Bonus Level’s Game of The Year Awards

So the staff and I decided to form our own personal Top 3 games of the year and to post it up for all your own interest and enjoyment (and disagreement). Seeing as time is only a convention of man, I’ve allowed people to choose a game that may not have came out in 2010, but still must be a game played in 2010. I feel playing a game out of the 2010 release window is fine by me.

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Jeremy Brunson

3)  Batman: Arkham Asylum (360)

I loved the graphic novel and I thought it got a pretty faithful (well, mostly) in this great game from last year.  Getting that guy that did the voice from the cartoon was a nice touch.  I’m too lazy to look up his name.  The thing that I didn’t think fit was the final boss battle against the Joker.  It felt like it was from another game.

2)  Fable II (360)

A friend bought this for me for Christmas last year.  I didn’t really know much about the game and quickly fell in love.  I like the story, the morality system, the dog.  I just felt that it was a very solid and enjoyable game.  I hear Fable III is crap though.  I’ll have to rent it.

1)  Call of Duty: Black Ops (360)

This is one of the few games that came out this year that I’ve actually played.  For me, it’s all about the multiplayer and I’ve wasted a couple of afternoons playing with Lance and Justin.  My favorite mode has got to be the Sticks and Stones Wager match.  If you tomahawk your opponent, you humiliate them and obliterate their score.  There’s no better thrill or disappointment than to humiliate or be humiliated in the final seconds of the match.  The story of the game is…odd but I still enjoyed it for the most part.  I know it’s not revolutionary gameplay but I enjoy the series and really like the multiplayer.

Most Overrated Game of 2010:  Red Dead Redemption

Am I the only one that’s tired of the free flowing worlds/mission based gameplay from Rockstar?  It just kind of bores me.

Game from this year that I look forward to playing in 2011:  Mass Effect II

Trent Davis

3) Comic Jumper (360)

Hard as a 25 year old shit, but also kinda easy and cheesy. Awesome!

2) Halo Reach (360)

Well, what can I say, I love Halo.

1) COD: Black Ops (360)

I know its a common choice, but thats because its sooo good! Normally I dont really like the multiplayer in a COD game, for the sole fact that everybody is better than me, but the wager matches make it more fun. I also think they did an awesome job on the campaign.

Paul Petyo

3) Costume Quest (360)

FUN FUN FUN!  Talk about bringing back that childhood sense of joy; if you don’t feel more like a kid after playing this game, something is seriously wrong with you.  For a small game, this one is heavy on enjoyment.  Every ounce nuanced and loved to a sheer perfection.  The character models, dialogue, humor and game-play all work to accentuate this immensely enjoyable experience.

2) Red Dead Redemption (360)

Another sequel on the list, but honestly, I’d never played any of the games before it so it was new to me.  An RPG-like western, finally a genre that hasn’t been over-done.  Many lamented the slow pace and the fact that riding a horse everywhere is slow-going.  Have they never played a Zelda game before?  Grow up! I loved this one as well but not enough for the coveted number one slot. The character driven narrative is one that kept giving all the way through to the end. Game-play and controls on par with a GTA title, co-op missions and Zombie DLC, this game was one to get in 2010 and I’m glad I didn’t miss out.

1)  Mass Effect 2 (360)

You don’t call out of work and play for 16 straight hours for just ANY game that comes down the pipe.  Honestly, I hadn’t done that since I was in my teens.  And that’s the very feeling I got from Mass Effect 2.  Everything felt new again. I know the formula isn’t anything ground-breaking. Run, duck, shoot, talk to some folks, save some other folks, rinse and repeat. That said however, I love the universe they built here so much that I’d be plagued by evil machinations whenever I was away; plotting the demise of everyone between me and it’s sweet candy-mining ore.  Also, Jess quite enjoyed the grinding and story sections. Also, alien love-making and Jennifer Hale ftw.

(Runner Up) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

I left this one off the list because it was technically released in 2009 but I didn’t get around to it ’till this year.  It would have been a fight to the death over the number one slot though, for real.  I can’t say I’ve enjoyed a game more than I enjoyed this game.  Another marathon gaming experience; I almost had it beat in one long sitting.  I just couldn’t put it down.  The characters, the story, the game-play and exploration all seamlessly simmered into a bubbling pot of perfection.  From Drake’s witty on-the-fly quips to the unlockable character models. Donut Drake is utterly hilarious. I loved everything and actually played through the game twice because I couldn’t get enough. People who look down on video-games as a media for children are really missing out on great experiences and stories.  There are great narratives in games these days and this is one of the best.

Chris Demelo

3) Super Meat Boy (360)

This game.. This SOB of a game nearly drove me insane. It pushed me harder than any other video game, but yet it still kept me coming back. Call it masochism or just the thrill and difficulty of the NES. I could not put this game down. I think the best part about its difficulty was you always knew what you did wrong and what you would have to do to correct it. With the essential tight as hell control’s and an adorable and minimalistic graphical sense made Super Meat boy one of my favorite games of the year. I’m still undecided if I should punch/hug one of the Team Meat guys in the face, come PAX Boston.

2) Alan Wake (360)

A game that was in development for far to long and then thrown to the wolves the same week as Red Dead Redemption, it seems Remedy’s latest game was destined to fail. But even with all that stacked against it I still thoroughly loved the trip this game put me on. It really felt like being dropped into a Stephen King novel  (one of my favorite writers). The great atmosphere along with ever intuitive combat system really gave me a sense of excitement and kept me coming back for more. Not many games offer such a new and unique IP there first time around but Alan Wake delivered on both counts. Its not just my second favorite game of the year it’s also the best new IP. A fantastic game with stellar voice work only adds another level to its ever growing atmosphere.

1) Red Dead Redemption (360)

A game that is leaps and bounds beyond anything I have ever played. It is as cinematic as a game can get with a genre long thought dead. Westerns are known for there slow methodical pacing and my play through of RDR encapsulated it perfectly. Controlling the ever honorable John Marston you saw the worst the west could throw at you and he took it with a nod of his hat. John was great because he was one of the first Rock Star protagonists that you could actually fee compassion for and wasn’t a raving lunatic. I think this was emphases in the western setting where being evil really got you no where and was more of a hindrance unlike other Rock Star games. I’m usually not one for having my agency taken away for the sake of the developers story but this was one of the few that I was willing to relinquish control if only to experience one of the greatest gaming stories ever conceived. Also Dead Aiming dudes in the face and crotch is Hella Fun.

Jesse Koester

3) MegaMan 2-6

This year, I found myself enjoying 2 hours on the train every day, one hour in to Tokyo and one hour out. What better way to spend that time than trying to beat all original MegaMan games emulated on a DS. Once I had the boss orders down, the next goal was to beat the games in under an hour each.

Goal met.

With the exception of MegaMan 1, which is a piece of shit.

There. I said it.

2) Doom II RPG on the iPhone

Some train-wrecks make you want to look. Some train wrecks invite you to sift through the wreckage, blood and flesh soaked in the entrails of the hundreds of victims. Doom II RPG on the iPhone (a title so fundamentally confusing I had to buy the game just to understand what the fuck they were talking about) is the conceptual and programming apocalypse one might assume it is.

There is a school-yard joke about a scientist who wanted to clone a human with the brains of Einstein and the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lamentably enough, he gets the ingredients mixed and his creation has be body of Einstein and the brains of Arnold.

This game is that joke manifest. Doom II on the iPhone combines the vivid graphical excitement of an early 90′s RPG with the rich story telling an nuanced character development of Doom II. Controlling the iPhone is as frustrating as ever, the touch screen lacking any precision and texts, phone calls or dropped service interrupting your gaming experience. Furthermore, it features a combat system that would embarrass Mystic Quest.

Worst of all, it crashes. All. The. Time.

Eventually, the game wasn’t the game. I invented another game based on Doom II RPG. Whatever task my flat-mate was engaged in, I would load the game and see if he could finish his task before Doom II RPG crashed. Take a shower? Nope. Shave? Nope. Cook eggs? Nope. Crack eggs? Not even. Tie shoes? Don’t bother. One time, I didn’t even have time to tell him that we were starting a new round before the game crashed.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

One of my favorite things to do in a game is get 100% – collect all items, complete all side-quests, unlock every chest; catch-em-all, so to speak. When I play a game straight through, I feel like I’ve spent an evening in a bar speaking with the programmers and getting rudimentary ideas of what kinds of people they are. Playing a game through to 100% is like locking yourself in a single room with the programmers for a week. Suddenly, guys you thought were chill and cool turn out to be total douche bags.

The team behind Spirit Track is whatever the opposite of douche bags would be. The main quest is at all times interesting with engaging game-play elements that make exquisite use of the touch pad. While the games veneer is cute, there is a macabre thread throughout the proceedings (Zelda is dead, a fact which she references frequently with innocent confusion) that keeps the story from feeling too childish.

But, the side-quests, upgrading system, and item acquisition are all perfectly paced. You can catch-em-all without throwing your DS against the wall in frustration or tearing your hair out with boredom. You will be challenged, but never punished for wanting to explore every corner of the game. Plus, shooting the sign-posts by the tracks is a blast.

Lance Coviello

3)Donkey Kong Country Returns
This spot was originally for Angry Birds the game I can’t stop playing to save my life. But then Jena got DKCR for Christmas and we’ve put in around 10 hours into the game already and it is incredible. If you played or loved the original Donkey Kong Country games then this game is for you. It is a PERFECT update to a classic 16-bit series. The game is fun, beautiful and brutally hard. I have come very close to Rage Quitting (or throwing a controller) but somehow I always beat a level just before I submit to the rage. This is THE game to dust off your Wii to play.

2) Darksiders
Paul suggested this one to me because it just slipped past me with all of the other games that came out last January. I’m very glad he did because the game is fantastic. The basic gameplay is ripped off from Legend of Zelda and as games go to rip off that is one of the best ones to do and one of the ones least ripped off nowadays. It doesn’t hurt that the game takes place post-apocalypse which I have a fondness for. The game is an awesome action/rpg that looks fantastic. Worth a play-through if you haven’t yet.

1) Mass Effect 2
Few games have every completely taken ahold of me to the point where I had no choice but to continue playing it. I seriously considering bringing a bucket of some sort into my gaming area so I didn’t have to leave the game to go to the bathroom. At the time I finished the game I called it The Empire Strikes Back of gaming and I stand by that statement. The game is excellent on every level and everyone should play it.