download-only game of 2010.

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Runners-up: Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV

 

Best-Looking Game

 

Kirby's Epic Yarn


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I can scarcely recall a game so thoroughly dedicated to crafting an aesthetic as Kirby's Epic Yarn is. The latest platformer starring Nintendo's huggably squishy puff-ball of a hero, Kirby, is set in a world where everything has gone fully arts-and-crafts. All the characters (Kirby included) are constructed out of outlines of yarn, buttons, zippers, and other things you'd typically find at the local fabric store. Developer Good Feel stitches every single piece of this world with this patchwork art style, and manages to make it all mind-numbingly adorable in the process. Seriously, just watch Kirby morph into a little Kirby car, and dare yourself not to go "d'awwwww." Seriously, try it! If there's a heart in your chest, you'll fail! 

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Runners-up: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Limbo

 

Best Xbox 360-Only Game

 

Halo: Reach

 
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With the launch of the Kinect drawing much of Microsoft's focus this year, it felt like the third-parties had much more to offer Xbox 360 owners in 2010. But Bungie still made a huge impact by leaving its final mark on the first-person shooter it created, Halo. Halo: Reach combines some of the best that Halo has to offer, including a quality campaign, terrific competitive multiplayer and the best cooperative play that we saw all year.
 
Reach also stands out for its interesting story, which fills in a key time in the Halo universe that, up until the release of Reach, had only been addressed in book form. Reach's story is great, and even though you know how it will ultimately end--the battle of Reach certainly ain't pretty for our side--the game makes the whole thing interesting by letting you see it through the eyes of the Noble Team, a great group of characters that are strong enough to make you forget about that " Master Chief" dude.

With its stellar suite of options and high quality throughout, Halo: Reach stands tall as the best thing that you can only get on an Xbox 360 this year. 

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Runners-up: Limbo, Dance Central
 
  

319 Comments

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frymillstrum

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I remember they talked about Minerva's Den vs something else for like an hour and I was almost screaming at the podcast saying "alright already, STFU about it now".

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Zevvion

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@milkman said:

Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX beat Super Meat Boy? This site is such bullshit.

Both are incredible games. Super Meat Boy is more incredible, though.

Also, and his isn't directed at you because I know you're kidding, but it's sort of astonishing how many people are still angry over GOTY decisions years later.

It's not that astonishing. We're not talking purely about opinion here. We're talking mostly about perspective. For example, I remember Brad and some of the other guys shooting Alex down on trying to get Hotline Miami in the top 10. Alex was the only one that wanted it in there. So it didn't get in. Thing is, Brad didn't play the game at that time. As we could've seen later on when he did play it, he thought it was amazing. I dare bet he would've vouched for it if he did earlier.

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MariachiMacabre

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@milkman said:

Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX beat Super Meat Boy? This site is such bullshit.

Both are incredible games. Super Meat Boy is more incredible, though.

Also, and his isn't directed at you because I know you're kidding, but it's sort of astonishing how many people are still angry over GOTY decisions years later.

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pr1mus

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Edited By pr1mus

There's been plenty of times during the goty deliberations where Brad has said things that made me upset but this isn't one. He's wrong but you can totally have a debate between Minerva and Shadow Broker.

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Yummylee

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Heh. Remember when they gave console-specific awards? Sort of funny that Halo Reach won stuff despite none of the staff being all that pumped about Halo, but I guess they did play it for that Extra Life marathon.

Also, almost four years later I still maintain that Shadow Broker was robbed.

Indeed. Minerva was a good time, even if the twist was wholly predictable, but I found myself much more attached to the happenings in Shadow Broker. It even actually has a pretty cool boss battle in there to boot, which are typically a little scattershot with that series.

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ArbitraryWater

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Heh. Remember when they gave console-specific awards? Sort of funny that Halo Reach won stuff despite none of the staff being all that pumped about Halo, but I guess they did play it for that Extra Life marathon.

Also, almost four years later I still maintain that Shadow Broker was robbed.

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Milkman

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Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX beat Super Meat Boy? This site is such bullshit.

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Edited By LordAndrew

I haven't yet played any of these DLC, but I'll make sure to take note of these particular DLC when the time comes.

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Fear_the_Booboo

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Edited By Fear_the_Booboo

@sweetz: Three years later and people did not get over that yet :P

Time to move on ;)

P.S. Brothers is not a top 10 game.

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sweetz

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I'm listening to old podcasts and would just like to comment more than 3 years later how wrong Brad was about that DLC category ;)

I can't believe the guys kowtowed to him on Minerva's Den. Nor can I believe how hardline Brad was about that being the best when he didn't even finish Bioshock 2 proper.

As a fan of both games and DLCs, Lair of the Shadow Broker is the better DLC. It expanded and added way more to the experience than Minerva's Den.

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MormonWarrior

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Edited By MormonWarrior
@AMDman: 
 Uh...the category isn't "best graphics," it's "best looking." The dudes didn't forget about God of War III. They just felt that it didn't have an aesthetic to it like some of these other games did. The game they most liked looking at won the award, and God of War wasn't it. Not saying they're right, it's just the way they felt.
 
I personally think God of War III is technically impressive but tends to be too far away from the action, and I don't like the style of it. I wouldn't have picked Kirby, but oh well.
 
@ddensel said:
" So if Alan Wake isn't the best new character, not the best debut, doesn't have the best song ( Children of the Elder God), isn't the best X360 game or has the best graphics, how about a Rodney Dangerfield award?  Alan Wake > Halo "
Agreed. I thought that game was really great, even though it lost some steam near the end. I wasn't impressed with Reach's campaign at all, except for the space battle. And I liked Halo 3.
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TheMoD

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Edited By TheMoD

not even nominating heavy rain as one of the best looking games is fucking craazy
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AMDman

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Edited By AMDman

Well, I think that It's clear that we need to spam the bombcast email address in regards to the omission of GoW3 from the best looking game category.  I really think they need to amend this list with it at least as a runner up.  Gametrailers, in their best graphics award, sums up perfectly why it should at the very least be considered as best graphics of 2010.  No other game delivered the combined amount of scale and detail that GoW3 brought.  Plus it brought the 60fps that they were missing from NFS.

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LackingSaint

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Edited By LackingSaint

Jesus fucking christ the amount of shit the main game of Bioshock 2 is getting in this podcast! Can I just say right now, pay no attention to any of this stupid crap getting slung at it right here, I love these guys but they are completely ignorant with Bioshock 2. If you haven't played it and your opinion is it's probably bad, you should play it.

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TPoppaPuff

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Edited By TPoppaPuff

Brad's argument for Minerva's Den in the podcast is what convinces me that Lair of the Shadow Broker was the best DLC.
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retro444

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Edited By retro444

nice recap

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SK2

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Edited By SK2

I was shocked to see Kirby's Epic Yarn on there under Best Looking. It is a very unique looking game. And I agree with Halo: Reach being a great multiplayer.

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HumphreyLee

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Edited By HumphreyLee

I just listened to this part yesterday, and count me in with those (though it was probably just me) screaming at my iPod about God of War 3 for best looking. I'm not saying it should have won, obviously the guys were trying to lead more toward artistic design than just graphics, but come on, that thing is a technical monster with the cacophony and destruction and set pieces and backdrops and on and on and on. Plus, those Titan designs were pretty well gorgeous, and the frame rate never faltered. If anything, that should have taken up NFS:HP's spot since that got there on technical merit.

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Dark_Pinoy

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Edited By Dark_Pinoy

I like how God of War 3 was not brought up in best looking game. =/

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deactivated-5f9398c1300c7

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Their opinion on why Reach is the best 360 game of 2010 is absolutely false. Reach's characters were bland, storyline destroyed the lore, and most of the extra features are horrible (laggy co-op, lack of Forge World items, 'X-ray vision'/'eyeballs behind head' enemies ruin campaign, imbalanced weaponry and armor abilities ruin multiplayer).
 
They should've made it Alan Wake, even if that game sucked.

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coaxmetal

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Edited By coaxmetal

Hey, they didn't consider the game I though was best, I am deeply offended that my opinion is not affirmed.

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coaxmetal

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Edited By coaxmetal

Everybody Dies? So the 360-only GOTY is Defcon? I'm down. 
 
Also, it may be the perfect time to depart from the Bungie-style Halo, but my money is on another Bungie-style Halo game for the next one.

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JamminSnake

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Edited By JamminSnake

How do u not even mention God of War 3 for best looking game?
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Faint

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Edited By Faint
@Grimi said:
" WHY wasn't Final Fantasy 13 even MENTIONED for Best looking!? Agh. I never really like playing that game but there is no doubt in my mind that it is the best looking game of 2010 both artistically and technically. I still still Kirby is a really good looking game but the fact that they never even mentioned for a second FFXIII or God of War 3 for that matter just seems crazy.

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"
 
i completely agree. im not really into god of war, and i think ff13 was an attrocity, but both have undeniably amazing visuals. the excessive mention of limbo is just getting ridiculous at this point. yeah, its some indy game with cool visuals and some cool ideas. we get it.
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MolemansNemesis

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Edited By MolemansNemesis

I absolutely LOVE your GOTY deliberations but I'm definitely disappointed...
 
At the end of the day, these are all just opinions and I also realize it must be hard to think back on everything that came out over the year but going over the "Best Looking" category without even CONSIDERING God of War 3 is completely unacceptable!!
 
  

   
 
If you're wondering why people think you guys are Xbots, this might be one of the reasons why...
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grimi

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Edited By grimi

WHY wasn't Final Fantasy 13 even MENTIONED for Best looking!? Agh. I never really like playing that game but there is no doubt in my mind that it is the best looking game of 2010 both artistically and technically. I still still Kirby is a really good looking game but the fact that they never even mentioned for a second FFXIII or God of War 3 for that matter just seems crazy.

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MoeB

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Edited By MoeB

Why weren't FF13 and GoW3 mentioned?

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mattman734

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Edited By mattman734

I have to agree with everyone else I have to think they just forgot about gow3 by accident, I refuse to believe they just dident think it should even be nominated. Also Halo Reach second best looking in my mind. I may be shallow but i think  Kerby and limbo look like flash games.

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Chubbaluphigous

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Edited By Chubbaluphigous
@switters said:
"  God of War 3 isn't mentioned for best looking game?  Wow!  I'm cool with GOW 3 not being picked but not being considered is INSANE!  I FEEL I SHOULD YELL LIKE KRATO'S WOULD IN THIS SITUATION, AND ANY OTHER SITUATION. "
This
 
I understand why it may not win in this group, but it has every fucking right to be mentioned.  You talked about Tron and Blops yet completely ignored GoW3.  It easily had the highest Jaw Drops per Hour of any other game this year.
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switters

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Edited By switters

 God of War 3 isn't mentioned for best looking game?  Wow!  I'm cool with GOW 3 not being picked but not being considered is INSANE!  I FEEL I SHOULD YELL LIKE KRATO'S WOULD IN THIS SITUATION, AND ANY OTHER SITUATION.

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ddensel

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Edited By ddensel

So if Alan Wake isn't the best new character, not the best debut, doesn't have the best song ( Children of the Elder God), isn't the best X360 game or has the best graphics, how about a Rodney Dangerfield award?
 
Alan Wake > Halo

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ski_bumm

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Edited By ski_bumm

Was shouting at my ipod, wondering why God of War III wasn't even considered for Best Looking game of the year. That game made my eyes bleed in the best way possible.
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Johnny5

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Edited By Johnny5

lol Limbo is the best game in every category. 
 
Seriously, "add on", Brad mentions the "spirit of the award" for the other categories, well in this category Minerva's Den is not in the spirit of the award. 
 
To "ADD" means you're adding something to an original. Even Brad admits that it only really works best as a standalone. Thats not best add-on in my opinion.

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Edited By garnsr

They never even talked about Undead Nightmare  after announcing it as one of the three.  I haven't played the other two, but UN was a combination of more of the original game, like Shadow Broker, and a new twist, like Minerva's Den.  I thought it was a great add-on, giving more of what you liked in a new way.

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sickVisionz

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Edited By sickVisionz

Ahh, 2010 is the year of story based DLC but no mention of Dragon Age Awakenings?

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MrKlorox

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Edited By MrKlorox
@MAST said:

" @MrKlorox said:

" Super Meat Boy is getting a retail box for the PC version... so it should be disqualified for download only. "

Lol, there's always that one person...  Is Super Meat Boy getting a retail box in the US this year? Nope. Therefore it qualifies for the category of "Best Download-Only Game" of the year...  You know how sometimes the Giantbomb guys use a nasally voice to say  "Well, technically..." when referring to the inevitable Giantbomb member that will write in to point out something stupid, and irrelevant? Well, that's them talking about you. "
Cool, my personal troll is back. Remember to eat all your cyanide.
    
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zero_

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Edited By zero_

I found it totally out of character for Brad to have argued so strongly for Minerva's Den - in so many podcasts when Brad mentions something, and someone's had a different opinion, Brad's always gone "I... yeah, that's true... okay".

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chibi_kaji

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Edited By chibi_kaji

It sounds like Minerva's Den only won to because Brad wouldn't accept anything else for an answer...

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Tophat666

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Edited By Tophat666
@mrcartoon: no it was also out on the PC, that's why.
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G24S

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Edited By G24S

  

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jkz

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Edited By jkz

Surprised Reach was such a shoe-in for best co-op. I would make the argument for Lara Croft, since I had more fun with it, but that's likely just because it was more novel.

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freecajunlove

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Edited By freecajunlove

God of War 3 may look good zoomed out, but those textures got nasty up close. So the boss battles look incredible, but the rest of the game was meh... to me...

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benderunit22

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Edited By benderunit22
@GoodKn1ght said:
" @Skywarpgold said:
" I understand why it's not in the top 3, but I can't believe they didn't even mention Scott Pilgrim in the discussions for best DLC game!?!?! "
Ryan did not like it at all and he was the only one that played it  "
Jeff played it and all he did was bitch about the River City Ransom homages
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joshrholloway

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Edited By joshrholloway

I loved the hour-long discussion about which DLC was the best. Seems like most of you agreed that Shadow Broker was definitely better, but wanted to give it to Minerva just to get Brad to shut up. :P

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vivalanoah

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Edited By vivalanoah

Holy shit. Listening to this podcast, Brad just needs to cool it. He whined his way into getting Limbo yesterday, and today with Minerva's Den. It's just obnoxious as hell to listen to.

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GoodKn1ght

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Edited By GoodKn1ght
@Skywarpgold said:
" I understand why it's not in the top 3, but I can't believe they didn't even mention Scott Pilgrim in the discussions for best DLC game!?!?! "
Ryan did not like it at all and he was the only one that played it 
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General_D23

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Edited By General_D23

For everyone saying God of War 3 as far as graphics:
 

  @ TheKaiokenKid We talked about it a bit during preliminaries. If we did the old technical/artistic breakout, it'd probably win technical.

Jeff's tweet about it. I agree with the decision. 
 
And yes, apparently Hot Pursuits' style won them over, too.
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Gmanall

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Edited By Gmanall

Man...I like Brad and all...BUT HE GETS CRABBY.....he made me not want to play limbo....

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Griddler

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Edited By Griddler
@mrcartoon said:
" To those confused about Mass Effect 2 not winning for best 360 title - it's no longer exclusive to 360. It arrives on PS3 in January... "
It was never exclusive to 360, it's on PC.