1. Fallout: New Vegas ; Buggy and ugly as sin. Despite that, this game manages to sink its claws into you and won't let go. A major improvement over Fallout 3, this game reignited my passion for Obsidian RPG's, and I'm eager to see how they'll expand this game.
2. Red Dead Redemption ; A fantastic and memorable game, with a main character that's easy to like. One blemish is that the game is filled with too many lowlifes and degenerates which is fatiguing, but other than that, it's a top-notch game and much better than GTA4.
3. God of War 3 ; Despite some weak parts in the latter half of the game, this amazingly good-looking game revitalized the GoW franchise in my eyes and is simply pure fun. At its strongest, no game this year could even come close to it.
4. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood ; A solid improvement over the second game, which was already really good. Despite a stupid story, the additional elements in this part helps to flesh out the game very well.
5. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ; The best multi-player game I've played in a while. Fast, frenetic and thunderous, the game really manages to paint a war scenario.
6. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty ; Even though I don't play this game online at all, I really liked the meaty single-player campaign, and liked the story that was presented despite being aware that the long-time fans found it disappointing. The best pure RTS game ever, I'd say.
7. Gran Turismo 5 ; Full of minor faults, this game can easily drain you of your patience. But when it works, it WORKS. A fantastic driving model easily overshadows many of the smaller blemishes, and with PD's efficient patching as of late, the game has a promising future.
8. Mass Effect 2 ; I would have never expected such an improvement over the first game, which was a mediocre game at best. The game dropped many of the underdeveloped and cumbersome RPG-lite elements and focused on what it does best, character interaction and providing great scenarios for you to thunder through.
9. Vanquish ; At first, I didn't find this game to appealing. But after playing through it 3 times, I can definitely say it's one of the best 3rd person shooters ever. The frenetic action the game is doing well is undoubtedly unique in the gaming world, and I hope they find ways to expand on this in the future.
10. Yakuza 3 ; At times very cumbersome and old-school (lack of voices, WTF), it still provides a shitton to do, and the storyline is engaging enough to sustain your interest for ~40 hours. A unique addition to the current console gaming world.
x. Heavy Rain ; While I was very down on the ending, in hindsight, I still had some genuine fun with this game. A bold attempt to do something new in the gaming world, it might not have succeeded in many's eyes, but it still provided an experience I didn't regret.
x. BioShock 2 ; I thought this game would be a lackluster cash-in sequel, but lo and behold, I liked it a lot more than the first game.
x. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit ; A very fun car game that becomes exponentially better when you hit the online mode. Too bad the extreme rubberbanding in the single-player mode sucks much of the fun out of the game.
x. 3D Dot Game Heroes ; A very fun and charming game that thrives on its nostalgic effect. The game provides a ton of content should you decide to sink your teeth into it.
x. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat ; There aren't many games that do atmosphere better than the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. A great sequel, but unfortunately many small annoyances piled up and made me quit this game. It was great while it lasted though.