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Red Dead Redemption is more than just a Grand Theft Auto clone set in the old west. In typical Rockstar fashion, it features phenomenal writing, a compelling story, and superb gameplay, but all of that has been refined to near perfection this time around. I found myself consistently in awe as I traversed the beautiful landscapes that were chock-full of interesting things to see and do. On top of all that, I loved getting lost in the expansive multiplayer suite, which manages to improve on the winning formula established in GTA IV. Overall, I can't think of anything I don't like about Red Dead Redemption, and that's why it's my favorite game of 2010.
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In similar fashion to The Empire Strikes Back, Mass Effect 2 is quite a bit darker than its predecessor, and an improvement in virtually every way. Addressing just about every problem I had with the first game (although some issues were handled better than others), I happily set off on my adventure to recruit the most interesting and well written cast of characters in a video game series. Once again, BioWare has delivered another epic in one of the most believable and well-realized sci-fi universes I've ever experienced, and has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.
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How do you follow-up one of the best RTS games ever made twelve years later? It’s hard to put into words, but Blizzard managed to pull it off somehow. While I haven’t dabbled in the competitive multiplayer modes for fear of embarrassing myself, I absolutely love playing through co-operative matches with my friends. Outside of multiplayer, the Terran-exclusive campaign stands strongly on its own, with each mission allowing you to approach objectives in creative ways that made for some of the most memorable moments of the year.
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Reach is Bungie’s love letter to the fans. It manages to take all the strengths of the previous Halo games and meld them into one amazing package. The campaign captures the epic feel of the original trilogy while preserving the more humanizing elements introduced in last year’s ODST. The multiplayer has also received enough updates to help it compete against the juggernaut that is Call of Duty. Overall, this is the best title Bungie has delivered to date, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
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While the Call of Duty series manages to get more and more ridiculous with each sequel, the Battlefield series took the correct approach in its follow-up to the criminally underrated Bad Company. The campaign continues the humorous and charming antics from the last game, while throwing in quite a few memorable action set pieces. Ultimately though, it's the multiplayer that really makes this game shine. The objective-based modes place a heavy emphasis on working together with your squadmates, and it's incredibly rewarding to dominate matches with tactics and teamwork. Plus, there’s nothing quite so satisfying as eliminating a camper by completing demolishing the building he’s hiding in.
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I love racing games, but very few of them contain an experience so memorable they make it to my list at the end of the year. Hot Pursuit is the exception. Essentially a reboot of my favorite game in the series, Criterion takes the chaotic formula from Burnout and melds it perfectly with the car loving culture of Need for Speed. Getting to play as the cops this time around is pretty addicting, and competing against my friends in Autolog, even more so. I’ve sunk a ton of hours into this game, and I’m happy to see the series is finally getting its legs back.
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At first, New Vegas seemed like more of what I experienced in Fallout 3, but after spending a few hours in the Mojave Wasteland, I realized I was enjoying this game more than its predecessor. From branching quests and storylines, to customizing weapons with a plethora of modifications, I was amazed at the depth of New Vegas. It’s clear the team of Obsidian put a lot of love into this game, as evidenced by the superb writing, story, characters, and lore, which had me immersed across four playthroughs and over 100 hours.
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As a casual fan of the series, I really wasn’t expecting Civilization V to occupy much of my time, but the game's efforts to make itself more accessible are what ultimately drew me in. The streamlined gameplay of world domination had me frequently repeating “just one more turn” into the early morning hours on many occasions. While it’s an addicting experience, it’s also a game where I could just sit back and relax as my campaign unfolded; a welcome change of pace after playing hours of fast-paced gameplay in Halo: Reach and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
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Remember when this game was expected to be multiplayer focused? Who knew it would also include the best campaign in the series to date? Brotherhood delivers more of what made Assassin’s Creed II so phenomenal. It continues the fantastic story of Ezio and Desmond, while introducing great new mechanics like the ability to build your own army of assassins. Admittedly, I didn’t spend too much time with the multiplayer, but really liked how the developers managed to come up with a creative and original formula that plays to the strengths of the series.
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I didn’t think I was going to enjoy Conviction. Even in the first few hours, I didn’t want to like it. The Chaos Theory purist in me was aggravated that it was missing so many of the stealth features that made the series a success up to this point. However, after finishing it, I realized the emphasis on action over stealth made perfect sense within the context of the story, which refreshingly felt more like a Jason Bourne movie this time around. Factoring in the excellent co-op campaign, along with new gameplay innovations like mark-and-execute, Conviction is easily one of my favorite action games of this year.
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