2010 has been a very busy year for video games and a lot of great titles have appeared on the shelves this year as well as a few great titles picked up a little late. Here is my top 10 played games of 2010 that include a few classics.
10 – Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat is a XBLA game that was released in 2010 and is almost entirely online. It has a cartoon look to it and offers competitive and cooperative modes with 5 unique classes to choose from. This game definitely is over the top and just fun to play and for anyone that likes to play Team Fortress 2 will seem vaguely familiar.
9 – Medal of Honor
This is the game that rebooted the Medal of Honor franchise and finally took it to the modern combat that many have grown to love because of games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare. With a completely separate online and offline component this felt like two games rolled into one. The single player story is compelling and feels very natural with squad mates backing you up and an online that allows for light vehicle combat and an upgrade system that keeps the game competitive. However the short story is what really keeps this game so low on my list.
8 – Bioshock 2
Released in early 2010 this game has received some complaints from people that have played Bioshock 1 however this game offers a great online and offline experience while expanding the Bioshock universe. The single player takes you through the game as the big daddy from the start and offers another walk through Rapture, visiting new locals from the first game. As familiar as this game feels it is a totally new experience with great visuals. The only problem with this game is the lacking online community, less than a year later and it’s difficult to find a match online and even more difficult to jump into the DLC maps.
7 – DJ Hero 2
By far my favorite music game ever created with great mixes and taking the Gameplay a step above its predecessor. With freestyle cross-fading, freestyle scratching, and all DJ Hero1 DLC working in this game, it really gives a much more immersive DJ experience but the most impressive part is the amount of mixes available on this disk and nowhere else.
6 – Gears of War 2
This is by far my favorite Xbox 360 exclusive franchise ever created but since this game was released in 2008 it has to reside low on the list. 2010 was the year I won the game of the year edition of this game from the folks over at Xbox Support on twitter and finally did a play through on Insane difficulty. The epic story combined with horde mode and comparative multilayer made this one of those games you never forget and definitely makes the wait for the third iteration worth it. With occasional online bonuses popping for during different occasions, this game is in my Xbox periodically throughout the year.
5 – Halo Reach
Halo Reach is the prequel to Halo Combat Evolved however technically superior to all Halo games before it. With you taking the role of the new guy amongst team Noble on a mission to save the world from the attacking covenant by delivering a package to the Pillar of Autumn where Master Chief is in cryogenic sleep. The graphics are beautiful, the AI is very smart and a lot of game modes to play. This game has many hours of play in it and a community that is very devoted so it is very easy to find people to play with in any game mode.
4 – Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
With the story beginning right as the second game ends, this lets you play as Enzio once again in the huge map that is Rome. The combat system is evolved, new game features, a new training program and online play it definitely gives our favorite assassin a second much deserved wind. The graphics are still great looking and the gameplay is familiar while adding new twists. The online offer what i can only say is the best version of Hide and Seek I ever played with great kills having high rewards so you know all that trouble is worth it as opposed to just running around and lunging at every target.
3 – Fable 3
At first Fable 3 seemed to be a step down from Fable 2 but quickly I realized that it was simply streamlined. Gone are the days of having a hundred weapons and is replaced with evolving weapons. The only downside I felt was there was the magic system was too dumbed down from the last game. The story itself was a great continuation from the previous game and the visuals look great. The battles are bigger and definitely a lot more enemies are swarming you as you play through this game. The multiplayer is finally fixed with Xbox Live allowing for easy jumping in and out of games without camera issues. Besides how many other games allow you to be a king?
2 – Call of Duty Black Ops
It was tough to not put this game at number one. With it’s great single player story, fun Gameplay mechanics and what I consider a fixed online system that lets me live longer then 10 seconds after spawning because of stacking kill streaks is one of the best games I played this year. The graphics look great offline and online with lots of customization available for the user and a lot of game modes packed it. Dead Ops is fun for sure and zombie mode is always enjoyable with a few buddies for hours on end. There is no reason not to play such a great and polished product.
1 – Red Dead Redemption
This was by far the best game I played this year, it was long, it had a very interesting story and about a hundred things to do if you didn’t feel like playing the missions. Even after the game is done there is still a lot to do because the world is living and continuing around you with fun random events. The game looks great and plays great for the most part, being that big there are bound to be a few issues here and there. The online is fun and definitely makes it rewarding to shoot the enemy and get those points with some larger maps allowing horses to be used. And if you just want to fool around with friends, the whole map is open for free roam with up to 15 other people with all the gang hideouts available. Now with the Undead Nightmare add-on, this game gets even better, I mean zombies in the wild west is pretty cool, and the horses you can get is even more cool. Overall this was my most enjoyable game of 2010.
Memorable mentions
-FF XIII
-Mass Effect 1 (still need to play Mass Effect 2)
-Dead Rising 2
So there you have it, my top 10 games played in 2010. However I have a feeling if I played Mass Effect 2 this list would be different because of how much I like first one but I am waiting for a few days to play it without interruption.
Please note all these games were played on the Xbox 360