Almost like clockwork, every year someone will make the blanket statement that “PC gaming is dead.” 2010 was a year that found those people and beat them over the head with their own keyboards. There was so much good that whittling down the choices is like forcing a parent to pick their favorite child. Thanks to the current ease of digital distribution and long awaited sequels to beloved franchises, gamers are returning to the sweet embrace of the mouse and keyboard set up. These are the gamrReview Game of the Year winners for 2010.
Best MMO: City of Heroes: Going Rogue
Against impossible odds City of Heroes emerges triumphant. The second paid expansion to the City of Heroes franchise that brings choice to the popular superhero MMORPG. Heroes can fall from grace if they start to make villain choices, while villains can redeem themselves and become goody two shoes justice lovers. Along with new power sets and a whole alternate universe to explore, the world of Paragon is deeper than ever.
Runner up: - World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Peoples' Choice: - World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Best Shooter: BioShock 2
When we first heard the announcement of a sequel to the excellent 2007 Bioshock without the direct involvement of the lead designer Ken Levine... well, to say we were worried is quite the understatement. Thankfully our fears were unfounded as we were treated to an experience that was just as good, if not plain better in some parts than its predecessor. A main hero with a better motivation and the new Big Sister enemy that made Big Daddies seem like cranky puppy dogs by comparison. It is nice to know that our sequel-weary cynicism can be off target sometimes.
Runner Up: - Call of Duty: Black Ops
Peoples' Choice: - Battlefield Bad Company 2
Best RPG: Mass Effect 2
The number one example that “western style rpg” is no longer a putdown in this industry, BioWare’s space opera was continued in spectacular fashion. When most games leave the gamer’s collective consciousness after a couple weeks, that this January released game would still be on the tip of everybody’s tongue is just the perfect indicator of how well the experience gets under your skin and starts spooning your soul. Addressing every single complaint from the original it is difficult to not play through a second or third time. Expect to see this game return on the PS3’s list for 2011.
Runner Up: - Fallout: New Vegas
Peoples' Choice: - Mass Effect 2
Best Strategy Game:Sid Meier’s Civilization V 
In a category full of time killers, Civilization V is a serial killer of the 4th dimension. They even acknowledge that fact whenever you want to quit and ask, “Are you sure?”, one of the options is “Just … One … More … Turn”. See, Civilization V isn’t holding you captive, the door’s right over there, and the sunlight is peaking through the window. On the other hand, that science won’t research itself. With repetitive actions that never feel repetitive and the excellent new visual style that using a hexagonal tile system allows, Civilization V holds on to its crown. Now, if you’ll excuse me… I must finish these roads.
Runner Up: - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Peoples' Choice: - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Best Racing Game:F1 2010
You will never be more impressed by weather than you will in this game. The complicated weather system features a track that loses its grip in the rain and gets sheltered by overhanging trees, or has dangerous indentations filling with standing water. The grip of a track will increase over the course of your race as more and more rubber has been laid down thanks to all the tires of all the racers. If you are constantly defeating a teammate, he will start upgrading his car in order to defeat you. When playing in career mode you have to be aware of what you say to the media or you could risk being forced to “retire”. Codemaster’s attention to detail is what helps this game scream to the finish line ahead of the pack.
Runner Up: - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Peoples' Choice: - F1 2010
Best Puzzle Game:Bejeweled 3
How do you make something better without changing anything? You give it to Popcap. The core gameplay of Bejeweled hasn’t changed since it first took the world by storm. The classic mode may feel the same as it ever did but there are seven other modes to get your gem swapping on. Lightning mode for the speedy, Zen mode for the stressed, and Poker mode for the gamblers make for some interesting ways to play. There is even a quest mode, which is not an attack on Puzzle Quest, but rather a series of challenges similar to the ones in Peggle that will test your skills with bite-sized goals across the various modes. Popcap proves that in a world of copycats, nobody can make swapping gems quite as fun as they can.
Runner Up: - Puzzle Quest 2
Peoples' Choice: - Bejeweled 3
Best Action Game:Assassin’s Creed 2
A follow-up to the ambitious 2007 original, you play as Nolan North… um, Desmond Miles, who is reliving the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Set during the Renaissance period in Italy you can enjoy rowing a gondola or flying through the air in Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine. Ubisoft took all the complaints from the original and delivered a truly engrossing experience. We’ve been playing sandbox style games for a while now, but the world truly feels alive here thanks to a day-night system and NPCs that occasionally sneeze. Best of all, since the world is based on the real life Tuscany region, you might even learn something. Isn’t that great, Mr. Peabody?
Runner Up: - Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Peoples' Choice: - (tie) Amnesia: The Dark Descent & Darksiders
Best Adventure Game:Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge
A long time ago, in a galaxy that’s closer than you think, LucasArts used to make games other than lightsaber chuckers. Arguably one of the greatest point & click adventure games of all time, Monkey Island 2 continued the tale of the inside-joke-named pirate Guybrush Treepwood. Featuring an updated control system and a gorgeous paint-style recreation of the original, this game definitely holds up well. Though the puzzles can be frustrating at times (par for the course in adventure games), the excellent hint system can help ease the pain without holding your hand. It’s been almost twenty years since the original and the experience still feels fresh. Arrgh, it be the pirate’s life 'fer me.
Runner Up: - Sam & Max Season 3: The Devil’s Playhouse
Peoples' Choice: - Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge
Best DLC/Expansion Pack: Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
While some downloadable content offerings are little more than overpriced 1s and 0s, Lair of the Shadow Broker is so much more. The first of the “bridging” DLCs, in which your decisions will carry over to the third game in the series, it is a welcome addition. A tale of betrayal and revenge, it does what Mass Effect does best, tells a great story and lets you kick ass throughout. Definitely a must play as, unlike some other DLC offerings, the effects of this tale could ripple well into Mass Effect 3.
Runner Up: - Napoleon: Total War – Peninsular Campaign
Peoples' Choice: - Mass Effect 2: Lair of Shadow Broker
Best Sports Game: Football Manager 11
This is the ridiculously realistic football (or soccer, to my fellow Americans) manager simulator that could quite easily drown you in its vast amount of depth. If you are a lover of the sport or really into fantasy football you will find your needs met. You have to select the right coaches or your players won’t develop sufficiently. If you don’t give a player enough playtime he might quit the team or you could get yourself fired because you’ve lead your team to financial ruin. Definitely not a “pick up and play” game, but one that is rewarding nonetheless.
Runner Up: -FIFA 11
Peoples' Choice: - Football Manager 11
Best Graphics: Mass Effect 2
The artistic direction is top-notch in this sci-fi delight. Gone are the slow loading textures from the first game. Instead,Mass Effect 2 gives you a grand sense of scale one minute and then offers extremely personal moments the next. The characters in Mass Effect 2 come alive and that is due in large part to the excellent art and animation; animation which also helps make every action scene a visual feast for your eyes.
Runner Up: - Starcraft 2
Peoples' Choice: - Metro 2033
Best Original Musical Score: Sid Meier’s Civilization V
A typical round of Civilization V could take you around ten hours, so you had better have some excellent music to go with it. The score is never grating nor overbearing and seamlessly flows to match whichever civilization you are hovering over at the time. Always enjoyable, and never overpowering the experience, Civilization V's music direction has set a new marker for what the industry should be striving for.
Runner Up: - Mass Effect 2
Peoples' Choice: - Mass Effect 2
Most Innovative: Sid Meier’s Civilization V
How do you take a franchise that is already considered the best and improve it more? Innovation. Look at what works and at what doesn’t and make the necessary adjustments. From seemingly simple choices, like using hexagonal tiles instead of square ones, to more complex ones, like attempting to create an intuitive AI system with multiple flexible strategies, each decision seems to have paid off. A game that innovated to make it easier for newcomers and more engaging for veterans, that's almost impossible, but they pulled it off.
Runner Up: - Metro 2033
Peoples' Choice: - Mass Effect 2
Biggest Disappointment: Final Fantasy XIV Online
With the devoted fanbase still playing the 2002 Final Fantasy XI there was a fair amount of expectation for the next online role playing game from Square Enix. Unfortunately, it has been called a step backwards for the genre, and isn't worth the hassle. There is a clunky and awkward interface, restrictions on quests, poor NPC economy, and lag that makes even the simplest tasks a painful and drawn out test of your patience. If Final Fantasy XIV was your term paper, you would have to go to summer school.
Runner Up: - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Peoples' Choice: - Fallout: New Vegas
Best Game No One Played: Recettear: the Item Shop’s Tale
Maybe it was the awkward to say name, or maybe it was the seemingly boring premise, or maybe it was that it came out close to Halo: Reach and wasn’t advertised, but very few people bought this game. That is a shame as this independent title is an impressive and charming gem. You play as a shopkeeper in a fantasy setting, selling items to various adventurers or challenging them to go on quests for you to collect rare items. Give this game a try, you won’t regret it, nor will you ever look at an RPG item shop the same way again.
Runner Up: - Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Peoples' Choice: - Metro 2033
Most Anticipated for 2011: Portal 2
While the cake's truth has always been up for debate, there is honestly a major buzz of excitement over this game. Developer Valve has yet to let us down and every bit of info about this game has made gamers of the world giddy. First announced by patching in new hidden radios to the first game, gamers soon cracked the code. Added co-op levels, a whole new story, and a dash of lovably British wit have all so far been promised for this full retail game. So get ready to love/hate the still alive GLaDOS all over again this coming April.
Runner Up: - Diablo III
Peoples' Choice: - Guild Wars 2
Game of the Year: Mass Effect 2
What can possibly be left to say about this masterpiece that hasn’t been said before? It has an epic story that changes with your choices. It continues one of the most ambitious franchises ever seen in the industry. Like an engaging book that you read and re-read until it falls apart, or a beloved movie that you watch until the DVD melts in your player, it connects with all kinds of gamers. It is more than a simple game, it is an experience.
Runner Up: - Sid Meier’s Civilization V
Peoples' Choice: - Mass Effect 2
Be sure to check out our other Game of the Year Awards here!
