I don’t really feel like making a video of me talking about my top 10 games of 2010, so I figure it would be easier to just write something out, rather than watching me talk about them for 15 minutes. So, here goes nothin’.
10. Ivy the Kiwi? (Wii)
I always have, and always will, love platformers. The simple yet challenging play style has always drawn me to the genre for one reason or another. Every now and then, though, a developer throws caution to the wind and thinks outside the box, as is the case with Ivy the Kiwi?. The game strays away from the typical platformer at every turn. You don’t control your character and you don’t just jump from ledge to ledge and stomp enemies. In Ivy, your only job is to provide paths for Kiwi to take, and you control those paths using the motion control capabilities that the Wii has. The game gets extremely challenging, especially due to the fact that you cannot stop Ivy from running. This is extremely recommended for platformer fans who want a break from the common platformer.
9. MAG (PS3)
First-person shooters are a dime a dozen these days, especially in the war genre. They have a five-to-six hour campaign, followed by some multiplayer-element tacked on at the end to prevent people from selling the game to GameStop. Zipper, developers of the popular SOCOM series, decided to axe the single-player mode entirely and focused on a great multiplayer. The game’s selling feature was its massive, 128-player online matches all on one server. Zipper succeeded- although the matches didn’t really feel like 128 players due players being secluded to certain areas of the map- and gave PS3 owners a great multiplayer option that they had been longing for.
8. Alan Wake (Xbox 360)
The fact that I enjoyed Alan Wake so much confuses me. I’m not a big fan of horror movies, and even more, horror games. They just freak me out, plain and simple. So what was it about Alan Wake that I loved so much? The story and setting were engaging and hooked me right from the start. It was as if playing a Stephen King novel…in HD. Sure, the enemies got very bland after a couple of hours, and the combat wasn’t great, but that just didn’t matter to me. I loved the television show presentation as it made me feel like I was watching an old Alfred Hitchcock movie. The game has its flaws, but I could easily look past them. I still have to give the DLC a shot.
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
I loved Super Mario Galaxy. I mean I really loved it. When I saw a sequel was coming just a year later, looking exactly like the first one, I was pumped. The addition of Yoshi gave a breath of fresh air to the game, but it still just felt like Galaxy 1.5. There wasn’t enough the second round to really blow me away like the original did, but there was still a lot to enjoy here. I would recommend it, but I’m sure every Wii-owner has it on his or her’s shelf already.
6. Blur (Xbox 360/PS3)
Kart racing games have always been my favorite in the racing genre, but they always lack the realism and authenticity of racing-sims. Then along comes Blur and changes everything. The game uses a Mario Kart-like power-up system, all the while allowing the player to drive real world cars. Who’d have thought we’d ever see the day? The game’s online is addictive as anything, borrowing a Call of Duty-like perk system where the player uses XP earned in races on different load outs. Blur appeals to so many different styles of gamers that no one should give it a pass.
5. Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS)
When it comes to RPGs, I’m a traditional, old-school kind of guy. Too may developers are trying to reinvent the wheel, and it bothers me. Dragon Quest 9 does none of that, and is still fantastic. The simple yet engaging story kept even someone like me who never gives a hoot about video game stories. Once I picked the game up, I couldn’t put it down. A lot of grinding has to be done in DQ9, but it never feels like a grind. The game has likeable characters and a ton of gameplay, both of which RPG fans love.
4. Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii)
Boy, Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a cute game. That works for and against the game, as some people may think this is just some game made for kids, and they’re not wrong. But since when is that a bad thing? The game’s presentation of a yarn made entirely of yarn and fabric makes Epic Yarn one of the best looking games in years, and not just for the Wii. Some may be bugged that you technically cannot die, but when was the last time you got game over? 1997? If you do get hit by an enemy, you lose all the coins you’ve been collecting throughout the game, which hurts even more than losing a life. Give this game a shot if you haven’t already.
3. Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360/PS3)
Grand Theft Auto set in the wild west? Sign me up. Although the game is a GTA clone, Red Dead’s narrative is very different. You don’t play some scum low-life trying to make a buck, and rather control an all-around nice guy. John Marston, the lead protagonist, is just trying to reunite with his family, and will do whatever he has to do see them again. The combat and mission style is very familiar for anyone who has played a post Grand Theft Auto 3 game by Rockstar. I’ve played every GTA since the third, and I can clearly say I enjoyed Red Dead Redemption more than any other Rockstar game.
2. Heavy Rain (PS3)
I don’t often get excited for games to come out to the point where I’m searching the internet at all hours of the day looking for coverage. I did with Heavy Rain. People will say that Heavy Rain isn’t a real game, but rather just an interactive movie. Those people are dopes. Sure there isn’t as much gameplay as other games, but there is still plenty to do here. The game’s story is the reason you’ll play a game like Heavy Rain, and it is fantastic from start to finish. The suspense I felt playing Heavy Rain was more intense than most movies I watch. Visually, there is nothing better on the home console, and that’s a fact. Heavy Rain isn’t for everyone, and I’d be lying if I said it was. I’m glad it was for me, though, as it was my favorite retail game of 2010.
1. Limbo (XBLA)
Where do I even begin with Limbo? The simplistic side-scrolling? The fun yet brutally brain-teasing puzzles at every turn? The ambient, ominous art style? The fact that not a single word is spoken in the entire game, yet a fantastic story of struggle and determination is still told is beyond impressive. I’ll never forget the fear that poured over me the first time I saw a giant spider attempting to impale me with its pointed spear-like leg. I still want to know who those other men were who were seen in the game. A lot of questions were left unanswered, but I like that. It adds to the mystique the surrounds Limbo, and is what makes it the best game released this year.
Heavy Rain, Red Dead, Kirby, DQ9, Limbo,
