Game of the Year 2010

[Lee]

There have been some great games in 2010, whilst the majority have been sequels they have been enjoyable to say the list. So we had a few polls recently about exclusive game of the year, now it's time for overall GOTY. Please don't make this into a fanboy bashing thread, keep on topic and don't spam...

The choices:

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Which has an average score of 93%

Halo: Reach The first of the FPS' here...coming in with an average score of 93% also.

Heavy Rain The only non sequel on the list it comes in with an average 89.9%

Call of Duty Black Ops With the lowest average rating on this list at 88% I think the 7million of you who bought it in the first 24 hours don't give a shit about ratings!

Super Mario Galaxy 2 An Average rating of 97% it has also been awarded GOTY by Edge, Games Master, GamesTM, Destructoid and Metacritic.

They are your five choices. Please also feel free to list other choices if you want, but you can only choose one. There won't be a poll for this and you have until next Sunday. End your posts in Vote: Game title

 

[lenguy]

Halo Reach

I was going to go with Mario Galaxy 2. But for me when it comes down to a gaming franchise, nothing tops Halo. I used to play Halo mainly for the campaign. But Halo Reach packs so much content it has enough to keep you busy for years. It has so much going on. The superb online multiplayer(while I thought Halo 3 had some better maps) To the addictive firefight all the way to forge. This game has something for everybody. I've been playing so much Reach I really haven't had much time for any other game because I'm having so much fun with Reach.

I may be a little biased because I've been a major fan of the series since Halo CE. I just haven't had this much fun with a Halo game since the original. To me halo captures magic and an allure like no other game. Even in 2010, no game matches everything that is Halo Reach. Not even Black ops. It was the game I was anticipating since 2009, and it didn't disappoint.

 

[.]

Heavy Rain

Is there any game like this around these days? No. This was a breakthrough in gaming. The graphics are beautiful as is the textures. This si one of many games that makes me proud i got the PS3. It's not a typical first person shooter that is just being rehashed like Halo or Calll of Duty, no ths is an interactie film. The player can develop sympathy or apathy for each player which is great as it brings you in with it's story. Hell the story(Especially the ending) itself is enough to pick this game. All the differant endings in this game and the wide array of choices gives this game replay value and alot of hours of gameplay.

This game came out to alot of hype and it certainly delivered on it. It was bought because it lived to the hype not just because it's a franchise(Which is more than what can be said for most of the titles on this list). This has to be the game of the year hands down.

Vote: Heavy Rain

 

[JGlass]

For me it's Red Dead Redemption. I'm a big open world game fan, but I was skeptical that this game would match Rockstar's GTA 4 brilliance. I was concerned that the large areas of open space would be boring, the lack of modes in transport would be extremely uninteresting, and that the cowboy game play would make for boring missions (for example: you wouldn't be able to jump out of a helicopter and land on a roof, mowing down goons with your machine gun). Boy was I proven wrong.

First off, the story was flawless. If you could suspend your disbelief that government agents kidnapped Marston's wife and son, the rest of the story is extremely believable, i.e. you don't have to sneak into a forbidden government area, kill a ton of soldiers, and then escape on a jetpack. It had elements of tons of classic Westerns, and you had a variety of different missions ranging from shoot outs in the desert, horse chases, and raiding forts. The weapon choice was also great; you could pick long range foes off with a sniper rifle, battle mid-range enemies with slow but powerful rifles or quick but weak sidearms, or take out your shotgun for close range battles. Additionally, they gave you a variety of thrown weapons that could be used for a lot of fun, especially the throwing knives and dynamite. In a few missions you even get to use mounted weapons including cannons and Gatling guns.

The whole issue of vehicular travel is still there, but Rockstar did well to include a variety of easily identifiable horses. Basically, all but three horses are fairly worthless, some more than others. You get one of the top tier horses fairly early on in the game, and from there on out you're looking for the pure white horse and the pure black horse, as they are the fastest horses in the game. If you don't feel like riding your horse you can always hop in a horse-drawn carriage and skip the cut scene that is your entire trip, or you can hop on a train, climb up to the roof, and shoot things off the train (or rob your fellow passengers). However, riding your horse isn't as boring as it sounds. Often times there are special events that happen on the side of the road that will be rewarding if you partake in them. Sometimes it's saving a hostage from some criminals, other times it's chasing down some escaped convicts, and other times you just have to save a poor bastard from a pack of wolves, but it's always a way to keep you on your toes.

Furthermore, there's a lot to do outside of the storyline missions. Just like GTA, there are a bunch of outside challenges, including hunting challenges, sharpshooting challenges, and treasure hunting challenges. Furthermore, you can ride up to gang hideouts and get into a one man war against the entire gang. There are also lots of mini-games, including poker, liar's dice, and horseshoes. It will take you a long time to get bored when playing single player.

Finally, the multiplayer was a huge improvement over GTA. It's much more organized, the aiming is not as ******ed, and Rockstar made a lot of small changes to make the game more challenging, like making players invisible on the radar unless they shoot or sprint. There are a variety of different game options that have added through the three expansion packs Rockstar has released since the game, and not a single one of them is any better or worse than the others.

To me, this was a perfect game, and I think it is easily the game of the year.

Vote: Red Dead Redemption

 

[Decarow]

If I have to pick from your list, I'm going to pick Heavy Rain. OMG that game kept me occupied for months. I work at GameStop and I've never heard anybody say anything about this game. I can only hope for a sequel.

However Lee, I'm going have to get off topic and agree with JGlass14 as well.

Vote: Heavy Rain

 

[Kashagi]

A Tie!

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty AND Civilization V

As some might recall, Starcraft 1 is among one of my favourite games, I have played the underrated single player mode countless times and played the unbeatable multiplayer 100 times as much.

After almost a decade, needless to say the anticipation for Starcraft II was through the roof, I remember sitting at my local cyber cafe, having already payed for the game, waiting for it to hit midnight and getting the first copy in the town. I did not sleep that night.

The single player was a mixed bag, while there was so much more variety to the missions, the atmosphere of the original was lost, characters became a bit more cardboard and two of the greatest villians in gaming became shells of their former selves. Neverless I enjoyed the campaign and am curious, as well as worried as to where the expansions will lead it.

However it is the multiplayer, just like the original that makes this game so worthwhile. I will simply say it right now: There is no other game that is as popular as Starcraft in terms of competitive play. Forget COD, forget Counter Strike, forget Wow, forget Street Fighter, there is no competitive game as intense and as followed as Starcrafts professional scene. What Starcraft 1 began, Starcraft II continues, the battles online are brutal, I have had 5 minute massacres, and I have had a 2 hour long match in which the outcome depended on one single unit.

While I hesitate to say the game is perfectly balanced, it is getting much warmer with every patch, and I do not doubt it will reach the absolute perfect balance of the original with time, and the competitions will only get more intense and bigger as the people who play Starcraft for a living continue to develop new strategies and learn from each other.

It is an exciting time to be a fan of competitive play!



Civilization on the other hand, is one of those games that takes addiction to a whole new level. I only would compare a few games such as Harvest Moon, The Sims or World of Warcraft to the level of addiction Civilization can cause. I cannot say how many nights I have started play at 8pm, only to find that in what seemed like half an hour, it is 5am and the sun is rising. Clearly I am not the only one!

Civilization V refined what already was an incredible game, fixing the major problems such as the combat (I no longer see an archer defeat a Panzer), adding another layer of strategy as placement of units now comes into play, among other improvements. Civ is absolutely gorgeous, particularly the meetings with other world leaders.. Seeing Napoleon Bonaparte approach you on horseback, declaring war on your people in French, or Elizabeth sitting on her throne, eyeing you with a "dont fuck with me" look.

Though I have not played multiplayer very much, the one game I have played was an 8 hour battle (actually a short match) between myself and 4 other friends, in which the Spanish almost took over the world and America was ruined and split between Russia and Germany within a few centuries.

If you are a fan of competitive play, Starcraft II is the best of the best (and shame on you if you love competition and havent played), and if you like simple at first, impossible to master games in which you lose all track of time due to 'one more turn' syndrome, you will find few games as addictive as Civilization V.

 

[MoeLester18]

My pick is Red Dead Redemption. The game is such so fun and addicting. I find hard to put the controller down while playing it. The game is nearly flawless in every department.

On a side note, I feel like I'm the only one who did not like Super Mario Galaxy 2. I thought I was going to love the game but instead I became bored with it and then I never played it again the week after I bought it. That felt like such a waste of money to me.

 

[UniversalBomb]

For me it's Red Dead Redemption. I'm a big open world game fan, but I was skeptical that this game would match Rockstar's GTA 4 brilliance. I was concerned that the large areas of open space would be boring, the lack of modes in transport would be extremely uninteresting, and that the cowboy game play would make for boring missions (for example: you wouldn't be able to jump out of a helicopter and land on a roof, mowing down goons with your machine gun). Boy was I proven wrong.

First off, the story was flawless. If you could suspend your disbelief that government agents kidnapped Marston's wife and son, the rest of the story is extremely believable, i.e. you don't have to sneak into a forbidden government area, kill a ton of soldiers, and then escape on a jetpack. It had elements of tons of classic Westerns, and you had a variety of different missions ranging from shoot outs in the desert, horse chases, and raiding forts. The weapon choice was also great; you could pick long range foes off with a sniper rifle, battle mid-range enemies with slow but powerful rifles or quick but weak sidearms, or take out your shotgun for close range battles. Additionally, they gave you a variety of thrown weapons that could be used for a lot of fun, especially the throwing knives and dynamite. In a few missions you even get to use mounted weapons including cannons and Gatling guns.

The whole issue of vehicular travel is still there, but Rockstar did well to include a variety of easily identifiable horses. Basically, all but three horses are fairly worthless, some more than others. You get one of the top tier horses fairly early on in the game, and from there on out you're looking for the pure white horse and the pure black horse, as they are the fastest horses in the game. If you don't feel like riding your horse you can always hop in a horse-drawn carriage and skip the cut scene that is your entire trip, or you can hop on a train, climb up to the roof, and shoot things off the train (or rob your fellow passengers). However, riding your horse isn't as boring as it sounds. Often times there are special events that happen on the side of the road that will be rewarding if you partake in them. Sometimes it's saving a hostage from some criminals, other times it's chasing down some escaped convicts, and other times you just have to save a poor bastard from a pack of wolves, but it's always a way to keep you on your toes.

Furthermore, there's a lot to do outside of the storyline missions. Just like GTA, there are a bunch of outside challenges, including hunting challenges, sharpshooting challenges, and treasure hunting challenges. Furthermore, you can ride up to gang hideouts and get into a one man war against the entire gang. There are also lots of mini-games, including poker, liar's dice, and horseshoes. It will take you a long time to get bored when playing single player.

Finally, the multiplayer was a huge improvement over GTA. It's much more organized, the aiming is not as ******ed, and Rockstar made a lot of small changes to make the game more challenging, like making players invisible on the radar unless they shoot or sprint. There are a variety of different game options that have added through the three expansion packs Rockstar has released since the game, and not a single one of them is any better or worse than the others.

To me, this was a perfect game, and I think it is easily the game of the year.

Vote: Red Dead Redemption

This.

Spoiler

The GTA style is amazing, the plot had me questioning on certain things but John dying caught me off a bit. The only thing about this game that ticked me was that when I play John for so long hunting down criminals, being a bad-ass cold blooded killing machine, and his Zeus voice criticizing others that makes you say, "I wouldn't want to meet that guy during a divorce while drunk and pissed at the bar next to him." That he dies from around 10 shots or more to him and you have to play his son. At first I figured, "Hey, maybe he'll grow up more of a bad-ass than his father." I was somewhat right. After he buries his mom, dad and uncle your mission is to find the bastard who was behind it. While riding there, I noticed, "Jack has got a sweet outfit." Then you arrive there and he says something like, "I'm here to kill you for my pa!" That squeak voice just made me replay the whole game until I do the John dies mission. Overall, 9/10 for me.

 

[Da Prophet]

Red Dead Redemption, it was my favorite game this year. With the fantastic storyline, that made you travel around the country. To the graphics, which were excellent and made everything look real. The multiple guns you could have, the little side missions you could do once finished with story mode. While the horse was the only way to travel, I didn't mind it. The different characters you could meet, all having something special about them. It was just a really well made game, that had hours of fun packed in.

Vote: Red Dead Redemption

 

[Samual_Dude]

Heavy Rain was undoubtedly THE best game of 2010, even better than Red Dead Redemption. It was a ground breaking experience for video gamers with not a amazing focus on gameplay but on the story and the characters in the game. The gameplay was simple but the story and characters had layers upon layers of themes, hopes, wishes and struggles. This is a game where you can easily get attached to the characters like in a film. I swear when Jason dies, i nearly shed a tear which no video game had ever made me do.

Vote: Heavy Rain

 

[#1Peep]

I am also going to place my vote towards Red Dead Redemption. As a huge fan of the GTA series I heavily anticipated the release of this game and I wasn't dissapointed, I even thought it surpassed Grand Theft Auto 4. As expected from a Rock* game the storyline was great, and had me readily playing in order to find out what would happen next to John and his family, the characters ranged from hilarious to loveable to despicable and a great connection was made with the protagonist John Marston.

In terms of the gameplay; it is a finer tuned version of GTA 4, with a great and realistic shooting mechanic. The horse riding is incredibly done, with the steeds acting exactly like their real life counter parts. Another high point of the title is the graphics and textures; everything looks great, especially the characters during and out of cut scenes and they are highlighted by beautiful shades and colours. They range from the lucious greens and browns of Tall Trees to the harsh browns and oranges of the Mexican desert. With a great main storyline, a tonne of side stuff to do including gambling, bounty hunting and tracking bears through forests Red Dead Redemption gets my vote as Game of the Year 2010.

Honourable mentions go to: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, FIFA Football 2011 and Halo: Reach.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Out of the list provided, my vote goes to Heavy Rain.

In a year full of gaming sequals, Heavy Rain remains the only original and innovative game compared to all of the other games in the list.

While some will claim that it was nothing more than an interactive movie, the gameplay was refreshing, unique and welcomed change. I have no doubts that it will become a reqular gameplay mechanic that we will see in future games.

Heavy Rain was able to tell a compelling and emotional story that allowed the gamer to become invested with real emotions during the completion of the game.

Out of the list provided, Heavy Rain gets my vote. However, it should be pointed out that there are a few other games that should have easily made it to this list, that I would gladly have voted over Heavy Rain to with Game of the Year 2010.

Vote: Heavy Rain