10. Dragon Age: Origins
I know this game came out in 2009. That doesn't mean I didn't play it in 2010 and if it had come out in 2010? Well it'd probably be a lot higher on this list. I'm actually playing through it again right now in anticipation of Dragon Age II's March 8th release date because I haven't gotten all the lore out of it yet. I want to know more about the land of Ferelden and its inhabitants. You see, Bioware has a knack for characters. Sure they tell a good story and the gameplay that goes along with it is mostly incredible but what I remember most about Dragon Age: Origins is standing around in camp and engaging in conversation with my party members. I'd go through every branching conversation to learn as much about them as I possibly could and once I'd exhausted my options with one run of this lengthy adventure, I'd start another and play through the questlines differently just to witness the outcomes. I liked seeing how my companions would react to my actions, be it good or bad, and if they'd stick with me to the end or become infuriated and leave forever. It's rare that I feel a connection with a character in a game, let alone a whole group of them, but on these second and third playthroughs I'd often find myself feeling a little down after making a poor choice because they all felt like friends. Now that I'm playing it again I'm making sure I keep everyone really happy and showering them with gifts so they stay loyal. Here's hoping Dragon Age II maintains this level of interactive story telling.9. Poker Night at the Inventory
Ah, Poker Night. The only game to really make me take an interest in a card game. You see, once again, I'm drawn to a game because of the characters. Poker Night has characters from some of my favorite franchises and managed to make me laugh more than any other game in 2010 (I haven't finished Sam and Max Season 3 yet so that might change). Max, Strongbad, Heavy Weapons Guy, and Tycho might sound like an odd grouping at first but the more I sit in on their poker games and the more I listen to them talk the more I want to see of them. Each character is rendered the way they were in their own games and they all emote well. The game has style and humor in spades (pun intended) and I'm hoping to see Telltale Games release more games ending in "at the Inventory" in the future.8. Super Meat Boy
Masocore gaming at its finest. Ask anyone who's played this game how they feel about it. Depending on if they've just stepped away from it, are playing it as you ask them, or if they haven't played it for a few hours, they'll usually give you one of two responses that either praise the game or begin and end in an expletive. Both indicate that they love the game. I know I've reacted both ways when I've thought about and talked about the game. The only reason I haven't played it recently is because I'm waiting for a chance to get a proper gamepad to use with my laptop. Every once in a while though, despite not having one, I'll sit and play Super Meat Boy with my keyboard.7. Yakuza 3
My interest in Japanese culture has become more tame of late but occasionally I'll find something that piques my interest and I'll lose myself in it. Yakuza 3 is one such thing. I roamed the streets of the fictional Kamurocho for hours on end when I played this game and as I wandered I'd take everything in. Little things like hiragana or katakana characters on shop signs and banners. The tightly packed streets and alleyways. This game has a real sense of place. There are people all over the place and a lot of the buildings you see can actually be entered. Most everything you see in the game is accurate to the real life Tokyo district of Kabukicho. Stores in the game are in the places you'd see them if you were to actually travel to Tokyo and the products stoked on the store shelves are all licensed. Not only does Yakuza 3 have an excellent sense of atmosphere, it has an incredibly entertaining plot and enjoyable combat. I didn't just play this game. It inspired me to study and learn more about the Yakuza and to delve back into my neglected Japanese culture studies. I can't wait to roam Kamurocho again once Yakuza 4 comes out.6. Vanquish
This games characters and story are pretty much garbage but the gameplay and graphics were so interesting and fun that I couldn't tear myself away. Vanquish has an awesome metallic and white color palette and the way guns morph into each other is really creative. It might have been done somewhere else before but this game does it really well. Not only that, it's the only game to feature a button for smoking while behind cover. It doesn't just look cool either. After sucking a bit of ash, player controlled character Sam Gideon will then throw the cigarette over the cover he's behind and there is a chance that your robot adversaries will actually be distracted by it, giving you an opening to shoot at them. Oh, and the game has rocket boots.5. God of War III
A more violent game this year, I did not play. God of War III is the story about an asshole on a quest to get revenge against the gods who took his powers away from him because he was being an asshole. Kratos is in no way a protagonist. He hasn't been since the beginning of God of War II and I wouldn't have it any other way. Tearing through hordes of enemies and seeing their blood splash all over Kratos and the ground around him is incredibly satisfying. The gameplay is a lot deeper than in previous iterations of the games as well. No more can you spam the old square, square, triangle that got most players safely through the first game. That combo now results in a slow, cumbersome attack that proves to be mostly useless. Having obtained the Platinum trophy for this game I can tell you that I had to use almost as much skill as someone would need to master some of the latter stages in a Ninja Gaiden game. God of War III is also the most visually stunning game I've seen on the PS3 thus far. I might go play it again once I'm done writing.4. Mass Effect 2
It's hard for me to put this at number four. It really is. As far as being an RPG or a third person shooter goes, it lacks a bit in both categories. It pales in comparison to my favorite third person shooter this year (no blind fire or dedicated button for smoking) and most of the elements that made the first game an RPG at all have been streamlined to near non-existence. None of that matters because Mass Effect 2 is, like Dragon Age: Origins, a game that I come to for its rich universe and characters. Bioware has somehow managed to pull my interest from the other two big science fiction franchises (Star Trek and Star Wars) and convinced me that the universe that they've crafted is the best. It feels more scientifically plausible in a lot of ways and the places you visit seem real and lived in. The depth they've gone to in writing back stories for all the races and how those races interact with each other is absurd in the best possible ways. The Mass Effect universe has gotten so big that it's extending its reach far outside the game into online portals. Enter Cerberus Daily News. A website that logs news about fictional events in the game. Users that comment on the articles do so in character and I spent a lot of time not just playing the game, but reading these news reports and the accompanying banter from Turians, Salarians, the occasional Geth posing as an organic creature, and a variety of others. The site isn't going to be receiving official updates for a while but once Mass Effect 3 comes out at the end of the year maybe I'll get some news from Cerberus. 3. Red Dead Redemption
Like several other games on this list, Red Dead is here because its narrative outshines its gameplay. John Marston's is a long and intense journey. Along the way he meets all manner of people and helps them in an effort to gain some help for himself. Although he spends the majority of the game searching for members of the gang that he used to belong to, his ultimate goal is to be reunited with his family. Outside of the story that you're thrust into are small signs that this is a world that is changing and dying out. The cobbled streets of Blackwater are in complete contrast with the dust that kicks up when you ride your horse through Armadillo. Here businessmen drive automobiles and wear suits while further out there are those still dressed in cowhide. There aren't many video games set in the old west. Even fewer set in the very end of the old west. What Red Dead does, it does well. I only wish I could write about what I thought of the plot without spoiling some of its more pivotal moments. Maybe I will some time.2. Darksiders
It was tough for me to make the decision to place this one higher than Red Dead or Mass Effect 2 but in the end I kept thinking of all the little things about the game that kept me interested. Yes, it's an homage (ripoff) of the Legend of Zelda games but it's also, in my opinion, better than most of the modern Zelda games that Nintendo has put out. It has an art style I actually like (sorry Skyward Sword), enjoyable combat and the world and dungeon designs are great. It bucks the trend of being set in a post apocalyptic wasteland and instead takes place during the apocalypse itself. It doesn't just rip off of Zelda though. Yes, you have a hookshot and what basically passes for a boomerang but there are some more bizarre gameplay elements lifted from places you wouldn't even think would work in this kind of game. When I look back fondly on 2010 I can't help but place the moment that War received the Voidwalker, essentially the portal gun from Portal, and used it to create blue and orange portals to navigate a dungeon. It might seem crazy to say it but... Darksiders might just be my new Ocarina of Time.1. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Truth be told, this is the first game I thought of when I sat down to come up with this list of my favorite games. I've logged almost 400 hours (more than the number of hours I've put into both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age) in this game and because of the way the missions and game content is structured I don't know when that clock will top off. I'll often find myself turning on my PSP for a quick tactical espionage operation. I can't count the number of times I've played the same missions again and again either but you know what? I don't care. I have this drive to obtain the best rank and the fastest time on every last mission. Finding the best paths and the quickest and quietest ways to eliminate the opposition (or monsters, or Metal Gears) just doesn't get old for me. There are actually missions I don't even have unlocked yet that I really want to see. Gushing about how much I love this game has almost become as much of a hobby as actually playing it. Own a PSP? Do yourself a favor and get this game.Games I wish I would have Played in 2010:
These are in no particular order.
1. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
2. Singularity
3. Spinter Cell: Conviction
4. Bayonetta (I didn't play through the game in its entirety.)
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