Ben's Top Ten Games of 2010

Same thing with movies, but with games.

10: Metro 2033: This game is truly an underrated gem. Many people that I've talked to dismissed this as a Fallout 3 rip-off. What it is is what licensed games should be: close to the source material that it keeps the original feel, yet, let you play as the main character. Metro 2033 does this properly, which is amazing, seeing as it's based off of a novel. If you find this 360 exclusive, do not pass it up. It is well worth it.

9: Alan Wake: While I wasn't particularly impressed with Alan Wake's story (and bad lip synching), I would a discredit to myself if I didn't give the game credit where it's due. It was fun, and the concept was clever, and very, very well executed. Where it shines (pun intended) is the lighting and in game graphics. Alan Wake has some of the best lighting effects, and most gorgeous vistas ever seen in a video game. Though, I'm still miffed at the ending (and haven't played the DLC yet, since I'm still waiting to get it back), I can't deny that Alan Wake was a true ray of light of a game.

8: Medal of Honor: Take notes on this game. The combat is damn close to what the Army teaches, including 5 second rushes, and slamming against cover. The missions are breath taking (props to the mission where back-up is cancelled to save the back-up), plain and simple. Oh, and you don't get shot by a guy with an epic mustache. But, I digress...

7: Mass Effect 2: This is on the list, but it's low for a reason. Was it impressive? Yes. Was it awesome in its depth? Yes. Are the new characters awesome. Mostly, yes (Thane is awesome, Jack, while I found her useless, was well written, Miranda... why are you here?). Is Tali still awesome? Hell, yes, and so is Garrus. But, if I liked it, why's it so low? One big reason: That was the last boss? That's it?! Oh, okay, two: Bioware "forgot" to put a series of missions in the game, and sold it as DLC... to people that joined a club to get DLC for free. DLC that should be free for everyone because it should've been on the disc in the first place, no less...

6: Battlefield: Bad Company 2: I'm surprised that no one has any love for Haggard, Marlow, Sarge, and Sweetwater this year. I loved the original Bad Company. This one upped the ante with more humor, a more desperate story, and new, clever objectives, such as trying not to freeze to death. Did I mention the fact that it's purely tongue in cheek, yet very appropriate for today's times?

5: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow does a lot of things right. It has colossal bosses (pun, again, intended), an interesting story, and Patrick Stewart goading you along. Again, it's low on this list because of control issues. But, admittedly, I found the story very hard to stay invested in, but unlike a lot of other games (Halo), I can see why people like it.

4: Rock Band 3: Give me shit if you must, but Rock Band 3 follows the law of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" gameplay wise. They made the menus more manageable (though a learning curve is needed). They added a keyboard, finally. Most tracks are forward compatible. But, the added bonus? Pro mode, where it teaches you how to play the actual song on an actual instrument. Sure, the guitar will be expensive (the new one with strings being $300), but it doubles as a control and actual guitar.

3: Deadly Premonition: "What is a low budget game with bad acting, bad graphics, and terrible controls doing on this list?" you may ask. My answer? "Yes, the graphics and voice acting sucks, and the controls are a little clunky. But, the story is genuinely well written. It's scary at points, funny at others, and the end ties everything together very well. Oh... did I mention you play as an FBI Agent who may or may not have a dissociative fugue personality that fights zombies?" Yeah... that's what it's doing on this list.

2: Splatterhouse: Critics be damned (or paid off by bigger companies), this game belongs here. Was the story deep? No. Did it need to be? Are you kidding me?! All you need to know about Splatterhouse is that your girlfriend is in trouble, you need to save her, and a mask made you into the bastard child of the Hulk and Jason Vorhees... with five times the killing capacity of both of them. If you're expecting art from that, don't blame the game, blame yourself for not figuring out that a game called Splatterhouse is about mindless, violent fun.

1: Heavy Rain: How was this game passed up on so many lists? It's a work of art both visually and narratively. Never, in any game, have I seen characters that are as relatable to actual players, so much so, that in more than one part, I was genuinely concerned about the characters' well beings. This is one of the few games where I had to get up, and just stop before I had a panic attack because I did something to a father trying to save his own son that is more disturbing than any Jigsaw trap could do. Part human study, part psychological horror, and part drama, Heavy Rain shouldn't be passed up. "Professional" game critics should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring this game as of late. (No, I don't call myself a professional. I am a gamer. I play games for fun and entertainment, which is more meaningful that playing a game to nitpick flaws... unless they're glaring.)

Note: Red Dead Redemption would be on this list, I'm betting... except I'm not that far in it. I'm savoring it, but keep that in mind. I do love RDR.