The year 2010 started off quite horribly for me because of the death of a family member. Things got a little worse when Bayonetta ended up being a disappointment! Then, it turned into a freaking nightmare when I was suddenly attacked by achievement/trophy whores! Things did get better though after the rough start, especially with a new found interest in a game that truly dominated my time last year and if you have been reading my entries, you should know the name of that very game. Please be aware that I have changed the term "purchase" with "induction" - you have probably noticed that in my new game announcements - because sometimes, these games were not necessarily bought but they were received as gifts, et cetera. As with what I did for 2009, the analysis will include all games that were inducted in 2010, even if the games were released prior to that year. The brackets shown in the number counts signify the difference between 2009 and 2010. I hope you will find this report informative and an entertaining read.
--- NINTENDO DS ---
Total Year Inductions: 10 (0)
Favorite Game of the Year:
Dragon Quest IX - Sentinels of the Starry Skies
Developer: Level-5
Induction Date: 07/30/2010
It may be a downgrade but only ever so slightly.
This latest entry into the Dragon Quest series should have landed on one of the current generation consoles but it got developed for the Nintendo DS instead due to the immense popularity of the handheld in Japan! Though we lost what could have been the next graphical evolution of Akira Toriyama's artwork in a video game, Dragon Quest IX still looks stunning on the DS and the simplistic nature of the game's battle mechanics easily survived the regressive platform decision. The addition of detailed character customizations via armor equipment bring a lot to the game and it should remain a staple for the series for the upcoming entries. It may not be as amazing as Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for the PlayStation 2 - the lack of voice acting in IX further ensured that fact - but Dragon Quest IX is certainly a must have for DS owners.
Disappointment of the Year:
Because of the download service available on the Nintendo DSi system, I almost picked it up last year - I really wanted Photo Dojo and Shantae: Risky's Revenge - but now I am so glad that I didn't because of the eventual arrival of the new Nintendo 3DS sometime this year. What I am disappointed about is Nintendo's current attitude of dumping and leaving. They hardly made any camera-related game for the current DSi and now they are just going to abandon those people who have spent their hard earned cash upgrading to the newest DS iteration. It really makes me skeptical about how long the first generation of the 3DS will remain in the marketplace before it is quickly replaced by a badder, bigger version of itself. With the current buzz for the impending release of the 3DS, I know that I would probably not be able to score one of them upon their arrival but that could be a very good thing if Nintendo decided to release the enhanced, much improved upgrade for the new handheld system soon after.
--- NINTENDO WII ---
Total Year Inductions: 14 (-3)
Favorite Game of the Year:
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Developer: Treasure
Induction Date: 06/27/2010
Transforming motion controls from mere gimmickry to utter necessity.
When Treasure makes a shooter, you just know that it is going to be really good and Star Successor is no exception. The haphazard, unfocused original just cannot compare to this fully realized sequel and the most noteworthy thing about the new game is how perfect the control scheme is and no dual-stick controllers can ever replicate the immediacy and accuracy of the Wii-mote for this game. This is the first game that truly showcases the validity of motion control in "hardcore" gaming. The graphics are great and though anyone can pick the game up and play it, mastering it is no easy task. Addictive rail shooting? Check. Brilliant enemy and bullet patterns? Check. Crazy screen-filling mega bosses? Check. Will the game be released on the PlayStation 3 with improved high definition graphics and Move-enabled controls? I surely hope so!
Disappointment of the Year:
Longer means better, no?
The idea of making a phallic object longer, fatter, and more precise is usually desired but the Wii Motion Plus add-on is just clunky and ugly even if it does provide amazing 1:1 motion tracking. And how many games are utilizing it now? It's so low you can practically say zero. Then, Nintendo released the new enhanced Wii-motes that has the thing built into the original design, ensuring that one would feel cheated using the super-extended Wii-mote plus the add-on. So why didn't you think about this in the first place when you made the controller, Nintendo? This is why Sony's PlayStation Move controller for the PlayStation 3 is way better than Nintendo Wii's wee-wee.
--- PERSONAL COMPUTER ---
Total Year Inductions: 68 (+36)
Favorite Game of the Year:
Developer: Riot Games
Induction Date: 04/03/2010
Your gateway into infinite fun. Just watch out for those ragers and griefers.
I have already ran out of words to describe the greatness of this game after featuring it months after months on the Monthly Gaming Analysis as the most played game for seven consecutive months. It has broken the record for the most consecutively played game in my life. I remember playing a lot of Nights: Into Dreams... on the SegaSaturn but I don't remember playing it as much as I am playing this game! The only thing that is stopping this multiplayer online battle arena game from breaking into my Top 10 Greatest Games of All Time is the messed up community. Though better than the people found in its direct competitor, Heroes of Newerth, unless when I am playing with my friends, there is always, always a rude jerk who is ready to ruin the game and my day for me and since this game lives and dies by its multiplayer feature, the game becomes both a blessing and a curse. Riot is going to release a brilliant new way to combat all of the nasty people though with the implementation of a tribunal "jury" system where the players themselves will be the judge of other people's behaviors where you can actually review chat logs and accusations from the community and mark the perpetrators guilty or innocent. The uncivilized people are already crying foul over this proposition but I cannot wait to see it get implemented. When the community is cleaned up, the game will then have a place in my Top 10 list.
Disappointment of the Year:
Let me translate it for you: "We don't like your money... Go away!"
Progress is always a good thing but you can never forget about those who are left behind because of it. The decision to make the PC version of Just Cause 2 incompatible with Windows XP is crude, evil, and unnecessary. Yes, I want Windows 7 but I am not in hurry to upgrade because I still like what I have now and there is always that whole situation with money. As if the PC gaming industry is not suffering enough, reducing the number of your potential customers is just not very smart. I ended up getting the game for the X-Box 360 and it is evident that Avalanche Studios made the wrong (not to mention offensive) move here because other developers are still allowing Direct X10 compatible games to be playable on Windows XP. Why not enjoy both worlds as the developer by enabling those with Vista and 7 to experience better graphics while still allowing XP gamers to play your game with slighly downgraded visuals? PC gamers have different hardware setups anyway, so toggling graphical options on and off is really a standard in the industry.
--- PLAYSTATION 2 ---
Total Year Inductions: 1 (-4)
Yes, the PlayStation 2 is officially dead. That's not a bad thing though, considering the fact that the PlayStation 3 has been out for quite some time and I still have a number of PS2 games that I wanted to get listed on my Purchase List. The only game I got in 2010 was Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. I suppose I could have gotten it for the Nintendo Wii and there would have been zero games inducted for the PS2 console for this year. Thankfully, the PS2 version of the game came in a premium package and that was the reason why I opted to get it for this console. I am sure that I will have quite a few more entries for my PS2 collection but I think it's time to say my farewell to the "market life" of this system. The PS2 was and will always be the most special console I have ever had the pleasure of playing and it will remain active in my Game Room for a long time to come - something that should be very easy to accomplish because as of the date of this article, I own 462 games for the system and no other platforms come even remotely close to that number. I truly, truly love you my PS2!
--- PLAYSTATION 3 ---
Total Year Inductions: 34 (+15)
Favorite Game of the Year:
Developer: SideQuest Studios
Induction Date: 05/25/2010
There are so many bullets flying about, the game should be made into a screen saver.
I may not like the practice of selling additional content to what should have already been a full game but this side-scrolling shoot-'em-up was the most exciting thing that happened to the PlayStation 3 last year. The first game originated as a port of a PC game and this sequel was made specifically for the PS3. Yes, it is not an over-extended adventure game that cannot be completed in one sitting featuring a dashing, rugged guy whom you may or may not be secretly attracted to but what this game has is replayability. To access more areas in the game, you have to locate secret keys in the stages and once you have discovered them all, there are challenges to beat for each of the stages. There is also the online leaderboards that encourage the players to master the game. The graphics are stunning as well and though the art style is a bit lacking, it still manages to set a new standard of visual fidelity for the genre.
Game of the year? No. Seriously, I don't understand why people went nuts for God of War III. I will admit that I was goo-goo ga-ga about the game while playing the first sequence where Kratos is climbing Mount Olympus on top of Gaia and that one decapitation scene still haunts me to this day. The problem with this game is that it soon fades into mediocrity the further you play it and the graphics engine sometimes looks suspiciously PS2. I have a feeling that the game was probably originally planned for the PS2 release. I mean, it would make sense to have the trilogy completed on the same system. Then, there were those first person kill scenes: my best guess is that they wanted to mimic those cheesy and forced poking sequences in 3D movies. I rather see the actual dismemberment and torture like the way it was presented during the decapitation scene. I don't get a boner seeing Kratos doing things to me in the perspective of the victims. The impact was just not there because I thought I was supposed to be Kratos! I felt like I was denied the satisfaction of offing Zeus at the end - the very reason why we play the game since the beginning of God of War II. This game should not be celebrated. Instead, it should be universally reviled for giving a very horrible end to what could have been an epic closure to a revered video game trilogy.
--- PLAYSTATION PORTABLE ---
Total Year Inductions: 4 (0)
Favorite Game of the Year:
Ys Seven
Developer: Nihon Falcon Corporation
Induction Date: 08/21/2010
Say yes to Ys.
Ys Seven is a fun action role playing game. It's nothing too extraordinary unless you are a fan of the genre and/or the series. The graphics are quite plain but you want to play this for the action elements. This game was the only title that was able to engage me for a while soon after I picked it up but overall, 2010 was a bit of a dead year for my PSP - which reminds me that I should probably hook that thing up to the wall today so that the rechargeable battery wouldn't be forever dead the next time I want to play the system again.
Disappointment of the Year:
So it was revealed that the PlayStation Portable 2 is current in the works. Is Sony crazy? Just step away from the handheld gaming race and just focus on the PlayStation 3 and the direct download service for both that console and the current PSP. Unless the new PSP2 is going to have a 3D display like the Nintendo 3DS, nobody should be touching it because we know what would happen to it in a 3DS controlled market.
--- X-BOX 360 ---
Total Year Inductions: 27 (+19)
Favorite Game of the Year:
ESPGaluda II Black Label
Developer: Cave
Induction Date: 03/04/2010
Bullet-cancel your way like you have never bullet cancel before!
This incredible "bullet-heaven" shooter may have marked the end of Cave's short period of region-free retail game releases, but even that couldn't take away the goodness that comes with this release. ESPGaluda II has one of the most complex play mechanics in a shmup and making it work for you is part of the fun. Ikaruga may still reign supreme with its polarity switching mechanics but you can always count on Cave to try and copy Treasure's success with something more outrageous, but less refined, like the delicious gender-switching time control setup found in this game!
Disappointment of the Year:
It is always easy to find something to be disappointment with when it comes to Microsoft and this year, they have stooped down to a new low with the price increase for the X-Box Live Gold membership fee. The justification? Worthless, non-gaming additions to the service like the ESPN channel and Hulu Plus. What is the X-Box 360? It's a video gaming console. What Microsoft is trying to do is turn the 360 into a PC only without the freedom to choose what kind of entertainment services you want to pay for. Disgusting.
--- INTERESTING TIDBITS ---
MOST PLAYED GAME OF 2010
Games that have been played for 10 days or more within the year:
TOTAL NUMBER OF GAMES PLAYED: 412 (-86)
18.8% of the entire collection as of 01/07/2011
TOTAL NUMBER OF GAMES INDUCTED: 158 (+63)
7.2% of the entire collection as of 01/07/2011
I HOPE THAT 2011 WILL BE A TERRIFIC YEAR FOR US GAMERS!
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