back to article The year's best... console games

2010: it's a wrap How was your gaming in 2010? Which console games will you remember most when you're through overindulging and it's time to carelessly box up the tangle of Christmas lights and decorations? Which stand-out moments will you recount as you drunkenly belt out Auld Lang Syne and resolve to make these New Year's …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    not good enough?

    I didn't play it but was Medal of Honour not even worth mentioning?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      No,

      Medal of honour was a waste of a disk, a short, repetative uninspired game.

      Had i bought it, i would have been well hacked off...

  2. JBH
    WTF?

    What?! No Fallout New Vegas?!

    That's my console game of the year. Best game overall? That's easy... Minecraft! :D

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Minecraft.

      Isn't that for people with learning difficulties?

  3. Pooka
    WTF?

    No mention of RockBand 3?

    I'm kinda surprised Rock Band 3 wasn't mentioned as something that did manage to stretch the genre a lot further than ever before, thanks to the addition of the new keyboard instrument and the pro-modes... actually teaching people to play instruments rather than just pressing five different coloured buttons.

    Sure, it might not be as big in the UK as it is over the other side of the pond, but it's one of the biggest leaps forward in any genre of games....

  4. GrumpyJoe
    Go

    Demons Soul

    So should I rent this title before buying? From what I've read it's a 'Marmite' title (you either love it or hate it).

    1. jnewco81

      Title

      It's brilliant, but I can see why some might not like it. If you have patience and like a challenge (and don't mind dying alot to begin with) then go for it!

  5. Dexter Berlekey
    Thumb Down

    New Vegas

    No mention of Fallout: New Vegas, it was the only game I made time to actually finish this year. Proved to be richer and more involved than Fallout 3. I loved it and can't wait for the DLC.

    1. AceRimmer

      Finished??

      Lucky git, I've not even had time to finish Fallout 3!

  6. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Yawn

    Pretty much all shooting, sports or RPG type games.

    Whatever happened to originality?

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Sir

      "Whatever happened to originality?"

      The beancounters said no, they don't want any of that this year.

      Still, one advantage of being time poor for games these days is that I get to play a game that I pretty much *know* is going to be good, since I'm about 6 months behind the edge.

      When I were a lad, and on the bleedin' edge (go the Might Bogg!) I wasted a lot of time on shit, but then I had a lot more time to spend, and for some reason or other, cough, it seemed to go quicker.

    2. Zolko Silver badge
      Unhappy

      agreed

      Beyond shooting the "bad guys" with ever-more realism, some car-games where crashing with ever-more realism is the plot, there is not much in this list to regret my Lego Star-Wars on PS2.

    3. Chris 244
      Thumb Down

      Yawn 2 coming soon

      Pretty much all shooting, sports or RPG type sequels.

      There, fixed it for you.

  7. dbuckley
    Thumb Up

    Blackops !

    In my opinion it has to be CoD Blackops,

    It is everything I want in a game the multi-player is just out of this world yea its got its glitches and bugs but so close to perfection with all the new game modes that have been developed.

  8. sam 23
    Black Helicopters

    No Battlefield??

    Come on, sure Battlefield Bad Company 2 should be here?

    Walks all over Call of duty and sets the scene for next level (console) FPS development.

    Helicopter because you can fly them.

    1. Citizen Kaned

      maybe....

      because for some its a step back from battlefield 2142 etc. 32 man servers (on pc) - just nowhere near as much fun as 64 man and the maps are much smaller.

      it was fun tho, but frustrating. vietnam pack out soon but only 4 maps!?!?! :(

  9. AceRimmer
    WTF?

    Dismay?

    "To the dismay of many, 2010 saw the life-expectancies of the 360 and PS3 extended with the introduction of motion-controlled gaming. "

    Who was dismayed?

    1. serviceWithASmile

      me

      and the author makes 2.

      not sure that counts as "many" :)

      My reason for dismay, however, was that my dear mother had been advertised at by microsoft and now is confused about kinect, xbox360, ps3, and wii.

      She wanted a wii with wii fit, but after seeing the ads I had to spend a patient 4 hours explaining the difference and that wii fit is probably what she actually wants.

      And of course a completely separate 4 hours explaining the same to dad.... *sigh*

      Not dismayed about the product itself. I don't see a problem with it, although I wish microsoft would make kinect able to be used on the PC - there is a market there that isn't being exploited.

      Would be fun to get it to run commands - like you could give your comp the thumbs-up and it would start playing the A team theme, or a devil horns sign and it starts playing iron maiden.

      I count as a hardcore gamer, but I wouldn't say I'm totally unconvinced by motion control.

      It's just that for me, a mouse and keyboard or controller is *usually* better for actually playing the game.

      1. Chris 244

        In the market for a Wii?

        You can have mine. Homebrewed, bunch of games, extra controller, original box; hardly used and covered in dust sitting somewhere in a corner of my basement.

        1. Dán

          He could've had mine

          But I just ebayed it to fund Xbox + Kinnect. A million miles apart....best purchase for a while!

          (NB: I should point out that it's also replaced my media centre PC - not as featurful, but perfectly workable and much easier for the other half) It's going to be lovely only having a nice black Xbox and a black V+ box under the TV.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Best sandbox of all time?

    Although this is clearly an opinion piece, red dead redemption only has some "sandbox" qualities. I think best sandbox game of all time is just hyperbole. There have been many legendary sandbox games. Most of Bethesda's games come to mind... Both fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas and of course who can forget the elder scrolls series. Then there's EVE online - it has a niche status but is reknown for its player driven storyline and economy - pure sandbox.

    But I finish with a tone of agreement on Demon Souls. It was a delight to finally see it land on European shores, and when you play it you understand why some sites voted it best game of 2009... it's a love it or hate it game, but in the end it is just so original.

  11. johnnytruant

    I entirely agree

    Fallout New Vegas was excellent, as was Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, but while I enjoyed both a great deal, I put so many more hours into Demon's Souls. So many hours. So nice to play a game that was actually difficult, a game that - in parts - genuinely scared me (can't remember that happening since the intro to the original AVP, years ago). Looking back, perhaps a dark and stormy night, alone in the house, wasn't the best time to head down to the plague lake.

    So yes, Demon's Souls for game of the year, no question.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    What?

    No Duke Nukem Forever?

  13. Greg D
    Thumb Up

    Mass Effect 2

    BEST... FREAKING... GAME... EVER.

    3rd run through now. Cant fucking wait for Mass Effect 3.

    Yes I realise I'm a sad lonely guy with no social life right now, but thats what being skint does to ya!

  14. KB 1
    Thumb Up

    Good summary, but what about...

    I can't argue with Demon's Souls being game of the year (aside from the fact it came out in 2009 for most of the world, including many European importers, but we'll let that one slide) but I agree with other commenters that Bad Company 2 (the year's best online FPS by far), Fallout: New Vegas and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood should all have had a mention.

    I can't agree with the Coward above slating Vanquish though - it was one of the best things I've played this year and a clear example of a Japanese developer doing a non-Japanese game (if that's not too politically incorrect for me to say) far better than any Western developers have managed. I'd take a Vanquish 2 over Gears of War 3 any day.

  15. John Sanders
    Grenade

    What no Fallout NV?

    I will never forgive you...

  16. Dan 10

    Ok, I am going to regret asking this but...

    My missus will buy me a console for Christmas if I so wish. I like Halo, but then again I would like to play blu-rays and, if it actually makes it to release, would love to play Rockstar's 'Agent', which is currently slated as PS3 exclusive. Generally into FPSs and driving games.

    So, 360, PS3, or wait for next-gen hardware?

    (Please no juvenile dogmatic ranting - I GENUINELY don't know which to get...)

    1. KB 1
      Alert

      Tin hats on... here come the fanbois

      You do realise that posting this sort of question on any game-related web forum is only going to attract the worst kind of fanboy response? Brace yourselves...

      For what it's worth, I'll merely explain my thought processes that led me to buy a Playstation 3 instead of an Xbox 360:

      - Blu-ray: If you have a HDTV, then you should get a Blu-ray player and the PS3 is actually a pretty good one.

      - Free online gaming: Microsoft charge a sub for playing online games of about £30 a year. Sony's service is free. You can also browse the web and watch iPlayer on your PS3 which you can't on the Xbox. Handy of you don't have your PC hooked up to your big telly.

      - The choice of exclusive games: This is always going to be a personal one - instead of Halo you could equally enjoy Killzone or Resistance, yet for Gran Turismo you could be playing Forza. YMMV. Note that El Reg Game of the Year "Demon's Souls" is a PS3 exclusive though.

      Finally, I wouldn't wait for next-gen hardware - both the 360 and PS3 will be around for a few more years yet. If you really want next-gen then spending a bit more money on a good gaming PC is pretty much your only option.

      Good luck!

    2. Daniel B.
      Happy

      Mostly same reasoning, Go PS3

      You'll find plenty of FPS games on both consoles; but the PS3 wins on some accounts such as the included Blu-Ray player and free multiplayer. There's also the fact that the PS3 can be 'upgraded' as you can simply swap out the HDD for a bigger one without the thing locking up, unlike the 360 requiring "official" HDDs at extortionate prices.

      In my opinion, charging for online play is so 1990's, those in the US might remember TEN doing monthly charging to what amounts to glorified dialup ISP service ... except it was a gaming-only dialup network. Quake and its ilk brought down that shameless pimping, but MS has brought it back from the dead with XBL.

      If your only pull towards the 360 is Halo, Resistance and Killzone serve as drop-in replacements. I've always liked better the Gran Turismo series as well, so there's that...

      1. borkbork

        I'd choose the 360, if only for one reason:

        Controllers. Playstation controllers make my hands ache after a reasonable amount of use. In fact, I'd prefer the 360 controller to be more like the original xbox one (you know, the ones that were visible from space?).

        Multiplayer doesn't fuss me, most of the online population are gits, and I can't be bothered practising enough to be any good against them.

        Blue ray? I sold the 'free' blue ray player that came with my TV, might get one again when they are a $50 impulse buy from the cheap shop, like dvd players are now.

        I must be getting old.

    3. MJI Silver badge

      Is your PC powerful?

      Some Halos are available on PC.

      None of the PS3 exclusives are.

  17. MJI Silver badge

    Bought 4 games this year

    Tumble

    Assassins Creed Brotherhood

    Gran Turismo 5

    Killzone 2

    and I am still playing Uncharted 2

    I think that says a lot about this years games.

    Uncharted 3 GOTY 2011

  18. The Fuzzy Wotnot
    Pint

    Fallout: New Vegas?

    Alright so it has some bugs, but as far as an immersive player-lead story goes, it can't be beaten! No linear game play, you make the decisions, you influence the game and how it reacts to you and how you play. Graphics may not be super-stunning, but it's top of the interactive RPGs!

  19. Tony Lee
    Thumb Up

    Enslaved

    Am I the only one here who actually found Enslaved rather enjoyable despite its foibles?

    Okay, I'll get my coat.

  20. Fred 21
    Happy

    Meh

    This year I have bought TWO 360's (one for me and t'other for the missus) as well as being a great bit of kit (links upto my media center, streams films, Sky etc who needs BluRay?) it was mainly for us to join friends etc playing MW2 online. Great fun, however if it had been BlackOps I don't think I would have bothered buying a 360. While I mostly enjoy playing BlackOps its just not as good as MW2.

    Red Dead however is a game I would buy a console for, coupled with the undead DLC its pretty much my favourite game at the moment. I have Bad Company 2 but have yet to even unwrap it yet, so can't comment.

    One of the best gaming items I've bought this year is the Kinect, it's a great bit of kit it just needs a killer game (come on THQ!) - Dance Central is fun but I cant see many teenage boys playing it!

  21. Spotfist
    FAIL

    LAME!

    Not even a mention of Bad Company 2? How lame is that, the game is brilliant and shows what COD should be doing what with the destructable buildings. Wow now I can't wait to get home and blow something up! ;)

  22. MJI Silver badge

    2011 will be better

    Having seen the releases for next year I am very excited, this is but a short list, some are for the children.

    Killzone 3

    Crysis 2

    Mass Effect 2 & 3

    Little Big Planet 2

    Last Guardian

    HD version of ICO

    Dead Space 2

    Sorcery

    Resistance 3

    Portal 2

    and best of all

    UNCHARTED 3 : Drakes Deception

    And this is a short list. Something there for everyone

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