1.
Batman: Arkham City :: As someone who skipped over Arkham Asylum because I just wasn't terribly interested in a Batman game, I am totally impressed by how much I enjoy playing through Arkham City and just how solid of a game it really is. Everything about it - from the story, to the mechanics, to the side stuff, and the environmental and graphical design - is completely top notch; for a game that tries to do so many things at once, I feel it succeeds at them all.
2.
Frozen Synapse :: I knew I was interested in this game as soon as I read about it (thanks, RockPaperShotgun). I knew I would enjoy this game as soon as I watched a playthrough video (thanks, TotalBiscuit). I knew I loved this game as soon as I noticed that I'd dumped 50+ hours into it when other higher-profile games were sitting around gathering dust (Steam dust?).
3.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution :: Ever since the initial announcement of a Deus Ex 3, I didn't think they'd truly be able to pull off a worthy sequel to the original. While Human Revolution differs on a few smaller, nit-picky points, it's still
definitely mother fucking Deus Ex. Hell yeah, Eidos Montreal.
4.
The Binding of Isaac :: I did not expect to enjoy this game as much as I do, and I also didn't expect it to essentially be a roguelike. I don't know what in the world I
did expect it to be, but it wasn't what it is: fun and very addictive.
5.
Portal 2 :: Portal 1 was an incredible surprise. Portal 2 was fully expected, but god damn is it a well-done game. As for the single player, I felt like I couldn't put it down; then I had to at some point, and finished it in roughly one-and-a-half sittings (rounded to the nearest sitting). Then, to my delight, the same thing went for co-op with a friend who ended up being on roughly the same plane of thought as I was, which made it such an awesome experience.
6.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception :: As soon as I finished Uncharted 3 on normal, I started right back over on hard; partly to check to see if aiming actually was better on higher difficulties [this was pre-patch] and partly because it was really fun. Multiplayer this time around doesn't really do it for me like Uncharted 2 did, but it's still pretty good.
7.
Bulletstorm :: I expected to play a little ways through this game, grunt a bit, then maybe uninstall it. I was then called names consisting of every combination of dick+ass+head+shit+manymore whilst kicking, blowing apart, electrocuting, impaling, and disintegrating a bunch of pretty tough AI dudes in what turned out to be a pretty good story in a really fun game. Sorry to have doubted you, People Can Fly!
8.
E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy :: This game is fucking bizarre, and I love it. It feels like a frankenstein of Source mods brought to life in a strange French cyber-dystopia with obtuse mechanics, ridiculously huge scale, and around three million options for how to make your character. It sort of scratches my S.T.A.L.K.E.R. itch, for which I am very grateful, and by which I am very impressed.
9.
Dark Souls :: I feel like it's a step down from the majesty of Demon's Souls, at least as far as overall game design goes, but it still makes improvements in some key areas. In any case, what really pulls it along through filthy, bloody, fog-ridden ditches of disease is its incredible atmosphere and flawless melee mechanics.
10.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim :: As with many others playing Skyrim, I have yet to touch the main story quest many, many hours in, and am having a blast just being in the world and doing a thing. [Would probably be higher, but points deducted for the PS3 shitfest
]
x.
Renegade Ops - Way more fun than I expected
(
All but Dark Souls and Uncharted 3 played on PC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat :: So many hours gone between Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and finally this. On one episode of The Idle Thumbs Podcast, Chris Remo said he couldn't bear to start the game sometimes because of the oppressively thick and dismal atmosphere of the Zone in contrast to the bright, sunny day outside in the real world. So true... why did I keep going back to that horrible place? Why do I still want to go back for more?! COME ON S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, YOU GOT THIS GSC!
Honorable 2010 mentions(!): Civilization V, Nier, Super Meat Boy