Has 2010 been One of the best years of gaming EVER?

[The Raven's Epitaph]

Unless you've been living in a cave and hibernating for the past year, you would have noticed that there have been one or two great games released.

Shall we take a look? (Note: I am aware that handheld games have been released aswell, but I'm not going to be talking about those.)

Mafia 2​

Mafia 2 is set in the 1940's and is very similar to that of Grand Theft Auto. This game has great characters, notably, the main character you play as, Vito. He is a poverty damaged Italian/American and like most mobsters back in the 40's, has to fight his way to the top of the food-chain. Of course, that's where you come in.

Mafia 2 gets a solid 7/10 rating from IGN on PC, 360 and PS3.​

Halo: Reach​

It's no surprise that Bungie dish out another Halo game, and it's no surprise that it's another timeless classic that you shouldn't miss out on if you're a fan of the series. It's a very new style of Halo gaming, that brings in completely new characters, all with a new multiplayer mode, story mode, weapons, armor, perks and pretty much everything else that we've never seen before, besides wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men.

The game itself has a decent length to it, but if you're like me, you will have cleared the game in a short time. There are extra difficulties if you feel like a challenge, each with their own respective achievement to go with it. You can come out of hiding now you Gamerscore ****es. (Author's Note: That's actually my email address funnily enough.)

Halo: Reach gets an amazing 10/10 rating from IGN and gets titled "Masterpiece". Bungie churn out another Halo game and bag themselves a 10/10 rating. Well done!

Dead Rising 2​

I've never been a fan of the Dead Rising games personally, but from what I've heard, it's better than the prequel and it's a solid all-round game. IGN give this game an 8/10 rating, and to me, that sounds like a successful game. Not really anything else I can say about this game as I haven't played it, and I'm not a big fan of the series.

Yep, 8/10 for DR2.​

F1 2010​

I can remember playing F1 2001 on PS1 and there is a major, and I mean major difference between 2001 and 2010 that it's hard to believe. This installment has a pretty solid looking HD look to it. It looks very advanced, and it has all the top guys in the game, all with realistic looking faces. Unfortunately, I haven't played this game, so I can't say much about it; so I'll give you the rating.

IGN give F1 2010 a nice wholesome 8.5 rating for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Nice work, Codemasters. Churned a proper game out there.​

Medal of Honor​

It's back. Finally. I loved playing the early Medal of Honor games on PC back in the day, and was this new generation installment worth while? You bet your ass it was. The makers of Battlefield helped out with MoH and from experience in playing both Battlefield and Medal of Honor, I can safely say that DICE know how to make a damn good game. I enjoy playing both of these because it's more realistic compared to some CoD games.

The graphics for this game are more than satisfactory and the gameplay is revolutionary like most DICE games. They've earned my vote. Did they earn IGN's?

Not the best of ratings, to be fair. I expected a better rating, but maybe that's just because I'm an avid Medal of Honor fan...MoH bags itself a 6/10 rating for 360 and PS3, whereas the PC earns itself an extra brownie point by recieving 6.5/10.​

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2​

I liked the first Force Unleashed game alot. I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I've always been a big Star Wars fan, and the games are always fun to mess around with. LAZER SW0RDZ AND P0W3RZ FTW! But in all seriousness, Force Unleashed 2 is said to be longer than the first FU (bad use of initials) and is supposed to have better graphics and in-game physics. Let's see what Santa brings me this year. What did IGN bring SW: TFU2 though?

IGN gave Force Unleashed 2 a 6.5/10. Either I'm the biggest gaming mark you'll ever meet, or IGN are beings harsh bastards.​

Fable III​

Just as long as I don't have to hear Peter Molyneux talking anymore about this game, then I'll be happy playing it. He never shut up about everything people didn't ask him about during the build up to Fable III which allegedly and obviously pissed everybody off to their core. I'm a big Fable fan. I played Fable 1 on the original Xbox and thought it was amazing. Played Fable 2 on 360 and thought it was 'playable' but nowhere near as good as it's predecessor. I've yet to play Fable III (hoping I get to play it soon) but from what I've heard, it's another solid game.

The time period in the game is apparently 50 years after Fable 2, and everything that was in Fable 2 is now gone. We're apparently in the Industrial Revolution now. Again, maybe Fable is becoming stale, or I'm just a medieval mark. (How I miss you, Fable 1.)

Fable III is awarded with an 8/10 rating from IGN. Pretty solid rating! This game must be good. I can't wait to give it a bash.​

Call of Duty: Black Ops​

I'll try and be as unbiased as possible, because over the past 2 or so years, I've grown a strong hate for the Call of Duty franchise. Why? Because I believe they have the gaming mentality that quantity is better than quality and NO, I didn't get that the wrong way around. They churn out at least a game a year and while that may be a long time, their games have become stale. I've heard so many bad things about Black Ops that it's actually made me want to avoid buying it....sadly, me being the CoD mark and the sheep that I am; I asked for it for Christmas, the Prestige Edition nonetheless. Hey, come on, RC CAR!

My personal opinion set aside, Black Ops is made by Treyarch this time. You could call Black Ops, Treyarch's version of MW2 if you want. Black Ops by itself cost £5 more than Modern Warfare 2 did last year, so you can thank Activision for that. However, if you times that by 10 million, that of which was sold in North America alone, then you're talking about alot of money.

It's also clever business to bring out extra editions that have added extras in them. For an extra £40-50 of course. That's going to help the cause too. (FIGHT: COD, PLAY MOH.) Joke, joke.

Black Ops is set in the present day just like Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2. I've been unbiased for as long as possible and before I start asking for red rep, I'm just going to give you the rating.

IGN slap out a (cock) 8.5 rating for this installment of CoD. See what I mean about the quantity is better than quality thing? Halo: Reach got a 10/10 rating and they take time with their games, unlike CoD. Halo and CoD are big rivals and it's a swift kick in the teeth with steel toe boots when your rival gets a higher rating than you. Better luck next (week) year CoD.​

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood​

I really want to play this game, but me being the twat that I am, asked for this for Christmas aswell. Patience is a virtue I guess. Good things come to those who wait and all that malarky.

This is the final 2010 release before Christmas is upon us. The main character is again, Assassin's Creed 2 protagonist and Italian compagno, Ezio Auditore. This time, you are a master assassin, and you venture through Rome fighting off rival Templars, all in the process of calling your friends for help. Brotherhood, WE ARE ONE! You know it's Christmas when Assassin's Creed comes out.

There is, for the first time ever in an Assassin's Creed game, a multiplayer mode. I'm assuming (because I haven't played it) that you'll just have to go and Assassinate another player whilst you look for them. On top of that, somebody is told to Assassinate you, but you don't know who, when or where. Sounds epic. I hope my predictions are correct. But what I haven't predicted is the rating. Shall we see?

IGN give AC:B an 8/10. An overall nice rating, I'm hoping the game meets my ever-growing (penis) expectations.​

Boy, that was a long thread, but I like writing shit like this. It's hard being me sometimes.

So, I ask you: Has 2010 been one of the best years for gaming EVER?

 

[zomigosh]

One of the worst years in a while, actually.

You name big name games, however most of those games were mediocore at best. Ie MoH, Mafia 2, Fable 3. And then you name the two most overhyped and overrated games of the year; Black Ops and Halo: Reach.

Because of these two games, actual good games were left underrated like Dead Rising 2, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption.

It actually sickens me to see that Black Ops, a port of its predecessors will get a mention before a good game like Red Dead or Mass Effect. But hey, I guess that's what the gaming world of today has turned into.

 

[Alex]

No because there were very few original ideas, just sequels. Financially probably because everyone wanted the new Halo or Call Of Duty. But ideas wise its been shit

 

[lenguy]

Because of these two games, actual good games were left underrated like Dead Rising 2, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption.

I disagree. Red Dead and Mass Effect won numerous gaming awards. I think Red dead won game of the year on The video game awards and plenty have won other numerous gaming awards on many different game sites. More than Black ops and Reach. All they really managed to do was sell lots of copies.

I didn't think this was the best year. But it was pretty solid. Like Alex A mentioned. It was a great year for sequels but with very few original ideas. Of course it was a fantastic year if your a halo/CoD/Mass Effect/fable fan lol

 

[Samual_Dude]

Although we saw many sequels, prequels. There was one game in my opinion that is Game of the Year being Heavy Rain. Upon release it was critically acclaimed by many and although i was a little skeptical at first, when i played it early november after FINALLY getting a PS3 for my 18th, i was immediatly delighted and amazed by everything about it. From the graphics to the voice acting to the gameplay, every single detail amazed me. the uniqueness of this package felt to me like an amazing interactive film but you had more time to get attached to the characters in the story. Heavy Rain is in my mind, the worthy choice for Game of the Year 2010.

 

[MizFit]

2010 was a good year for gaming, but it was full of sequels. Not too many new games, which hurts its credibility as one of the best years of gaming. Regardless, it was pretty good. It saw great games like Red Dead, Reach, Mass Effect, and Black Ops among others. I look forward to see what 2011 brings.

 

[Mr. Steve]

It definitely was.

2010 was the year of the sequel, spiritual or otherwise. Developers were capitalizing on the success of games in the past years, and it paid off for them. Lest we forget, Red Dead Redemption is a spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, yes? Now, with that said, if one tends to look back, the games that will obviously stand out are:

Mass Effect 2: We should face it, it's a masterpiece. Letting you bring your choices FROM Mass Effect 1, look at its consequences, and continue to make choices in ME2 that will surely see some effect in Mass Effect 3 (whose trailer was premiered not too long ago). Polished gameplay, and a story that left us frothing at the mouth for the next game, not to mention it's one of the few games I'd buy DLC for it in a heartbeat. Mass Effect 2 basically set the tone for 2010: Games had to follow up on this.

Heavy Rain: A wholly interactive game that was met with fanfare and acclaim from every person that has played it. It was a GREAT game that pretty much broke the paradigms of video games (button mash it, be damned! you wave that controller, yo!) I'd buy a Playstation 3 and buy this game right out the gate.

God of War 3: Yep. The final chapter in out vengeful pasty God's story. It answered the questions that people wanted to get answered (the fuck is wrong with Zeus?). It's gameplay is intensely sick, and it cemented Kratos as one of the, if not THE, mascot for the Playstation franchise.

Red Dead Redemption: Well, shit I brought it up! Known as the spiritual Successor to Red Dead Revolver, Rockstar hit the nail on the head with this one. They went by the "not all your characters are bad guys" mentality that was brought on by GTA IV, and it worked. It's a fitting game that was met with positive reaction, and it flat out OWNED the month it came out.

Splinter Cell: Conviction: Sam Fisher came back to form on this one. Ubisoft did away with the gameplay that was ever present on previous Splinter Cell games, and justifiably so: Fisher isn't Third Echelon anymore. The guy's running on pure instinct and improvisation with things from his environment (torturing a guy in a bathroom counts!). I like to call it an unsung hero in 2010 since it's not really talked about in the same breath as other games.

UFC Undisputed 2010: Long live the king. It basically polished what was wrong with 2009. It must have sensed that EA MMA was coming, so they prepared for it. Basically, you can't go back to playing 2009 after playing 2010.

Halo: Reach: One of the crown jewels of 2010. Reach's final take on the Halo franchise before handing the reigns to 343 studios was nothing short of badass. Finally, they addressed what the most hardcore of fans that didn't read the book were asking: what the fuck happened on Reach? new features, upgraded graphics, etc. Reach's final Halo game proved why they are one of the best developers nowadays with this little thinger.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: The bridge between AC2 and AC3, it tells the story of how Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, now a Master Assassin, tried to take back Roma from the Borgia rule. It introduced the multiplayer feature, which is to say, it did good. A bigger map to explore, landmarks (look ma, I'm at the Colliseum! I made it in life!), more to do as Desmond (who is fucking losing it. SPOILER ALERT!), and MORE sarcasm as brought to you by Shaun Hastings. It barely has 2 months of existence, and it's been touted as one of the best games in 2010.

Super Mario Galaxy 2: Yes, the Wii has good games, and yes, I am putting SMG2 in the same breath as all of the above. It's well deserved, since it contended with some good games during its launch date. I haven't played it personally since I don't have a Wii, but people that HAVE played it just recommend me to play it. Hey, if it gets Game of the Year 2010 by some magazines, its bound to be doing something right.

I'm leaving out SO many games that deserve to be talked about, but these are games that gave players something to do in 2010. Next year is looking to be no different, with Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, I Am Alive, etc. But for, 2010 stands as one of the better years in video gaming, sequels or original.

 

[The Deadly Viper]

2010 has been a good year for gaming with some classic games out there. We've got F1 2010 which I love. Halo Reach is also a top notch game. Also had Red Dead which topped it all off. However we did have some mediocre games for instance a 6/10 for medal of honor :L why I wonder?

 

[Trill Co$by]

No, it hasn't. The biggest two things to happen this year was the release of Move/Kinect and CoD & Reach. Other than that, this year has been a total waste of money... except for Raging Blast 2. That alone was worth waiting for.

Seriously though, other than the obvious yearly sports game installments, there has been nothing but cookie cutter shooter games released this year. Mass Effect 2, Halo Reah, Black Ops, Splinter Cell... all just too much alike and far too boring.

I hate when there isn't any variety for games within a year. I would've loved to get another Left 4 Dead, or another Bayonetta. I would've went crazy for some spotlight on Samurai Showdown Sen, which in my opinion is a great game. I don't mind that this year was about sequels, cause lord knows I love DBZ games and buy each installment. But variety is key for me. If I'm bored with one shooter, i don't want to put in another shooter, I want to get some good game that's in a completely different genre.

 

[M. Winters]

Like others have said, you missed out maybe the two best games of the year in Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect 2. Both were large scale games with not only great game play but the most important thing to me when it comes to big title games like these, a great story line. Wasn't a moment while playing either of those games that I lost interest in the over-arching story lines along with all the fun side missions too.