2010

2010 Game of the Year Awards Round-Up

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/31/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Red Dead Redemption

Awarded
Game of the Year
Best DLC
Best Voice Acting

Nominated
Best New Character
Best Story
Best Sound Design
Best Atmosphere
Best Original Music

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Awarded
Best Strategy Game

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Multiplayer Game

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Awarded
Best Shooter
Best Multiplayer Game

Nominated
Game of the Year

Fallout: New Vegas

Awarded
Best RPG

Nominated
Game of the Year

Rock Band 3

Awarded
Best Rhythm

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Awarded
Best Puzzler

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Awarded
Best Platformer

Nominated
Game of the Year

Gran Turismo 5

Awarded
Best Driving

God of War III

Awarded
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best Graphics, Technical

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Artistic
Best Sound Design
Best Voice Acting

Epic Mickey

Awarded
Most Disappointing Game

Nominated
Best Graphics, Artistic

Limbo

Awarded
Best Downloadable Game

Nominated
Best Graphics, Artistic

Bayonetta

Awarded
Best New Character
Best Original Music

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Action-Adventure Game

Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Awarded
Best Graphics, Artistic

Nominated
Best Platformer

Alan Wake

Awarded
Best Story

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Sound Design
Best Atmosphere
Best Downloadable Content
Best Original Music

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Awarded
Best Sound Design

Nominated
Best Shooter
Best Multiplayer Game

Metro 2033

Awarded
Best Atmosphere

Supreme Commander 2

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

Civilization V

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Strategy Game

R.U.S.E.

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

Napoleon: Total War

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

Halo: Reach

Nominated
Best Shooter
Best Multiplayer Game

BioShock 2

Nominated
Best Shooter
Best Atmosphere

Vanquish

Nominated
Best Shooter

Final Fantasy XIII

Nominated
Best RPG

Fable III

Nominated
Best RPG

Valkyria Chronicles II

Nominated
Best RPG

Mass Effect 2

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best RPG
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Story
Best Voice Acting
Best Sound Design

Def Jam: Rapstar

Nominated
Best Rhythm Game

DJ Hero 2

Nominated
Best Rhythm Game

Dance Central

Nominated
Best Rhythm Game

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Nominated
Best Rhythm Game

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

Nominated
Best Puzzler

Puzzle Quest 2

Nominated
Best Puzzler

The Undergarden

Nominated
Best Puzzler

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Nominated
Best Puzzler

Sonic Colors

Nominated
Best Platformer

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Nominated
Best Platformer

Super Meat Boy

Nominated
Best Platformer
Best Downloadable Game
Best Original Music

Split/Second

Nominated
Best Driving Game

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Nominated
Best Driving Game

Blur

Nominated
Best Driving Game

F1 2010

Nominated
Best Driving Game

Heavy Rain

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Story
Best Voice Acting

Carrion

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Graphics, Artistic
Best Action-Adventure Game

Just Cause 2

Nominated
Best Graphics, Technical

Disciples III: Renaissance

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

APB: All Points Bulletin

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

Final Fantasy XIV Online

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

Alpha Protocol

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Nominated
Best Downloadable Game

Toy Soldiers

Nominated
Best Downloadable Game

Hydrophobia

Nominated
Best Downloadable Game

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (Borderlands)

Nominated
Best Downloadable Content

Lost in Nightmares (Resident Evil 5)

Nominated
Best Downloadable Content

Mafia II

Nominated
Best Story
Best Voice Acting

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Nominated
Best Atmosphere

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Nominated
Best Action-Adventure Game

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Achievement Awards — Game of the Year

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/18/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Game of the Year is one of the hardest decisions because so many games are created every year. But to come out on top the game must be excellent in its genre (usually re-define it) and have great production values, and not feel repetitive, and usually, it changes the way we think about games.

Red Dead Redemption

What sets Red Dead apart from all of these other excellent games is how authentic its world is. It feels so real and feels just like the wild west. With excellent voice acting, a huge open world to explore, lots of missions, and it’s just the subtle details that make it a winner. Hunting, gambling, horseback riding, even down to the drinks, attitudes of the people, clothing, accents, it just all adds up to something spectacular and really shows what a game can do. It’s Red Dead’s subtle details that truly make this game shine over the others.

Runner-Ups

Heavy Rain

God of War III

Mass Effect 2

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Bayonetta

Call of Duty: Black Ops

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Alan Wake

Fallout: New Vegas

Dante’s Inferno

Civilization V

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Best Strategy Game

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/18/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A good strategy game consists of balanced gameplay, lots of units to use, a good story, and great ways to execute strategy on the enemy. A lot of strategy games fail on this part, and tend to be overly complicated, and is mostly stuck on the PC due to complicated control schemes.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

What sets StarCraft apart? It’s the epic story? Perfectly balanced units? Competitive Multiplayer? It’s everything about the game from the well-crafted missions, excellent and diverse factions, and the fact that it keeps strategy simple. It may not be fair to pit other strategy games against an icon like StarCraft, but it happens every few years. StarCraft II is an instant classic and should be loved by strategy goers everywhere.

Runner-Ups

Supreme Commander 2

Civilization V

R.U.S.E.

Napoleon: Total War

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Best Shooter

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/18/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Shooters probably take the most flak from gamers and tend to be the most hated. Most gamers don’t like shooters due to their true-to-life reenactments, or just killing people with guns doesn’t sit well with most. No doubt shooters helped push consoles graphics-wise, and have some great stories to tell, and excellent cinematic moments.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Black Ops not only has astounding multiplayer, but the single-player campaign is probably one of the best this year when it comes to shooters. Most shooters have shallow stories, but Black Ops‘ Vietnam/Cold War story is gripping, with some of the best set pieces seen in shooters. Excellent graphics, memorable characters, and awesome weapons make this a winner.

Runner-Ups

Halo: Reach

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

BioShock 2

Vanquish

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Best RPG

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/18/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

RPG’s most important element is the story. This is what sets RPGs apart from other genres. The games also must have excellent lovable characters and good combat whether it’s turned based or real-time. RPGs also tend to be very long, but they are getting a bad rap in Japan due to never changing their formula.

Fallout: New Vegas

While New Vegas isn’t as good as Fallout 3 just the sheer vastness of the wasteland, the memorable characters, and the deep amount of content the game provides. There are a seemingly endless amount of quests, and the game has excellent dungeons, great shooting mechanics, and the mod community for the PC version is enormous, and New Vegas wins because the game lasts beyond the box, and it stays true to RPG standards: Leveling up by killing, completing quests, and tons of loot.

Runner-Ups

Final Fantasy XIII

Fable III

Mass Effect 2

Valkyria Chronicles II

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Rhythm/Music

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/18/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The Rhythm/Music genre has always been about great music, and whether your rocking out, dancing, or singing you are meant to have a great time, but the game also has to have responsive controls. If the game can’t also be read without thinking your game is broken. Making a good rhythm game is hard since the genre is so bloated these days. The game also has to have good sturdy hardware that’s responsive.

Rock Band 3

Rock Band isn’t a unique or original game anymore so why does it win for the second year in a row? The new peripherals and the fact that it actually teaches you how to play music now. With the addition of the new keytar and being able to play with a real guitar? That’s ingenious, and while the gameplay hasn’t changed much that addition of excellent hardware makes it a winner.

Runner-Ups

Def Jam: Rapstar

DJ Hero 2

Dance Central

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Puzzler

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/17/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Puzzle games aren’t just supposed to bend our minds, but also offer unique ways to play puzzles we’ve grown to love. Some have stories, some require reflex, and some just make you think.

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Professor Layton brings puzzle games to life with a charming story, visuals, and deep clever puzzles. What sets it apart from the rest is the way puzzles are presented with the DS hardware and the way you think about them. Professor Layton has set the standard for puzzle games, and you don’t just have to have the quantity to make a puzzle game great.

Runner-Ups

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

Puzzle Quest 2

The Undergarden

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Platformer

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/17/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A great platformer has responsive controls, unique gameplay, good puzzles, and good graphics. Platformers go all the way back to the beginning of video games so there’s is a lot of scrutinies involved in them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

While Mario may be the same thing over and over again the Galaxy games really show what the Wii was meant for, and truly offer unique gameplay, charming visuals, and fun combat and puzzle-solving. Galaxy 2 succeeds on the first game with pretty much better everything. The game is more epic, it feels like it’s on a larger scale, and you just can’t get enough of that Galaxy feel.

Runner-Ups

Sonic Colors

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Super Meat Boy

Kirby’s Epic Yarn

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Driving Game

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/17/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Driving games are all about the cars whether it’s a simulator or arcade racer. A good driving game has responsive controls, slick cars, fun tracks, and customization options that suit the game.

Gran Turismo 5

While it has its flaws and was overhyped there’s no denying the attention to detail in GT5. With over 500 cars, tons of real-world tracks detailed to every crack, excellent tuning options, and a slick interface what’s there not to like? With the new special events, GT5 is oozing with awesome content for car lovers. So flaws aside it’s the attention to detail that won this over the rest.

Runner-Ups

Split/Second

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Blur

F1 2010

2010 Game of the Year Awards — Genre — Action-Adventure Game

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/17/2010
Posted in: 2010, Game of the Year Awards. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Action/Adventure games tell stories through excellent cinematics and have epic scripted moments, deep combat, and usually beautiful visuals.

God of War III

God of War III defines the genre that tells us there are no limits or boundaries and it really shows here. With superb combat, epic boss fights, and gruesome gore that would make even the strongest squirm you have to love this game. It perfects the series and really shows what the next-generation is all about.

Runner-Ups

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Bayonetta

Alan Wake