1.
Portal 2 - My easy first place for this year. Even if the puzzles weren't great (they were) the dialogue, characters, and excellent voice acting would have made this game for me. While a different experience from the original game (and honestly I thought the game wouldn't be very good since they wouldn't be able to replicate that original experience--I was glad to see they didn't try and went in another direction) it was really something else of its own. I'm not sure where they could go for a third game, but I'm convinced they could pull it off.
2.
SpaceChem - My surprise of this year. I actually only played it a few days ago! I'd had this game sitting around on my Steam account when I decided on a whim to start playing it and wow--I can't believe the experience I was missing! Smart and unique puzzles that don't shy away from making themselves difficult, but encourage you to experiment and find your own answer. The fact that there is no one right answer is a breath of fresh air! Really glad I picked this one up.
3.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I suppose it isn't surprising that this would end up on my list somewhere. I only started playing a few days ago as I got it as an early Christmas present. My last (and only) Elder Scrolls experience with Oblivion was a decent one, but I really only messed around for twenty hours before I became bored and moved on. I've played twenty hours into this game and only want more. I'm not sure what makes this game so much more compelling than Oblivion, though once I finish Skyrim I'm planning on going back and giving Oblivion another go to see how it plays.
4.
Alice: Madness Returns - The visual design and exploration make this game for me. I know it is a common complaint that the levels are quite a bit too long, but that was actually something I enjoyed. I never got tired of the beautiful design of this game.
5.
Bastion - Another game with stunning visual design and wonderful music. The music is really the main reason it is on this list (strange for a game list, but there you go.) I can't get enough of listening to the soundtrack (particularly
this track.)
6.
Gray Matter - Long in the making, the first game in forever by point and click legend Jane Jensen. Given that two of my favorite games of all time were made by this designer (Gabriel Knight 1 and King's Quest VI) I was rather impatiently awaiting this game. While the game did have its issues, the positives outweigh the flaws. I loved the characters, the majority of the story (the ending was a problem, but not a large one), and the puzzles. A lot of people were disappointed given the designer and the length of development, but I can't say I was.
7.
The Last Story (Japan Import to US) - Another one of those "given its designer..." games that many were disappointed with. Yet I still enjoyed it quite a lot. While the plot and characters were so so, I loved the battle system and its interesting use of post game content.
8.
Radiant Historia - While I didn't really enjoy the battle system to this game, I loved how the quests were actually important and gave you more information about the story. They were more than just fetch quests, and I loved it (thanks to a post below me for reminding me of it.)
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2010.
Nier - Ended up getting this game for Christmas last year and so I only played it this year. I was quite unsure of this game and didn't know if I'd like it, but I ended up absolutely loving it. The music, the characters, the unusual plot. I was even really glad I ended up playing the English version since the voice acting and translation work was so amazing on it (aside from the fact that I like the dynamic that old Nier brings to the story.) I also enjoyed the sheer variety of gameplay that the game used (which is unusual since I don't typically like games that can't decide what kind of game they want to be. I think Nier handled it quite well.)
x.
Xenoblade (Europe) - I don't want to put this on my main list because I played the Japanese version last year, but I still want to give it a mention since I also played the European version. (I'm kind of glad that it is the case since then I would have to decide between Xenoblade and Portal 2 for my number one, and I'd rather not have to do that!) What can I say about the game that I haven't already said in multiple threads? It is amazing.