GOTY 2010: Dave’s Top 5 Picks

If you had asked me in 2009 if 2010 could possibly be any better, I might have laughed. 2009 was a landmark year featuring some of the best games of the decade. 2010 came along as an underdog, and boxed its way right into contention with a slew of amazing titles, some obscure but excellent and others completely obvious but equally excellent. To even whittle my game of the year choices to five seems insulting, and so in a way this list isn’t necessarily my five favorite games of the year, but five that I believe deserve the recognition as games of their year.

Some of the choices you might find ridiculous, but I make them anyway, not to spite anyone or to be contrary, but merely to make my own point in the sea of opinion that is the internet. There are certainly games left of the list that I not only loved, but vied for even first place in my deliberations (Mass Effect 2, God of War III). Many of these you may see on other lists, however, so you aren’t really missing out on opinion regarding them. And so without further ado, here are my 2010 game of they year choices, in a particular order that really isn’t that particular, aside from the number one choice which I simply could not help but make, even if it is completely obvious.

5. Darksiders

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Darksiders is almost the zeitgeist game of 2010. It came out at a time when people needed an adult adventure that played like God of War meets Zelda. The story was cool without being too serious, the main character, though a little too Warcraft in appearance for many, was very solid and felt right to play as, and the game had very, very few flaws (nor should it have considering how much it borrowed from its many predecessors). It also featured a British zombie wearing a top hat. The formula for success was nearly perfect, and thankfully Vigil Games implemented it correctly.

Personally, I was skeptical at first about the game’s potential. I assumed it would be decent simply because it carried too many familiar traits. What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy nearly every moment of the playthrough, and getting the platinum trophy, while at times tedious, felt completely natural and worthy to do. I won’t even say that Darksiders is a game I’ll ever pick up again, though it’s certainly worthy of a second playthrough. Still, I feel a need to give it some hard-earned recognition simply because despite the familiarity of its parts, Darksiders as a whole did something brave with its inception. Where other games were blasted for their lack of innovation (Dante’s Inferno, anyone?), Darksiders was praised for it. It somehow struggled through the mire of criticsm every game must meet and still came out on top.

4. Enslaved

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

I play games for many reasons. I like killing things, I enjoy collecting certain types of things, and I become very involved in character development, particularly when there’s some aspect of customization involved. Forever above all of these things is the narrative of a game. I play games to become involved in a story greater than myself and my own experiences. For this same reason, I’m an avid reader and a devourer of all films. I love stories. Enslaved, while flawed in certain ways that some players found hard to 0verlook, brought me into one of the finest stories in recent memory, and in a year of so many quality narratives, this was a feat for the men and women of Ninja Theory. They crafted characters with very superficial appearances that not only surprised me with their depth, but made me care about their outcomes. The voice acting was literally second to none, and the story itself drove me from chapter to chapter with an increasing intensity. The characters are certainly flawed, almost to the point of ruin, but that makes them all the more believeable and real in ways that few video game characters have ever managed. And on that note [SPOILER ALERT], I have to pour one out for Pigsy here. You the man, Pigsy. You the man.

3. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, DS, Wii, PSP, iPhone

You won’t see this on any other game of the year lists! I know it sounds ridiculous, and probably child-like to pick something like a lego rendition of Harry Potter, but I literally had more fun playing this game than possibly any other of the entire year. I’m not proclaiming it to be a great game (though it is a good one), or that it will somehow stand an enormous test of time and make ‘top ten of the decade’ lists, but in terms of fandom and fun factor, very few things can top the time I spent guiding Harry and pals around the world of Hogwart’s. Part of my love for the game comes from an obvious obsession with the Harry Potter universe in general. Haters of J.K. Rowling need not apply to the lego version of her work. But for those of us who love the wizarding world, this game offers more than any of the movie games could ever bring.

Before Lego Harry Potter, I was one of those who scoffed at the Lego games in general, thinking they were ruining some of our most beloved movie franchises with their blocky silliness. I am now a believer, and while I don’t find near as much enjoyment in the other Lego adventures, this romp through Hogwart’s has changed my view forever. I liked this game so much that after I’d knocked out the platinum trophy, I was actually upset that there wasn’t more to do. With most games, I’ve generally been downright sick of them by the time I maxed out their collectible rampage.

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Wii

Much like with Harry Potter, few franchises have the power, or the magic, to stir great feelings within me. Mario does, partly because he’s been with me for so long and partly because Nintendo continues to bring game after game of pure excellence. Super Mario Galaxy 2, while vastly similar to the first game of its name and form, hits my nostalgia spots so hard that they hurt the next morning. When I found Yoshi in the early worlds of the game, I literally felt like a kid again, and I haven’t felt like a kid since I was five years old. There are very few series that can make a player feel pure joy while running around, and Mario does it. New Super Mario Bros Wii of 2009 was good, and it hit plenty of nostalgia buttons as well, but it didn’t feel nearly as real to me as Galaxy 2. Nor does Galaxy 2 feel like some quick sequel that they threw out to capitalize on the success of their former Galaxy title. It’s such a complete game with so many elements of wonder that it not only surpasses the first game, but almost makes me forget it existed. In a year with so very few quality Wii releases, Super Mario Galaxy 2 stands as the iconic star by which all Wii games can look to.

1. Red Dead Redemption

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Yup. Red Dead. I gave it a 10/10 when I reviewed the game. To me, it is nearly perfect. Its flaws, what few they are, are usually endearing and rarely a pain. John Marston, main character and gun-slinging badass, is possibly in my top five characters for all of gaming history. This game will never appeal to certain people. Growing up, I had to sit around while my dad watched Westerns on the television, and those crucial years of development made me dislike the genre. But somewhere deep down, there still existed an untapped desire to ride a horse and fire a revolver. I suspect it’s pure genetics, but it might never have seen the light of day had it not been for Rockstar’s masterpiece.

This game stands heads above any Grand Theft Auto title, at least for me, and sets a nigh unreachable bar for anyone else ever attemping to journey in the Western genre. I frankly don’t see how it can be done as well, despite my enormous imagination, and I can only hope that, while Marston’s tale is finished, there remains more in store for those of us with a need to ride and sling steel. Red Dead Redemption is, without a doubt, my game of 2010.

Specialty Award

Biggest Tease of 2010: Dragon Age: Origins - Witch Hunt

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

I had finished Dragon Age. I had slain the Archdemon. Morrigan had escaped with our love child (I refuse to believe she didn’t love me), told me not to follow, and left me burning with questions and desire. I assumed and hope that Dragon Age 2 would tell this tale, and when it was announced that a different direction was planned for the sequel to my favorite RPG in recent memory, I became worried. What about Morrigan? Where would her tale of betrayal finally unfold? I needed answers. When the DLC Witch Hunt was announced, trepidation and glee filled me up. I worried that DLC couldn’t properly convey her story and bring it to a rightful conclusion. I was filled with joy that at least some conclusion would actually happen. In short, my happiness overshadowed any doubts I had. This was BioWare after all.

I bought Witch Hunt on its day of release. I sat down that night and played through the entire thing, every step bringing me closer and closer to the answers I desperately craved. Finally, my party and I entered a cavern and there she was, standing before a portal in all her majestic splendor, wearing the very same outfit she had on the day I met her. I nearly cried out. What happened next would injure me in a way no game had ever done. Morrigan proceeded to turn around and talk to me, but it was as though her lips were moving and no sound were coming out. All her words were hollow; mere shadows of an explanation that offered no explanation at all. She stepped through the portal and was gone. I shut my computer off in disgust and pouted for a solid week, giving the DLC my lowest possible review score in the process. I was betrayed, not by Morrigan this time, but by her creators.

And that’s why Witch Hunt gets my Biggest Tease award. I had my hopes up so high, only to be dashed to the ground in a shower of tears and anguish. Feel free to watch the debacle below and save yourselves the price and misfortune of downloading the actual content.