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GAF Games of the Year 2010 - Voting Thread - VOTING CONCLUDED
- Thread starter timetokill
- Start date
- Status
1. Mass Effect 2 ; Though the games are quite different from the first to this one, I feel the transformation was necessary to streamline the experience solidifying my then opinion - this is the series that defined this generation.
2. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ; I liked this one enough not only to double dip on Steam and 360, but to gift it to a couple friends on Steam as well. With me being so cheap lately, there's little praise greater.
3. Game Dev Story ; What was, I thought, to be a quick 5 minute test like most iPhone games, turned into well over 10 hours of gameplay taking my virtual company from rags to riches. An excellent experience.
4. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood ; In terms of series, this one is at the top of my list in terms of quality, fairly close to Mass Effect in stature in fact. However, a slightly rushed end game knocked this one down a few notches.
5. God of War 3 ; In terms of epic moments as the PS3 commercials go, this game delivers. Thought there isn't much between the set pieces, the set pieces themselves are great enough to earn them a spot on this list.
6. Carcassone ; Not an old game, but new to the iPhone/iPad and that's good enough. The time spent with this in multiplayer with friends has been great and I've enjoyed it all.
7. Heavy Rain ; Perhaps not the best playing game this year, but definitely deserves recognition for its tense situations and well told story. Quick time events isn't for everyone, but that hardly matters here.
8. Super Meat Boy ; Classic 2D platforming at its best. I dismissed this one on the 360, but tried it again later on Steam. Once it clicks, it's hard to put down and it's brimming with content with more to come.
9. Red Dead Redemption ; Hard not to have this one on the list. My only gripe really is the main character as he wasn't my cup of tea, but an excellent game otherwise.
10. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX ; Everything that's old is new again in this one. This game solidified this year as the year of the downloadable title.
2. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ; I liked this one enough not only to double dip on Steam and 360, but to gift it to a couple friends on Steam as well. With me being so cheap lately, there's little praise greater.
3. Game Dev Story ; What was, I thought, to be a quick 5 minute test like most iPhone games, turned into well over 10 hours of gameplay taking my virtual company from rags to riches. An excellent experience.
4. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood ; In terms of series, this one is at the top of my list in terms of quality, fairly close to Mass Effect in stature in fact. However, a slightly rushed end game knocked this one down a few notches.
5. God of War 3 ; In terms of epic moments as the PS3 commercials go, this game delivers. Thought there isn't much between the set pieces, the set pieces themselves are great enough to earn them a spot on this list.
6. Carcassone ; Not an old game, but new to the iPhone/iPad and that's good enough. The time spent with this in multiplayer with friends has been great and I've enjoyed it all.
7. Heavy Rain ; Perhaps not the best playing game this year, but definitely deserves recognition for its tense situations and well told story. Quick time events isn't for everyone, but that hardly matters here.
8. Super Meat Boy ; Classic 2D platforming at its best. I dismissed this one on the 360, but tried it again later on Steam. Once it clicks, it's hard to put down and it's brimming with content with more to come.
9. Red Dead Redemption ; Hard not to have this one on the list. My only gripe really is the main character as he wasn't my cup of tea, but an excellent game otherwise.
10. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX ; Everything that's old is new again in this one. This game solidified this year as the year of the downloadable title.
1. Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty ; Blizzard games always intrigued me even before they were actually released, but this one has successfully charmed me from the moment I got into the beta. It made me learn how to actually play RTS games, it made me watch commentated matches, SCII tournaments, countless Day9 dailies, and the list could go on and on. And I am not alone with this. Despite the minor issues some might have with the game, the overall gameplay experience, the balance and the style of the game has made sure StarCraft II will be THE cybersport of the next decade. And that is an achievement, one that no other game was able to produce in the last few years, ever since SC1 got released.
2. Bayonetta ; Bayonetta was the game that I strongly disliked before I actually got the chance to play it. The design suddenly made sense when I first touched the demo - and as I stated in my review, Bayonetta is the perfect love-letter to hack'n'slash fans: it is everything one can demand from these type of games, and so much more. Hideki Kamiya has shown everyone how awesome games can be made with the old mentality, where the game will be stuffed with a lot of content, gameplay depth, variety of weapons, and an awesome soundtrack/presentation on top of this.
3. Super Street Fighter 4 ; While my love for SFIV actually made me play like 900+ hours with the original, I kinda faltered in the second half of the year, thanks to StarCraft II, but it is still the best online fighting experience I have seen on consoles, and the new additions have brought such a refreshing change to the game that it is no surprise that it came to my 2nd place this year. Awaiting Yun / Yang, now.
4. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ; Digital releases have never been so ambitious before on consoles - and Crystal Dynamics have successfully created a standalone title that gives you no frustrating jumps, no odd design, no badly paced fights. No, it actually gives you an enjoyable combat system, fun puzzles and huge replayability. The DD game of the year for me.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; When I played Super Mario Galaxy, aside from a few minor problems, I did not think it was possible to majorly top that game. Well, I was wrong: Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a better, much more enjoyable and more varied Super Mario Galaxy game than the first one. And that is a huge achievement, even if the element of surprise was kinda missing after all those new ideas shown in SMG.
6. Red Dead Redemption ; Let me tell you this: I am not a fan of Rockstar due to their strong and sometimes unneccessary tendency to make violent scenes both in the cutscenes and ingame. Red Dead Redemption however, was such a unique journey in the Western past that it made me forgive them all those "issues". No game came this close of presenting a breathing, real world before. It has issues, sure, I for one think that the story was really confusing at some points, with odd cross-references and bad diplomatic decisions by our protagonist's part, but I wont forget this journey anytime soon.
7. Resonance of Fate ; Japanese RPG's often cant decide if they want you to play them or watch them: ROF has decided at the beginning that you will PLAY, not watch. And it decided well: the game was addictive, had a deep (even if somehow exploitable) combat system, an awesome character/world design, and a rarely seen ~cyberpunkish setting. Those make it unique enough to make into my list.
8. Halo: Reach ; A new, beautiful engine, awesome multiplayer, memorable campaign, and a fun Firefight - this game is the FPS of the year for me, without a doubt.
9. Nier ; It is all about the atmoshpere. Nier is simply unrivalled in that department. Seriously.
10. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ; Nuff said. The new zones are the best Blizzard has ever shown to us, and the new instances contain actual challenge. This will be played for many month on.
2. Bayonetta ; Bayonetta was the game that I strongly disliked before I actually got the chance to play it. The design suddenly made sense when I first touched the demo - and as I stated in my review, Bayonetta is the perfect love-letter to hack'n'slash fans: it is everything one can demand from these type of games, and so much more. Hideki Kamiya has shown everyone how awesome games can be made with the old mentality, where the game will be stuffed with a lot of content, gameplay depth, variety of weapons, and an awesome soundtrack/presentation on top of this.
3. Super Street Fighter 4 ; While my love for SFIV actually made me play like 900+ hours with the original, I kinda faltered in the second half of the year, thanks to StarCraft II, but it is still the best online fighting experience I have seen on consoles, and the new additions have brought such a refreshing change to the game that it is no surprise that it came to my 2nd place this year. Awaiting Yun / Yang, now.
4. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ; Digital releases have never been so ambitious before on consoles - and Crystal Dynamics have successfully created a standalone title that gives you no frustrating jumps, no odd design, no badly paced fights. No, it actually gives you an enjoyable combat system, fun puzzles and huge replayability. The DD game of the year for me.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; When I played Super Mario Galaxy, aside from a few minor problems, I did not think it was possible to majorly top that game. Well, I was wrong: Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a better, much more enjoyable and more varied Super Mario Galaxy game than the first one. And that is a huge achievement, even if the element of surprise was kinda missing after all those new ideas shown in SMG.
6. Red Dead Redemption ; Let me tell you this: I am not a fan of Rockstar due to their strong and sometimes unneccessary tendency to make violent scenes both in the cutscenes and ingame. Red Dead Redemption however, was such a unique journey in the Western past that it made me forgive them all those "issues". No game came this close of presenting a breathing, real world before. It has issues, sure, I for one think that the story was really confusing at some points, with odd cross-references and bad diplomatic decisions by our protagonist's part, but I wont forget this journey anytime soon.
7. Resonance of Fate ; Japanese RPG's often cant decide if they want you to play them or watch them: ROF has decided at the beginning that you will PLAY, not watch. And it decided well: the game was addictive, had a deep (even if somehow exploitable) combat system, an awesome character/world design, and a rarely seen ~cyberpunkish setting. Those make it unique enough to make into my list.
8. Halo: Reach ; A new, beautiful engine, awesome multiplayer, memorable campaign, and a fun Firefight - this game is the FPS of the year for me, without a doubt.
9. Nier ; It is all about the atmoshpere. Nier is simply unrivalled in that department. Seriously.
10. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ; Nuff said. The new zones are the best Blizzard has ever shown to us, and the new instances contain actual challenge. This will be played for many month on.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
1. Nier ; Cavia's masterpiece and swan song. Flawed it may be, but Nier is by far my GOTY - a truly unforgettable journey. Containing the best soundtrack and storytelling of the year, Nier is a game that gives more the deeper you dig. Saving many of its most vivid moments for NG+ and beyond worked wonderfully as a narrative/thematic device, but pretty much damned it in the eyes of busy critics hurrying onto their next review assignment. Games are rarely constructed in such an extended format for this very reason - a sad indictment of how journalistic practices retard game (narrative) design.
2. Final Fantasy 11: Scars Of Abyssea ; WoW wasn't the only MMO to get a revamp in 2010. the 3 Abyssea expansions "Visions", "Scars", and "Heroes" combine together to redefine the FFXI experience. Just taking this approach and applying it wholesale to FFXIV may well be enough to save the game.
3. Heavy Rain ; I can't fault Cage for his ambition, so even though Heavy Rain fell short of greatness I think its still worth celebrating for getting as much right as it did.
4. Gran Turismo 5 ; aka Completely filthy car porn volume 5. Polyphony's love affair with the automobile continues, all other considerations still secondary.
5. God Of War 3 ; A technical masterpiece and a very solid addition to the franchise.
6. Dead Nation ; Another gem of a twin-stick shooter from Housemarque.
7. Space Invaders Infinity Gene ; I found this a lot more fun than the pacman reboot.
8. Final Fantasy 13 ; Hugely disappointing given expectations and potential, but not the train-wreck a lot of people have subsequently claimed it to be. I put 120 hours into the game before the tedium of tortoise hunting finally did for me, so I cant honestly complain about not getting my money's worth.
9. Cut The Rope ; A really classy, well designed puzzle game worth vastly more than its ridiculous rock-bottom price point. Far superior to Angry Birds.
10. Movie Cat ; This little iPhone game is by far the most entertaining movie quiz I've ever played. Cute, witty presentation is the icing on the cake.
2. Final Fantasy 11: Scars Of Abyssea ; WoW wasn't the only MMO to get a revamp in 2010. the 3 Abyssea expansions "Visions", "Scars", and "Heroes" combine together to redefine the FFXI experience. Just taking this approach and applying it wholesale to FFXIV may well be enough to save the game.
3. Heavy Rain ; I can't fault Cage for his ambition, so even though Heavy Rain fell short of greatness I think its still worth celebrating for getting as much right as it did.
4. Gran Turismo 5 ; aka Completely filthy car porn volume 5. Polyphony's love affair with the automobile continues, all other considerations still secondary.
5. God Of War 3 ; A technical masterpiece and a very solid addition to the franchise.
6. Dead Nation ; Another gem of a twin-stick shooter from Housemarque.
7. Space Invaders Infinity Gene ; I found this a lot more fun than the pacman reboot.
8. Final Fantasy 13 ; Hugely disappointing given expectations and potential, but not the train-wreck a lot of people have subsequently claimed it to be. I put 120 hours into the game before the tedium of tortoise hunting finally did for me, so I cant honestly complain about not getting my money's worth.
9. Cut The Rope ; A really classy, well designed puzzle game worth vastly more than its ridiculous rock-bottom price point. Far superior to Angry Birds.
10. Movie Cat ; This little iPhone game is by far the most entertaining movie quiz I've ever played. Cute, witty presentation is the icing on the cake.
eXistor
Member
I guess my original post was deleted because it didn't follow protocol, so I assume I should just re-post my edited list? After posting the original, someone commented that I had to note the region I was playing from for some reason. I live in Europe, but most of my consoles are NTSC, so I basically play all regions, which is why Half Minute Hero is on there.
1. Dead Rising 2 ; Not the most polished game ever, but definitely the most fun I've had this year and I like it even better than DR1, which I adore. It's just one of those games that click with me and subsequently I love everything about it, warts and all. The locations, while not radically different from DR1 are so lovingly designed, I just love wasting time in the world and looking for secrets and other fun stuff. The combo system is genius as well.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; pure, platforming perfection. I don't need to tell you guys why this game rocks.
3. Mass Effect 2 ; Huge improvement over ME1, a lot of rpg elements have been removed, making it more of a shooter, but in this rare case it works. Great story and characters too, I'm not used to that in games nowadays. Not so fond of the level design, but the game makes up for it in spades by being unbelievably fun and exciting.
4. NieR ; Along with Deadly Premonition probably the biggest surprise for me. Very inetersting story, fantastic music, fast-paced and a great mix of genres. Not everything works of course, the side-quests especially are a bore, but all in all a very exciting and fresh game.
5. Alan Wake ; I was always looking forward to this game ever since it was first announced, of course the final product is nothing like it was originally envisioned, but I like it a lot. The environments are linear, but pretty big at the same time, not giving you the feeling you're being led on. That and I love finding stuff and Alan Wake has a bevy of collectables and the story was pretty good.
6. Deadly Premonition ; everyone knows this game is outdated in almost everything, but this is another rare case in where this actually works in its advantage. The Dreamcast-era graphics, wooden controls and all, it feels like a fantastically cheesy b-movie. The characters are genuinely great too, especially Agent York.
7. Amnesia: the Dark Descent ; it's a short game, it's an easy game, it's a terrifying game. Truly and utterly terrifying. A true must-play for horror fans.
8. Half Minute Hero ; While I'm not so fond of the other games on the disc, the Half-Minute Hero portion is absolute genius, it feels like a full, epic rpg, but very fresh. It's got humor, it's got a very fun plot, some great music and it pays homage to a time when these kind of high quality rpg's were released left and right.
9. Trauma Team ; This is what I always wanted Trauma Centre to be. It's got an overly dramatic plot, but it fits the style, the characters work perfectly in this context as well and all the mini games are fantastic, the forensics and diagnostics parts expecially work wonders. It does regress into "combine whatever to see what works" territory a bit too often and endoscopy is kinda...crap, but on the whole there is something to love for everyone in this.
10. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; I hate the Donkey kong Country series...there I've said it (I've actually always said this). I think they're charmless, overrated platformers. DCKR is great. It does rely a bit too much on trial and error gameplay, but the leveldesigns make up for this. You're constantly being confronted with new challenges and there's a shit-ton to do making this the 2d platformer of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Heavy Rain
x. Fable 3
x. Ys Seven
x. Fallout New Vegas
x. Red Dead Redemption
x. Two Worlds II
x. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
x. Lego Harry Potter
x. Kirby's Epic Yarn
x. Halo Reach
x. Costume Quest
x. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Game
Most disappointing:
Dragon Quest IX: A pretty great game, but it kinda plays like Dragon Quest VII, which suffers from the same "problems". I just hate going to a town and solving its problem and then moving on to the next town and doing it again and again, it just got boring after about 40 hours (around the time I completely lost interest in the game). For some reason I only feel this structure bogs down DQVII and IX specifically, whereas all DQ follow this structure.
FFXIII: I knew I wasn't gonna like it, but damn...this sucks. If there's one thing I hate it's playing an rpg that tells you what to do...ALL THE TIME. It's significantly worsened by the fact that this is feels like one long tunnel. When you do get past the horrible tutorial (which is 25 hours long...yes, really) the game does get a lot better and opens up a lot. Here, the game starts to feel like FFXII, which was brilliant. I've spent the majority of my 65 hours playing the game in Gran Pulse, but after about 30 hours, that really starts to gets annoying and boring as well. Also having boring-ass characters (Fuck you Vanille, you may be hot as hell, but goddamn shut the hell up!!) and a ridiculously convoluted story. So even though I wasn't expecting much, this is still Final Fantasy, I want it to be good so it still managed to disappoint me enormously. I dislike FFX as well, but at least there was a game to be played there.
Metroid Other M: God, don't get me started on this pile of crap. I don't want to use the word "rape" lightly, but they've effectively raped Samus. An unbelievably stupid story and pointless characters just add insult to injury. There's actually a decent game behind it all, but in this case the way the story and characters are handled is just too much. Whenever Samus started to talk I wanted to choke her. The level of retardation is pretty unbelievable. I hope Retro will return to the Metroid series and maybe also make it 2d like they've succesfully done with Donkey Kong. I actually do like the tech of the game, but the linearity kills anything decent they could do with it.
1. Dead Rising 2 ; Not the most polished game ever, but definitely the most fun I've had this year and I like it even better than DR1, which I adore. It's just one of those games that click with me and subsequently I love everything about it, warts and all. The locations, while not radically different from DR1 are so lovingly designed, I just love wasting time in the world and looking for secrets and other fun stuff. The combo system is genius as well.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; pure, platforming perfection. I don't need to tell you guys why this game rocks.
3. Mass Effect 2 ; Huge improvement over ME1, a lot of rpg elements have been removed, making it more of a shooter, but in this rare case it works. Great story and characters too, I'm not used to that in games nowadays. Not so fond of the level design, but the game makes up for it in spades by being unbelievably fun and exciting.
4. NieR ; Along with Deadly Premonition probably the biggest surprise for me. Very inetersting story, fantastic music, fast-paced and a great mix of genres. Not everything works of course, the side-quests especially are a bore, but all in all a very exciting and fresh game.
5. Alan Wake ; I was always looking forward to this game ever since it was first announced, of course the final product is nothing like it was originally envisioned, but I like it a lot. The environments are linear, but pretty big at the same time, not giving you the feeling you're being led on. That and I love finding stuff and Alan Wake has a bevy of collectables and the story was pretty good.
6. Deadly Premonition ; everyone knows this game is outdated in almost everything, but this is another rare case in where this actually works in its advantage. The Dreamcast-era graphics, wooden controls and all, it feels like a fantastically cheesy b-movie. The characters are genuinely great too, especially Agent York.
7. Amnesia: the Dark Descent ; it's a short game, it's an easy game, it's a terrifying game. Truly and utterly terrifying. A true must-play for horror fans.
8. Half Minute Hero ; While I'm not so fond of the other games on the disc, the Half-Minute Hero portion is absolute genius, it feels like a full, epic rpg, but very fresh. It's got humor, it's got a very fun plot, some great music and it pays homage to a time when these kind of high quality rpg's were released left and right.
9. Trauma Team ; This is what I always wanted Trauma Centre to be. It's got an overly dramatic plot, but it fits the style, the characters work perfectly in this context as well and all the mini games are fantastic, the forensics and diagnostics parts expecially work wonders. It does regress into "combine whatever to see what works" territory a bit too often and endoscopy is kinda...crap, but on the whole there is something to love for everyone in this.
10. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; I hate the Donkey kong Country series...there I've said it (I've actually always said this). I think they're charmless, overrated platformers. DCKR is great. It does rely a bit too much on trial and error gameplay, but the leveldesigns make up for this. You're constantly being confronted with new challenges and there's a shit-ton to do making this the 2d platformer of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Heavy Rain
x. Fable 3
x. Ys Seven
x. Fallout New Vegas
x. Red Dead Redemption
x. Two Worlds II
x. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
x. Lego Harry Potter
x. Kirby's Epic Yarn
x. Halo Reach
x. Costume Quest
x. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Game
Most disappointing:
Dragon Quest IX: A pretty great game, but it kinda plays like Dragon Quest VII, which suffers from the same "problems". I just hate going to a town and solving its problem and then moving on to the next town and doing it again and again, it just got boring after about 40 hours (around the time I completely lost interest in the game). For some reason I only feel this structure bogs down DQVII and IX specifically, whereas all DQ follow this structure.
FFXIII: I knew I wasn't gonna like it, but damn...this sucks. If there's one thing I hate it's playing an rpg that tells you what to do...ALL THE TIME. It's significantly worsened by the fact that this is feels like one long tunnel. When you do get past the horrible tutorial (which is 25 hours long...yes, really) the game does get a lot better and opens up a lot. Here, the game starts to feel like FFXII, which was brilliant. I've spent the majority of my 65 hours playing the game in Gran Pulse, but after about 30 hours, that really starts to gets annoying and boring as well. Also having boring-ass characters (Fuck you Vanille, you may be hot as hell, but goddamn shut the hell up!!) and a ridiculously convoluted story. So even though I wasn't expecting much, this is still Final Fantasy, I want it to be good so it still managed to disappoint me enormously. I dislike FFX as well, but at least there was a game to be played there.
Metroid Other M: God, don't get me started on this pile of crap. I don't want to use the word "rape" lightly, but they've effectively raped Samus. An unbelievably stupid story and pointless characters just add insult to injury. There's actually a decent game behind it all, but in this case the way the story and characters are handled is just too much. Whenever Samus started to talk I wanted to choke her. The level of retardation is pretty unbelievable. I hope Retro will return to the Metroid series and maybe also make it 2d like they've succesfully done with Donkey Kong. I actually do like the tech of the game, but the linearity kills anything decent they could do with it.
I NEED SCISSORS
Banned
timetokill said:What Games Count?
- New games released to your region this year (can be retail only or downloadable).
- Voting for imported titles is allowed. If you list an import game, please mention which country you are from. Otherwise I will assume you didn't read the rules and the vote will not count.
- Remakes and visible upgrades count too.
- Revisions released for the first time on a console or handheld this year (must be a retail version and not downloadable).
- Ports that amount to "ROM dumps", i.e., ports with no additional content or significant changes, are not allowed.
- New expansion packs to MMOs and other games count, but not the original game unless it too was released in your region this year.
- Asked about games that are allowed: Minecraft, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge.
- Asked about games that are not allowed: Super Mario All-Stars, God of War Collection
And that's it! Happy voting, everyone!
Hello, I am just wondering one thing - is Assassins Creed 2 allowed? It was released last year in my region, however it is in the list of eligible games. Does that mine I can include it? (I only played it this year, also the PC version and a GOTY edition was released this year)
Cheesemeister
Member
I NEED SCISSORS said:
It's there for the PC version.
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2
2. Super Street Fighter 4
3. Mass Effect 2
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns
5. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
6. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
7. God of War 3
8. Halo: Reach
9. Read Dead Redemption
10. Bayonetta
x. Darksiders ; Still haven't played much, but its fantastic
2. Super Street Fighter 4
3. Mass Effect 2
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns
5. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
6. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
7. God of War 3
8. Halo: Reach
9. Read Dead Redemption
10. Bayonetta
x. Darksiders ; Still haven't played much, but its fantastic
I NEED SCISSORS
Banned
1. Red Dead Redemption - I literaly just got this game for Christmas, but i'm already confident that it is the best game released this year. I was a huge fan of Revolver, and while this is pretty different it still manages to scratch that Western itch just as effectively. "GTAIV with cowboys" is pretty much what it is, but that is no bad thing because the more realistic and serious formula of IV fits it so well - elements that may have been a disappointment in a GTA game find their perfect application here. As a result, the attention to detail, the quality of the gunplay, the digital acting, the soundtrack, and the sheer amount of stuff to do in this game is ludicrous.
2. Halo: Reach - I have always been a fan of Halo, so the fact that Bungie decided to give the series its last swan song before moving on to pastures new was greatly appreciated. What they delivered with Reach was a very solid package in all areas - single player, online, firefight, forge, saved films, stats/website integration - which I will be sure to continue playing for many years to come. I owe it to Bungie for getting me into Xbox in 2001, and I guess I owe it to them all over again for getting me into 360 and Live in 2010. Hats off, chums, I cannot wait for you to change the world all over again with Activision.
3. Assassin's Creed 2 - Sort of a wildcard as it was a 2009 game, but it's on the list of eligible games and I did only play it last month, so i'm going to include it. I absolutely hated the original but could recognise the enormous potential it had - AC2 completely fulfilled that potential, blowing me away with its depth and versatility. The setting was also one of the most meticulously recreated I have seen in a game, particularly the detail in its many cathedrals. Had it not been a rental, I could easily see myself spending 30+ hours with the game to get all the upgrades and achievements. The only let-downs were the mindfuck ending (really not a fan of the present day story) and the jarring way that it shimmied around the cut content on consoles.
4. Nier - The dark horse of the list. I bought this purely on GAF hype and the weirdness of the story, and at first I did feel like I had made a mistake. It felt pretentious and really B-grade to start with, but gradually I began to appreciate it more. I grew attached to the plight of the characters more-so than any other game this year, and was shocked at the quality of the writing in some sections. It all culminated in a superb conclusion and one of the best implementations of New Game+ ever. The way it reveals more of itself as you invest more time into it is a simple concept, but one which a lot of other games seem to be missing nowadays. And I should absolutely comment on the soundtrack - it is sheer brilliance, a hidden gem if ever there was one. It makes me said that it sold like crap and that Cavia are now gone, so the chances of a proper sequel are nil.
5. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - While on holiday in the summer, I only had my PSP and this game to keep me company. I was burned by MGS4 so I was a little apprehensive at first, but thankfully Kojima blazed a brilliant new path with this game that was both fun and addictive. The story was decent (a lot better than 4), I loved listening to the interview tapes, and the gameplay felt more refined and actually purposful for a change. But most of all, it was all the extras like Co-Ops and Mother Base management which I invested a solid 50 hours in. I suppose I could say it's the best portable game I ever played, and I hope some of the advancements carry over to Snake Eater 3D and Rising.
6. Alan Wake - Looking at it retrospectively, it's a flawed game indeed. The story is still a little confusing to me, but I did appreciate what Remedy were trying to do - it's much more accomplished in its narrative style and perfect pacing than its story. The Bright Falls setting was flawlessly realised - you could really get the feeling that your were in small town USA, and despite the game being completely linear, all the work that Remedy put into the old free-roaming iteration of the game didn't feel like it went to waste. The scale of some of the environments made the game feel almost comparably huge to something like God of War 3. I can understand the complaints regarding repetitive gunplay, but I didn't really think it was a huge issue. Better games can feel just as repetitive, and you are mainly playing it for the narrative anyway. I have just bought the DLC for a meagre 200 points each and am crossing my fingers that Remedy are allowed to push on with 'season 2'.
7. Gran Turismo 5 - I'll just get it out of the way - this was disappointing and not at all worth worth the wait. The standard cars, patchy feature set and some outright shit gameplay decisions mar the experience. HOWEVER, who says you cannot still thoroughly enjoy a disappointing game? One month later I am still playing it religiously. The updated driving model and new physics system are sublime, visuals range from medicore to outright stunning, and while not all of the game is up to par it has thankfully retained the exquisite depth that the franchise is known for. Polyphony are also putting on a noble effort with their post-release updates and Christmas themed events.
8. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty - I'll start by saying "I've never been a fan of RTS", but that right there is the beauty of StarCraft games - they're simply a lot easier, and infinitely more fun for a noob like me to pick up and play than any other RTS; yet at the same time they are dangerously addictive and nigh-on impossible to master. While i'd say it's not worth the 12 year wait (similar in a lot of ways to GT5), the game still exudes quality in absolutely every area, from that magnificent Blizzard artwork and CGI to the rousing hick themed music. And I don't really need to tell the veterans that when you win online in StarCraft, few other games can fulfil that same sense of accomplishment - "fuck yeah" sums it up quite nicely. Roll on Heart of the Swarm!
9. Mass Effect 2 - I enjoyed Mass Effect 2 for what it was, despite it not being nearly as good as the original. While it's evidently gimped in practically every area, it was still an absorbing game and should hopefully adequately bridge the gap to ME3. I was not too enamoured with the 'dark' vibe of the game and really hope that BioWare take it back to its presentational roots. This seems like some really negative things to say in a GOTY list, but it's all I really can say. Ultimately: great game, better than most, but took a few steps backwards. A centrepiece for the 'dumbing down vs. streamlining' argument if ever there was one.
10. Super Meat Boy - Easily the best downloadable game released this year - it's really only at the bottom of my list because I consider downloadable titles less important than disc titles. Very inventive character designs and scenario, tight controls, a broad feature set and a catchy soundtrack puts this ahead of the downloadable pack. I particularly love how it captures that 'just one more level' feeling that so may games seem to be lacking. Getting it super cheap in Steam's sale also significantly boosted its appeal.
Side note: i've noticed a pattern here - if your game has depth, I will probably enjoy it.
2. Halo: Reach - I have always been a fan of Halo, so the fact that Bungie decided to give the series its last swan song before moving on to pastures new was greatly appreciated. What they delivered with Reach was a very solid package in all areas - single player, online, firefight, forge, saved films, stats/website integration - which I will be sure to continue playing for many years to come. I owe it to Bungie for getting me into Xbox in 2001, and I guess I owe it to them all over again for getting me into 360 and Live in 2010. Hats off, chums, I cannot wait for you to change the world all over again with Activision.
3. Assassin's Creed 2 - Sort of a wildcard as it was a 2009 game, but it's on the list of eligible games and I did only play it last month, so i'm going to include it. I absolutely hated the original but could recognise the enormous potential it had - AC2 completely fulfilled that potential, blowing me away with its depth and versatility. The setting was also one of the most meticulously recreated I have seen in a game, particularly the detail in its many cathedrals. Had it not been a rental, I could easily see myself spending 30+ hours with the game to get all the upgrades and achievements. The only let-downs were the mindfuck ending (really not a fan of the present day story) and the jarring way that it shimmied around the cut content on consoles.
4. Nier - The dark horse of the list. I bought this purely on GAF hype and the weirdness of the story, and at first I did feel like I had made a mistake. It felt pretentious and really B-grade to start with, but gradually I began to appreciate it more. I grew attached to the plight of the characters more-so than any other game this year, and was shocked at the quality of the writing in some sections. It all culminated in a superb conclusion and one of the best implementations of New Game+ ever. The way it reveals more of itself as you invest more time into it is a simple concept, but one which a lot of other games seem to be missing nowadays. And I should absolutely comment on the soundtrack - it is sheer brilliance, a hidden gem if ever there was one. It makes me said that it sold like crap and that Cavia are now gone, so the chances of a proper sequel are nil.
5. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - While on holiday in the summer, I only had my PSP and this game to keep me company. I was burned by MGS4 so I was a little apprehensive at first, but thankfully Kojima blazed a brilliant new path with this game that was both fun and addictive. The story was decent (a lot better than 4), I loved listening to the interview tapes, and the gameplay felt more refined and actually purposful for a change. But most of all, it was all the extras like Co-Ops and Mother Base management which I invested a solid 50 hours in. I suppose I could say it's the best portable game I ever played, and I hope some of the advancements carry over to Snake Eater 3D and Rising.
6. Alan Wake - Looking at it retrospectively, it's a flawed game indeed. The story is still a little confusing to me, but I did appreciate what Remedy were trying to do - it's much more accomplished in its narrative style and perfect pacing than its story. The Bright Falls setting was flawlessly realised - you could really get the feeling that your were in small town USA, and despite the game being completely linear, all the work that Remedy put into the old free-roaming iteration of the game didn't feel like it went to waste. The scale of some of the environments made the game feel almost comparably huge to something like God of War 3. I can understand the complaints regarding repetitive gunplay, but I didn't really think it was a huge issue. Better games can feel just as repetitive, and you are mainly playing it for the narrative anyway. I have just bought the DLC for a meagre 200 points each and am crossing my fingers that Remedy are allowed to push on with 'season 2'.
7. Gran Turismo 5 - I'll just get it out of the way - this was disappointing and not at all worth worth the wait. The standard cars, patchy feature set and some outright shit gameplay decisions mar the experience. HOWEVER, who says you cannot still thoroughly enjoy a disappointing game? One month later I am still playing it religiously. The updated driving model and new physics system are sublime, visuals range from medicore to outright stunning, and while not all of the game is up to par it has thankfully retained the exquisite depth that the franchise is known for. Polyphony are also putting on a noble effort with their post-release updates and Christmas themed events.
8. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty - I'll start by saying "I've never been a fan of RTS", but that right there is the beauty of StarCraft games - they're simply a lot easier, and infinitely more fun for a noob like me to pick up and play than any other RTS; yet at the same time they are dangerously addictive and nigh-on impossible to master. While i'd say it's not worth the 12 year wait (similar in a lot of ways to GT5), the game still exudes quality in absolutely every area, from that magnificent Blizzard artwork and CGI to the rousing hick themed music. And I don't really need to tell the veterans that when you win online in StarCraft, few other games can fulfil that same sense of accomplishment - "fuck yeah" sums it up quite nicely. Roll on Heart of the Swarm!
9. Mass Effect 2 - I enjoyed Mass Effect 2 for what it was, despite it not being nearly as good as the original. While it's evidently gimped in practically every area, it was still an absorbing game and should hopefully adequately bridge the gap to ME3. I was not too enamoured with the 'dark' vibe of the game and really hope that BioWare take it back to its presentational roots. This seems like some really negative things to say in a GOTY list, but it's all I really can say. Ultimately: great game, better than most, but took a few steps backwards. A centrepiece for the 'dumbing down vs. streamlining' argument if ever there was one.
10. Super Meat Boy - Easily the best downloadable game released this year - it's really only at the bottom of my list because I consider downloadable titles less important than disc titles. Very inventive character designs and scenario, tight controls, a broad feature set and a catchy soundtrack puts this ahead of the downloadable pack. I particularly love how it captures that 'just one more level' feeling that so may games seem to be lacking. Getting it super cheap in Steam's sale also significantly boosted its appeal.
Side note: i've noticed a pattern here - if your game has depth, I will probably enjoy it.
I guess some of the eligible games came out in Europe in 2010? I'm leaving out Demon's Souls and Assassin's Creed 2, even though they would take my 1-2 slots, since I played them both last fall.
1) Final Fantasy 13; I can understand why a lot of people didn't care for it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the battle system and the chapters where it began to open up and you could play around with different characters and alignments. The different quests were fun too.
2) Yakuza 3; I just started playing this a few days ago and am already hooked. These are the Sega games as I remember them from the Genesis/Saturn days - loads of little details in the environments, responsive controls, and an entertaining story. Can't wait for part 4!
3) Nier; I still don't know how or even why I put 50+ hours into this game, but it was something so strange and otherwordly that I just had to keep playing.
4) Red Dead Redemption; It was great, but like most Rockstar games, I stopped playing for a few days and then just couldn't work up the energy to get back into it. I respect the developers' vision and execution though.
5) God of War 3; A fantastic ride and visual tour-de-force. I will purchase it when it shows up in the $10 black friday specials in 2011.
1) Final Fantasy 13; I can understand why a lot of people didn't care for it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the battle system and the chapters where it began to open up and you could play around with different characters and alignments. The different quests were fun too.
2) Yakuza 3; I just started playing this a few days ago and am already hooked. These are the Sega games as I remember them from the Genesis/Saturn days - loads of little details in the environments, responsive controls, and an entertaining story. Can't wait for part 4!
3) Nier; I still don't know how or even why I put 50+ hours into this game, but it was something so strange and otherwordly that I just had to keep playing.
4) Red Dead Redemption; It was great, but like most Rockstar games, I stopped playing for a few days and then just couldn't work up the energy to get back into it. I respect the developers' vision and execution though.
5) God of War 3; A fantastic ride and visual tour-de-force. I will purchase it when it shows up in the $10 black friday specials in 2011.
1. Mass Effect 2
2. Bayonetta
3. Red Dead Redemption
4. Persona 3 Portable
5. Yakuza 3
6. Fallout: New Vegas
7. Nier
8. Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
9. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
10. Alpha Protocol
Honorable Mentions: Monday Night Combat, Just Cause 2, and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
2. Bayonetta
3. Red Dead Redemption
4. Persona 3 Portable
5. Yakuza 3
6. Fallout: New Vegas
7. Nier
8. Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
9. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
10. Alpha Protocol
Honorable Mentions: Monday Night Combat, Just Cause 2, and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
1. Minecraft
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Fallout: New Vegas
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns
5. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
6. Dragon Quest 9
7. Recettear
8. Picross 3D
9. Epic Mickey
10. Lego Harry Potter
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Fallout: New Vegas
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns
5. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
6. Dragon Quest 9
7. Recettear
8. Picross 3D
9. Epic Mickey
10. Lego Harry Potter
Haunted
Member
1. Monster Hunter 3: Tri; Any game that can hold my attention over 200(!!) hours must be GOTY. None other was this addictive.
2. Just Cause 2; The greatest technical achievement this year, a game world with an astonishing scope and the best sandbox game I've yet played.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2; A worthy successor to my favourite game ever.
4. Mass Effect 2; Bioware is lucky to have such an amazing world to fall back on because some of the elements they've cut back on did leave me disappointed. It's dropped compared to ME1, and if ME3 continues the trend, that will be reflected in next year's rankings.
5. Minecraft; The best indie game this year and in many ways a landmark title for the industry.
6. Cave Story Wii; The best indie game of the last decade and it didn't even need Pogs to come back.
7. Red Dead Redemption; Kind of a dream game for a Western nut like me. The studio reports surrounding its creation are unfortunate, but the quality of this game is undeniable.
8. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty; As someone else put it so succinctly; "the only game on this list that'll still be relevant in 10 years". Watching it is almost more fun than playing it is (and that's a compliment).
9. Donkey Kong Country Returns; Amazing update to a beloved classic, Retro does it again and cements their place as Nintendo's top western dev studio.
10. Darksiders; Action Adventure games in the vein of Zelda are probably among my favourite (sub)genre and we need more of them. They've done a magnificient job with this homage.
I'm actually kinda happy that the set points this year are equal for the lower ranks, as anything after 6 is honestly kind of a wash - much moreso than in previous years, actually. Fuck, I switched some of these around while writing this very post. :lol
I'm fairly certain that I've written up more detailed impression on each game in its respective thread over the course of the year, but I still went ahead and tried to distill it into a short sentence for each. I do feel bad for not having a DS title in there, but no game was better than any of those I listed.
It's been a good year.
2. Just Cause 2; The greatest technical achievement this year, a game world with an astonishing scope and the best sandbox game I've yet played.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2; A worthy successor to my favourite game ever.
4. Mass Effect 2; Bioware is lucky to have such an amazing world to fall back on because some of the elements they've cut back on did leave me disappointed. It's dropped compared to ME1, and if ME3 continues the trend, that will be reflected in next year's rankings.
5. Minecraft; The best indie game this year and in many ways a landmark title for the industry.
6. Cave Story Wii; The best indie game of the last decade and it didn't even need Pogs to come back.
7. Red Dead Redemption; Kind of a dream game for a Western nut like me. The studio reports surrounding its creation are unfortunate, but the quality of this game is undeniable.
8. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty; As someone else put it so succinctly; "the only game on this list that'll still be relevant in 10 years". Watching it is almost more fun than playing it is (and that's a compliment).
9. Donkey Kong Country Returns; Amazing update to a beloved classic, Retro does it again and cements their place as Nintendo's top western dev studio.
10. Darksiders; Action Adventure games in the vein of Zelda are probably among my favourite (sub)genre and we need more of them. They've done a magnificient job with this homage.
I'm actually kinda happy that the set points this year are equal for the lower ranks, as anything after 6 is honestly kind of a wash - much moreso than in previous years, actually. Fuck, I switched some of these around while writing this very post. :lol
I'm fairly certain that I've written up more detailed impression on each game in its respective thread over the course of the year, but I still went ahead and tried to distill it into a short sentence for each. I do feel bad for not having a DS title in there, but no game was better than any of those I listed.
It's been a good year.
1. Red Dead Redemption ; A good storyline combined with extremely fun open-world gameplay makes this my pick for game of the year
2. Mass Effect 2 ; The fact that my decisions influenced how the story progressed and the improved cover based shooting made this the perfect action RPG game.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; Sure, its more of the same, but the Call of Duty game is still extremely addicting for me. This is the game I keep coming back to.
4. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ; Good single-player campaign and even better multiplayer. Time just flies by when you are playing this with friends.
5. Super Street Fighter 4 ; Even better than the original. This is the type of game I can play 5 years from now and still have a blast. Best online fighter ever.
6. Halo: Reach ; Nice end to the Halo games. Multiplayer was fun too.
7. Alan Wake ; Enjoyed this game even though the plot was confusing. The downloadable episodes were pretty good too.
8. Dance Central ; The only reason why I'm glad I purchased a Kinect. Here's hoping to more games like this in 2011 that makes good use of the Kinect technology.
9. Heavy Rain ; My best rental of 2010. This game had me hooked from beginning to end. Short but oh so sweet.
10. Super Meat Boy ; Glad i brought this gem. Excellent platformer and I also like the humor and references to other games.
2. Mass Effect 2 ; The fact that my decisions influenced how the story progressed and the improved cover based shooting made this the perfect action RPG game.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; Sure, its more of the same, but the Call of Duty game is still extremely addicting for me. This is the game I keep coming back to.
4. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ; Good single-player campaign and even better multiplayer. Time just flies by when you are playing this with friends.
5. Super Street Fighter 4 ; Even better than the original. This is the type of game I can play 5 years from now and still have a blast. Best online fighter ever.
6. Halo: Reach ; Nice end to the Halo games. Multiplayer was fun too.
7. Alan Wake ; Enjoyed this game even though the plot was confusing. The downloadable episodes were pretty good too.
8. Dance Central ; The only reason why I'm glad I purchased a Kinect. Here's hoping to more games like this in 2011 that makes good use of the Kinect technology.
9. Heavy Rain ; My best rental of 2010. This game had me hooked from beginning to end. Short but oh so sweet.
10. Super Meat Boy ; Glad i brought this gem. Excellent platformer and I also like the humor and references to other games.
It would be interesting if in the future everyone had to list which platforms they owned (Wii, PS3, 360, DS, PSP, gaming PC, etc) prior to listing their top pics.
You could then cull a bunch of interesting statistics (like, percentage of voters that own a specific platform, whether or not GAF's game of the year as a whole was the same as the Game of the Year as voted on by those that own all the major consoles, etc).
People like stats, and I think next year you guys should include something like this.
You could then cull a bunch of interesting statistics (like, percentage of voters that own a specific platform, whether or not GAF's game of the year as a whole was the same as the Game of the Year as voted on by those that own all the major consoles, etc).
People like stats, and I think next year you guys should include something like this.
cosmicblizzard
Banned
Redbeard said:
I feel like that would just cause trouble and only exacerbate things between PC/Console/Handheld gamers on gaf.
Version 3.0
Member
Redbeard said:
Call me paranoid, but given your "my opinion is 'right' and others are 'wrong'" attitude above, I think what you really want is a reason to disqualify other people's votes, if only in your own mind.
How's this: I own every console you've ever heard of and two gaming-class PCs, and I disagree with your "GAF got it right/wrong" BS above.
SonOfABeep
Banned
1. Fallout: New Vegas
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Super Street Fighter 4
4. Halo: Reach
5. Alan Wake
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Bayonetta
8. Game Dev Story
9. Red Dead Redemption
10. Split Second: Velocity (this name change isn't going to do this underrated game any favors - I would recommend adding "Split/Second" and "Split Second" to your parser to pick up any other US votes for this awesome game. Not everyone knows the UK name was different and will take the time to look.)
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Super Street Fighter 4
4. Halo: Reach
5. Alan Wake
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Bayonetta
8. Game Dev Story
9. Red Dead Redemption
10. Split Second: Velocity (this name change isn't going to do this underrated game any favors - I would recommend adding "Split/Second" and "Split Second" to your parser to pick up any other US votes for this awesome game. Not everyone knows the UK name was different and will take the time to look.)
Chû Totoro
Member
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; one of the best game of all time
2. Red Dead Redemption ; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in your PS3
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; if you like FPS and its not in your top 3 Dont worry, it will in 2011.
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; Donkey Kong is back and its still as good as it was on Snes.
5. Super Street Fighter 4 ; best fighting game this generation, period.
6. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future ; just plug this cartidge into your NDS and you wont turn it off until you finished the game
7. Epic Mickey ; Im so happy this game is so fun and I dont want to punch Mickey in the nuts like when I see him in Disneyland
8. Assassin's Creed 2 ; you take one of the best game of 2009 and you make a sequel. *Tadam*, you just have one of the best game of 2010. Easy.
9. God of War 3 ; Kratos vs Poseidon
10. Metroid: Other M ; seriously didnt we all know a Metroid made by Tecmos Team Ninja would be awesome
Best of (drunk) party games :
Rock Band 3
Dance Central
DJ Hero 2
Comeback of two good franchise :
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
2010 the year of iPhone games :
Angry Birds
Cut the Rope
Fruit Ninja
Biggest disapointment :
Gran Turismo 5
2. Red Dead Redemption ; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in your PS3
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; if you like FPS and its not in your top 3 Dont worry, it will in 2011.
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; Donkey Kong is back and its still as good as it was on Snes.
5. Super Street Fighter 4 ; best fighting game this generation, period.
6. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future ; just plug this cartidge into your NDS and you wont turn it off until you finished the game
7. Epic Mickey ; Im so happy this game is so fun and I dont want to punch Mickey in the nuts like when I see him in Disneyland
8. Assassin's Creed 2 ; you take one of the best game of 2009 and you make a sequel. *Tadam*, you just have one of the best game of 2010. Easy.
9. God of War 3 ; Kratos vs Poseidon
10. Metroid: Other M ; seriously didnt we all know a Metroid made by Tecmos Team Ninja would be awesome
Best of (drunk) party games :
Rock Band 3
Dance Central
DJ Hero 2
Comeback of two good franchise :
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
2010 the year of iPhone games :
Angry Birds
Cut the Rope
Fruit Ninja
Biggest disapointment :
Gran Turismo 5
old manatee
Banned
1. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat ; Hey, bro.
2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
3. Desktop Dungeons
4. Minecraft
5. Super Crate Box ; disc gun.
6. Super Meat Boy ; saw blades.
7. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
8. Alien Swarm
9. VVVVVV
10. GoldenEye: Source ; License to Kill with pistols in the basement: A gentleman's game. (should have been Black Mesa)
2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
3. Desktop Dungeons
4. Minecraft
5. Super Crate Box ; disc gun.
6. Super Meat Boy ; saw blades.
7. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
8. Alien Swarm
9. VVVVVV
10. GoldenEye: Source ; License to Kill with pistols in the basement: A gentleman's game. (should have been Black Mesa)
vetrox
Member
1. Mass Effect 2
At last I gave in and played the original that my brother had been on about for ages. I'm glad I did. It turned out to be the most engaging experience in video gaming I've enjoyed in a long time.
The sequel didn't just add more, it went back and refined the original formula into a even more satisfying experience. Even with some downers, it comes out on top of 2010's crop.
2. Halo: Reach
THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST I've played this far less than I planned to, and I've played this a whole lot.
Just superb multiplayer, polishing the Halo formula to a shine even brighter than that of Halo 3. But this is it, right?
3. Bayonetta
I really tried to finish Ninja Gaiden 2 before getting to this. I really did. After watching my brother play for five minutes I knew I probably would never go back.
4. Super Street Fighter IV
Countless battles lost to my brother, countless hours of fun.
5. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Awesome multiplayer, just awesome. Players naturally cooperate for some reason. And the sound alone...
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops
I originally just bought this because most of my gaming friends are CoD-heads as opposed to me, the Halo-guy. Sure, the first weeks were a mess, most probably because they for some tangled reasoning didn't throw a beta. Still, even though I haven't even started the singleplayer, I appreciate it enough to know that Trayarch has redeemed themselves.
7. Vanquish
Not quite Bayonetta, but still an awesome high paced action game.
8. Red Dead Redemption
I preordered this the day after the first trailer and I wasn't disappointed.
9. Lost Planet 2
Cool huege monsters dude.
At last I gave in and played the original that my brother had been on about for ages. I'm glad I did. It turned out to be the most engaging experience in video gaming I've enjoyed in a long time.
The sequel didn't just add more, it went back and refined the original formula into a even more satisfying experience. Even with some downers, it comes out on top of 2010's crop.
2. Halo: Reach
THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST I've played this far less than I planned to, and I've played this a whole lot.
Just superb multiplayer, polishing the Halo formula to a shine even brighter than that of Halo 3. But this is it, right?
3. Bayonetta
I really tried to finish Ninja Gaiden 2 before getting to this. I really did. After watching my brother play for five minutes I knew I probably would never go back.
4. Super Street Fighter IV
Countless battles lost to my brother, countless hours of fun.
5. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Awesome multiplayer, just awesome. Players naturally cooperate for some reason. And the sound alone...
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops
I originally just bought this because most of my gaming friends are CoD-heads as opposed to me, the Halo-guy. Sure, the first weeks were a mess, most probably because they for some tangled reasoning didn't throw a beta. Still, even though I haven't even started the singleplayer, I appreciate it enough to know that Trayarch has redeemed themselves.
7. Vanquish
Not quite Bayonetta, but still an awesome high paced action game.
8. Red Dead Redemption
I preordered this the day after the first trailer and I wasn't disappointed.
9. Lost Planet 2
Cool huege monsters dude.
Coolio McAwesome
Member
Nintendo-4Life said:
This is GAF in 2010. What were you expecting? Before clicking this thread, you should have already realized that a sizable majority of the voters were going to completely disregard any and all games on Nintendo systems. (This includes the Wii and the DS. If you were to take the DS out of the equation, it would paint an even clearer picture.) All things considered, SMG2's performance in this thread is pretty remarkable.
revolverjgw
Member
Coolio McAwesome said:
There's some truth here, but if I recall correctly, SMG1 ran away with the 2007 GOTY award, even up against multi-plat western powerhouses like Mass Effect and Bioshock. This is why it really surprises me that SMG2 seems to be underperforming, compared to what are, to me, totally inferior games that aren't any better than what SMG1 was up against.
Maastricht
Member
1. Gran Turismo 5 ; sure, there are a lot of things that should and could have been better, but this is my favorite type of game and the amount of content is just insane. Most importantly though, driving an old Alfa race car on the Ring with a day night transition and variable weather effects is just nearly impossible to beat. That evening light is so beautiful.
2. Rock Band 3 ; This is a huge game, and it had a bigger impact on me probably than on most people, simply because Rock Band screwed up previous releases in Europe too much for me to jump in earlier. I already had instruments from Guitar Hero WTC for it, so I was ready to go but fully intent to also get into the Pro mode. It took a long time for a Pro mode instrument to get here, but the wait was extremely bearable as just playing with my WTC instruments proved a huge blast. The presence of Red Hot Chili Pepper's excellent Blood Sugar Sex Magic in the online store, something which I've long had my eyes on, really made this the best music game I've ever played even before Pro mode. Now that I finally got my first Pro Mode instrument, the Mustang, the game is opening up even further, and there is no end in sight of me playing this yet.
3. Sports Champions ; Totally attracted to and captivated by the Table Tennis, I found that I liked all the other sports a lot more than I initially thought as well. The Move is definitely a highlight for me this year, and I am more excited about the move than about Gran Turismo 5, which is saying something, and Sports Champions showcases it really, really well. Gladiator Duel eventually matched Table Tennis for me in the fun department, and those two are my favorites (and both played into the 'hardcore' Champions level), but I played Disc Golf a tonne as well. While not terribly exciting in terms of presentation compared to say Wii Sports Resort, this game just blows right bast it simply because its gameplay has so much more depth to it. And gameplay, believe it or not, is still more important than presentation, for this type of game in particular.
4. God of War 3 ; The best movie I played this year. The audio-visual experience was top notch, and the gameplay really good. My wife loved watching this from start to finish. A fantastic ending too - the dream level didn't have to be in there, but it was there, and that put this game quite a bit higher than I expected it to be.
5. Sing Star ; I've owned the game since European launch, and had PS2 versions as well, but I've bought Singstar Dance and Singstar Studio 100 (local kids songs) this year, so I'm using this as an excuse to praise the excellent progress as a service that this game is making, and the tonne of fun I've been having with it and its video recording features, added voice recognition, dance and guitar support, community features (hi Gaf Singstar community!) and various other stuff. Kudos for basically being one of the best supported online games of all time on consoles.
6. The Fight: Lights Out. ; Pretty much everything I hoped for after falling in love with Gladiator Duel in Sports Championship, this provides a fleshed out experience that uses the 1-to-1 movement tracking to give you one of the best fighting gameplay experiences of all time. I love it and will probably never stop playing it, just by virtue of its excellent training modes alone (I love 'target practice'), but it is definitely satisfying to beat some of the AI opponents as well. And then there's online support, which is more than you can say for most games (which is also my main criticism of most of Sony's Move titles so far).
7. Angry Birds ; The levels keep coming, the three stars keep being worth chasing (I have them all, well, apart from a few of those just released new levels), the physics keep things interesting, and the birds are cute in their mock seriousness. Also the only game on the iPhone that has kept my interest.
8. Beat Sketchers ; Great for the freedom of expression, great for playing with the kids. It's not even that impressive of a Move application, but the whole package, whether it is the video recording, the photo options, the little drawing games or the drawing templates, is still great to have and will likely be an evergreen in our household, even if it is at some point just for playing pictionary.
9. Tumble ; One of the better Move showcases, it is really that - a great Move showcase of how you can interact with a 3 dimensional environment. It is simple, in a way that allows it to be accessible to all, but it's still challenging. Although you can't help but feel that there's a lot of room for a sequel to improve things.
10. Dead Nation ; This could have been a lot of PSN titles. Right now I'm giving it to this one for production titles, but it could have been Joe Danger, or PacMan Championship Edition DX. They all have something that prevent them from getting up higher than this, but also also have something that make them really excellent. Except for Joe Danger I just haven't played them enough to be sure, but I like what Dead Nation has given me so far. My current biggest drawback for it, is that I just don't like Zombies - I'd have preferred even a Gauntlett style theme, or insects, or whatever. But it's production values are awesome, and it looks, sounds and plays great, so here it is.
2. Rock Band 3 ; This is a huge game, and it had a bigger impact on me probably than on most people, simply because Rock Band screwed up previous releases in Europe too much for me to jump in earlier. I already had instruments from Guitar Hero WTC for it, so I was ready to go but fully intent to also get into the Pro mode. It took a long time for a Pro mode instrument to get here, but the wait was extremely bearable as just playing with my WTC instruments proved a huge blast. The presence of Red Hot Chili Pepper's excellent Blood Sugar Sex Magic in the online store, something which I've long had my eyes on, really made this the best music game I've ever played even before Pro mode. Now that I finally got my first Pro Mode instrument, the Mustang, the game is opening up even further, and there is no end in sight of me playing this yet.
3. Sports Champions ; Totally attracted to and captivated by the Table Tennis, I found that I liked all the other sports a lot more than I initially thought as well. The Move is definitely a highlight for me this year, and I am more excited about the move than about Gran Turismo 5, which is saying something, and Sports Champions showcases it really, really well. Gladiator Duel eventually matched Table Tennis for me in the fun department, and those two are my favorites (and both played into the 'hardcore' Champions level), but I played Disc Golf a tonne as well. While not terribly exciting in terms of presentation compared to say Wii Sports Resort, this game just blows right bast it simply because its gameplay has so much more depth to it. And gameplay, believe it or not, is still more important than presentation, for this type of game in particular
.4. God of War 3 ; The best movie I played this year. The audio-visual experience was top notch, and the gameplay really good. My wife loved watching this from start to finish. A fantastic ending too - the dream level didn't have to be in there, but it was there, and that put this game quite a bit higher than I expected it to be.
5. Sing Star ; I've owned the game since European launch, and had PS2 versions as well, but I've bought Singstar Dance and Singstar Studio 100 (local kids songs) this year, so I'm using this as an excuse to praise the excellent progress as a service that this game is making, and the tonne of fun I've been having with it and its video recording features, added voice recognition, dance and guitar support, community features (hi Gaf Singstar community!) and various other stuff. Kudos for basically being one of the best supported online games of all time on consoles.
6. The Fight: Lights Out. ; Pretty much everything I hoped for after falling in love with Gladiator Duel in Sports Championship, this provides a fleshed out experience that uses the 1-to-1 movement tracking to give you one of the best fighting gameplay experiences of all time. I love it and will probably never stop playing it, just by virtue of its excellent training modes alone (I love 'target practice'), but it is definitely satisfying to beat some of the AI opponents as well.
And then there's online support, which is more than you can say for most games (which is also my main criticism of most of Sony's Move titles so far).7. Angry Birds ; The levels keep coming, the three stars keep being worth chasing (I have them all, well, apart from a few of those just released new levels), the physics keep things interesting, and the birds are cute in their mock seriousness. Also the only game on the iPhone that has kept my interest.
8. Beat Sketchers ; Great for the freedom of expression, great for playing with the kids. It's not even that impressive of a Move application, but the whole package, whether it is the video recording, the photo options, the little drawing games or the drawing templates, is still great to have and will likely be an evergreen in our household, even if it is at some point just for playing pictionary.
9. Tumble ; One of the better Move showcases, it is really that - a great Move showcase of how you can interact with a 3 dimensional environment. It is simple, in a way that allows it to be accessible to all, but it's still challenging. Although you can't help but feel that there's a lot of room for a sequel to improve things.
10. Dead Nation ; This could have been a lot of PSN titles. Right now I'm giving it to this one for production titles, but it could have been Joe Danger, or PacMan Championship Edition DX. They all have something that prevent them from getting up higher than this, but also also have something that make them really excellent. Except for Joe Danger I just haven't played them enough to be sure, but I like what Dead Nation has given me so far. My current biggest drawback for it, is that I just don't like Zombies - I'd have preferred even a Gauntlett style theme, or insects, or whatever. But it's production values are awesome, and it looks, sounds and plays great, so here it is.
Haunted
Member
Well, that's you (and me). But look at Maastricht's post and tell me what systems he owns...or more importantly, apparently doesn't own.
I'm surprised that someone who cares enough about gaming to post on GAF would be able to fill his Top 10 list with 9 games from a single system... and an iPhone game. But hey, to each his own. The best part about democracy is that everybody gets a vote. Or ten.
Rick Dangerous
Member
1. Heavy Rain
2. God of War 3
3. Super Street Fighter 4
2. God of War 3
3. Super Street Fighter 4
1. Just Cause 2 ; I'm convinced that people who dont have this in their lists at least somewhere just haven't played it. Best sandbox game ever and one that any fan of gaming would surely love. The game is absolutely gorgeous, huge and there's never been a better time to use the old cliche, "You're only limited by your imagination".
2. Mass Effect 2 ; Such an improvement in the combat and I appreciate the stripping down of some of the RPG elements from the first one. I had a lot of fun playing this game and I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi adventure. The lengths they go to to provide detail and backstory to the world is pretty commending.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; I've put in hundreds upon hundreds of hours in between MW1, WaW and MW2, so I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up because I was thinking that maybe the same old gameplay might not feel fresh at all anymore. But not only does the gameplay not get tiring, the fact that this game is the most balanced Call of Duty yet makes it so much less of a frustrating experience. Multiplayer is a joy. Haven't even played single-player!
4. Red Dead Redemption ; The game is dripping with quality. Its so well done and I cant think of any game ever with such high production values. Its fun, but unlike the GTA games, I didn't feel it really had the incentive for mayhem which might have made it more addicting than it was. Your character was too much of a good guy and losing your bounty was somewhat of a frustrating experience sometimes and it took away from how good this game could have been, I think.
5. Darksiders ; I didn't play this one myself for the most part, but I watched my roommate play through most of the entire thing, so I definitely feel I can still nominate it. It did the Zelda formula VERY well, the combat was actually pretty fun and I loved the art style.
2. Mass Effect 2 ; Such an improvement in the combat and I appreciate the stripping down of some of the RPG elements from the first one. I had a lot of fun playing this game and I'm a sucker for a good sci-fi adventure. The lengths they go to to provide detail and backstory to the world is pretty commending.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops ; I've put in hundreds upon hundreds of hours in between MW1, WaW and MW2, so I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up because I was thinking that maybe the same old gameplay might not feel fresh at all anymore. But not only does the gameplay not get tiring, the fact that this game is the most balanced Call of Duty yet makes it so much less of a frustrating experience. Multiplayer is a joy. Haven't even played single-player!
4. Red Dead Redemption ; The game is dripping with quality. Its so well done and I cant think of any game ever with such high production values. Its fun, but unlike the GTA games, I didn't feel it really had the incentive for mayhem which might have made it more addicting than it was. Your character was too much of a good guy and losing your bounty was somewhat of a frustrating experience sometimes and it took away from how good this game could have been, I think.
5. Darksiders ; I didn't play this one myself for the most part, but I watched my roommate play through most of the entire thing, so I definitely feel I can still nominate it. It did the Zelda formula VERY well, the combat was actually pretty fun and I loved the art style.
Guys, I'm no bias. I own all systems!Haunted said:Well, that's you (and me). But look at Maastricht's post and tell me what systems he owns...or more importantly, apparently doesn't own.
I'm surprised that someone who cares enough about gaming to post on GAF would be able to fill his Top 10 list with 9 games from a single system... and an iPhone game. But hey, to each his own. The best part about democracy is that everybody gets a vote. Or ten.
I see no reason to have to list systems. Some of the best posters only have one, while some of the worst seem to own all. Nor is it possible for a gamer to play everything that comes out on one system, let alone 2,3,4,5,6,+. It's basically a mute point that would only start up list wars again.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Too many high fences, apparently.Nintendo-4Life said:
Diseased Yak
Gold Member
1. Mass Effect 2 ; Just like the first ME game, this one left me with an overall sense of awe. I just can't get enough, despite the flaws.
2. Gran Turismo 5 ; Another criminally flawed game, which I hated at first due to the screen tearing. Once I got over the atrocious UI and other glaringly obvious flaws, I found myself hooked, and now I can't stop playing it. Hundreds of hours this one will consume.
3. Red Dead Redemption ; Yeah, a lot of the Marston's actions are a little suspect, but damned if I didn't have fun playing this for hours on end.
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; Simply amazing, can't wipe the shit-eating-grin off my face whenever I play this.
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; Similar to the above, my child-like glee is in overdrive when playing DKCR. It's hard as fuck for me, though.
6. God of War: Ghost of Sparta ; A stunning achievement on any system, but more so that is it on the PSP. Couldn't put it down.
7. Costume Quest ; A simple, rpg-lite game that I loved very much.
8. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ; was jaw-dropped for most of this game. Absolutely breathtaking.
9. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ; Got me to re-sub after being off for most of the year. Feels like a whole new game in some spots. Very impressive, and hour-draining.
10. Nier ; A very weird game that I couldn't stop playing. Deserves to be in my top 10.
X. Try Not To Fart ; Almost put this in my top 10. I couldn't stop laughing.
2. Gran Turismo 5 ; Another criminally flawed game, which I hated at first due to the screen tearing. Once I got over the atrocious UI and other glaringly obvious flaws, I found myself hooked, and now I can't stop playing it. Hundreds of hours this one will consume.
3. Red Dead Redemption ; Yeah, a lot of the Marston's actions are a little suspect, but damned if I didn't have fun playing this for hours on end.
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 ; Simply amazing, can't wipe the shit-eating-grin off my face whenever I play this.
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns ; Similar to the above, my child-like glee is in overdrive when playing DKCR. It's hard as fuck for me, though.
6. God of War: Ghost of Sparta ; A stunning achievement on any system, but more so that is it on the PSP. Couldn't put it down.
7. Costume Quest ; A simple, rpg-lite game that I loved very much.
8. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ; was jaw-dropped for most of this game. Absolutely breathtaking.
9. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ; Got me to re-sub after being off for most of the year. Feels like a whole new game in some spots. Very impressive, and hour-draining.
10. Nier ; A very weird game that I couldn't stop playing. Deserves to be in my top 10.
X. Try Not To Fart ; Almost put this in my top 10. I couldn't stop laughing.
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