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Best of 2010

A Top 10 list feels rather limiting for 2010, there have been a lot of games released this year that I have gotten a massive amount of enjoyment out of. I found the first five titles easy enough to seperate from the others I'd enjoyed most this year, but the next five choices were tough and very little, if anything seperates them from a decent amount of other titles that have really impressed me this year. Another potential list, maybe?

Not a particularly creative or interesting list, but humour me, I'm mostly doing this to cure my own boredom (forgive me if it's too wordy as a result).

List items

1. Mass Effect 2

Absolutely my favourite game of 2010. The top 3 in this list are very close, but there is no doubt in my mind that Mass Effect 2 had to take the top spot. I'm not sure what I can say about ME2 that hasn't been repeated ad nauseum, so I'll simply say that it is an outstanding game that will likely remain one of my favourite games ever.
2. Red Dead Redemption

I loved Red Dead Redemption's narrative - even if it did cough and sputter a bit through the middle act. I think Red Dead Redemption housed some of Rockstar's best characters yet, as well as some of their best gameplay. The dying remnants of the old west in Red Dead Redemption were my favourite place to simply get lost in this year, aided masterfully by the various 'challenges' and the way the game would come to you with auxillary activities.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of those games that reminds me why I own a Wii. There is a certain flavour of gaming and dedication to quality that comes from few developers outside of Nintendo. That's not to say they have never set a foot wrong, but when they get it right the result is always exemplary.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is perhaps Nintendo at the height of their creative ability, there are so many wonderfully designed and unique ideas contained within that almost every level is an absolute joy to play. The only time the quality drops off is when it gets away from what makes Mario Mario with the gliding and rolling levels (although, I must admit, I enjoyed the rolling levels much more than I did in Galaxy). Galaxy 2 would have to be my favourite Mario game ever.
4. Limbo

Not since Ico has the atmosphere in a game affected me as much as that in Limbo. Haunting, beautiful and thoroughly disconcerting, Limbo may be short but it remains one of the absolute standouts of 2010. I foresee myself returning to Limbo for years to come.
Often headscratching but never obscure, Limbo's puzzles are tightly designed and cleverly guide the player towards their solutions without ever feeling like they're engaging in 'handholding'. As Valve would say, it makes the player feel clever.
5. God of War III

From games as 'art' to games as adolescent power fantasy. God of War III was an absolute blast to play, tightly paced from beginning to end. Not just a visual powerhouse, God of War III also made some welcome improvements to the series' combat with additional weapons that felt just as viable as the Blades of Exile(/Athena/Chaos) and the 'combat grapple'. It also helps that God of War III housed some of the most downright epic moments ever seen in gaming - and I don't mean epic in that watered down internet way, I mean epic in a 'Fighting a massive leviathan on top of a Titan climbing up Mount Olympus' way.
God of War III definitley makes it into my Top 5 for the year.
6. Donkey Kong Country Returns

As a child the Donkey Kong Country titles were among my favourite on the SNES. Nintendo made the right decision in putting Retro on task reviving DKC, they knocked it out of the ballpark. As a revival of a classic 2D platforming series I feel Donkey Kong Country Returns is much more successful than last year's New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The game exhibits the same sort of quality that Nintendo can be depended on to provide that I mentioned earlier when writing about Galaxy 2.
In a year that feels like it's been full of great 2D platformers Donkey Kong Country Returns would have to be my favourite. A certain nostalgia factor certainly helps, but I think Retro did an outstanding job reviving the classic Donkey Kong Country gameplay and putting their own spin on it.
7. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

I wanted to hate Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, it immediately frustrated me to see that Ubisoft were throwing a multiplayer component into a game that simply did not need it. I was also frustrated to see Assassin's Creed move to a yearly release cycle (although this is not exactly new territory for Ubisoft).
Amazing then, that I loved Brotherhood from beginning to end and found the multiplayer to be a delightful surprise that delivered an experience not quite like anything else I'd played before. The amount of content Ubisoft Montreal stuffed into Brotherhood in a mere year is jaw-dropping, and I felt Brotherhood was a satisfying addition to the wider fiction of the series.
The best Assassin's Creeed game yet, Brotherhood was certainly a worthy addition to one of my favourite franchises of this gen. It unequivocally belongs in my Top 10.
8. Super Street Fighter IV

Perhaps this game wouldn't have been here if I had purchased Street Fighter IV last year, but even so Super Street Fighter IV would have to be my favourite fighting game yet. Admittedly, that is perhaps not the most ringing endorsement, having never been a die-hard fighting game guy. However, SSFIV has provided me a huge amount of fun since its release in April thanks to its winner-stays-on multiplayer. I typically take a pounding, but getting a bunch of friends together in an XBL party and battling it out for an hour or two has been my favourite multiplayer experience this year.
Really dig Juri, by the way.
9. Heavy Rain

Having been a fan of Fahrenheit I'd been really looking forward to Heavy Rain and it didn't disappoint. The narrative was truly gripping and I really did feel like I was effecting the course of events as I played. Some of the choices the game presented were really quite tough to decide on, and I loved the way it sometimes demanded you to make a very quick decision. Quantic Dream also nailed the QTE system, it provided some real heart-racing moments.
A special mention also goes to the early scenes with Ethan and his remaining son, clouded in depression. As someone who has experienced that same pervasive mood and struggle for connection at times, it really resonated.
As one of the most unique titles of the year and a rather successful exploration into what can be done with the medium Heavy Rain deserves a spot in my ten favourites of the year.
10. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

I haven't enjoyed a racing game as much as Need for Speed Hot Pursuit since Burnout Takedown. Criterion absolutely nailed the blending of Need for Speed with Burnout while still maintaining their knack for producing pure fun. The game absolutely shines in multiplayer and the almost brilliantly implemented Autolog provides great incentive to replay events more than a gold medal or the lure of 'bounty' ever could. The real shot in the arm Need for Speed needed, I'm glad EA handed Need for Speed over to Criterion.