FEATURE: PLAYDEVIL'S GAME OF THE YEAR 2010 AWARDS Posted by PlayDevil.com Staff on Dec 28, 2010 13:46 (Dec 28, 2010 13:46) |
 2010 has been another fantastic year for gaming. There have been titles that have wowed us and disappointed us, and there have been amazing titles that have come out this year that haven’t even made it some of our lists, but the year is over, so it’s time for our awards as usual.
The games on our lists might not have been the best games technically, and may not have therefore even got the best 5 scores, but they are the 5 games that have had the biggest impact on us, and generally, we’ve have continued playing these games the longest after the dust has settled on the review. There will always be differences of opinion, but that’s part of the fun of these lists, after all! Anyway, without further ado, we present the top '5 games' of the entire PlayDevil staff and our "Game of the Year" for 2010! 5. F1 2010 (Ian)
F1 2010 is no real surprise. I love F1, and Codemasters have become the masters of the racing game in this era of consoles. F1 shipped with more than its fair share of bugs and glitches, but the core racing, and the well presented career and multiplayer modes made F12010 the simulation of 2010. With options to please both the arcade fan and the hardcore racer, great wheel support, and beautiful dynamic weather, I’ll keep playing this till F12011.
5. Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow (Mark)
This the one game which crept under the radar for me this year and proved a very memorable experience. Superb graphics, excellent sound, gripping story and solid gameplay makes this one of my surprise hits of 2010.
5. Valkyria Chronicles 2 (Alex) As a follow up to the fantastic 2008 PS3 strategy RPG offering Valkyria Chronicle’s, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a strange mix of familiar and new. Taking the control system of the original home console release, and converting the graphics to the tiny screen the game play is almost identically to the original. Limitations to the PSP of course limit the squeal but the changes were so well handled that it fell far closer to my hopes than my fears. Taking control of my small squad of military cadets the second game immediately sets its self as a more intimate than the first game. As high school aged students the new cast of characters face the usually hormonal struggles that come with their age, all portrayed through melodramatic Japanese anime conventions. It is the weakest part of the game, an infuriating short hand to understanding, unnecessary in a game of its length.
But where it comes alive is in the gameplay, which does and incredible job recreating the suburb original while adapting itself to the PSP’s limitations by shrinking map. To compensate for the reduced maps smaller arenas are joined together to create larger maps, a move that introduce whole new tactics on acquiring and holding territory. Along with branching tech trees allowing characters to evolve down specialised paths, there are time Valkyria 2 even surpasses the PS3 original, offering even more depth in tactics. While Valkyria Chronicles 2 is less than the original game it still offers an engrossing experience and a chance to experience one of the best game series of the generation. Thanks to the interesting additions made to the original it even remains worthy of a look even for players familiar with the series.
5. DeathSpank: Thongs of Justice (Joseph) This one was a bit of a surprise. As much as I admire the legacy of Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert, the original DeathSpank (also released this year) left me a little cold. The hack n’ slash was hacky and slashy enough, but Gilbert’s trademark dialogue didn’t crackle and pop like the digital Rice Crispies it promised to be. Thongs of Virtue upped the ante on every front, including guns and explosives alongside the traditional medieval weaponry brought a new dimension to the combat and the script, aided greatly by fantastic voice-work, was routinely chucklesome. 4. Metro 2033 (Ian)
Metro 2033 may have come out a while ago, but it was one of the first games to go on my list. It may have been an eight-hour shooter, but it stood out from the pack with a mesmerising atmosphere, and the best sound design of any game this year. To top that, the plot was great, the cast of characters memorable, and there were some genuine shocks and frights along the way.
4. FIFA 11 (Mark)
It seems that the FIFA series gets stronger with each release and FIFA 11 is no exception. Packed with game modes and new features FIFA still proves to be top of the league of console football games.
4. Alan Wake (Alex)
Alan Wake I love horror games and Alan Wake managed to change my concept of what could be scary. Usually survival horror titles rest on a slow drip of recourses, keeping the player on the edge of death with little to defend themselves. Alan Wake managed was to create and world that was scary just to exist in, even when armed to the death. As I played there were very few times that I felt scared or stress from a situation due to a lack of resources, instead it was the sounds and the swirling shadows that left me cold. Light plays a major part in creating Alan Wake’s fear. Providing safety, any light source shine brightly in the dark forests that make up most of the game’s environments.
But (much like in real life) the closer Alan gets to light the darker the world around him grows as the contrast increases. Chased by enemies as I dashed madly towards the safety of a street lamp part of me would know that I could hold my ground and fight, but the use of shadows, mist, sound and camera work combined to induce a sense of powerlessness the left me panicked, confusing my thinking and forcing errors in spite of myself. It was this fear, and how expertly it was utilised, in conjunction with the games pulp horror story (that drew me in a demanded I continue to play despite my fear) that really set Alan Wake apart within the survival horror genre, making it a must for horror fans. 4. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (Joseph)
I know picking Pokemon in my Game of the Year list makes me look like a massive loser, but screw you guys - playing lord and master to a group of cartoony evolving monsters is still fun. This remake of the classic Game Boy Colour games is pretty much the same as every Pokemon game ever made, but the core pleasures remains as addictively brilliant as ever.
What really captured my imagination this time round was the weird and wonderful online community which has built up around the various Pokemon titles. There’s everything from 12-year-olds trading shinys to grand old nerds applying statistical analysis to the game’s surprisingly deep combat system. It’s a mesmerising milieu.
3. Mass Effect 2 (Ian)
Another game people may have forgotten that was a 2010 release, Mass Effect 2 still warms my disc drive on occasion near 12 months later. Blessed with a story that even surpassed the first, a raft of gameplay improvements, and some fantastic post launch DLC, which was both paid and free, Mass Effect has eaten over 50 hours of my life this year.
3. Red Dead Redemption (Mark)
As a single player game Red Dead Redemption proved to be truly captivating and offered something totally new which would take countless hours to complete. Although the multiplayer was a little disappointing this is one game which certainly lived up to the hype it received.
3. Metriod: Other M (Alex)
Despite all the noise online about Team Ninja's miss handling of Samus in their collaboration with Nintendo I was pleasantly surprised when I finally got to the latest instalment of the Metroid franchise. Having heard horror stories of how the female protagonist had been reduced to a blonde bimbo who cried at the first whiff of danger, I actually found a hero who had been humanised, albeit though some horrific translation and voice acting. Weaker, yes, but believable so and in a way which actually makes her seem braver, struggling with fears and adversity rather than simply being a mindless killing machine.
The story is not strictly speaking good, or even for that matter loosely speaking good, but it was not the huge minus point I was lead to believe. It didn’t (as some suggested) irrevocably shatter Samus's mystic, instead it stood as an aside to one of the best-paced third person action titles I have played. Well paced, varied and with just the right amount of challenge to never send me from my Wii cursing with a hole in the wall (as Metroid Prime Echoes once did). Metroid: Other M is a worthy addition to one of gaming’s best series, with or without a story.
3. FIFA 11 (Joseph)
It seems almost rote for me to include the latest in EA’s long line of football simulators in this list, but there’s no game this year that has had me coming back for more so consistently. It’s a testament to how well FIFA represents the beautiful game that every match is different. The career mode remains as bloated and useless as ever and the novelty third-person Be-a-Pro mode is a pointless bauble, but strip away all the clutter and you’re left with a sports game that is pure entertainment.
2. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Ian)
I wasn’t initially sure about this one. I respect Criterion deeply, and I’m a big fan of the NFS series, but the handling just felt ‘off’ initially. Once I was used to it though, 30 hours were ploughed into the game in 2 weeks. With unbelievable weather effects, great AI, Autolog, and really great multiplayer, Hot Pursuit has really reinvigorated the series, and is, for me, the racing game of 2010.
2. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Mark)
By far my favourite multiplayer game of 2010 which I have spent countless hours playing. May not be the most memorable single player campaign, however this can be overlooked thanks to the sublime multiplayer offering and massive amount of downloadable extras.
2. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Alex)
If you have played Ninja Theories last game 'Heavenly Sword' then Enslaved will offer very little in terms of surprises. With the small cast of three actors to provide the games cut scene’s motion capture and vocal work the story unfolds in spectacular fashion. Lead by the incredible Andy Circus (Golem from The Lord of the Rings) the animators and artist do superb job of breathing life into the 3D models that force a bond between the players and the story, or at least it did for me. The actors and animators work together leads to a cinematic experience whose action feel more like an enjoyable bridge between story elements, a welcome after though, but an after thought none the less.
For Enslaved the trade off of gameplay intricacies for story was well worth it as the tale left me engrossed from start to finish. Beautiful in appearence, the simplistic combat and wrote platforming remained entertaining enough to propel me through these sections but never drew my attention away from my focus, the story and voice acting. True, those looking for third person character action game with a complex combo system may find the emphasis on animation off putting and would be better served looking elsewhere, but for those with an interest in story telling in games Enslaved a must buy.
2. Super Meat Boy(Joseph)
I hate you Super Meat Boy. You, with your sadistically placed whirling blades and your incredibly accurate controls. Those inky bastards who try to eat me while I’m jumping from one platform to the next. That rising pool of lava that burns me to death just as I’m about to rescue Bandage Girl for the 100th time. That crazy replay mode that forces me to relive every failure that preceded my success. You, with the giddy feeling of utter joy that follows the completion of your perfectly designed levels. I love you Super Meat Boy.
So, which game will get our "Game Of The Year 2010 Award" ? Turn to the next page to find out which "N° 1 game" our reviewers picked.
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