I was a bit surprised how quickly this list came together into my mind. There wasn't a lot of hemming and hawing on my part for the vast majority of the list. 2010's games apparently cemented themselves in place in my mind and that's where they stayed, for better or worse.   
 

	1. Mass Effect 2 BioWare ditched the jank (dice roll combat, bland side planets, that P.O.S. Mako) of the first game and kept what made it great (memorable characters, compelling narrative threads & a fascinating universe). The overhaul to the combat was a godsend, turning the gameplay from something you slogged through to get the good bits to something that was genuinely enjoyable on its own merits. And outside of planet scanning, every other overhaul was for the far better. Not to mention some bomb-ass DLC like Shadow Broker. There's not much of a contest for my number one this year--Mass Effect 2 completely engrossed me from beginning to end and I'm chomping at the bit for the 3rd chapter.
	2. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood I thoroughly enjoyed Assassin's Creed II. The combination of the twisty sci-fi story and unique brand of gameplay had their hooks in me since the first game. ACII improved upon it. Brotherhood simply improved it more. But ACII was a polished product to begin with, so that's not necessarily a small feat. While the series has quite a leap to make as it seems like the present day is the next link in the chain, I was not disappointed with stepping back into Ezio's shoes again.
	3. Monday Night Combat I played MNC more than a working student probably should have to be completely honest. But it speaks to how fun and addictive the core of it is. The combination of shooter and tower defense makes for a multiplayer game with approachable concepts that has a surprising amount of depth. Luckily, in my time with the game, I found myself a crew to that worked together splendidly. It made for many a afternoon as that vaguely French-like Support while my Gunner friend mowed down the opposition.
	4. Red Dead Redemption Redemption was thankfully more than just GTA in the Wild West. The snappy dialogue and characters were there but the game had a flavor all its own. And as Brad has said, Rockstar made old guns feel powerful and fun to shoot. That's a bit of a feat by itself. I must commend the late game shift to "Old West Ranch Simulator" too. It was a bit of a bold move by Rockstar but it fit the game perfectly.
	5. Darksiders Dude, they made Zelda! And they didn't mess it up! In fact, it's pretty damn good! And you play as one of the four horsemen of the freakin' apocalypse! Sold!
	6. Sid Meier's Civilization V What a cruel mistress.
	7. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West The effort and time that I assume performance capture takes pays off. You need not look further than Enslaved. You genuinely feel for the characters and their plight thanks to the in-game performances. The gameplay isn't a slouch either. Mind-blowing? No, but still very solid. Yes, the ending is a bit "Ok, ok...wait, what?" but overall, I'm excited to see what Ninja Theory can bring to the Devil May Cry table.
	8. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Crystal Dynamics not only made a Tomb Raider...oh wait, excuse me, a "Lara Croft" game that I actually had any semblance of interest in, they made a pretty good game, to boot. I had quite a fun time bumming around ruins with a buddy of mine. "Fun time" is something I've never used to describe a Tomb Raider game beforehand. That fact alone is worth something in my book.
	9. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Foaming....at...mouth....from...Pac..Man...overload...can't....keep.........writing....
	10. Alan Wake Now, Alan Wake certainly had its faults. I'm no apologist. However, Remedy created one of the most atmospheric and moody worlds in a game I've seen since BioShock. And even if the gunplay grew tired towards the end, I enjoyed it for what it was.

When presented with a vast array of options, I can often find myself latching onto one of the most minor and unimportant choices available. Call it a quirk. Red Dead Redemption, as many have pointed out, is a game that presents you with such a plethora of activities that distraction is a inevitability. This is far from a problem. 
 
Back in the day, Oregon Trail was the shit. I will not take arguments on this. Apple II-era trail-blazing with dysentery and losing your oxen in the river because you tried to ford it. Now, anyone that played the game remembers the hunting. It was a decent shooting gallery for the time but it was increased in importance due to the necessity that went along with it. I certainly never bought much food. I bought bullets and just hoped everything would turn out alright. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time gunning down buffalo and deer. 
 
Fast forward to 2010 and Red Dead Redemption. I cannot stop hunting. Anything that crosses my path dies, regardless of whether I plan on actually skinning it. I certainly don't need to at this point--I have more money than I'll ever be able to spend. But birds are so fun to watch fall and seeing a buck do a triple somersault never gets old. And while the necessity is gone, the hunting challenges are just plain cool now. Take down bears with one shot? Damn straight! Fight cougars with a knife? Hell yeah!  
 

I can do that! Oh, and the quest system is sucking me further down the Giant Bomb rabbit hole. This was entirely unneeded and is completely awesome.

I ran across this re-cut trailer for the upcoming "2012". I can't wait...for this version, that is.

If we're talking games, you are incorrect sir!

The word has been used to death by certain parties in the gaming world, even becoming the name of a company, but the importance of a visceral nature to games is something I can't ignore. In a lot of ways, a visceral feeling can feel like a no-brainer. If you are making a game in which you shoot a gun, make the player feel like they're shooting a damn gun! Shooting a shotgun should not be a peaceful, quaint affair. It's a brutal action with smoke and fire violently propelling shot from a barrel. The same goes for hitting something with an axe or a sword. Finesse is not the name of the game unless we're talking Ezio or Altair. I know that games can overdo it by making you try to feel the action in your brain (I'm looking at you, Solider of Fortune). Yet too often, this seemingly crucial attribute can be overlooked.

With that in mind, I think it's worth applauding those games and developers that do get it right. Or at least two, that is.

Epic with Gears of War

Criterion with Burnout

...then Just Cause 2 is going to be un-freaking-believable!

I just happened to see a story on Kotaku showing the Gamestop listing for Tony Hawk: RIDE. Now, as Kotaku smartly points out, these listings can often contain false information like the release date. However, one thing that Gamestop is rarely wrong about is the price. Makes sense, given their super-mega-ultra-hyper business nature...but I digress.