Greatest games of 2010 list:

1. Demon’s Souls
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Red Dead Redemption
4. Sid Meier’s Civilization V
5. Minecraft Alpha
6. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops
8. Battlefield Bad Company 2
9. Mass Effect 2
10. Halo: Reach

Best expansion packs:

1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II—Chaos Rising
3. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

This year has been particularly crap for games (aside from, perhaps, the top five).

Game Reviews:

Minecraft: I haven’t played a game this addictive in a while. Such a simple concept—the sun goes up,the sun goes down and you build things in between. Almost like Dungeon Keeper in the way that you become emphatically pleased with what you create (you should Youtube some of the videos people have made). If only there was a little more substance to the game—somehow it seems a little bit frivolous. There’s sure as hell enough style. A−

Game Reviews:

International Cricket 2010: This game has good game mechanics but some prior knowledge of the sport is required. The graphics are nice and clean with the poorly rendered crowd being the only flaw. If you enjoy cricket and/or can play long enough to learn how to use the different aspects of the game—you will enjoy this. A−

Game Reviews:

Mappy: What I love about this game is it's infuriating addictiveness. I can seriously play this game for hours at a time and get so annoyed when I die—it is such a well paced game—it's a personal favourite of mine. A lot of people say the music gets tiring but I love it. It is a simple game, though. A−

Game Reviews:

Final Fantasy XIII: The graphics are the only thing keeping this above sea level—they're very impressive. The game-play systems they employ are just a new take on old systems which stray from usability. The story and characters are trite and the camera is irritating—the designers are clearly focused on the girls of the game (as all Japanese game designers are, nowadays). Oh yeah, did I mention the soundtrack sucks? ***

PaRappa the Rapper: The only rhythm based game I enjoy, it is very hard and always fun. Even now the drawings still enthrall me and the tunes aren't half that bad either (for a game). I find most rhythm based games dull (Guitar Hero included) so it's nice to have, at least, one that I like. A−

Game Reviews:

Pokemon (Red/Blue): You know, more than ten years later, this is one of the greatest games of all time. Perhaps the greatest Gameboy game of the last generation. Beautiful level designs that (although may be tedious to trek over) stay fresh for a long time. A great story which, may seem childish on the surface, turns into a highly interactive plot via the game-play. I rarely get hooked to things which have a collectible aspect but I have to admit I have all the cards and thoroughly enjoyed the whole encapsulating experience of this game. Even the music. A+

Advance Wars: Here's another great Gameboy game which I first played on my little brothers handset. I instantly liked the game—the graphics and fluid pacing really sucked me into the battle sequences. It's incredibly easy to understand yet still has a sufficient difficulty level (hard yet not annoyingly so). You've seen this kind of turn-based squared movement system before but the way they animate this game allows a new experience. A

Game Reviews:Dungeon Keeper: One of my favourites when I was a kid (and still is)—a beautiful game design with an array of highly crafted monsters. Perfect level designs and a superb gradient of difficulty. I always prefer games with a simple game-play system over the more difficult RPG and D & D style games. One of the most underrated games of all time. A+

Game Reviews:

Eve Online: A few different people recommended this game and (as always) it was a poor decision to check it out. One of the most boring games I have eve played in recent history. You basically fly around space (which takes forever and is very easy to get lost in) and gather items you don't care about. The game system is thoroughly difficult to understand and the quests are dull. ***

World of Warcraft: The greatest MMORPG ever made? Possibly. What I like about the game is the game-play, the leveling system and the enormous beautifully designed world. What I dislike is sitting around for days on end futilely leveling up just to use that sword you found which has a fire bonus. MMORPGs have added the most heinous aspect to gaming in all of gaming history—prescription payment. I am absolutely against this form of payment as this system taunts the gamer into spending cash just to get that nice suit of armor. That aside, the quests and character interactions are substantial. A+

Deus Ex: A personal favourite of mine—I've completed it several times and it hasn't become dull. A brilliant storyline and a stark, to the point, game system—Deus Ex is one of the greatest games ever made. Obvious AI flaws in most games would confuse and irritate me but in Dues Ex they are easy to ignore. Also the characters look like they have received a millenniums worth of botox in one sitting. A+

Game Reviews:

Final Fantasy VIII: What a turd of a game. Nearly every aspect of this game is really, really bad. The card game—bad. The characters—bad. The storyline and script—bad. The battle systems—bad. The only thing holding this back from being a dud is that it still holds some of the elements which made other Final Fantasy games great. *

More game reviews:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: You can tell how good this is right from the start. The graphics and game-play have progressed a lot since I played COD 4 and it has really enhanced the atmosphere. More action based than COD 4 (being the last COD game I've played) it's a lot more fun too. I would admit that COD 4 has a superior storyline and the direction of the game supersedes MW 2. COD 4 was also a lot longer allowing a more in depth feel and character building elements which are not as focused here. The game-play and the intricate battles alone make this game worth purchasing. The frustratingly short storyline (the whole game should have been part 1 and then a second similar part, lengthwise, added) wipes any chance of this being game of the year (probably forth). Edit: The different skill levels are almost perfectly adjusted to extent playability—perhaps a little too tough—but I am not that experienced a gamer so I suppose others may enjoy it. A

Fable 2: Almost everything about this game is poor. The graphics are childish, the A.I. is dumb, they made the more irritating aspects of the original even more irritating, the plot is lazy and droll and the way you run is fucking stupid. C+

Tomb Raider: Underworld: I haven't played a Tomb Raider in a long while—I think ever since the Playstation 2 versions came out. I loved the originals and I always felt the newer versions never did the game justice. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this version really went back to the games roots. More action based than puzzle based (at least graphics wise) and much improved game-play allow you to fall in love with Lara all over again. The storyline to each Tomb Raider is pretty similar and this is no exception. I love the little details in the graphics—the birds and rocks crumbling (naturally) as you climb them. Although this kind of game can be limiting they really do try hard with this edition. I got frustrated about half way through near the Aztec temples as you have to redo the whole section if you complete it in the wrong order. This and a few other glitches did annoy me and made me reluctant to continue but overall it was sufficiently entertaining (if only for a short period of time). A−

Some game reviews:

Fallout 3: The graphics and the atmosphere are truly beautiful, the only fault being the randomness of the wasteland. The first time I played it I (naively) skipped ahead of a large portion of the game and finished it rather quickly without even knowing there were so many other side quests to complete—without a guide it is near impossible to do everything. If they had made these quests more interlinked then I would have creamed my pants. The main plot is so short and pointless it's almost embarrassing (but there is so much else to do). Another negative is that I don't care about any of the characters apart from the father (although his cat and mouse game is highly irritating). This still, definitely, should win game of the year. A

Tony Hawk's Underground: A fun game to play with a beer or a few friends. I like a game you can just pick up and play and get enjoyment straight off but that also limits the game. Though they tried to make a storyline out of the game it could have been more engaging and/or longer. Also the level designs are a bit dull, Manhattan, Tampa and Slam City Jam being my favourites. A−

Bioshock: The first I saw of this game was by watching my little brother play. It looked so ingeniously designed (the heights of masturbatory design) and seamless in it's game-play. In comparison to Fallout 3 it looked creamier and more luxurious. Then when I decided to play the game for myself I was disappointed a little, although I don't really know why. I found the game to be a little off-putting somehow and became reluctant to play it—whether because I had seen my brother play it or not I'm unsure. It has a great storyline and it's fun for beginners and pros alike. The different levels of difficulty make it easier to dismiss the short game-play as it, realistically, toughens the game up substantially. The only faults would be that it's a little tedious and when you save a game I have no idea which one it is! A serious design flaw I hope they re-design for the second game, for which I see adverts on T.V. already. A

Halo 3: I mean what can I say? For a sequel it's pretty poor—they take everything directly from the second one and just tweak the graphics. Although the graphics are a nice step up (obviously it's the Xbox 360) it's not enough to draw your attention away from the confusing/weak storyline. It took me around 3 plays to figure out exactly whats going on and even now would appreciate some help with it. While the first Halo (and even parts of Halo 2) had some memorable level designs Halo 3 doesn't have many. Maybe the one where you first see a Spider and have to take it out on the beach or the Crows Nest where you need to hold off the Covenant forces. Although the storyline becomes tedious almost instantly it still holds the key elements from Halo. A−