Who will get the award for 2010?
2010 has been a year of great highs and lows. There have been some truly memorable games and others that didn’t quite live upto expectations. For a change, I’ve decided not to give individual awards for 2010 and instead will present just ONE award for the game I found to be the greatest. So here come the nominations for the VG-Reloaded 2010 Game of the Year Award…
Heavy Rain
I was quite a fan of Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, despite maybe missing the mark in some stages. Heavy Rain is the spiritual successor and manages to get everything right; it has the most engaging storyline I’ve played all year and the choices you make really impact the outcome of the game. I did not see the twist coming and hope that Quantic Dream’s next game can outdo this masterpiece.
Halo Reach
Bungie’s last Halo game did not disappoint. The campaign was truly great and a real challenge to complete solo on Legendary! The story is engaging and sets up the start of the trilogy well, add in some real changes to multiplayer and you have one of the most addictive games of 2010.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
So what is Mario Galaxy 2 is more of the same? When the first game was so good, it was always going to be hard to topple, but I have to say…Mario Galaxy 2 manages to do it without even trying. This is without a doubt, the best Wii game of 2010 and the best platformer in years.
Mass Effect 2
Commander Shepard’s return in Mass Effect 2 was truly a sight to behold. It has so many choices that impact everything you do, the gameplay is solid and the character development is unlike anything else out there. This is how to do a sequel and I cannot wait to see what Mass Effect 3 brings…
Call of Duty: Black Ops
It’s been quite an odd year for the COD license, what with the debacle with Infinity Ward. Despite that, Treyarch defied the critics to produce their best COD game to date with a superb campaign, addictive multiplayer and insane Zombies mode. Millions of hours have already been logged online and definitely takes the crown as the most played game of the year.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
How could I not put this on my list? As you know I’m a huge MGS fan and it was truly great to continue Big Boss’ journey in Peace Walker. It was the hardest MGS game to date, but was also the second greatest (behind MGS 4) and sets things up nicely for another handheld game if Kojima wants to do one. Big Boss is a badass and Peace Walker looks like the beginning of his descent…
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
A full fledged sequel only a year after the last game? That’s what Ubisoft has done with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good and thought the multiplayer would be truly awful…how wrong I was. The single player campaign was amazing, the story gives you more questions than answers, but most of all makes you want more and we will get that in 2011 with the next game. Multiplayer wasn’t too bad either…
Worthy Mentions
These games aren’t nominated, but deserve a mention due to how much fun I had playing them this year.
Darksiders
Fable III
Fallout New Vegas
Kinect Sports
Donkey Kong Country Returns
And the winner is…
This has been a very, very hard decision to make. The games I chose to nominate have impressed me in their own unique way, but only one game deserves the award and it goes to….
MASS EFFECT 2
It was a bit obvious, wasn’t it? Shepard’s sequel has so many different storylines, so many things to do, so many worlds to explore that it defies any other game of 2010. PS3 owners will finally find out what the fuss is all about when they get the game next year. It’s truly the most engaging game I’ve played all year what with the action-packed gameplay and the decisions you make which impact everything, even your own survival. I wonder how your choices in Mass Effect 1 & 2 will impact the third game, time will tell…and it’s for all these reasons that Mass Effect 2 proudly wins the VG-Reloaded 2010 Game of the Year Award! Congratulations Bioware!