Previous Top Tens: 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
After a reasonable amount of thought I whipped up a list of my favorite ten games of 2010. Obviously I didn’t get to play everything so I couldn’t included what I didn’t completely experience, but I still got a good number of titles under my belt. So, in no order…
Nier
Nier doesn’t have the most inviting premise. It usually looks like an up-res’d PlayStation 2 game, features dozens of ancillary fetch quests, and seems overly simple to the untrained eye. Those observations are valid, but ultimately cast aside as trivial annoyances in light of what Nier actually gets right. Numerous stabs at switching up the gameplay (everything from a text adventure to a shoot ’em up make an appearance), my personal favorite soundtrack of the year (listen as vocals seamlessly slide in an out of the themes), and ambitious, gargantuan boss battles struck a chord, but the real draw of Nier was its narrative. At 27, I find it hard to connect with a story, especially through archetype-heavy Japanese games. With a wild, winding tale and some of the best original characters seen this generation, there wasn’t anything else offering what Nier presented. Completing the tale was a risk that came with playing through the game (with moderate carry-over) four different times, but following each thread to its end proved worth the effort. There will never be another character like Kaine or Emil, just as there will never be another game like Nier. Time will never be kind to graphics, but great gameplay and good stories will never be forgotten, and it that regard Nier is going to end up as one of those “hidden gems” you always wish you would have played. Quite a shame for such a great game. Eric’s Review: 8.4
Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain wasn’t the second coming painted by my impressions at CES and E3, but it was still (like most else on this list) an experience wildly divergent from any other release. The characters, Ethan and Madison specifically, bordered on both cliché and implausibility, but their struggles were entirely relatable. Ethan’s segments, in particular, created a level of tension unrivaled by anything else in 2010. I was yanking the SIXAXIS back and forth to avoid cars like my life depended on it, and my decisions on his other “tests” required a significant amount of careful thought, rather than my usual do-it-see-what-happens approach to choice in videogames. Sure, Heavy Rain became significantly less impressive once the curtain was pulled back, but the illusion the first time through felt real enough to me. It’ll only work once, but it’s a hell of a show. Eric’s Review: 9.4
Limbo
Usually my year-end lists are dominated by downloadable titles, but Limbo seemed to eat everything else’s lunch in 2010. Certain aspects are simplistic on the surface, but utterly essential in context; the start-and-go approach was unnatural, but entirely essential to the sense of danger and discovery. Much like the kid in Limbo, you don’t know where you’re going and have only the slightest idea of what you’re doing there. Of equal importance was the marriage between gameplay and presentation; nearly every puzzle was potentially lethal, but each one rarely required the same skill set. Creating a sense of danger, especially one attached to the frailty and fearfulness of youth, created an experience not found elsewhere. It was short, but length was irrelevant alongside an experience as valuable and unique as the one offered in Limbo. Steve Schardein’s Review: 8.4 / Eric’s Impressions
Dead Rising 2
Like Just Cause 2, Dead Rising 2 was firmly aware of its ridiculous circumstance. It wasn’t concerned with reality, and it allowed the player to celebrate every senseless moment of it. Amidst the preposterous selection of weapon combinations lied a true old-school approach to game design. With its counting clock and limited save files, Dead Rising 2, much like its predecessor, wasn’t intended to be played through once or even twice. Much like games of eras past, its punitive nature was a means to force the player into perfection. To some that meant a quick reason to exit stage, but others, most notably those of us who grew up playing games in the 80’s, it was a means to appreciate a tangible sense of consequence. Modern gaming culture and design has conditioned players to accept a mediocrity and poor performance as minor setbacks instead of absolute failure, and there’s a certain pleasure in a game that plays for keeps. Eric’s Review: 9.0
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 accomplished what I previously didn’t assume was possible; it made the original Mass Effect feel small. Hits were taken when the overarching narrative fell to the extended sessions of character development associated with assembling your team of badasses, but such a sacrifice felt like a more intelligent route for the middle entry in the series. More importantly, the additions to the gameplay expanded Mass Effect from repeat-heavy, content-light affair into diverse journey for each member of your squad. Combat was greatly improved, and each member of my squad was outfitted with invaluable abilities, each of which could be considered indispensable. It would have been easy to choose had they not been characters of interest, but, in classic Bioware form, each was fleshed out with a ton of back story and exceptional dialogue. Great voice work, exceptional (and controversial) gunplay and combat, fantastic art direction, awesome post-release content, and mastery of Unreal Engine 3 second only to Epic all helped establish Mass Effect 2 as the highest game I scored this year. 11 months later, it’s hard to disagree with myself. Eric’s Review: 10.0
Bayonetta
I usually don’t put much stock in scores, but Bayonetta made a statement when it joined Ocarina of Time as the only game to receive an ace from both Edge and Famitsu, two magazines notoriously stingy with perfect scores. Bayonetta is the fulfilled vision of a sole entity. It is a product untainted by focus group research, marketing interference, or poisonous publisher oversight. Hideki Kamiya made the game he wanted to make and, in the process, authenticated his work with an incredible sense of purity. This is manifested in the combat engine, which is currently the pinnacle of the character action genre. From a pure control standpoint, Bayonetta is faster than Kratos, less restrictive than Dante, and more cohesive than Ryu and her perfect sense of control is woven into the fabric of the gameplay. Best of all, I never, ever got discouraged while playing it. Few games transform trial and error from a penalty into a legitimate learning experience, insuring you’ll learn and build a skill set to overcome the ridiculous difficulty. There’s plenty of garbage in Bayonetta that flat out doesn’t work, but it’s fundamentally unrelated to the gameplay. In terms of content, gameplay, and presentation Bayonetta is a sort of focused insanity. Games like this don’t normally get made, and it’s important to take the time to appreciate them when they do. Other Impressions
Vanquish
Vanquish and Bayonetta largely accomplish the same goals for different genres, but one area where they diverge is presentation. If Bayonetta is an abstract of performance art, Vanquish offers a mainline injection of teeth gritting splendor. Shinji Mikami’s answer to cover based shooting is an understatement, as Vanquish offered more than enough tools to transcend into the upper echelon of third person shooters. Sam Gideon’s ridiculous suit is responsible for most the conscious and all around impressive technical and visual feats of 2010. Vanquish is a game that begs to be repeatedly destroyed instead of casually beaten, and offers a path to such through unparalleled control and dedication to precision. The lack of upgrades to movement bring an old school sense of progression, one where a novice and expert can accomplish remarkably different feats under an identical set of rules. Best of all, any way you spin it Vanquish is a wildly impressive visual spectacle. It’s not as all around perfect as Bayonetta, but remained an indispensible experience to celebrate the return of skill-based gaming. Eric and Steven McGehee’s Review: 9.1
Persona 3 Portable
On any given day Persona 3 might be my favorite PlayStation 2 game. A relentless fascination with Japanese culture and a slavish addiction to the Shin Megami Tensei games lead to a predictable result, but that didn’t make it any less deserving or qualified. A better testament to P3P’s quality would be that I had little issue with playing through an 80 hour game a third time in as many years. A better refinement than even FES, P3P offered the biggest game changer of all; the ability to play as a female main character. With it arrived several expected differences, but also significant changes to the game’s structure. Combined with the streamlined day-to-day operations exceptional new music, it wasn’t hard to stroll through another round of Persona 3. What truly sent it over the top was also quite obvious; I could take a massive, epic RPG with me anywhere I went. It’s commonplace in the handheld landscape, but still an ace in my book. Eric’s Review: 9.4
Just Cause 2
Just Cause 2 is a better test ground for insanity than it is a videogame. The traditional challenge of a game, visible in Just Cause 2 through fairly routine open world missions and aimless bouts of destruction, isn’t as special as the ridiculous opportunities that surround and support it. Concept alone lends itself to an array of performances made possible through an absurd physics engine, magic grappling hook, and infinite parachute. Riding a tuk-tuk down a mountain, attempting to exit and re-enter then helicopter you just jumped out of, and sky jacking passing planes were just a few of the random challenges I made for myself. Just Cause 2’s wonderfully silly toolbox is a gift for players hell bent on jumping outside the lines and creating their own fun. Not many games have such a self aware sense of absurdity and ever fewer afford the player countless opportunities to exploit them. In a way it was just like the first time I played Grand Theft Auto III; I didn’t care what was supposed to be happening, I just wanted to get lost with experimenting in the world (which the game facilitated; please see my videos uploading using Just Cause 2’s YouTube connectivity) Plane Exit | Stunt Turns Violent Death | Gunner Scream | Runway + Car + Airplane | Helicopter + Mountain + Car | Exit Helicopter -> Skydive -> Reacquire and Re-enter Helicopter – – Eric’s Review: 9.0
Super Mario Galaxy 2
What Mario lost in the stagnancy of a sequel was corrected in a fresh approach to nearly all of Galaxy’s mechanics. Tokyo EAD came up with hundreds of great ideas and then tossed them out like candy. Whereas other developers are content to squeeze every last drop out of a concept, Tokyo EAD refined each idea to a single instance of perfection before quickly moving onto the next great sequence. It’s a drastically risky approach, but one that ultimately worked in Galaxy 2’s favor. Coupled with a perfect sense of control (who would expect any less?) and the mastery therein required to grab all 242 stars, and you’re left with one of the best gameplay-focused experiences of 2010. Steve Schardein’s Review: 10.0
Other games I highly enjoyed:
Undead Nightmare – A perfect expansion. Undead Nightmare fundamentally altered Red Dead Redemption’s mechanics and applied them to a conscious selection of insane circumstances. Utterly delightful and a steal at $10. Nathan Steven’s Review: 9.0
Final Fantasy XIII – Had an absolute blast when I played it and I still maintain combat as the current pinnacle of active time battle, but time hasn’t been kind to my thoughts of XIII. Still a great game, but ultimately hollow and plodding when separated from conflict. Eric’s Review: 9.0
Red Dead Redemption – John Marston and his insistence on not giving a shit about anything other than his family turned him into my one of my favorite characters of the year. The world was impressive in scope and technical prowess, but ultimately buckled under repetitive mission design. Still, a must-play. Nathan Steven’s Review: 9.8
New Vegas – A worthwhile dive back into Fallout savaged by the worst technical presentation I have ever seen in a high profile release. Nathan Steven’s Review: 7.6
Gran Turismo 5 – The best racing simulation to ever grace a console granted Gran Turismo 5 a certain amount of confidence, but its poor interface and occasional backwards approach to design kept it out of my top ten. A phenomenal game, but I couldn’t push any other game out in its place. Eric’s Review: 9.0
Enslaved – Enslaved’s rich presentation is ultimately limited by its rather conventional design. A great example of storytelling, but I wish Ninja Theory could have wrapped a better game around it. Steven McGehee’s Review: 9.2
Pac Man Championship Edition DX – Along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 Pac Man CE DX is probably one of the best pure-gameplay performances of the year, but, despite dumping over a dozen hours, the lack of friends playing this game has limited its potential. Grabbing my own high scores is fine, but it would have been more interesting had a few more people on my friends list participated.
Yakuza 3 – Yakuza 3 (and its prequels) is one of the few games from Japan that actually makes the player feel like they’re in Japan. Not what everyone’s looking for, but incredibly valuable to those who can appreciate it. Not a bad brawler/RPG either, but the content removed from the North American release was a bummer.
