2010 was an exciting year for video games, as developers really began to produce games that took full advantage of this generation of hardware. Games that had been promised for many years, like Final Fantasy XIII and Red Dead Redemption, finally saw release, and some lesser-known — but equally excellent — titles took gamers by surprise. From RPGs to platformers to straight-up action games, the following is a rundown of the best this past year had to offer.
Mass Effect 2
Bioware
Xbox 360
Bioware exceeded all expectations with this one. The first Mass Effect was a tour de force of cinematic storytelling, combined with one part action and two parts RPG. For Mass Effect 2, the developers took the strongest aspects of the first game – the story and the shooting – and turned them both up to 11.
As a result, many RPG elements present in the first game were eschewed, such as a complicated weapons and armor system, but it only made for a more frenetic and engaging experience.
One standout feature of ME2 is the plot structure, which revolved around main character Shephard building an away team to accompany him on a suicide mission. The more care players took to get to know the members of their team and their unique skills, the more members of the team would survive the suicide mission at the game’s culmination. This made every moment of the game feel important and personal.
But the game’s crowning achievement was the sense of exploration and discovery it delivered. Each planet was unique and endlessly fascinating, and filled with colorful characters, making the ME2 experience one to savor.
Final Fantasy XIII
Square Enix
Xbox 360 / Playstation 3
Although FFXIII took about two years too long to finally come out, it didn’t disappoint gamers when it finally hit store shelves early this year. This first entry in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series of games, set in a world of crystals and effeminate character archetypes, did an excellent job of creating a beautiful world that inspired wonder at every turn.
At many times, the game made you just want to turn the camera around 360 degrees to take in all of the sights and sounds, and be one with the experience. And although FFXIII’s graphics and art design were universally well-received, the game’s battle and leveling systems were a bit more controversial.
It is often said that during each console generation, other RPG developers simply wait to see what Square Enix does to redefine the RPG genre, and then copy their mechanics wholesale. And as expected, in FFXIII Square took their usual gamble with the battle system. Employing an entirely new concept of “Paradigms,” Square Enix allowed players to control the overall flow of battles, as opposed to micromanaging each individual attack or action. It took some time to learn, but after a few hours, the paradigm system really took flight, and delivered the most compelling turn-based RPG battles of the year.
The game did have a few shortcomings – the general linearity of the environments, the complete lack of towns – but the overall experience didn’t suffer dramatically as a result. In the end, gamers were treated to some breathtaking visuals, a solid story and a revolutionary new way to experience a classic genre.
Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
Alpha Dream
Nintendo DS
This was one of the best games for Nintendo DS in this or any year. Bowser’s Inside Story is the third title in the always compelling Mario and Luigi series, which takes the best platforming elements from the Mario games, and combines them with the best aspects of a role playing game, including leveling, character customization and world exploration.
The adventure was long and endlessly engaging, and it allowed gamers to play as Bowser in a meaningful way for the first time in any Mario game. An investment of 10 or more hours in this title will not go unrewarded, as there are memories to take away from the experience that will stay with you for a long time.
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar San Diego
Xbox 360 / Playstation 3
Leave it to Rockstar games to remind us of how fun an open-world/sandbox gaming experience can be. In recent years, the Grand Theft Auto formula had been getting increasingly stale, as imitators continued to release games like The Godfather 2, The Saboteur, Saint’s Row 2 and even Crackdown 2. But when Red Dead Redemption was released in mid-2010, there was no question that the king was back.
Red Dead featured an entirely new setting for open world games, taking the action back to the wild west of the early 1900s, and introduced a very likable character named John Marston. Rockstar kept the game fresh by introducing new elements such as hunting for game and an addictive buying and selling mechanic, and delivered a world that was vast in scope and significantly larger than in any of their previous titles.
Aside from these additions and a more engaging story, however, RDR still stayed very true to the GTA formula. But somehow, this game was more than the sum of its parts. The setting, characters and seemingly limitless things to do, coupled with sharp writing and a memorable cast of non-stereotypical Wild West characters, made it a joy to play. And yes, there was multiplayer, DLC and all of the other features you’d expect from a game of this caliber.
But what stood out the most was the adventurous feeling you got while riding your horse back and forth across the U.S. and Mexico, uncovering new locations and mingling with the colorful country folk. It was fun, engaging and felt thoroughly authentic, and for that, it deserves a spot on this list.
Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream
Playstation 3
If a game’s success were judged solely upon innovation and uniqueness, Heavy Rain would beat out all the competition in a landslide. It is not so much a game as it is an interactive film, but certainly not in a bad way.
Heavy Rain is a murder mystery at its core, and the story is told from the perspective of its four main characters. The player controls each character as they try to unravel the case from their own perspective, and different clues to the identity of the Origami killer are uncovered by each throughout the experience.
Gameplay is similar to old school adventure games like the Secret of Monkey Island or Myst, but also adds quick time events into the mix. Success at these button-pressing mini-games means that the character would win, and get to continue solving the case, but here’s the awesome part — failing too many times could mean that one or multiple main characters die permanently. The story still continues, and there will still be an ending, but which scenes a player sees and who is still alive at the end are all up in the air. This means that everyone has a unique experience playing Heavy Rain, and that is truly revolutionary. Add in the fact that the story is incredible, with a twist so surprising that it puts all other twists in all other games to shame, and you have a must-play gaming experience.
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Retro Studios / Good Feel and HAL Laboratories
Nintendo Wii
Both Donkey Kong Country and Kirby made a triumphant return to consoles this year, with titles that both recaptured their previous glory and redefined what it is that makes platforming fun.
Playing the new DKC game after a 14 year hiatus felt like a breath of fresh air, as it took the solid gameplay of its predecessors and added beautiful graphics and some new mechanics to the mix. It also reintroduced genuinely challenging gameplay into a genre that had gotten progressively more kid-friendly over the years.
There were some sequences that were extremely tricky in DKCR, including sections that introduce a new rocket barrel mechanic, but they rarely if ever seemed unfair.
Kirby’s Epic Yarn also rejuvenated the platforming game space, but in a different way. Unlike DKCR, Kirby’s new game is never particularly challenging, but what it lacks in difficulty, it makes up for in clever level design and a wide variety of activities and gameplay styles.
This time, instead of sucking up enemies to gain their abilities, Kirby transformed into tanks, four-wheelers, trains and drills, among other things, making each level a completely new experience. And although Kirby couldn’t die in this game, there was still plenty of challenge to be found in collecting enough gems to complete each level with a gold rating.
Together, DKCR and KEY showed gamers that platforming is alive and well in 2010. But even more importantly, these games gave hardcore gamers a reason to dust off their Wiis and remember how much fun a great Nintendo game could be.
