My "Best of 2010" awards
By KillyDarko 2 Comments
Alright, before I reveal the nominees for each genre and/or category and their respective winners, I feel like I should let you know that these awards only cover PC games. I did play a few console games throughout the year, but unfortunately I couldn't finish any of them, and since I don't feel comfortable talking about a game I do not know in its entirety, I'll just mainly focus on PC gaming.
Also, please keep in mind that it's not my job to play games, so I'm pretty sure there are a few worthy ones that haven't made it to these lists because, well, I haven't played them.
Alright, lets take a look at this year's contenders for my GOTY -- the nominees are displayed in alphabetical order and the winners are hidden/revealed as a spoiler.
Genre Awards
Best Action Adventure
DARKSIDERS LARA CROFT & THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT
SPIDER-MAN - SHATTERED DIMENSIONS
- Winner:
Best FPS
BATTLEFIELD - BAD COMPANY 2 BIOSHOCK 2
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS
METRO 2033
SINGULARITY
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - CALL OF PRIPYAT
- Winner:
Best Horror Game
AMNESIA - THE DARK DESCENT METRO 2033
SINGULARITY
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - CALL OF PRIPYAT
- Winner:
Best Puzzle and/or Casual Game
THE BALL BEJEWELED 3
PUZZLE AGENT
PUZZLE DIMENSION
PUZZLE QUEST 2
- Winner:
Best RPG
ALPHA PROTOCOLDIVINITY 2 - THE DRAGON KNIGHT SAGA
FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS
MASS EFFECT 2
RECETTEAR - AN ITEM SHOP's TALE
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - CALL OF PRIPYAT
TWO WORLDS II (it was out in 2010 in Europe)
- Winner:
Best Sports Game
F1 2010 FIFA 2011
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2011
POKER NIGHT AT THE INVENTORY
- Winner:
Best Strategy Game
CIVILIZATION V STARCRAFT 2 - WINGS OF LIBERTY
WORMS RELOADED
- Winner:
Misc. Awards
Best Story
AMNESIA - THE DARK DESCENTFALLOUT: NEW VEGAS
MASS EFFECT 2
- Winner:
Best Soundtrack
DARKSIDERS GOD OF WAR III
MAFIA II
MASS EFFECT 2
NIER
- Winner:
Best Surprise of the Year
F1 2010 LARA CROFT & THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT
RECETTEAR - AN ITEM SHOP's TALE
SINGULARITY
SPIDER-MAN - SHATTERED DIMENSIONS
- Winner:
Disappointment of the Year
ALIENS VS PREDATORTHE BALL
DISCIPLES III - RENAISSANCE
MEDAL OF HONOR
SPLINTER CELL - CONVICTION
SUPER MEAT BOY
- Loser:
Worst Game of the Year
ARCANIA: GOTHIC 4 ALIENS VS PREDATOR
DISCIPLES III - RENAISSANCE
- Loser:
Best Console Game I had the Opportunity to Play
ALAN WAKE ENSLAVED - ODYSSEY TO THE WEST
GOD OF WAR III
HALO REACH
HEAVY RAIN
LIMBO
RED DEAD REDEMPTION
SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2
- Winner:
GOTY Awards
Best PC/MAC Exclusive
AMNESIA - THE DARK DESCENT CIVILIZATION V
RECETTEAR - AN ITEM SHOP's TALE
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - CALL OF PRIPYAT
STARCRAFT II
- Winner:
GOTY
So, here's my "best of 2010" official list, which can also be found here. 1. Amnesia: The Dark Descent This was, without a doubt, the most immersive and unparalleled gaming experience I've EVER had! If that doesn't make Amnesia GOTY material, then I don't know what would. | |
2. Mass Effect 2 The story is actually worse than the one found on first ME game, but lets face it, it would be very hard to top the epicness of the franchise's previous chapter. On the other hand, everything else is probably better! You can't go wrong with BioWare's awesome RPGs. | |
3. Darksiders I don't care if people call it the "Dark Zelda". This is an awesome game with clever puzzles and engaging combat-- Darksiders is definitely worthy of a podium position. | |
4. Alpha Protocol A lot of people complain about the game's gunplay, but this is a stealth RPG, not a shooter-- also, everything is stats derived, aiming included. Besides, the solid narrative, the amazing dialogue system, the relevance of your decisions throughout the game and the great ensemble of characters greatly topple up any of the downsides, making this one of the most underrated games I've ever played! | |
5. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat I'm a huge fan of the STALKER series-- these immersive and atmospheric first person role playing games always get under my skin and this one was no exception. Also, this is the most stable of the 3. | |
6. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light The best gaming surprise I've had this year-- this game finally made me "love" Lara Croft's platforming adventures. Just throw in some looting and some RPG elements into an hypothetical sequel and I'll faint with joy, lol. | |
7. Sid Meier's Civilization V I'll admit it, I hadn't played any of the previous Civs, but Ryan's quick look made me give it a go. I tried the demo and bought the game 2 days later. I'm not at all a fan of strategy games, but this is freaking addictive! | |
8. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Great and lush destructive environments allied to some really cool characters and great dialogue make this the best pure FPS of the year. | |
9. Fallout: New Vegas The Mojave Wasteland isn't anywhere near as interesting as the Capital Wasteland, but it was still captivating enough for me to spend over 40h exploring it. Mandatory for any RPG fan. | |
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops This game is like an adrenaline shot; it doesn't last long, but it's one hell of a rollercoaster ride while it does. It's just pure entertainment with lots of nonsense action, but there's nothing wrong with that, every once in a while. |
NOTE: For an explanation on why Amnesia: the Dark Descent is my GOTY, please refer to this little review I wrote about it, right... here.