Game of the Year Awards 2010

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