19th, December

Esme’s Top 10 Games of 2010

As the 2010 year comes to a close in less than two weeks, everyone now has time to reflect on the important things of the last 12 months like their worst hangover, annulled marriages, and their top favorite games. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do the same, because I know everyone cares about my opinion on video games (and by everyone, I mean exactly 2 readers).

Although I have been gaming most of my life, this was the first year I was truly “in the know.” Meaning, this was the first year I paid attention to game-related current events and became part of the actual gaming community. After reflecting on all the games I’ve listed below and the ones I have yet to play, I can safely say this was a good year to get engrossed in the gaming world.

(Fair warning, I write a lot.)

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10. ModNation Racers (PS3)
I tend to avoid most racing games because of the sheer fact that I suck at driving on virtual roads as much as I suck at driving on actual roads (thank you Miami upbringing). Yet, I picked up this game on launch date for the intriguing fact that there’s more to it than just racing. The customization options were so widespread for the racers, cars, and tracks that you spend 80% of your time creating, rather than actually racing. Many would assume this would be a bad thing, but for this game, it works in its favor. The tools to mess with everything were easy to understand on the first try, and downloading other people’s creations was very user-friendly. One of its faults at launch was the loading times, but it still didn’t take too much away from a pleasant game that had everything from Helghasts to the Joker.

9. Dead Nation (PS3)
A twin-stick shooter PSN title featuring the ever lovable zombies, Dead Nation proves to be a very fun co-op game. Your character, male or female, is in the midst of a zombie apocalypse (very original) and your task is basically to make it to the other side of the map that’s overloaded with zombies and other undead creatures. The weapon choices are solid, along with the ease it is to upgrade everything with the money you earn, and the gameplay itself proves to be both challenging and enjoyable. Setting off a car alarm then watching zombie bodies fly once the car explodes is probably my favorite part. The major downside that the game has though, is the absence of online voice chat (for now), which for a centrally co-op game seems to be a big slip up. But it’s still worth the time and money to play this well-crafted downloadable game.

8. Angry Birds (Mobile)
Mobile gaming truly made its presence known this year, and nothing is hotter right now than Angry Birds. This game is addicting from the very first level! Besides the cute characters, what I really like about this game is that it’s challenging enough to keep you playing, but not too hard off the bat that it completely throws you off from it. I usually hate puzzle games but I ranked this as one of my top games of the year. What’s weirder is that I don’t even have an Android or an iPhone of my own! This just further proves this game’s eerie hooking powers.

7. Dance Central (Xbox 360)
From the moment I found out about Project Natal, now known as Kinect, I didn’t have much hope in it. Motion gaming didn’t seem like a big deal anymore with the Wii losing its flare, but Microsoft managed to impress me with Kinect’s capabilities in Harmonix’s Dance Central. It’s a dance simulator that teaches you to bust a move (without the need of a controller) to songs from”Funky Town”, down to that annoying song “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” Dance Central proved to be a lot of fun, as well as a great way to work out. The game is more fitted for when you have groups of friends over, but it still manages to have enough songs to entertain someone playing solo, in case they want to impress their co-workers at the next office party.

“Warning: Learning to dance off Dance Central does not make you any cooler.”

6. Rock Band 3
When this originally released, I had little interest in yet another music video game. But after one night of epic band playing at Harlequin’s home, I went out and bought Rockband 3 the next day. Rockband 3 does what Guitar Hero can’t do anymore (for me anyway), which is give you a wide selection of good songs you actually like and want to rock out to. From new additions like Juanes’ “Me Enamora” to rock classics like “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” by the Doors, Rockband 3 has a wide assortment of songs that seem to cater to a wider audience – while still keeping the hardcore fans happy. The biggest selling point (beside the new keyboard) is the game’s ability to teach you to play an actual instrument in “Pro” mode. This is something simulation band games should be striving for.
5. Vanquish
Vanquish is a third-person shooter that pits you against robots and more robots, while throwing in a lot of giant robots at you in the middle. The gameplay is fast, intriguing, and accelerating. Taking on the same style as Bayonetta, Vanquish is more acrobatic  than any gritty shooter out there, and that was an appreciated change of pace. It is quite the challenge to get through, but it’s not so challenging that it makes it impossible. While the gameplay is cool, the worst part of the game is it’s story, or lack thereof. That said, the game is still intense enough to keep you entertained when you’re having that urge to shoot something and don’t want to bother with waiting in a lobby.

4. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Another game that puts you head to head with robots, except this time you’re armed with a staff and have the help of a woman who enslaved you to fight the robots in the first place. Enslaved was a great adventure game with wonderful character development and story-telling. The relationship between the character you control, Monkey, and the person you’re guiding, Trip, actually evolves throughout your quest (showcased by great motion-captured cut scenes). The graphics are stunning; how the environment is full of natural life and void of human life truly encompasses an apocalyptic world. The gameplay is simple and not everyone will love the on-rails platforming, but Ninja Theory managed to make a compelling story and characters that grip you until the end.

3. Red Dead Redemption
When it comes to open world games, I’m not your gal. I’ve tried several already and it just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. Westerns are least favorite genre to play. Yet somehow both these traits didn’t keep me away from trying RDR, and I’m glad it didn’t. Red Dead Redemption follows the former outlaw John Marston on his quest to track down his old comrades under orders of the government to ensure tranquility in his new life with his wife and son. Marston’s journey full of gun fights, criminal wrangling, and carriage races was entertaining throughout and the side-missions built on the already good main story. The DLC that came out later for the game, “Undead Nightmare,” was a great addition and well worth the purchase. It’s funny, challenging, and proved to be one of the best DLC’s ever made.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops
Considering I’m not much of a FPS lover, I’m just as surprised as you! Black Ops actually managed to keep me hooked throughout the entire SP campaign. The only other Call of Duty game I ever tried was Modern Warfare 2, which I put down after a few missions because I was just bored with the story. However, Black Ops introduced Alex Mason to me and got me to care about him. While this game has the usual cover and shoot mechanics of every other FPS, the way the game plays out with different objectives and environments manages to keep the gameplay from turning stale. Helicopters air fights (which I now have a love/hate relationship with), swimming up to a canoe to stab an enemy in the back, guiding soldiers on the ground from an SR-71 Blackbird (even if it’s not as accurate to military standards as it could have been) are just a few examples of things I truly enjoyed in Black Ops. Multiplayer-wise, I’m still a n00b (yes, I called myself this) so all I can really say is that in Black Ops, I’m not as mad about dying as I have been before in every other FPS I’ve played. Maybe it’s just me learning to handle the gameplay better from “experience,” but the leveling in this CoD seems to be more accepting of newcomers.

1. God of War 3 (PS3)
Of all the games I played this year, nothing sticks out more than the PlayStation exclusive God of War 3. From the moment you pop in the disc, you witness the beautiful CGI and partake in a massive boss battle that sets the mood for the rest of the game. Yes, God of War 3 is the same hack-and-slash we experienced from the first two installments, but you go in expecting that. The weapons are great (and you actually feel compelled to use more than just your primary weapon this time), the extra brutality shown throughout just exemplifies Kratos’ anger, and the boss battles are all over-the-top. The story itself is a bit more complex than the previous ones and doesn’t have the same flow, but it still managed to keep me intrigued. Although I didn’t exactly like the ending, I understood why it headed in that path and it still didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the actual playthrough of the game. Stellar graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack made God of War my favorite game of the year!

Honorable Mentions
Transformers WFC , DJ Hero 2, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game

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This list was hard to compile, and even worse to have to put in order. But looking back at it all now, the fact that I can compile a top ten list and still have many other games leftover to consider, just goes to show you how great the gaming industry is. There are so many choices out there, and more are being developed as you read this now. We truly have a lot to look forward to and be thankful for. Here’s to more awesome games in 2011, may our wallets not buckle under the pressure!

Note: I never owned an Xbox 360 until late November of this year, so I have not tried any Xbox exclusives yet people (hence why none are listed). Give it time.