Welcome, one and all, to the Cary’s Best Video Games of the Year SO FAR Awards Show! Around this time of the year, when it’s halfway over, I like to take a look at the games that were released at the first half of the year and pick out the best ones. Why? Well, when people do their Game of the Year awards at the end of the year, some of the games released at the beginning are sometimes forgotten. And all the exciting news of upcoming games at the recent E3 doesn’t help matters either. I know that most of the best games come out at the end of the year for the holiday season, but I wanted to give recognition to the early gems of 2010 as well.

Now, before we start, keep in mind that these are MY picks only. No polls or outside opinions were taken. Many games may be missing from this list that you would’ve liked to have seen. But I’m only one person and can play only so many games! This list also reflects my tastes in games, so some readers may think this list is a bit biased. But hey, it’s my blog so I can do what I want, right? Anyway, with that out of the way, let’s get onto the games!

BEST CLASSIC UPDATE/GAME COMPILATION

I love classic retro games. Any game that is new but retro styled, a classic arcade collection, or classic game remakes belong in this category. And the winner is:

Dark Void Zero (DSi)

This is an interesting one. Not an old game at all, but built to imitate a ‘lost’ NES game. Capcom used it to promote Dark Void on the bigger consoles. What’s funny is that it turns out the DSiWare game was better than the game it was trying to promote! It’s amazing how close this game feels to a classic challenging (and frustrating) Capcom 2-D action platformer. And at only 500 Nintendo points, it’s worth the download if you have a DSi.

Runners Up:

Data East Arcade Classics (Wii)

It’s a decent collection of Data East classics. Nice to have since they’re out of business now. Would’ve liked to have seen more on the collection, but I’m happy it’s got BurgerTime on it anyway!

Mega Man 10 (Xbox LIVE)

I like the IDEA behind Mega Man 9 and 10: making a new game with 8-bit graphics and sensibilities. I still think the makers of these new games haven’t grasped what made the old ones fun yet, though. I know Mega Man games are hard, but they shouldn’t be THAT hard! Luckily, MM10 is a little better than 9 due to additions like the Easy Mode. Next time, Capcom, dare to be different and make a new 2-D Mega Man game with 16- or 32-bit graphics!  Or better yet, make Mega Man Powered Up 2!

BEST FIGHTING GAME

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Wii)

I know hardcore fighters hate this, but what I liked about Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was that it was easy for novices to get into as well. And as someone who sucks at fighting games, I can appreciate that. It was fun seeing silly Capcom characters like Roll, Mega Man Volnutt, and the Dead Rising guy. And even though I didn’t know much about the Tatsunoko cast, it was fun to learn about them (like Doronjo). Only bad thing is they took out the mini-games from the Japanese version. I was looking forward to those! Oh well. Can’t wait for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I hope Okami, Phoenix Wright, and Zack & Wiki make the cut, as well as my old favorites Cammy, Mega Man, and Tron Bonne.

Runners Up:

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)

Never played the original one last year, but after reviewing the PSP version, I can see why so many liked it. Even though I’m sure the PSP version isn’t as good as the ones on the big consoles. My favorite characters were Taokaka and Litchi. Who are your favorites?

Photo Dojo (DSiWare)

Not the best playing fighter in the world, but being able to put yourself in the game using the DSi camera was pretty original. Brother Jeff and his friends had hours of fun with this. Originally it was free, but even at only 200 Nintendo points now, it’s still worth the download.

BEST POINT AND CLICK ADVENTURE GAME

Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations (DS)

Ahhh! I can’t decide! Both games are so good. But I guess I’ll give the award to Miles’ game since I gave TellTale’s titles so many awards last year. The improved interface and more intuitive cases make this one of the best in the series since the very first Ace Attorney game.

Runner Up:

Sam & Max: Season 3 (PC, iPad, Mac, PS3)

Sam & Max’s point and click adventures are ALWAYS good! Season 3 has improved graphics and new gameplay mechanics, like psychic toys that give Max special powers that help you solve puzzles.

BEST RACING GAME

Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing (360)

There were a lot of racing games this year so far. I reviewed Split/Second. It was pretty good with a neat gimmick, but it didn’t grab me enough personally. I never did get to play Blur, and I’m hoping to get ModNation Racers soon. So by default, the award goes to Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing. It’s a pretty good Mario Kart clone with solid controls and fun online play. The 360 version has guest star racers Banjo & Kazooie as well as other Sega favorites of mine like Tails, Big the Cat, classics like Opa Opa and the Bonanza Bros, and Ulala from Space Channel 5. And any game with Ulala in it can’t be ALL bad, right? Who were your favorite Sega racers in this game?

BEST RPG

Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (DS)

It’s a remake of a game series that’s been the same since the first one, but what I really liked about this one was the PokeWalker. I thought it was a good idea, and since I like to go outside and walk around anyway, it was a new fun way to level up and catch Pokemon. Plus, I have a strange fascination with virtual pet keychain games anyway.

Runner Up:

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (PSP)

Another remake of an old RPG. I just like old RPGs is all. I never played the original, but I know a good RPG when I play one, so I gave this one a good review. Maybe if there was a LunarWalker pedometer, it would’ve beat out Pokemon!

WEIRDEST GAME

Fragile Dreams (Wii)

This original Wii game is beyond description. Think of it as a Japanese Fallout game. Just go read my review. And watch out for that guy with the chicken head.

BEST PUZZLE GAME

Picross 3-D (DS)

They really did a good job bringing the classic Picross gameplay to 3-D. What’s amazing is the vast number of puzzles on the cartridge. There are more than 120 on Easy Mode alone! And you can download even more! And if that’s not enough, you can make your own puzzles and share them with friends! And it’s a steal at only 20 bucks. Plus, it’s made by HAL, creators of Kirby, so you know it’s got to be good.

Runner Up

Squishy Tank (DS)

It’s a simple color matching puzzler, but still fun. And I like the cute cartoon tank characters.

BEST 3-D ADVENTURE

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

It’s more of the same, but since the first one was so much fun, that’s a good thing here, too. I really dug the orchestrated music, too. Definitely a must-have Wii game for Mario fans.

Runner Up:

3-D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)

One landmark of 2010 is I finally got a PS3. And 3-D Dot Game Heroes was the first game I got for it. It’s a blatant Zelda clone, right down to the boomerang, arrows, and bombs. But it’s still a lot of fun and there are lots of classic game references and jokes for fans of 8- and 16-bit RPGs. In the first hour alone they were making allusions to Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and even Mega Man 2! And you can create your own pixel character, too. I made Namco’s Valkyrie.

And the Best Game of the Year SO FAR is…(Taiko drum roll, please…):

BEST VIDEO GAME OF 2010 SO FAR:

WarioWare: D.I.Y. (DS)

There are several reasons why I liked this game so much. One, I just love WarioWare games period. Two, you can make your own games in this one! Three, the graphics making program is basically the spiritual successor to Mario Paint, one of my favorite SNES games. Four, the instructions that teach you how to make games is very easy to understand and informative. You could even consider D.I.Y. an educational game, since it teaches the basics of game design and programming. Five, you can share games with friends through WiFi. And of course, having one of my games featured in one of Nintendo’s contests helps, too! Speaking of which, if you have WarioWare D.I.Y. and I’m not on your friend list, let’s fix that right now! Here’s my friend code:

Name: Cary

Friend Code: 4082 7946 9306

CONCLUSIONS

Anyway, those are my picks of Best Video Games of the Year SO FAR, and I highly recommend all of them. I’m sure they’ll see some serious competition in the latter half of the year, though! In the comments section, let me know what you think of my picks, and you can even tell me I’m off my rocker. And let me know your favorite games of the year so far.

Tags: Game Reviews