Game of the Year Awards 2010

Best Story
Call of Duty: Black Ops

If the key ingredients to a good story are being memorable then Black Ops has that well covered. Reliving events while held hostage Mason comes to realize he may have been brainwashed and that’s when things start getting complicated. The story presentation of Black Ops is first rate.






Runners-up:
Bayonetta
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Red Dead Redemption

Best Graphics (Art):
Mafia 2

Empire Bay looks fantastic whether you are gazing at the uniquely designed buildings or the dozens of detailed vehicles. Plenty of works was put into creating a vibrant looking and feeling city set over a few decades and it certainly paid off.







Runners-up:
Enslaved
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Darksiders

Best Graphics (Technical):
Metro 2033

Metro 2033 has a rich atmosphere crafted by a superb looking engine, pixel perfect shadows, volumetric lights, detailed ghastly creatures and very impressive textures and even some great looking desolate outdoor locations.








Runners-up:
God of War 3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Final Fantasy 13

Best Music (original composition)
Call of Duty: Black Ops

Consistent and powerful score composed by Sean Murray that elevated the heart rate to made some of the combat sequences incredibly exciting. One of the few soundtracks this year you’ll probably enjoy listening to outside the game.







Runners-up:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Fallout: New Vegas
Heavy Rain

Best Audio/Sound design
Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The Frostbite engine certainly can produce some great destruction but its other wonderful strength is the unbelievable audio engine that produces deep sounds of explosions, bullets and incoming tank shells that is quite simply unmatched on the battlefield.







Runners-up:
Limbo
Halo Reach
Fallout: New Vegas

Best Voice Acting
GTA4: Episodes from Liberty City

Rockstar have always produced games with brilliant voice acting and Episodes from Liberty city is certainly no different. Featuring its fair share of funny and odd characters, the voice work is perfectly delivered.








Runners-up:
Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect 2
Alan Wake

Best Character
Red Dead Redemption – John Marston

As a married man and a father, Marston acts and reacts a certain way which may or may not always be the action taken by the player. This interesting dynamic of a character with more at stake than simply his own life makes taking the infamous road throughout the game as difficult and emotionally troubling as it should be.





Runners-up:
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Bioshock 2
Bayonetta

Best Atmosphere
Amnesia: The Dark Descent

The player is completely absorbed in Castle Brennenberg and must face fears some which can’t be seen but still pose a deadly threat. Great lighting effects and some clever use of sound make Amnesia an engrossing game no horror experience can match.







Runners-up:
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
Red Dead Redemption
Fallout: New Vegas

Best Singleplayer
Fallout: New Vegas

New Vegas brings back the great feelings from Fallout 3 with a wide expansive wasteland and hundreds of things to do. A new wasteland brings forth a whole range of interesting locations to discover and crazy people to meet. Deciding where to go and how to tackle your next objective is not something that will disappear when you stop playing either. With a huge and interesting world and hours worth of content, New Vegas is the best single player experience this year.


Runners-up:
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2
God of War 3

Best Multiplayer
Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Concentrated action and well balanced vehicles on some great looking and large destructive maps. Includes Rush and Conquest modes offering plenty of action for snipers, rushers and flankers alike. It’s the most action-packed mutliplayer this year, with a focus on squad cooperation to boot.






Runners-up:
Starcraft 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo Reach

Best Gameplay
Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Is there anything quite like taking cover from a tank behind a building that creaks and slowly collapses to the ground leaving you vulnerable? Destruction changes the outcomes for the entire battlefield and it makes the action very dynamic.








Runners-up:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Heavy Rain

Best PC Game
Starcraft 2

Starcraft 2 successfully takes the winning gameplay from the original and crafts a wonderfully presented new package. Varied missions and some fantastic unit design make it a must-own strategy title. Multiplayer once again proves to be incredibly popular and well balanced.







Runners-up:
Civilization 5
Mass Effect 2
Stalker: Call of Pripyat

Best Playstation 3 Game
Heavy Rain

When players say that Heavy Rain is a unique experience, they really mean it. Featuring a complex, multi-character and multi-ending story arc, along with unique gameplay and amazing technical character modeling, makes this the best PS3 title this year.







Runners-up:
God of War 3
Gran Turismo 5
Darksiders

Best Xbox 360 Game
Mass Effect 2

A Cinematic role playing game where you save the universe? It plays as great as it sounds. Players can also benefit when using a save game from the first title. No matter how you play it, good or evil, ME2 is a superb game.








Runners-up:
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Alan Wake
Halo Reach

Worst Game Everyone Played
Dead Rising 2

While Dead Rising 2 takes steps forward for the franchise that trademarked creative zombie killing, a variety of issues made this an average title. Given poor AI, frustrating boss fights and unlikeable characters, this isn’t the great title that many people were expecting.







Runners-up:
Fable 3
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Call of Duty: Black Ops

Best Game No-one Played
Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Another successful game by developers Frictional Games, although it sold enough copies to keep them going for another game, it should have sold a boat load more. Superb horror and originality make Amnesia most worthy of the best game not enough people experienced.







Runners-up:
Darksiders
Costume Quest
Bayonetta

Most Improved Sequel
Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Revolver was a mildly received game back in the day and one that many people wouldn’t have considered to be sequel-worthy, especially by a triple-A studio like Rockstar. Following in the footsteps and the formula of Grand Theft Auto 4, Red Dead Redemption greatly surpasses the quality of its predecessor and ups the ante on what we can expect from Rockstar and the genre in the future.




Runners-up:
Assassin’s Creed 2
Just Cause 2
Mass Effect 2

Worst Sequel
Crackdown 2

While the original was an addictive bit of arcade-style action mixed with Grand Theft Auto open-world goodness – bugs, control issues, and the unusual fluctuations in difficulty all hindered the less-than-stellar sequel.








Runners-up:
Lost Planet 2
Command & Conquer 4
Gothic 4

Best New IP
Heavy Rain

Likely the most original video game experience this year, Heavy Rain is an ambitious project that put alot on the line for Quantic Dream. Thankfully, the risk paid off with both the critics and PS3 player audiences. If the progression from Indigo Prophecy to Heavy Rain is any indication, the next project in this series will be one to remember.





Runners-up:
Darksiders
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Metro 2033

Most Surprisingly Good Game
Darksiders

Taking many ideas from similar games, this action adventure title is not only beautifully presented, but almost perfectly paced between all the sword swinging action and clever puzzles. Let’s not forget the single player is of good length and rarely manages to be repetitive.







Runners-up:
Just Cause 2
NBA 2k11
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands

Most Disappointing Game
Splinter Cell: Conviction

Splinter Cell Conviction turned stealth into action, subtlety into explosions, and patience into mark and execute automatic kills. Many things that made the series a leader in the genre have vanished but we really hope they will be back.








Runners-up:
Command & Conquer 4
Alan Wake
Elemental: War of Magic

Worst Game Overall
Elemental: War of Magic

Probably the most broken retail title this year, Elemental featured a non-working multiplayer and a magnitude of issues out of the box. Sure, a few weeks and patches later some issues were solved, but this is still our worst game of the year.








Runners-up:
APB
Aliens vs Predator
Gothic 4

Best Driving Game
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

After going through a slump and a sim-based spinoff in recent years, Need for Speed is finally back to its arcade roots thanks to an experienced new developer. Hot Pursuit brings back the adrenalin rush of racing in expensive cars down huge stretches of open highway. Cop races are as fun as you’d imagine them to be in multiplayer. This game deserves to reincarnate the Hot Pursuit subtitle, and it’s the best racing title of 2010.


Runners-up:
Gran Turismo 5
Blur
Split Second

Best Platformer
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands

Clean and smooth platforming brings back the franchise to the forefront of the genre. Clever tricks with time and freezing water are more than enough to satisfy those looking for moresilky smooth wall running and pole jumping.








Runners-up:
Assassin’s Creed 2
Super Meat Boy
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Best Shooter
Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Incredible destruction and an incredible multiplayer experience would be nothing without the solid weapon handling and feel. From grenades, rockets, assault rifles, and sniper rifles, Bad Company 2 proves to be more than worthy of the best shooter award.







Runners-up:
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Stalker: Call of Pripyat
Halo Reach

Best Action Game
God of War 3

God of War 3 manages to surprise the players with some great new tweaks and additions to the gameplay, stellar graphics and a solid soundtrack. Epic-scale boss battles and satisfyingly violent takedowns carry on the series’ tradition of smooth and fast action. God of War 3 is an excellent action title that fans must definitely check out.





Runners-up:
Darksiders
Just Cause 2
GTA4: Episodes from Liberty City

Best Strategy Game
Starcraft 2

The many years that have passed since the original game didn’t slow down SC2 from raking in record sales, and rightfully so. Despite the competition, StarCraft 2 takes the victory in this genre by a wide margin. Base building RTS games are most certainly not dead on the PC platform.






Runners-up:
Civilization 5
DOW II: Chaos Rising
Supreme Commander 2

Best Adventure Game
Heavy Rain

From the interesting and original control display to the twisting story that unfolds before the players, Heavy Rain almost feels like a throwback to the classic adventure games. Presenting a story that has over 20 endings and other variations, four characters to play as, and a strong narrative, Heavy Rain is hands-down the best adventure game of the year.





Runners-up:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Mass Effect 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Best Role Playing Game
Fallout: New Vegas

New Vegas doesn’t just extend Fallout 3, it improves the core experience – the quests. There is smarter dialogue, more mature decisions and even more interesting quests. Combine that with the exploration and you have a deep and replayable role playing game.








Runners-up:
Mass Effect 2
Final Fantasy 13

Best Sports Game
NBA 2k11

This year’s NBA 2K title has quite a bit more to offer than most sports titles of 2010, and makes for a rather fun ball game. With Michael Jordan on the cover, the game fully utilizes his starpower with various modes and gameplay inclusions throughout. NBA 2k11 is a great game that goes above and beyond the usual yearly roster update and minor feature tweaks.




Runners-up:
FIFA 11
Pro Evolution 2011
NHL 11

Best Simulation
Gran Turismo 5

Gran Turismo 5 is a very solid title with enough content to last a very, very long time. Featuring tons of cars, tracks, and races – this sim offers enough variety and gameplay to satisfy all those looking for a challenge. Fans will get a ton of racing for their money, and it’s the best simulation game of the year.







Runners-up:
Rock Band 3
F1 2010

Best Puzzle Game
Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Although it doesn’t have the same number of physics puzzles as the Penumbra games, players still have plenty of potion mixing, gear cranking, and item usage order to figure out. Much of the game feels like an adventure game from the 90s, and you can be sure every puzzle is logical.






Runners-up:
Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light
Limbo
Bejeweled 3

Best Arcade Game
Super Meat Boy

This platformer is brutal but devastatingly addictive, you may die dozens of times in a single level because there are no checkpoints and no time rewind features. Precise air controls and perfect timing are required to complete each level but we wouldn’t have it any other way.





Runners-up:
Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light
DJ Hero 2
Rock Band 3