The Official "Post Your GOTY Lists Here!" Thread

Heavy Rain was not only a great game. It also was the reason I started using Twitter (Four Days Challenge). The buildup for the game is intense. And nothing this year came close to that first playthrough. The successes, the failures, the reveal of the killer. Everything made this game one hell of a ride.

If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would enjoy playing this game, I would have laughed at you. So what if it was a remake of Silver, my favorite GBC game. That ship has came and left, I only played through the first gym of Diamond before giving up on that game. But 300 CAPTURED pokemon later, and about 100 hours later, this game has dragged me kicking and screaming back into the abyss. I am eagerly awaiting Black. Also, I love the ability to bring Haunter with me in the Pokewalker, still carry it around sometimes for no reason.

Easily my multiplayer game of the year. Improving on an already impressive Street Fighter IV. I don't have much to say really. This game was THE go-to game for the summer. Countless hours playing this.

After the wrap up of Solid Snake's story a year ago, it would be hard to top that. Peace Walker did with some very great storytelling, and of course the quote of the year. "V for Victory! Rocket Peace!"

The first real test of my first built gaming PC. To be honest, the main reason I picked this up was because of Ryan's recommendation, saying something along the lines of "If you can understand Advance Wars, you can get Civ V" Many sleepless nights and civilizations conquered later, I think this is my most played game all year.

Picked this up through the Steam sale, and was just blown away by what you could do in this game. So many hours could be spent raising up a fearless army, only to lose it all because of one failed battle. Online games were also insane. Killing someone with a jarid from the other side of the map, so good...

I haven't finished a Rockstar game since GTA3. I was hoping that my love for westerns would carry me through this, and that it did. Great story, great moments, and satisfying open-world gameplay. Not to mention the way it completely flips the endgame around. I really need to play Undead Nightmare though.

A vast improvement in story and setting over Pandora's Box. This game had a lot of great story moments. From funny (Don Paolo's story), to sad (Claire...), to just blatantly (bLaytontly?) awesome (Slot. Machine. Gun.) This game was a joy to go through, nothing too new, but a brilliant refinement.

Live from Fortune City! Case Zero got me hooked, but Dead Rising 2 took that hook and ran with it. So much crazy shit in this game. From the cool boss battles to the twisting and turning story. While some hated the tight timetable, I thought it made the game feel very different from others, a good thing.

Like Fallout 3 but better. And Fallout 3 was pretty damn good. A shame that this game really forced you to do multiple playthroughs to attempt to see everything, but going through was a wild ride. I also have to say that Benny was one of my favorite characters of the year. Damn dapper fellow he was. Best intro of the year hands down.

Why: The journey that it takes you on, the lead character, the control, and the variety.

Why: The story and the feeling of place. Mass Effect's universe is engaging through to the end.

Why: The twists and turns, the importance you feel your choices have on each character's fate.

Why: The graphical effects, the mechanics and Remedy's passion for creating an engaging world.

Why: The surprising, ridiculous story, the game's greatness despite itself.

Why: The variety of missions, the interplay between the lead characters.

Why: The crazy explosive tracks, the sense of speed and danger.

Why: The split-screen multiplayer experience.

Why: The feeling of empowerment, the moments when that sense mixes with the soundtrack and visuals to create those supercool moments.

Why: The sense of achievement in completing those hard-as-nails challenges.

Really liked what they did to the PC version this time around.

This being my number 1 was unexpected. I figured I would like it as much as Big Boss' last portable adventure, which I liked but not love, but man was I surprised. I thought the MGS4 shooting mechanic wouldn't work on a PSP but I was wrong and I was able to adapt to it with ease. The story was great too, I especially loved the 1st ending and was kind of emotional when the "Godzilla" walk off happened as well as the after the credits scene the Metal Gear series is known for. This is Boss' story about his mentor's death and it can be very emotional. There is a lot more to talk about, I spent over 50 hours on my first play through, so I'll have to leave it here.

The God of War franchise is second only to the Metal Gear franchise to my eyes. I was eagerly awaiting this title, as the and of an "Epic", in the traditional sense, I had to get it. When I got the game I was blown away by the kind of craziness that it was offering. All the things I loved about the previous games was amplified from the set-piece boss fights, amazing level design, striking visuals, and visceral gameplay. The story was over the top and ultra serious making it awesomely ridiculous. Killing a god and causing the great flood in the first 30 minutes is great. It may not have revolutionized anything but it sure knew how to build on its predecessors.

I was at Gamestop and handed my brother 3 games and asked him which one I should buy; Bioshock, POP: Forgotten Sands, and Bayonetta. Holy fuck did he make the right choice. This game is on the other side of the character action crazy coin. Just non-stop ridiculous, hyper sexualized, impossible action (Motorcycle straight up a rocket leaving Earth's atmosphere). It never ends too! It just keeps going on with crazy shit after crazy shit! I was pretty fond of the characters by the end of the game (aside from Enzo) and Bayonetta is one of my new favourite characters as a result. The gameplay is also more DMC than GOW so it definitely has more challenge. I can't wait to see more of her (although I'm not sure what's left for her to do.)

This game wasn't even on my radar until a week before it's release. I knew Kojima wasn't involved outside of being the japanese casting director and some talk about character designs so it was already a let down. The fact that I didn't like Symphony of the Night didn't help either. But a week before it's release I decided to do research and I bought it almost as soon as it came out. I was not disappointed. The gameplay alone would have made it pretty fun but the story that was crafted around it and the voice acting was great made it one of my favourites for this year. The art style is great to going for what felt like Lord of the Rings which helped build upon it's dark atmosphere. There is also so much to do. The game is fairly long, my play through maybe 15-20 hours. Seeing as how the story is the best part if the game I can't in good conscience talk about it here.

One of the only Wii games I bought this year (Due to PS3 games costing $60 I tend to save for those rather than a console I don't own). Damn is this game good. I never played the first one so it was more of a whim (it was $20) and I feel I missed out on something. This game is crazy, and I fucking love crazy. It knows it's crazy and tells you its crazy and bathes in crazy. The mini-games were fun and random. I probably put hours in the pipe game. I also really enjoyed the combat in the game. I was sad that it wasn't any longer because I really enjoyed the boss battles and the craziness.

Fantastic sequel to 2007's hit from Bioware. They took everything that was not working and fixed it, and THEN some. An absolute blast from start to finish. I called ME2 GOTY 2010 in January and I still think its the best game to come out this year.

Great gameplay, fantastic story and what an ending!!

Top notch mo-cap, great story and dialog. A cool experience on the PS3.

WORGENS!!!!

My favorite shooter this year, tight gameplay and kickass multiplayer. Vietnam is also a great addon for this!

Its Starcraft but better. That says it all.

Just like Batman Arkham Asylum last year, they took the IP and made it their own, designed it around a great game that really captures the essence of the Transformers.

The best game on the PSP this year by far, works so great on that platform.

Zelda God of War = always a good idea

Its an addon but its sooo good. Better writing, better cast of caracters. So good!

That's right, bitches. My game of the year right here. (You were expecting something else?)

Some of the most fun I've had on the PSP all year.

Screw the haters. I enjoyed this game.

The girl's side of the story makes all the difference in the world.

An intelligent advancement on the Trauma Center series that improves on both the variety of surgeries and the characterization of the doctors involved.

I didn't think WarioWare could get any more insane until the public at large was given the power to create their own madness.

See my above comment for Final Fantasy XIII. It also applies here.

I'm not a racing sim fan normally, but Gran Turismo 5 is a game that even I could enjoy. The amount of breath and depth to the car selection alone is astonishing.

Simple story, silly dialogue, but oh god, that shooter gameplay.

Showing my support for this ugly yet beautiful game.

Game of the year!

A great thriller.

Right, Zach?

No explanation needed.

One of the greatest western games ever made. Massive open world areas to explore, dozens and dozens of things to do, and the amazing DLC content (Undead Nightmare, in particular) makes this one of the best games of the decade.

God of War III promised to be the epic conclusion to the God of War franchise and boy, was it not lying. From the massive boss fights to the sheer amounts of gory violence that lays splattered all over the floor from the Blades of Exile, Krato's final chapter, quest for vengeance, and ultimate revenge is one tale players can not afford to miss.

One of the most challenging games that you will ever play in your life. Hidden warps that take you to special themed worlds and some of the over-the-top level designs will leave you wanting more. Be prepared to die many times, and achieving victory never looked so good when you are a hunk of a meat boy questing to save his bandage girlfriend from a wicked fetus in a robotic body.

Quite simply the greatest fighting game of the decade. It takes what made Street Fighter 4 fun and expands on the content, providing tweaks that perfect the gameplay and make it a blast to play. New characters, return of bonus modes, and other content make this a must buy for any fighting gamer.

If you can make in in New Vegas, you can make it anywhere. If you can get past some of the unfortunate bugs and glitches that plague the game at certain points, this engrossing game gives you a massive world to explore and allows you to shape the game to what you want. You can choose to live the life of a saint, or you can feed the hapless victims of your wrath to the ghouls. The choice is yours...

We can agree that the story mode is too short, but for the 5 hours it takes to beat the main story, it takes you along on a epic ride similar to what Modern Warfare in 2007 did. The multiplayer isn't groundbreaking, but still better than Modern Warfare 2. The additive Zombies mode (along with the old school Dead Ops Arcade) make this game epic in it's own right.

Quite simply one of the best 2D-fighting games since the Guilty Gear series was in it's heyday earlier in the decade. With expanded modes, new training system that helps you better understand the complex controls, and a slew of new characters (in game and through DLC) makes this game one of the best of 2010, even if Iron Tager and Bang Shisigami is overpowered.

Not the greatest game in 2010, but certainly one of the funnest games of the year. The ability to destroy almost everything in the world lent realism to the game and the story mode was a blast to play.

Return to where the madness all began. Return to Rapture, the fractured and crazed ruins of a once-promising underwater society as the original Big Daddy, the Type-Delta prototype. Can you solve the mysteries of your shrouded past while escaping the twisted world caught in a non-ending cycle of violence? Beware of the Big Sister....she seeks to end your life to protect the Little Sisters under her wing...

It borrows heavily from certain games, but in the end, this quirky and fun game takes the player on an adventure that they will not forget. A fitting homage to classic games and yet a addictive, simple game that you can spend hours and hours playing.

Totally engaging story and I am still having so much fun with the multi-player.

Got back to what a Need for Speed game should be. Fun!

Complete time sink! Spent so many hours just wondering around...

I have never been so attached to character in a game before.

EPIC!!!

Surprised I like this as much as I did.

I do not actually own this game but I played the story at a friends house and spent so many hours online which is pitch perfect.

Because it has a better story than most COD games and the multi-player is great (minus the RC cars).

Unlimited amount of content!

Frustrating at time but it makes the pay off so much better when you solve puzzles.

Never had another choice in mind for the number 1 spot. No problem saying this is the best game I played this year, as well as being the single greatest third person action game created thus far.

The number 2 spot was hard to pick, but in the end, there aren't that many games that let me make the last boss who gave me trouble into my next set of boots.

More Metroid is always good, especially with an overdue return to a more classic play style. Putting Super Missiles into faces has never been more satisfying, and Samus gets some much needed development.

As much as I feel this game could have been an expansion pack or DLC, it did give us Juri, and Street Fighter has always been some of the best fighting game action around. Just avoid the professional matches, they're all kinds of boring.

Continuing the "More of a Good Thing" section of this list, Super Mario Galaxy 2. Remember the first one? Have a lot more!

I have my problems with this game, but can't deny that the world featured therein is an amazing one. If they'd made more of an effort to show that world and those creatures off instead of confining the interesting information in a stale encyclopedia, this would have been nearer the top of the list.

Back to the grind. Like Call of Duty? Can you put up with Veteran difficulty, crazy stories, and some badly scripted events? Then enjoy!

Halo: Reach is the best Halo game made thus far. Enough said?

I really wish this game wasn't so much fun. I'd tell you to avoid it, but let's be honest, you've most likely already lost entire weeks ensnared by this monster.

Everything I said about Civ 5, but moreso.

Damn, Bioware sure knows how to write some great dialogue.

Need...more...puzzles...

An awesome multiplayer game that includes a free single player campaign

Great story with a great setting.

Further streamlining the most popular game in the world to near perfection.

ALL THE GHOSTS!!

some day....some day.

the first "realistic" feeling melee combat I've experienced.

A casual masterpiece.

"I just threw a church at that dragon" - Me

While I had high expectation for Dead Rising 2 that Dead Rising 2 met, Mass Effect 2 had high expectation and it complete blew it out of the water. When I was writing this list the first thing I did was put Mass Effect 2 at number one, while I was changing games, moving games, putting in, putting out games Mass Effect 2 sat at number one and it didn't move. Every aspect of the game is perfect. The characters, the plot, the combat, the improvement on Mass Effect 1, everything makes this game fantastic, amazing, stunning and my Game of the Year for 2010.

I had high expectation for Dead Rising 2 and every single expectation was met. It's the masterful blend of complete crazy and serious drama that makes Dead Rising, Dead Rising. Chuck Greene maybe is the best character of the year. Everyone is just such a dick to Chuck when he has done nothing wrong. I love Dead Rising 2's upseting difficultly and charm. Worth it.

Wow. Limbo is amazing. It's a blend of genre that work so well that it's almost undefinable. Limbo has the distinct claim of being the only game I was horrified at. This game can be scary when it wants to. When you are running along and out of nowhere a bear trap kills you with no warning, you shit yourself. The graphics and sound add to the atmosphere which is built on a great system of platforming and puzzle solving.

Flotilla started a fire. It was my first Steam game I bought and then 62 games later Flotilla still is the best on that list. It's amazing how strategic space combat and farm animal drama goes so well together. It's design makes it easy to understand but it can be fucking hard. The characters make the game though. I never stopped smile at the sight of Navy Space Deer. You must play this game.

Red Dead Redemption didn't 'click' with me. Something about it I just don't like but I cannot figure out why. Everything about this game is expertly created with that Rockstar polish. Characters, the graphics, the music, the voice acting is all 5 star, A-list stuff but something didnt get me or I didn't get it. It's the Far Cry 2 of 2010. But even with my personal problems with the game I can still see this as a fantastic game.

This game is amazing. Some ascepts of this game I love and some I absolutely fucking hate. For a game to give you these emotions of pure hatred but you still want to play through it and finish it is signs of a fantastic game and fortunately for Super Meat Boy it totally is.

I loved Morrowind, I loved Oblivion, I loved Fallout 3 and unsurprisingly I love Fallout: New Vegas. New Vegas had what Fallout 3 lacks and that's variety. The location of Vegas is filled with life and dark secrets that 3 lacked. The characters are expressive and some of them are funny. Building all of that on top of the excellent gameplay makes Fallout: New Vegas from good to great.

I think this is the greatest Call of Duty game ever. Beats CoD 2, CoD 4 and Modern Warfare 2 easily. Treyarch did what I thought was impossible and that is make Call of Duty fresh again. All of the story is great, the twists and turns keep you going and keeps you on your toes. Going from Vietnam to Russian POW camps to the mountains makes every level different. Plus the Call of Duty multiplayer which is still amazing that Treyarch improves on even more. I think my statement is justified.

Now I am not an Assassin's Creed fan. I don't even remember what the first one did. But when Assassin's Creed 2 came along and I played it I was impressed. The way Ubisoft recreated Italian culture is amazing. It was different which is something I loved. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood builds on what AC2 did an add and refine which made Brotherhood leaps over what AC2 did. It's adds a whole massive city, new characters, new weapons and the most unique multiplayer mode in the last few year. This is a game worth playing.

I doubt you know what this game is, which is a shame because this little indie game from Stickmen Studios shows you what a little creative gameplay and a little personality can do for a game. This is basically Garry's Mod with structure. But what Garry's Mod has in variety Doc Clock has in personality as Doc Clock and his little robot friend makes jibs at Doc Clock. One of the best suprises of the year.

Better in every way shape and form.

First Rockstar game I have actually enjoyed.

A great single player campaign, and a rewarding and slightly improved multiplayer game.

Dude, it's effin more Starcraft.

I played the hell of this bad boy.

Not quite Burnout but it did scratch that itch.

Too damn cute for words really.

Fun fanatic multiplayer with the added charm to boot.

Not as good as last years but still rather entertaining.

It would be higher in the list if I actually had friends playing this so I could have scores to compete with.

People will still be playing this game for DECADES. It's single player campaign is just as fantastic as any challenger.

Huge improvements over the first, story now complements the game instead of carrying it. Music a bit bland when compared to the first.

Best Rockstar game to date. Possibly best open world game to date.

A step forward from 2, if not a leap. Icing dudes with your own other dudes is fun.

Again, more improvements this year in the form of iterations. Nothing beats exploring that wasteland, only the janky engine kinda lets it down.

Flawed, lack of abstraction towards the end game, but oh so worthy of this list. So good.

Teamwork rewarded well. Great engine. DICE keeps getting better.

Secretly the best Zelda game since A Link to the Past.

I think character action games are fucking stupid, but this one is fucking stupid in a special way that works.

I think people who say this game isn't necessary are kinda crazy.

GotY..... you win Byron :)

I can finally play those damn rush songs with a proper (sort of) high-hat pedal thanks to this game. Basically a finalized version of Rock Band, the addition of pro everything just made the band nerd inside me jump with joy. Countless hours have been poured and will continue to flow into my favorite franchise.

From the plains, to riding into Mexico, finally fighting pissed off grizzlies, this game sucked me in all the way to the that final bullet. I never really got back into it, but what I experienced was something that everyone should try.

You know...

This game was something special. It felt like playing Mario again, and that kiddish funny feeling over-swept me. I played for hours at a time, starting strong and confident only to walk away a broken man. May only the strong apply.

Despite what some of you may think, it had "Vampire Killer" in it, so it's totally a Castlevania game.

One of the first games of the year and what a way to start it off! What is essentially a faster much smoother Devil May cry Style game, it really sets itself apart from the other games in this genre. The story is basically there to dazzle you with overactive characters while the gameplay and combat is there to keep you furiously pounding out strong and effective combos to hair stomp your enemies to death.

I never actually beat the game, but I still spent about 60 hours or so running around the world doing whatever I wanted. Modding was no problem on the PC version so by hour 40 I was flying around the island like superman at nauseating speeds. I may have played the game the wrong way, but to me, it was the fun of grappling 3 tuk-tuks to a helicopter to see how many civilians you can hit while swinging them around like a blenderdeath (sweet band name) from above.

Shepard, Wrex, Garrus, whatever camp you may be in, this was an awesome sci-fi space adventure, with a bunch of aliens and blue streaks of light. It really helps to have played Mass Effect 1 as it sets up the universe in a way where newcomers might be missing out on quite a bit of what the game can potentially offer. While this did seem like a little too streamlined to me at first, I still enjoyed the improved combat, and the continued story of a universe that may rival even Star Wars.

While I played this spending most of my time in a hospital, I never really got to experience the awesomeness of the poke-walker except for the fact that it was a muscular replacement for jacking off since my physical situation had not allowed me to for the past three months. It did however still have Geodude in it, so I was cool with it.

At first I was afraid of this game. I never quite understood the original Picross, as I was too little to even begin to crack the code. Thankfully Picross 3D brings this puzzle game into a modern setting, seahorses and all. The time spent with this game always felt rewarding after I had solved a particularly hard puzzle, no matter how long it took. Unfortunately, those stars were like crack.

Best of the year, and one of the best of all time. It delivered great, personal stories intertwined with some cool gunplay.

This is like crack. I cannot stop playing it, be it the single player or the really kind of incredible multiplayer. Better (?) than Assassins's Creed 2, which is high praise in my book.

Ooooo this game is scary. Incredible atmosphere, great puzzles, and one of the most addicting stories in gaming. And it has commentary. Yay! 
EDIT: Just played a round of this, and was so scary I had to turn it off. The monster is waiting outside my door...

This improved on Civ IV in the most important way: the combat. What had been a broken system finally became more than just a chore and actually fun. The rest of the game was addictive as ever.

Like Street Fighter IV, but better.

Easily the most time I've put in to a non-World of Warcraft game, ever. Outstanding concept executed incredibly simply and effectively. I think technically a 2009 game, but it hit Alpha / Beta this year, so whatever. It wins and it deserves it.

Easily the most time I've put in to a game ever. Still remains awesome.

Some incredibly emotional, even painful moments. Amazingly well done.

Continually excellent.

Most I've enjoyed a hockey game since '04.

Just some damn good fun.

Most I've enjoyed a soccer game since '99.

Really well made and addictive iPod game. While I sort of burned out on it after a full day of play with little desire to go back, it deserves props. For 6$ or whatever, amazing value.

Really interesting fiction and concept, solid gameplay. Fun little game.

I actually really didn't like this game, but I feel it deserves some recognition since it was exceptionally well made.