2010 was a pretty good year for gamers and an okay year for the industry. For me personally, beside graduating and gaining the knowledge of topic on art, music, game design, and business, I felt like I didn't play nearly enough videogames, haha. I would say that Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends dominated my play time in 2010 with TF2 racked up to 128 hours and LoL up to 156 hours. Because of this, I can't really do a top 10 list like many others have. Instead, I will try to mention what I can of 2010 and comment on it. So here it is:
GAMES OF 2010
-Mass Effect 2 - Okay, I totally missed out on all the buzz when it released since I was still in school and had barely got through anything in the first one (even though I was playing 12-20 hours of TF2 each week). But it's okay, I bought it in the recent Steam holiday sales and will play it when I finish the first one.
-Red Dead Redemption - I tried it a little at E3 and didn't get enough time to really have a grasp of what the game was really like. I hear people spending hundreds of hours on this game, it must be good. Most people didn't even know it's a sequel of Red Dead Revolver, that's why I'm so surprised this one got so popular.
-Alan Wake - I heard this was a disappointment. "Scary, but short and mediocre story" is what I hear. I'm still curious about playing it.
-Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Bah, I had the chance to play it at E3 and I skipped out on it. My friends and the gaming community agrees that it's better than AC 1 & 2 combined together. I have yet to play ANY of them. I played about 5 minutes of the 2nd one when I was helping out at a Ubisoft launch party.
-Super Meat Boy - I got it a week before Christmas as a gift from a friend and really enjoy it! It's difficult, but not frustratingly intimidating like "I Wanna Be The Guy" is like. I like that game too, but it's very hard to make any progress without seeing a walk-through video.
-Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - I recently bought this during a Steam holiday deal and am very surprised at how wonderfully smooth it runs on my computer. I'm going through campaign (surprised that there is even a story in a battlefield game) and am really like the over all feel and gameplay. The Multiplayer looks amazing, but I haven't played it yet. I'm very excited about trying it out when I get the time.
-Split/Second - My friend tried this and said it was only okay. I didn't take too much notice on it other than the fact that you can destroy buildings to impede on your opponents progression.
-Blur - This game caught my attention tenfold compared to split/second. It was colorful, fast, destructive, and an interesting mix between realism and arcade. I am now playing and "WOW" is it exciting. I haven't played a racing game that I enjoyed so much in the longest time.
-Limbo - This was showcased at E3 and I know nothing about it. I heard so many great things about it, but never bothered to look it up and see how it works.
-Rock Band 3 - I never bothered buying any of the music games because I saw how quickly the game gets replaced by sequels and how expensive it would be to get all the equipment. I didn't care about Rock Band 3 and it seems like a lot of my friends didn't either because those who had 1 & 2 didn't bother getting 3. I am hearing a lot of great content always being added though. This is probably the best Rock Band from what gamers and critics are saying, but in terms of marketing, it came out at the wrong time.
-Heavy Rain - I'm so curious about this game, I like a good story. But I never got around to getting the game.
-Monday Night Combat - I recently bought the PC version when I saw it the second it came out on Steam. I remember thinking when watching the Xbox Trailer "if this ever comes out on PC, I think I'll get it". I enjoy both TF2 and LoL and hear that it's a combination of both. I played through the tutorial but haven't gotten the chance to play the real game yet. It's still in Beta right now, but the dev team is hard at work updating it.
-Bayonetta - I played the demo and thought it did very well compared to a lot of other action games I played for study this year. It's combat is fluid and the progression of the game kept me interested (then again, it's a demo, so it might be different in the full version. I'll get this eventually.
-Vanquish - Played the demo for this one too and was amazed at how well designed the game was. The gameplay was fast paced but the levels and enemies were rather challenging. This game is one I should look out for in a sale.
-Sin and Punishment: Star Successor - I bought like 5-7 Wii games and have barely played any of them because of how busy I've gotten. I really want to get this game, but I think it will have to wait until I finish up the other 50+ games I have.
-Dark Void - I remember hearing about this in 2009 and waited for so long. Then it came out and fell under the radar because of its ratings with the critics and the reception it received from a lot of gamers. I need to check it out sometime to see why it wasn't as successful as I thought it would have.
-Singularity - I didn't have enough interest in the game to buy it, but I liked what I saw in the videos. Maybe I'll buy and play it one day, but I think I can hold out on this for a while.
-3D Dot Game Heroes - It looks like Zelda gameplay, and that's alright. I like the concept, but I'm not sure how well the game progresses. If it doesn't keep the player's interest all the way through, it may not really be all that worth it.
-Metro 2033 - Saw this a lot at Play n Trade, but didn't buy it and I never heard of anyone playing it. When I got online, those who've played it seemed to have enjoyed it. I'll look into in the near future.
-Fallout: New Vegas - Players who liked the 3rd one didn't like this one as much but still enjoyed the game. I'm still waiting for a $5 sale on Fallout 3 to play through that first.
-Halo: Reach - I'm very sad that I haven't played this yet. I didn't even get to play ODST! One day...
-God of War 3 - I didn't play the first two yet, so I didn't pay much attention to this one.
-Kirby's Epic Yarn - I saw it at E3, but didn't play it. There's quite a few Wii games I want, but I already have 5-7 of them I've barely touched since I bought them.
-No More Heroes 2 - Same reason as Kirby's Epic Yarn. That and I haven't played the first one.
-Chime - I read an article on Gamasutra about this and am now convinced to buying it. I'm going to try it out this weekend.
-Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit - I don't know much about this iteration other than the well received critiques. My friend is excited for a chance to play it, maybe we will in the near future.
-Gran Turismo 5 - I'm not a huge fan of realistic car racing since I am incredibly terrible at them, but I love love LOVE the detail the developers put into the accuracy of the models, graphics, and physics. I'm not going to buy it, but I'd love a chance to play it.
-Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West - bought this because I was excited after seeing the trailer right before it came out. I was sad to see that very few people were on. I am terrible at Lead and Gold, but when a full house is in session, the game can be pretty fun.
-Blacklight: Tango Down - I'm sad that there are so little people playing this as well. The game is really fun, but has many flaws and questionable creative design that were never fixed or updated. The developers seemed to have abandoned the PC community of the game. I still play it for the leveling, weapon customization and Mission mode. More people need to play it!
-Medal of Honor - Despite the average ratings the game received, I really enjoyed it and still play it despite having Black Ops and MAG. I bought it during Black Friday sales and have played mostly multiplayer. There are times where it felt like it had unfair advantages in game design, but other times it's so rewarding that I look past those flaws. The audio is the best I've ever heard in a First Person Shooter to date.
-Call of Duty: Black Ops - A friend bought it for me for Christmas! I was so happy, it brought all my friends together once again like we did in the 007 Goldeneye N64 days and played 4 player split-screen. Online play has a lot of problems, but the overall game experience is gold. I'm disgusted with the dispute between Activision and Infinity Ward and what the original members of Infinity Ward had to go through, but I have to praise Treyarch for a truly enjoyable experience in the Call of Duty series.
-Fable 3 - I didn't really play the first two and so ignored this title. Maybe I'll play the series one day.
-Final Fantasy 13 - I couldn't help but buy it. I like it, but haven't had the time to play it. MUST FIND TIME TO PLAY FINAL FANTASY!!!
-Final Fantasy 14 - I participated in the open beta and was disappointed with the requirements of graphics since it was so laggy. The graphics themselves; however, was breathtaking. Final Fantasy has always had a knack for creating an experience rather than just pure gameplay. The problem is that people don't want to pay every month for mediocre gameplay that was already done before, even if the detail in content is top-notch. Square-Enix has to remember that the world is recovering from recession and is possibly still facing the effects of it. That's why mobile games and indie games are on the rise now, they entertain without killing the wallet.
-World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - WoW is an exception from the previous sentence I just wrote because WoW has been and still is about the gameplay and what the players want. I don't know too much about it since I refuse to pay every month to play it (because of my hectic schedule) but one of my friends immediately bought it and started playing it. Those who quit WoW are now going back to it.
-Civilization V - I never paid attention to Civ games and I keep hearing about how great the series is. What surprises me the most is that the composer for Civ 4 is nominated for a Grammy. I haven't heard his music yet, but why that game? Why now? Music has been a huge contribution to the game industry and for music, yet a game I barely know of is mentioned for being grammy-worthy? I think what scares me about the Civ games is the amount of time people put into it. Will I have to put in a lot of hours before I enjoy it?
-Starcraft 2 - Ugh, I bought the collector's edition for $100 and have only played 22 hours on multiplayer. I haven't even touched the singleplayer yet. I like the game so far, but playing against others is rather intimidating. I mainly wanted SC2 for its editor above all else. The editor in SC1 is what decisively got me focused in game development.
-Metroid: Other M - Despite the mixed reviews it got among critics, gamers, and Metroid Fans, I really enjoyed the game a lot. I haven't beat it yet, but I am very ready to play it some more when I get the time. The most rewarding aspect is knowing all the background story and character of Samus Aran and seeing it expand through her voice and her perspective.
-Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Heh, I haven't played through the first one which I got 2-3 years ago...
-GoldenEye 007 - I really wanted it, but again I was held back by the thought of all those Wii games I haven't beat yet.
-Donkey Kong Country Returns - I played this at a friend's house a few days ago. It's much harder than I thought, and the addition of simultaneous play makes it even more challenging to progress. It's fun, but I feel like it lost a lot of what the original had.
-Super Street Fighter 4 - I need to buy this one day. I have the original (SF4) and haven't had much time to play through it. I played it at a friend's house and thought it was a fair deal to release another SF with so many extra characters and at a lower price.
-Army of Two: 40th Day - The story was terrible and didn't make any sense all the way to the end, but the gameplay was pretty fun as long as you had a friend to play with and had a huge TV.
-BlazBlue: Continuum Shift - Oh man, I love this game. Quirky characters, incredible soundtrack, interesting story (though kinda convoluted), and great gameplay. I just wish I had more time to play it more often.
-Dark Void Zero - I bought the PC version on Steam and was a little disappointed with the same bosses, save system, and short length of the overall game. I don't play it that often, but I plan on at least beating it. Can't believe they added a DRM with a 5 install limit. I don't plan on taking it off since it doesn't take up that much space.
-Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations - This is possibly one of the most memorable games I played this year. I loved the story and the introduction of new characters. It does make me miss Phoenix Wright, but it captures a lot of the charm its predecessors had.
-Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - To be honest, the only Dragon Quest I've really played is DQ Swords on Wii. I haven't even beaten that one yet. I heard this 9th one on DS could last months of gameplay.
-Sonic Colors - I still have faith in Sonic, I'm planning on playing this one day.
-Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem - Gonna play it one day, just not now.
-Golden Sun: Dark Dawn - I tried this at E3 and had a hit of nostalgia. It's been so long since the 2nd one and this one.
-Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light - I want to play this. I HAVE THIS! Yet I haven't even touched it yet...
-Puzzle Quest 2 - I tried this at E3 as well. Little has changed, and I haven't played enough of the story mode to get a fell for it. It'd be nice to have even more classes, but then maybe that's asking for too much.
-Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City - I'm still working on the first one...the game is hard...
-FIFA Soccer 11 - I am terrible at this game, haha. The gameplay is amazing and doesn't feel too clunky (as realism gets better, controls get clunkier). Fun game, but no buy.
-Dead Rising 2 - I want to get this just for the co-op play. It feels like there are hardly any co-op games worth playing nowadays. Zombie games seems to be the way to go for Co-op (L4D2).
-Mafia II - A friend of mine played and beat it. He enjoyed it thoroughly, so I'll play it eventually.
-NBA 2K11 - I missed out on 2K10, but it feels like such a huge leap from 2K9 to 2K11. The gameplay is much more realistic, but the player controls feel a lot heavier and unruly.
-Vindictus - I've been keeping up with this game for a long time and was happy to see it finally out this year. I played it at E3 and was excited for the official launch. It came out and I got really busy. I played the introduction and that's about it so far. I miss having time to play MMOs...
-Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - I played this at E3 this year and saw this at E3 2009's trailer last year. I'm a huge fan of Castlevania and really want this. But I have restrained myself from buying anymore games until I finish a majority of the ones I have now. Steam deals are an exception.
-Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage - I was very happy to see this game brought over to the English speaking audience since I started watching all the episodes of the classic "Hokuto no Ken". The game doesn't seem too spectacular from what I played at E3 and the Demo on PS3, but there's something about it I enjoy that makes me sure that I'll get this game in the future.
I probably missed a lot from this year, especially the indie games since I've been playing a lot of those. 2010 overall wasn't too bad. I'm still playing a lot of older games since I didn't get to play them when I was still in school. I'm working on Metal Gear Solid 1,2,3, and 4 right now, and have been playing other older games more often. Right now, Demon's Souls is the game that has most of my attention besides the most recent game I got Call of Duty: Black Ops. With the Holiday Sales on Steam these past 2 weeks, I think I have enough games to keep me busy all next year. I'm very certain I'll still be buying more though.
Happy New Year everyone, and Happy Gaming.
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