So many in the gaming world seem to be burdened with a near-terminal case of pessimism. It bears down on them until the slightest shred of optimism about the future eludes them. I’ve always tried to avoid this, but even I have to admit that occasionally, the banality and unoriginality of the games industry threatens even my perennially cheerful disposition. Fortunately, the first half of 2010 has rewarded my optimism. Far from the long, bleak landscape of hopeless abandon that we normally see outside the holiday sales numbers, this year has seen release after release of games that challenged preconceptions, devoured our spare time like a fat man going after cake, and set a standard of excellence that will be difficult to match.
The vanguard of this delicious onslaught was the January 26 release of Mass Effect 2. Before I even had time to finish licking my fingers from that tasty morsel, Bioshock 2 hit the shelves and tempted me into another serving of Rapture. And it just kept coming. Rather than continue to make oddly sexualized comparisons to food (I restrain myself so that this article may still be read by our Australian friends), I offer a list of the games we’ve seen released this year that surprised me.
Bayonetta, Darksiders, Dark Void, No More Heroes 2, MAG, Mass Effect 2, Star Trek Online, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, Bioshock 2, Dante’s Inferno, Shiren the Wanderer, Heavy Rain, Mega Man 10, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Supreme Commander 2, Yakuza 3, Final Fantasy 13, Metro 2033, God of War 3, Command and Conquer 4, Just Cause 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Fat Princess, Super Street Fighter 4, Dante’s Inferno, Lost Planet 2, Split Second, Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, Super Mario Galaxy 2, BLUR, Alpha Protocol, Green Day: Rock Band, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Puzzle Quest 2, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Singularity, Crackdown 2, Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, DeathSpank, and Alien Swarm.
Whew. I’m a bit dizzy.
Now, bear in mind that I’m not saying that all of these games are perfect tens. I’m well aware that my inclusion of some games and exclusion of others may result in paroxysms of rage, and that’s okay. I’m saying that the games on the list above were each a hell of a lot of fun… AND nestled among them are a few gems that I feel set a new standard for their genre (Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption, Super Mario Galaxy 2). This list shows a hell of a great year for gaming, and it’s not even the holiday season yet. Pardon me for my barely restrained giggle of joy.
Yes, I know that the upcoming few months don’t show a lot to be excited about. Yes, I’m aware that the console manufacturer’s put on a lackluster E3 that left everyone convinced that gamers of the future will be cavorting in front of their televisions looking like a Barrel of Monkeys monkey. Yes, I’m aware that… blah, blah, blah. This year is AMAZING, and you’re not convincing me otherwise.
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The Not With a Whimper, but a Bang by Dietrich Stogner, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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You do make a succulent point. We've had some pretty stellar stuff so far and this year punched it when the gates lifted. In hindsight yes – we've had a great year.