It’s February, you say? I can’t write a Game of the Year article unless it’s early January? Well, I have two things to say to you. First, how do you know I didn’t write this last month and am only posting it now? Second, writing a “Game of the Year” column in early January doesn’t do justice to any title that released in December. Less than one month isn’t enough time (well, for a busy person like myself) to put a new game through its paces to see how it lasts. Any Game of the Year title needs to be awarded to games that can stand the test of time. Perhaps it should be like wedding thank you notes, one has a full year after the fact to get them in the mail!

OK, so on to the “awards”. While I’m a pretty diverse gamer in some respects (I now officially own most of the main consoles and handhelds), I do shy away from a major category, Shooters. I don’t mind an action/arcade title from time to time, but I simply don’t enjoy running around trying to peg virtual people/zombies/aliens in the head with some sort of new zap-gun. If there are enough story and RPG elements, I may pick up a trigger, but in general I’m looking for something more cerebral or simply family fun-oriented than can be found in most modern shooters. Let’s start by taking a look at the best I found for each platform.

Nintendo DS:

There were a number of solid titles this year, although none that I managed to play hit me upside the head with their greatness. Some of my favorites were all sequels of some sort or another. Picross 3D was a nice new incarnation of my favorite puzzle-like game, although the 3D effect was a minor let-down as I found I’m something of a two dimensional Picross purist. Other good titles were the Pokemon games HeartGold / SoulSilver. Nothing too new to see in these games, but I really enjoyed the included PokeWalker thingy that allowed you to walk around and measure your steps, play a few minigames, and even level up your Pokemon. The final contender I considered was Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem. Yet another sequel, but the original was solid enough to make this noticeable.

Winner: Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem In a year of decent, but not outstanding titles on the DS, I give it to this one as it hit just the right amount of puzzle-like play combined with a little bit of action/response to make a fun little pick-up-and-play game.

PSP:

I have to admit that the PSP handheld is one of the few of the current crop of gaming toys that I do not own. There were some interesting titles out there, but unless a quirk of fate happens, I don’t see spending the money to get one of these little guys any time soon. My iPod Touch and DS supply me with all my portable gaming needs.

PS3:

I’m a newcomer to the PS3 realm, so only had a month or so to look around at various games. I was able to get a hold of a Playstation Move setup, and thus got to give a few of those games a try. What do I think? Well, the short answer is that the PS3 Move is more than a glorified Wii, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready to declare any of the titles “game of the year” quality. I played with Sports Champions (six mini-sport titles), Start the Party (a party game using the Move system), and EyePet (a sort of virtual pet you control and play with using the Move system.) I felt that all three titles were pretty good, and would recommend them.

Winner: Playstation Move
Honorable Mention: Sports Champions
I’m giving the Move peripheral itself the award as I see there’s some very nice potential there. Using the glowing lollypop controller lets the system track your movement in 3D much better than the Wii, and the addition of the camera is something the Wii doesn’t provide at all. Sports Champions gets the honorable mention as it’s the title I enjoyed the most out of the launch selection. (My preschool son would vote for any of the three, with EyePet having a slight lead.)

Xbox 360:

Given my playing preferences, Xbox 360 had a rather dull year. Sure, there were some big name shooters that appeared and did well, but nothing really caught my fancy. Sorry Microsoft (& Xbox Fans), maybe next year!

PC:

For a strategy gamer like myself, 2010 was a great year for PC game releases. There were some expansions released for one of my favorite titles, Majesty 2 (it’s a real-time strategy title where do don’t get to control your individual units, you have to bribe and persuade them to do your will, and then you sell them goodies like armor and magic items to make your gold back again.) One expansion of note for Majesty 2, Monster Kingdom, was released right at the end of the year and lets players control the monster side of things as well. Of course, you can’t talk about strategy gaming without mentioning the two 200-pound gorillas of the genre released last year, Starcraft 2 and Civilization V. Both will just suck your time away quicker than a Tim Taylor modified Hoover vacuum hooked up to Dr. Who’s TARDIS. Starcraft 2 is, of course, a real time strategy game where you can play through a solo campaign or go online to compete against other players on a ranked ladder while Civilization V is the newest incarnation of the turn-based strategy civilization-building powerhouse.

Winner: Starcraft 2
Honorable Mention: Civilization V
For sheer replay value and time wasting possibilities I might have to lean towards Civ V, but what gives Starcraft 2 the edge is the amazing polish and effort put into the game by the folks at Blizzard. Once again, the campaign mode provides a great storyline that is so much more than simply a bunch of battles played in sequence. Players are given the option of pursuing missions in slightly different orders and are even rewarded with specific technologies for achieving secondary objectives. These rewards are even branched so you only get one of two choices each time, giving even the campaign some replay value as you can choose to side with one of two factions before heading into some of the missions. Looking forward, there will be inevitable expansions for both games, but if Warcraft 3 is any guide, there are some pretty creative and fun modifications for Starcraft 2 coming down the pike so I expect my play time with Starcraft 2 to continue to exceed that of Civ V, even after my interest in the campaign portion of the game wanes. While Civ V makes me want to play and play again to see if I can improve my game, Starcraft 2 actually makes me want to continue playing through the campaign just to see what happens.

Wii:

Last, but not least, we have the Wii. Perhaps due to my gaming preferences or perhaps due to my environment (I hang with teens and preschoolers a lot), I have been putting in most of my gaming time on the Nintendo Wii this year. There were a lot of really great and (to me) innovative titles out there so it makes it hard to narrow things down. Games that caught my fancy included: Just Dance 2 with its improved controls; Tony Hawk Shred with its skateboard peripheral and easily-accessed family gaming mode; Super Mario Galaxy 2 continued to push the Wii platforming limits with this sequel; and finally, Wii Party took party games to new heights with its easy to play, family friendly games that still offered a lot of depth and interest to older (ie. me) gamers.

Winner: Just Dance 2
Honorable Mention: Tony Hawk Shred
For most boys aged 4 to 40+, Tony Hawk’s new title has a lot to offer and piques their interest, since its various difficulty levels allows for some pretty kid-friendly gaming as well as more challenging modes. However, in a mixed group Just Dance 2 wins hands down and you won’t hear any complaining from either gender. It is amazing how much this somewhat silly (to watch) game can get people up and moving as they dance off to popular dance tunes.

Overall Game of the Year:

Winner: Just Dance 2 (Wii)
Honorable Mention: Starcraft 2 (PC)
When it came time to try to pick something out as an overall winner, things became rather tricky. Two of the standouts were Just Dance 2 from the Wii and Starcraft 2 over on the PC. In the end, I had to go with Just Dance 2. While Starcraft 2 and its great story arc, absorbing strategy and tactics is a great game for me to personally sit and while away the hours, with Just Dance 2 I can get a bit of a physical workout but also enjoy some very good quality time with friends. Sure, if I hung out with more strategy gamers I could give the multiplayer a go in Starcraft 2, but just about everyone who saw Just Dance 2 in action became quickly enamored with it. Young grade school kids, their parents, teenagers; everyone thought it was fun and hilarious at the same time. Up to four people take Wiimotes in their right hand and attempt to match the dance moves of animated actors onscreen. If you’re not playing, you’re still having a blast watching everyone else hop around wildly trying to win the game. I’ve even seen a dozen or so people without controllers dancing around in the background imitating the current song while they waited their turn. While some of the popular songs (there is a wide range) are a bit edgy, there’s even a Just Dance Kids available for the really young. Due to its extremely wide range of appeal, I give the nod to Just Dance 2. Congratulations to all the contenders, and I look forward to another year of checking out what the industry has to offer.

Tags: Misc