The best video games of 2010

The Telegraph video game team present their top 10 video games of 2010. 

 

There's arguably been little revolution for the video game industry in 2010, but there's been phenomenal evolution. Several games have delivered the best, most refined examples of their genre over the past twelve months, while other titles have pushed the envelope in what constitutes a gaming experience. There are scores of games we'd love to tell you about, but we've managed to boil down what we feel are the best games of 2010 to a list of 10. They are not ranked; rather we've presented them alphabetically as video games have become so varied in the experiences they offer players, that ranking a platformer above a shooter or an open-world adventures feels pointless and more than a little unfair. 

These the best games of the year that all of us at the Telegraph Video Games site could agree on; the ones that have had the most impact, or simply provided the most fun. Our individual lists are at the bottom of this article. We hope 2010 has been as good to you as it has to us. 

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
(Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft) 

Fans were originally unsure as to whether the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood would feel like a rushed cash-in, arriving as it did so soon after the release of its predecessor. Concerns were soon silenced, however, when the scope of the single player revealed itself. Being able to run your own crew of assassins is fantastic, as is the simple yet compulsive act of rebuilding Rome. However it's the multiplayer which really warrants its inclusion here; an amazing, tense experience that's far better than players ever expected. Constantly rewarding, always mixing it up, Brotherhood's multiplayer shines as one of 2010's online highlights. 

 

Bayonetta
(Platinum Games/Sega) 

 

Mixing in witches, demons, guns, puzzles and outrageous boss battles, Bayonetta is stark raving mad and some of the most fun you can have on a console. Developed by Hideki Kamiya – the creator of the Devil May Cry series – Bayonetta is a game harbouring an almost lustful adoration of its bespectacled titular female character - who looks like a cross between Sarah Palin and a dominatrix from a high-end leather club - but it escapes accusations of objectification in two ways. First, Bayonetta herself is an aggressive, acid-tongued heroine who can give as good as she gets both phsyically and verbally. Second, the game's focus remains solidly on combat; combining gymnastic movements with frenetic gunplay and hand-to-hand attacks, Bayonetta fighting system is unquestionably the best of its type. It may take a while to master Bayonetta's intricate attack selection, but any game in which the hero uses a mane of body-hugging hair to dispatch ethereal terrors to oblivion has got to be worth a look.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops
(Treyarch/Activision) 

 

By the end of 2011, no video games developer could rest easier than the Santa Monica-based Treyarch. Not only would they have to win over a fan base that was as loyal to Infinity Ward - the makers of Modern Warfare 2 - as it was to the COD brand, they were charged with topping the highest-earning games release of all time. Amazingly enough, they managed just that. Call Of Duty: Black Ops is now the gold-standard for the franchise. The game's story campaign is fun to play, filled with explosive set pieces and is tied together by a very decent yarn. The multiplayer is both deep and innovative; the Wager Matches alone will keep the COD faithful playing well into the night. Finally, the games zombie-themed multiplayer is a fan favourite which never stops being silly, infectious fun. Spare a thought for the developers who have to follow Blacks Ops - they certainly have their work cut out for them.

Deadly Premonition
(Access Games/Rising Star Games)

 

A game that defies scoring, defies even common sense. It has some very real, very pervasive mechanical issues and its wilfully insane themes will absolutely not be to all tastes. But those that fall for Deadly Premonition's wonderful weirdness fall hard. And Francis York Morgan is, without doubt, the most fascinating video game character in years. While its debt to David Lynch's Twin Peaks is huge, Deadly Premonition's story is genuinely complex, disturbing and engaging. The very definition of a cult hit, with a fierce and vocal group of fans that will scream from the rooftops about how you must play this game. I'm one of them.

Demon's Souls
(From Software/Namco Bandai) 

 

I loved everything about this game. Everything. I'm still not finished with it. I'm halfway through the second playthrough with my main character, and have various other playthroughs on the go. There's loads more I still want to do. The atmosphere, the tension, the danger every single thing poses, it keeps drawing me back. It's a bleak, oppressive game that somehow manages to be some of the most fun I've had in years. And the Tower Knight still freaks me out every time.

Mass Effect 2
(BioWare/Electronic Arts) 

 

BioWare's fabulous space opera sequel is a masterclass in sci-fi world-building, weaving an engaging tale in its meticulously crafted universe. The wealth of activities on offer was simply mind-boggling. Players could while away hours exploring the game's universe, mining its countless planets for resources or picking up numerous curios in the in-game giftshops.But raising it above and beyond was its characters; a rag-tag crew of differing skills, personalities, tempermants and species. It's not often in video games that you'll be desperate to get to know your squad-mates, but you will here, discovering their fears, motivations and testing their loyalty and dedication. And who can forget the Salarian doctor, Mordin Solus, singing Gilbert & Sullivan?

Red Dead Redemption
(Rockstar San Diego/Rockstar Games) 

 

I would quickly run out of space if I had to list all the reasons Red Dead Redemption is one of my favourite games of 2010. Its compelling plot, gritty, well-defined characters, fantastic gameplay and gargantuan multiplayer all deserve a nod, but they don't really encapsulate what makes Rockstar's Wild West adventure such an essential title. Really, the game's trump card lies in convincing the player that the Old Western world it contains is a living breathing environment, and it manages to do this with envious ease. It all starts with the first sunset. The first time you stare off into the distant horizon. The sounds of the wilderness surround you, a gust of wind blows a tumbleweed past but you remain captivated by the gorgeous, sunburnt vista before you. You watch as the clouds bleed purple and red as the sun sinks below the mountains. It's then you know that Red Dead Redemption has you completely immersed in its world, and there are few better - or more beautiful - places to be.

Starcraft II: The Wings Of Liberty
(Blizzard Entertainment) 

 

"Hell, it's about time!" snarled a cigar-chomping space marine in the trailers for the superb Starcraft II, echoing the feelings of the series' massive fan base. It had been 12 years since we last saw Jim Raynor and his band of rebels grace a computer screen, so the anticipation surrounding the release of Starcraft II was understandably huge. Amazingly, given the massive expectations heaped on the developer, Blizzard didn't disappoint. Starcraft II came loaded with a gigantic campaign, a fantastic multiplayer and a set of creative tools for players to enjoy. The game doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel for RTS games - SC veterans will find a lot of it pleasingly familiar - but it makes an unshakable claim to be numbered among the greats of the genre. 

Super Mario Galaxy 2
(Nintendo) 

 

Genius, joyous, insatiably inventive. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the world's finest game designers let loose, crafting Mario's intergalactic playgrounds with boundless, endless creativity. At the centre of it all is the plumber himself, as ebullient and delightful to control as ever. Super Mario Galaxy 2 perfects the platformer over 120 golden stars then when, you think it's all over, shatters its boundaries over 120 more. For me, it's almost unfair to crown it my game of the year, because it's Galaxy 2 ... then it's everything else. Not just my favourite game of this year, but of any year full stop

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