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Rockstar had their masterpiece with Red Dead and Bioware's masterpiece also arrived this year. This game, and this series moreover, has taken everything I love about science fiction and crammed it into one game. It's Bioware's morality system at its most refined along with a vastly improved shooter and RPG attached. This is certainly my favorite game of 2010.
Simply put: an astonishing achievement in game design and the best game Rockstar has ever made. I love how this game looks, I love the music, I love the gunfights, I love the immaculate production values a Rockstar budget gets this game, I love the story, I especially love the ending, and like AC:B this is where open worlds need to go: not just big, but dense interesting distractions to keep the player constantly interested in the world.
If Mass Effect is the universe that combines everything I love about SciFi into one place, than Alan Wake's universe is that for Horror. Alan Wake takes elements from some of my favorite Horror and Suspense movies and books. Take some Twin Peaks, season it with Stephen King, and garnish with some Lovecraft. How could I not love this game? Story and setting aside, Alan Wake also really reminded me how much I love Remedy. As a big fan of the Max Payne series I expected to like Alan Wake, but after playing it, I am now a true Remedy fan; hand me a box with their logo on it and I will gladly play that game.
With only a year since the fantastic AC II, I was a bit worried about this semi-sequel. Instead of a rushed cash grab, this game managed to give me more of the amazing game play from the second outing, made even better with tighter mission designing, the most interesting city to date, new systems like the Assassins Guild, and the most endlessly distracting open world in any game I've ever played (that includes you Red Dead Redemption). I just hope they wait a bit longer for the next installment. I love Ezio's world but I'm ready to finish Desmond's story up more.
Playing through Halo: Reach's campaign was a delight, not just as a Halo fan, but also as a Bungie fan. I've loved the Seattle developer since Oni (that's right, I liked that game), and I was so thrilled to see them send of Halo in such a grand fashion. Reach represented the very best of the Halo series for the entirety of it's campaign. The encounter design continually played to Halo's strength: a much more deliberate pace that most shooters, but one that respects the players intelligence enough to expect more thought and strategy than the average shooter. There are dozens of ways to tackle any situation and Bungie's sandbox design is so refreshing in the current shooter landscape. Oh and the Multiplayer is amazing, and the new armor abilities really add a lot of new life into the game.
