After our lists of
honourable mentions and best
handheld releases comes our final top ten games of 2010. This year is once again dominated by sequels, and interestingly boasts follow-ups to readily established franchises that perhaps didn't need them, but blew us away nonetheless. It's been another superb year for games, and be sure to join us on January 2 when we look at what to expect from 2011.
10. Bayonetta (Xbox 360, PS3)The year was off to a great start with
Bayonetta, so much so that at the time we predicted that it'll appear in this end of year list. A character action game in the same vein as
God Of War and
Ninja Gaiden, it couples near-perfect controls with a completely off-the-wall narrative to deliver a truly unique experience. It's Platinum Games' finest game to date, and together with the tremendous
Vanquish released later in the year, makes the studio one of Japan's best and brightest.
9. Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)Bungie's final entry with the
Halo franchise was a essentially a greatest hits of its best features. The campaign was a grandiose spectacle as a planet falls to an alien invasion, featuring an impressive space-combat mission and a rather poignant post-credits sequence. Firefight saw its potential finally realised with online support and hundreds of options for customisation, and then there's the ever-popular multiplayer, which managed to easily refresh itself with an addition of a Challenge and Credits system. Arguably the finest
Halo game to date.
8. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Xbox 360, PS3)There was a worry that another
Assassin's Creed game 12 months after the excellent
second iteration was going to be a bit of a rush job. Although it limits the scope to a single city, it maintains that same thrilling sense of exploration through sprawling, fleshed-out districts, while continuing Desmond's story through regular trips outside of the Animus. RPG elements through restoring businesses and maintaining an Assassin's Guild were well implemented, as was the multiplayer component, with a reserved, tense pace that plays unlike anything else on the market.
7. Limbo (Xbox Live)The highest entry for a new IP in our list, the tale of a boy waking up in a mysterious forest was one of the year's most memorable. Incredibly minimalist in visuals and design, players have to overcome simple trials such as traps, hostile natives and frightfully enlarged spiders in order to survive, with brutal death scenes as punishments for failure. Its black and white visuals are simple but full of subtle details that flesh out the cold, harsh world, and although the linear tale clocks in at around four hours in length, it's easily one of Xbox Live's finest outings.
6. Civilization V (PC, Mac)In a franchise that needed little room for improvement,
Civilization V's additions impressed us enough to easily make its way into our top ten. The strategy title's biggest change was the move from squares to hexagons, paving the way for defensive changes and more realistic, free-flowing landscapes. Other factors such as city-states gave us more allies and enemies to worry about, while the removal of tile stacking for combat units changed how we waged wars. A streamlined interface inspired by
Civilization Revolution also makes this the most approachable release to date, and continues to lure us into many a late night (and early morning) gaming session.
5. Call Of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)It might not be as controversial or as bold as
Modern Warfare 2, but Treyarch's latest
Call Of Duty effort proves that it can deliver outside of the tired World War II time period. The campaign is furiously-paced thanks to an interesting flashback set-up, while fan-favourite Zombies makes a welcome return with some interesting narrative twists. Multiplayer, however, is the best as it's ever been, with perfectly constructed maps, superb balancing and an addictive Contract and Wager system to add what little extra incentive you need to keep playing.
Black Ops proves exactly why
Call Of Duty continues to be the industry's biggest seller.
4. God Of War III (PS3)The long-awaited conclusion to Kratos' story was nothing short of a blockbuster. The introduction of the mountain-sized Titans and floods of on-screen enemies made each encounter a complete spectacle, and underneath the pretty veneer were the same superb brawling mechanics of the previous games, featuring refined weaponry and more varied adversaries. Although there were a few tricky platforming sections and a stumbling camera to contend with as its cinematic fights play out, that doesn't stop it becoming one of the more visually stimulating games we've clapped our eyes on.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)Topping the original
Super Mario Galaxy - arguably the Wii's best game - is no easy feat, but somehow Nintendo managed to pull it off. This sequel drops the fiddly hub worlds of previous 3D Mario games and concentrates on building some of the most inventive, gravity-defying stages we've seen. New power-ups, a ridable companion in Yoshi and a sky-high difficulty setting allowed the developers to get even more creative, and while it doesn't quite have the same overwhelming impact of the original, that doesn't make it any less essential.
Galaxy 2 should be the top billing for anyone looking for a new Wii game this year or the next.
2. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC)The original
Mass Effect was a scrappy, buggy mess, but that never got in the way of us falling head-over-heels in love with the universe that BioWare had created. The sequel trims some of the more awkward aspects - the hundreds of equipable items and vehicle sections, for example - and dives even further into the many races, cultures and enemies lurking among the stars.
Mass Effect 2 is a sequel that truly delivers in fixing the original's problems, and anyone put off by the first game's quirks should definitely give it a chance. Its introduction also offers one of the most impressive and heart-pounding character resets we've ever seen.
1. Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360, PS3)Choosing Rockstar's latest open-world adventure is probably seen as the safe choice for number one, but it delivered many of the year's standout gaming moments. It's arguably the first game to nail an authentic Western atmosphere, and constructed a place as enjoyable as any of
Grand Theft Auto's jam-packed cities, with desolate lands hiding settlements populated by passionate and believable locals. Narratively it's the firm's finest to date, with a truly likeable lead in John Marston, whose story you will want to see until the very end. It also delivered stacks of terrific post-release content in multiplayer, and completely reinvented the entire landscape with the zombie-themed Undead Nightmare. A worthy winner.
What are you favourite games of 2010? Do you agree with our choices? Add a comment to the space below! 
