Disclamer: I neither had the time, nor the budget to play everything. For instance, I have yet to play "COD: Black Ops", or "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood", or any Xbox exclusives for that matter (looking at you "Limbo"), so please take my list with a grain of salt. That being said I would love to hear any recommendations you have for your favorite games of the year!
Next to the title for each game are the game-style, platform, and developer, respectively.
Here we go!
"Bit. Trip Beat" is "Pong" meets Paul Oakenfold in this retro-trippy, rhythm game. More than a little difficult, I spent hours being punished only to return for more. The music is fun, thumping, 8-bit fair that sets the old-meets-new tone for the game. The stylistic graphics, matching that of the games music, make this a challenging and fun title I must recommend to gamers looking to reminisce about their early days of gaming.
"GOD OF WAR"!!! This game is HUGE! It's MEAN!! It's TESTOSTERONE INCARNATE!!! BOOBIES!!!! Santa Monica has really gone all out with this title. The game play is highly satisfying, the pacing is spot on and the game design is wonderful. It is truly a sight to behold. The boss battles, the enormous set pieces, this is a Hollywood blockbuster on steroids. I found the ending to be somewhat implausible from a character standpoint, but the ride was absolutely thrilling.
I know, this game is actually came out in 2009, but I'm not reviewing that version (which I did purchase for the PC back then). This is a review of the 2010 iPhone version! "Plants vs. Zombies" really shines with touch controls. This one of only a couple of games my wife will play over and over. The graphics and game play are super fun as you try to defend your home from a horde of ravenous zombies! This has something for all types of gamers.
Let's just admit it, "Star Craft" is the king of real-time strategy, and Blizzard is possibly the king of game developers, they're definitely the most profitable. The production value of this title is through the roof. Everything from the voice acting to the multi player maps are polished to a fine sheen. I found the campaign to be well paced, fun, and beautiful to behold. Its obvious merits withstanding, I would have preferred that the cut scenes were pre rendered, rather than using the in-game engine with my getting-quite-old graphics card. Also, the learning curve, especially in the multi player ladder system, is quite steep. It seems unbalanced when you can defeat multiple NPC opponents on high difficulties, but don't stand a chance against the lowest of human counterparts. I had a lot of fun and equal frustration with this game, mostly due to my own ineptitude.
Man this game is heart-racing! "Heavy Rain" broke so many barriers, it was an experience that changed what I thought games could do. You decide how the story plays out. There is no "game over" screen. If a character dies because of your choices, that character will not return in the rest of the story. This also creates a myriad of different endings and plot twists that make re playability high. I have yet to revisit "Heavy Rain" because the experience was freaking intense! I guess I'm still deciding if I want to put myself through this game again, haha.
3. Mass Effect 2 (RPG / PC, Xbox 360,(PS3 soon) / Bioware)
Bioware is currently my favorite developer. Their stories are so well told, and finally in "Mass Effect 2", unlike the previous installment in the series, the game play has been brought up to match. The choices you make, the incredible graphics, the thrilling design, this game is phenomenal. You learn to love your team, making the final battle exciting on a level rarely achieved in any medium. I played through this game twice back-to-back in order to experience the extremes of the story telling. As a paragon, I was able to save the lives of all of my crew, but as a renegade, I lost one. While my first play through had a somewhat underwhelming ending, I must say losing the crew member really gave a deep emotional impact to the overall story. This marks the first time I have played a game and have been glad for the mistakes I had made. In any case, there are many ways to experience this deep and highly entertaining story. "Mass Effect 2" will top many lists this year.
2. Minecraft (Open-world RPG / PC / Mojang Specifications)
This game is like fourteen bucks (the price is in euros, I forget what it was in dollars). There is no story. There are no quests. There are no bosses. There is almost no loot. The graphics are 8-bit. There is almost no music. And I haven't been addicted to a game like this since WoW. This game makes me feel like a kid, a kid who is afraid of the dark. A kid playing legos hiding from invisible enemies in the dark. If you would like to read more, I go into greater detail in a post. Do not miss this game.
1. Red Dead Redemption (RPG / PS3, XBox 360 / Rockstar San Diego)
"Red Dead Redemption" made me LOVE a genre I hated as a child. I won't go into a full rave about Red Dead, as I've written a post previously, but man, what a rich and wonderful world Rockstar has re imagined. I could play this game forever.
10. Bit. Trip Beat (Rhythm / iPhone / Gajin Games)
"Bit. Trip Beat" is "Pong" meets Paul Oakenfold in this retro-trippy, rhythm game. More than a little difficult, I spent hours being punished only to return for more. The music is fun, thumping, 8-bit fair that sets the old-meets-new tone for the game. The stylistic graphics, matching that of the games music, make this a challenging and fun title I must recommend to gamers looking to reminisce about their early days of gaming.9. Rimelands: Hammer of Thor (RPG / iPhone / Diceworks Games)
"Rimelands" is a marriage of modern dungeon-crawler gameplay and classic D&D elements. Much like the previous years "Dungeon Hunter" (Gameloft), in most ways "Rimelands" is a "Diablo" (Blizzard) clone; this is a good thing. The combat system, however, is decidedly unique. A set number of dice is rolled to determine hits, misses and defense. I found the system quite enjoyable and the variety of spells and tactics to be fun and challenging. Now, if only it had an ending...
8. Game Dev Story (Time Management / iPhone / Karisoft)
Ever want to run a game company? Me neither! "Game Dev Story" makes it seem super fun. And wow is it easy to make millions of dollars in this industry...apparently. This game has the most rewards-per-minute I've ever experienced. Couple that with the pitch-perfect pacing and you just don't want to put it down. You start as the director of a small game company, choose what type of game you want to make, higher the personnel necessary to make the game, make sure everything is on budget and finally release the game to public scrutiny. Sounds fantastic doesn't it? Trust me, you have to play it to get it. Definitely one of the most smile-inducing games I played this year.
7. God of War 3 (Action, Adventure / PS3 / Sony Computer Entertainment, Santa Monica Studio)
"GOD OF WAR"!!! This game is HUGE! It's MEAN!! It's TESTOSTERONE INCARNATE!!! BOOBIES!!!! Santa Monica has really gone all out with this title. The game play is highly satisfying, the pacing is spot on and the game design is wonderful. It is truly a sight to behold. The boss battles, the enormous set pieces, this is a Hollywood blockbuster on steroids. I found the ending to be somewhat implausible from a character standpoint, but the ride was absolutely thrilling.6. Plants vs. Zombies (Tower Defense / iPhone / Popcap)
I know, this game is actually came out in 2009, but I'm not reviewing that version (which I did purchase for the PC back then). This is a review of the 2010 iPhone version! "Plants vs. Zombies" really shines with touch controls. This one of only a couple of games my wife will play over and over. The graphics and game play are super fun as you try to defend your home from a horde of ravenous zombies! This has something for all types of gamers.5. Star Craft 2 (RTS / PC / Blizzard Entertainment)
Let's just admit it, "Star Craft" is the king of real-time strategy, and Blizzard is possibly the king of game developers, they're definitely the most profitable. The production value of this title is through the roof. Everything from the voice acting to the multi player maps are polished to a fine sheen. I found the campaign to be well paced, fun, and beautiful to behold. Its obvious merits withstanding, I would have preferred that the cut scenes were pre rendered, rather than using the in-game engine with my getting-quite-old graphics card. Also, the learning curve, especially in the multi player ladder system, is quite steep. It seems unbalanced when you can defeat multiple NPC opponents on high difficulties, but don't stand a chance against the lowest of human counterparts. I had a lot of fun and equal frustration with this game, mostly due to my own ineptitude.4. Heavy Rain (Interactive Fiction / PS3 / Quantic Dream)
Man this game is heart-racing! "Heavy Rain" broke so many barriers, it was an experience that changed what I thought games could do. You decide how the story plays out. There is no "game over" screen. If a character dies because of your choices, that character will not return in the rest of the story. This also creates a myriad of different endings and plot twists that make re playability high. I have yet to revisit "Heavy Rain" because the experience was freaking intense! I guess I'm still deciding if I want to put myself through this game again, haha.3. Mass Effect 2 (RPG / PC, Xbox 360,(PS3 soon) / Bioware)
Bioware is currently my favorite developer. Their stories are so well told, and finally in "Mass Effect 2", unlike the previous installment in the series, the game play has been brought up to match. The choices you make, the incredible graphics, the thrilling design, this game is phenomenal. You learn to love your team, making the final battle exciting on a level rarely achieved in any medium. I played through this game twice back-to-back in order to experience the extremes of the story telling. As a paragon, I was able to save the lives of all of my crew, but as a renegade, I lost one. While my first play through had a somewhat underwhelming ending, I must say losing the crew member really gave a deep emotional impact to the overall story. This marks the first time I have played a game and have been glad for the mistakes I had made. In any case, there are many ways to experience this deep and highly entertaining story. "Mass Effect 2" will top many lists this year.2. Minecraft (Open-world RPG / PC / Mojang Specifications)
This game is like fourteen bucks (the price is in euros, I forget what it was in dollars). There is no story. There are no quests. There are no bosses. There is almost no loot. The graphics are 8-bit. There is almost no music. And I haven't been addicted to a game like this since WoW. This game makes me feel like a kid, a kid who is afraid of the dark. A kid playing legos hiding from invisible enemies in the dark. If you would like to read more, I go into greater detail in a post. Do not miss this game.1. Red Dead Redemption (RPG / PS3, XBox 360 / Rockstar San Diego)
"Red Dead Redemption" made me LOVE a genre I hated as a child. I won't go into a full rave about Red Dead, as I've written a post previously, but man, what a rich and wonderful world Rockstar has re imagined. I could play this game forever.What a great year for games! What were your favorites?
On the docket for next year: Old Republic, Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Oblivion 5, Arkham City and Dragon Age 2, to name a few! Where will we find the time?! What are you most looking forward to next year?
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