I was looking over my Favorites list, a list of my favorite video games of all time. A list that took a lot of pondering, updating and editing to put together. But, alas, I realized that I haven’t updated the games on this list in 10 years! The most recent game that I added was Mass Effect 2, which came out in January of 2010!
My All-Time Favorites list looks like this:
- Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy VIII
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
- Street Fighter Alpha 3
- Soulcalibur II
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Borderlands
- Heavy Rain
- Mass Effect 2
I’ve noticed a lot of “Games of the Decade” lists popping up, so I think it’s about time I looked over and reflected on the games that I played from 2010-2019. There is sure to be some games that make it onto my (updated) favorites list.
Luckily, I’ve made a Game of the Year list each year except 2018 (which is recent enough that I can still update with confidence), so I’ll start by looking over my list from 2010. I’ll keep note of which game has the potential to make my game of the decade and use that list to re-work my all-time favorites.
2010:
I started my list this year off with a note about Honorable Mentions:
Super Street Fighter IV – I played an exorbitant amount of the original Street Fighter IV, but I honestly can’t remember how much I played this.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX – Great fun. To think , a relevant Pac-Man game in the modern age.
Best of 2010
- Mass Effect 2
- Heavy Rain
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Bioshock 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Alpha Protocol
- Madden NFL 11
- Modnation Racers
- Dragon Age Origins: Awakening
What a year! The games on this list could easily make up half of the top 10 list for the entire 20-10’s. I’m not going to recap my thoughts back then, you can see my original list here.
Games that stand out for me include:
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
I remember playing this game in a squad of 3 with two of my friends. No one else we know owned this game, so our squad of 3 would go up against 2 other squads of 4, and we dominated. It was some of the most fun I’ve had in a multiplayer game. Back when I actually spoke to friends with a headset mic (who wants to do that now?). I remember the campaign being pretty fun. This doesn’t make the list of the decade, but it is a damn fine game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
I remember really enjoying the campaign for this game, and can remember some of the maps. One in the chamber was introduced here and was a blast. A great Call of Duty, but doesn’t make the cut.
Final Fantasy XIII
Yes, really; Final Fantasy 13. I played through this game 3 times. I remember buying it for Xbox 360 because I was addicted to achievements at the time. Then I remember Brad Shoemaker from Giant Bomb talking about how much better the game looked and ran on PS3. I wound up buying it on PS3 sometime later and playing through it 2 more times over the years.
I could go for another run, soon. I don’t really understand the hate for this game. Yes, it’s linear, but how much exploring do you really do in a JRPG? The overall story of the L’Cie or whatever, is a bit out there, but the cast of characters are truly great. I love the fighting system and when the world does open up in the end of the game, I really enjoyed it. This one makes it to round 2.
Heavy Rain
Does Heavy Rain hold up today? I’m not sure. Games like Until Dawn, really upped the bar for these “Interactive Story” type games. I still don’t really love Quick Time Events and the voice acting/accents are awful in this game, but it is on my favorites list, so it will make it to round 2; although it may not hang with the competition.
Mass Effect 2
I hate to admit this, but I stopped playing the first Mass Effect game. I loved the story and the world, but the gameplay with the exploration in that awful vehicle and tediousness of the battle system got to me and I just moved on.
Right before Mass Effect 2 came out, I went and replayed the first game, because I wanted to experience the whole story. I was worried I would be burnt out because I literally saw the credits roll, took out the disc and popped in Mass Effect 2.
Boy, was I in for a surprise. This game just blew my mind. The way it played (so good) and looked, I couldn’t put it down. I’ll talk about it more in round 2, because it’s in there.
On to Round 2:
Final Fantasy XIII
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
My games from 2011 are up next!
Do you have any fond memories from any of these 10 year old games?
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