Wow. What a year for games it's been. I should say that I've played more games this year than any other year, and most of them were pretty good too! In the end I had over two dozen games that I was seriously considering for spots on this list. Sure, there were some disappointments along the way, as well as some real bombs, but for the most part I can't complain. With all that said, let's get on with it.

Note: This year I decided to use Giantbomb's list as the primary source for this list, so if you want the best results go on over and check it out here. Complete with links to each game's Giantbomb wiki page. Pretty much just copy and pasting the list to my blog/lj for whatever reason.

10. Super Meat Boy

I had to put Super Meat Boy on my list. There wasn't any way I couldn't. This game took me by total surprise. In fact I started off hating the game on principle alone. A hard as nails platformer that prided itself on being so difficult? Yeah, doesn't sound like something I'd be into at all. Low and behold, a fantastic game shines through regardless. The game just controls so god damn well, and even though it is really difficult, it doesn't punish you. It's an amazing feeling when you finally beat a level that you've been trying at for a good 15+ minutes. And I haven't even mentioned the game's charming retro inspired style, complete with an amazing soundtrack, that I even paid for - with real money!

The only reason Super Meat Boy ranks in at the end of the list, is because sadly I haven't actually been able to finish the game. I've been stuck on a boss fight for about two months now, and at this point I've kind of given up, and am waiting for the super special retail boxed copy that's coming out in January. That hasn't stopped me from pimping the game every chance I can get, and getting ridiculously excited about any news that I hear about the game. What can I say? It's a real treat.

9. Cave Story

I had a hard time deciding if I was going to put Cave Story on the list or not. Not that I have any doubt about the quality of the game, or how much I enjoyed it. But the fact that the game has been around for years. In the end, I ultimately decided that this was a new experience for me, and it was released this year in a new form, sooo... fair game!

Enough about that. As cliched as it is at this point to say, Cave Story really is the best new, old game you've never played. It has the look, sound, and feel of a great classic game from the NES/SNES era. The game is super fun, and it has a surprisingly dark story that kept me interested throughout. Plus, how cute is Curly Brace?

And while I'll never actually be able to clear Hell myself, I can still enjoy insane speedruns of it on Youtube.

8. Alan Wake

So what's all this shit about Alan Wake being disappointing, huh? Granted, in the end I could have done with a little less combat, I still think the rest of the game outshines any bit of repetition in the combat segments. Here you have a game with genuinely good writing, an interesting horror story that was broken up in such an ingenious way thanks to the whole "episode" system, and an awesome licensed soundtrack.

When I think back to some of the set pieces in the game (I'm thinking of a certain battle set on a stage) I couldn't in all honesty keep this game off the list. Plus when you consider that I initially rented the game, then turned around and bought the Collector's Edition after I finished the game? Yeah, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's sad that it was release was overshadowed by such a massive release as Red Dead Redemption, because I think this game really deserved a better shot than that.

7. No More Heroes 2

Travis Touchdown is one of the best characters ever. Unsurprisingly his games are pretty damn good too. From the mind of Suda 51, NMH2 is another crack induced dose of "what the fuck" brought to you from Japan. The story is ridiculous, and the characters even more so. And unlike Killer 7, the gameplay is actually good.

Course' this isn't the first time we've seen No More Heroes (hence the "2") so it's not totally new. And I enjoyed the first game too, despite never finishing it. Two things that really helped me enjoy this game more though was the inclusion of classic controller support, and an easy difficulty setting. I'm anxious to see if No More Heroes Paradise will be as enjoyable when it comes out sometime next year.

Just do me a favor, and skip the mini games next time though. Man, fuck those things.

6. Yakuza 3

It took me a few years, but I finally decided I'm a big fan of the Yakuza series. I played the first one when it came out, and thought it was alright. Then was really late to the party on the second one but thought it was great. So I finally buckled down and bought a copy of 3 when it came out. I... didn't play it until August though, but I pretty much played it non-stop that month!

Let's face it, the combat is pretty simple, and there's way too much of it if you keep running into every punk on the street. But for whatever reason I found it to be a treat almost every time, if only for the fact that I just love how much of a bad ass Kiryu is. About the time you get the special move where you take out a cigarette and smoke it, only to flick it into the enemies face then just beat their ass, I was sold.

Unlike most brawlers though, Yakuza is known for having an intense story, full of characters that you just can't help to love, or in some cases hate. There's actually a pretty sad, and totally unexpected moment near the end of 3 involving one of the best new additions to the cast.

I can't wait for next year's Yakuza 4 to hit North America. After that... well...

5. Darksiders

In January I was faced with a decision. Buy Bayonetta, or buy Darksiders. I chose wrong. Luckily I remedied the situation a week later by trading in Bayonetta for Darksiders. Darksiders wasn't even on my radar at all beforehand. It wasn't until I put it in and gave it a spin that I found it to be one of the greatest games this year.

To start, I think Joe Madureira's artstyle is gorgeous. It really helped me get into the world, and there are some amazing looking characters. War, while not having the best personality out there, certainly looks like a bad ass. The story itself is pretty cool too, and I'm kind of disappointed that Darksiders 2 isn't going to continue the story.

That's all great and everything, but it's the gameplay that really nets Darksiders a spot on this list. It's been a while since a home console version of Zelda has come out, and even longer since I really got into one of them. Darksiders is the perfect Zelda "clone". Call it a homage or a rip-off, I could care less. I'd have to say Darksiders is the perfect fix for anyone waiting on Skyward Sword.

4. Red Dead Redemption

Well this is... unexpected. I had some pretty nasty backlash on Grand Theft Auto 4, and I certainly didn't expect to like a western themed game in the same engine this much. But... wow. RDR is easily one of the best game I've played this year. I can't think of a single thing negative to say about the game.

It has a fantastic story, full of interesting characters. The writing is excellent, and there are quite a few intense moments, including the end of the game which is shocking to say in the least. The soundtrack is fucking gorgeous, with some amazing tracks by Jose Gonzales, a name gamers are surely going to remember now.

As for the game itself? Addictive as hell. It's so hard to put down the controller, and I found myself saying "Just one more mission..." for hours. It's amazing how much they've improved the targeting system. And Dead Eye mode is just bad ass.

I haven't even begone to scratch the surface on a lot of the side content in the main game. There's a bunch of stranger missions, hunting challenges, and other stuff that I'd love to go back and complete at some point.

Simply amazing.


3. NIER

Alright, before I even begin to talk about NIER. I have to say that picking the order for the top 3 games this year was incredibly difficult. Obviously I love every game on this whole list, but these three are special. And I'm pretty confident in saying I'd include all of these on an "all time" list. With that said...

Oh god. I fucking LOVE NIER. It's this year's Half Minute Hero. A game that came out of no where and totally stole my undying affection. And it's pretty impressive that I still decided to buy NIER even after all the negativity it got blasted with when it was released.

Granted, NIER has problems. It's probably why it ranks third on my list. It's just too hard to overlook some of the faults in NIER. Mainly the fact that almost all of the side quest in the games are bullshit, and there are tons of them.

None of that matters though. The fact of the matter is I played this game for every waking hour for two weeks straight. I played through the game five times (well... New Game+'d 3 times, then started fresh to get the speedrun achievement). Why? Because the story is fantastic. Easily one of the best in recent memory. The story wouldn't be nearly as impressive without the characters, all of whom are equally as impressive as the story. Kaine is without a doubt my favorite character this year.

And against the odds, NIER was actually localized with love and care by the guys over at 8-4. It really shows, as the writing comes through solid, and the voice acting is incredible. Big props to those guys.

The soundtrack is pretty amazing too, another one that I actually paid for this year, and I'd highly recommend it. Man, I could gush on and on about NIER, but I think I should stop. The game is constantly on sale for like under $20. Buy it!

2. Starcraft 2

Oh Starcraft 2. Where do I even begin? Starcraft 2 had a lot to live up to. Starcraft is one of my favorite games of all time. And then I spent over a decade waiting for another installment in the series. And how'd it turn out? I think I need to spend another couple years with Starcraft 2, but at this point I'm going to go out on a limb and say... it's better than Starcraft. In almost every way at least.

For the multiplayer... it's the same super competitive multiplayer that people have enjoyed for a decade. Except there's more. It's better. Looks better, more units, different strategies. Better ladders, match making. A fucking Starcraft 2 league that you can subscribe to and watch the pros play every "season". Starcraft 2 took shit to a whole other level. And I really can't see going back to the first game now.

And for the single player... the story isn't as strong - yet. Though I think a lot of that has to do with the format. Starcraft 2's story will be spread along three games. Wings of Liberty is no doubt laying the ground work for something truly epic. For what it's worth though, I really enjoyed the layout and progression of missions.

When I was playing Starcraft 2, I was so excited. I couldn't believe I was playing it, and even more so that it actually lived up to all the hype. I remember at one point walking around my living room thinking about how awesome it was, and how I'd have to put in on my GOTY list.

Sadly, I just haven't been able to put as much time into Starcraft 2 as I would have liked to. It was all I played back when it came out. Once I finished the single player, I jumped into multiplayer and tried it for a bit, but was pretty quickly overwhelmed. It's a very intense, competitive scene. It requires a lot of time and practice that I just couldn't do at the time. But the great thing is that it'll be around for years, and there are no signs of it slowing down. So I have time.

In the meantime. It's fun watching GSL matches.

1. Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I've ever played. Peace, I'm out.

No, seriously. After Bioware's offering of Dragon Age: Origins last year, I was really excited about Mass Effect 2. Hell, I liked Mass Effect well enough already, putting it on my GOTY list the year it came out. However, I had no idea how... breathtaking Mass Effect 2 would be.

Mass Effect 2 is an improvement over the original in every way. Some might disagree, and argue that the first one is better because it's more like a role playing game. Those people suck. The combat is ridiculously satisfying, they really tightened it up and turned it into a top notch third person shooter, and scrapped the inane inventory system. Less time spent trying to figure out if you want to turn Identical Assault Rifle #32 into omni-gel, and more time popping off headshots and wooing Garrus.

Speaking of which? The characters in this game? Way better in this game. The romantic options? Again, shreds the first game apart.

Okay, enough bagging on Mass Effect 1, but seriously. It's impressive how much better this game is, and how Bioware has advanced as a developer. Oh, it also doesn't hurt that this is one of the best looking games this year. And it's comforting knowing that the Mass Effect 3 engine looks even better (if even ever so slightly).

I really enjoyed Mass Effect 2 when it came out at the beginning of the year, but a couple months ago I picked it up again in hopes of getting the last achievement I was missing (and playing the DLC). I'm proud to say I completed the entire game on Insanity, and it was a fucking blast. I'm not one to purposely make a game harder on myself, but I'd almost say the experience was that much better because of it.

I don't know what else to say. Mass Effect 2 is as close as you're going to get to a "perfect" game. And I cannot wait for the third game coming out next year! Hopefully.

 Hello friends, It's been a while. For better or worse I've pretty much fully migrated to Twitter/Facebook to share my unwanted opinion now days. However at least once a year I have to bounce back to the blog/lj to post my annual "of the Year" list. That time is now. As per usual I'll be starting with Anime. Look forward to my games of the year list next week sometime. Anyways...

This wasn't a great year for Anime, as it is I had a hard time picking five shows that really stood out to me. This has been a year full of average shows, or things that just didn't grab me for one reason or another. However there were at least a few shows that I really enjoyed, and I will recommend them here.

Another thing to note is that I'm trying to mix up the format a bit this year. I was really disappointed with my list last year. I had a hard time trying to put words to how I felt about shows, while at the same time trying to explain them. For whatever reason, talking about Anime just doesn't flow as naturally for me as it does with games. So this time, I'll be doing some quick hits. Telling you briefly why I liked the show. And if you need to know more about the show, or are interested in it - please click the wiki link I provide. Sound good? Okay. Let's go.

5. Highschool of the Dead

HotD is kind of the black sheep of this list. It really isn't as good as the other four shows on this list, and it was kind of a toss up between this and a couple other shows. Yeah, real positive start. That's just the kind of year it was though. Anyways... HotD is a bunch of mindless fun. It has tits, and zombies. Pretty much. It's based on the original manga of the same name, and features art by Inazuma - who is a pretty good hentai artist. So go figure, he can draw pretty hot chicks. The story isn't much, it's pretty standard zombie-fare, but there are some pretty awesome action scenes, and again - it's nice to look at. I'd recommend it to anyway looking for a decent action show, and it doesn't hurt if you aren't tired of the whole zombie thing by this point.

4. K-ON!!

Hey, it's K-ON! again. Except this time it has two exclamation marks!! Seriously though, K-ON is still a ridiculously cute, and funny show that I looked forward to watching every week. I can't honestly say which season was better, but if you're an Azusa fan chances are you'll like this season more (the episodes tend to focus more on her and her two side-kicks instead of the Seniors so much). Though I will say that I can recall more memorable moments this season than the last, so take that for what you will. I'll get this out of the way too, they don't top last year's ending theme "Don't Say Lazy". However, "No, Thank You!" certainly comes close.

3. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Holy-Shit. That's the best way I can sum up PSG. Gainax is pretty infamous at this point for bizarre ass series, but this really takes the cake. The first episode starts up with Panty and her sister Stocking fighting a giant shit demon, and it doesn't slow down from there. Chances are, the first thing you'll notice is... well, the name of the show. Secondly you'll probably notice that this show has a very unique art style and direction to it that doesn't come across as your average Anime. If anything it reminds me of some of the weirder western cartoons. The show does switch styles though, and can even changes the way it's animated drastically from episode to episode. Who would I recommend PSG to? Anyone. Just check it out, if nothing else you'll be left saying "What the fuck?".

Ah, what the hell. Allow me to gush more about PSG for a bit. Another fantastic thing about PSG is the soundtrack. Oh god, the soundtrack. It's fucking amazing. Almost every track is note-worthy, especially the ending theme "Fallen Angel". The OST is coming out soon, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I've never been this excited about an Anime soundtrack - ever. Something else that I really enjoy is the character designs. The show doesn't have a bunch of characters, but all of them are interesting. The designs are initially pretty simple, but the girls all get highly detailed "sexy" versions during transformations that really impress.

Ah, what else can I say? I guess that's enough. Some final words though. The last episode of the series hasn't aired yet, am I'm eagerly awaiting it. I doubt it would change the placement on the list much though. And finally, just... enjoy this shit while it last. The Japanese Government just passed a law banning any Anime of Manga containing sexual content that's judged as being harmful to children. This might be the last time we ever see anything like Panty & Stocking. And that's really, really sad.

2. Katanagatari

So, what can top PSG at this point? How about the greatest action Anime to come along in a long time? With an art style, and character designs even more beautiful and interesting than PSG? Sound good? Well, that's Katanagatari. An interesting an entirely pleasant experience - Katanagatari was 12, one hour long episodes, one of which aired every month of this year. And followed that month's adventures of the main characters of the show. It was a real treat watching this every month.

So why do I say it's the best action show in years? Certainly it isn't as action packed as your typical shonen-shows, and in fact in can be down right slow at times. Make no mistake, the main focus of this show is long, (but always interesting!) conversations between the characters. And then there is some fighting. But they do such a fantastic job of getting you hyped up for the action, that when it finally happens? It's fucking awesome. The biggest payoff? The last episode of the series. Within that hour you will see that Shichika is badass. It's like the ultimate "FUCK YES!" moment.

1. Durarara!!

While it might not be as crazy, and weird as PSG. Or as badass of an action show as Katanagatari. Durarara!! has it's own thing going for it. For starters, the show has all of the highlights from the above shows: it looks great, excellent characters, an awesome soundtrack, it can be pretty weird, and sure it even has some action in it. What really separates Durarara from other shows is it's writing, and story. I'll say this, it's not often that an Anime will get it's hooks in me, and demands that I watch the next episode. Just like a good serialized television series (think HBO) Durarara has a really compelling story that kept me dying to see what happened next in each episode.

At a glance, the characters aren't nearly as interesting (looking at least) as those found in PSG and Katana. However once you start watching the show, and watching the story unfold, you start to get attached to the characters... most of them anyway. And hell, just look at Celty. She's one of the coolest characters in recent memory. It's hard to explain, because you can't really say "This show is crazy!" or "That was the coolest thing ever!" about it, but it's consistently good, and that's why it's my pick of the year.

Final words: I can't think of another Anime outside of Death Note that has gripped me like this, and I can only hope we get another season, because there is a bunch of story left to cover. Another thing to note is that both opening and endings for the show are amazing. Particularly "Trust Me" which inspired me to watch the show seriously in the first place. Also, the number of characters can be a bit intimidating, but once you get rolling you'll ease into it pretty well. And finally, my only regret is that I didn't watch Baccano last year, because it totally would have made last year's list.

Mega Man Zero Collection - 6/8
Disgaea Infinite - 6/8
Transformers: War For Cybertron - 6/22
Trinity Universe - 6/29
Deathsmiles - 6/29
All Points Bulletin - 6/29
Crackdown 2 - 7/6
Monster Rancher DS - 7/20
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - 7/27
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift - 7/27
Dead Rising 2 - 8
Valkirya Chronicles 2 - 8
Metroid: Other M - 8

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR MASS EFFECT 2

Alright, so it's time to talk about another Bioware game again. This time I'll try and make it fast.

At the end of Mass Effect 2, you and your team go on a suicide mission to save your lost crew, and stop the Collectors. It is entirely possible for your party members, and even Shepard to die. There's a way to ensure your characters won't die, which I won't go into, because honestly it's not that important. The important thing is, that I researched this ahead of time, to make sure I didn't lose any party members.

Now, I'm wondering if I fucked up by doing this. Of course, I want MY Commander Shepard to go into Mass Effect 3 without having lost any of the main characters. However, did I cheat myself out of an emotional experience by not playing the game by ear, and paying the price for an error in judgment?

I've heard people talking about it on podcast, and it sounds like I'm really missing out on some intense moments by not seeing any of my crew members die in front of my eyes. Imagine if Garrus, one of my favorite characters, and love interest in ME2 took a bullet to the head right in front of me? I think that would invoke some pretty crazy emotions.

What if I didn't know what I needed to do to save my crew, and was wondering the whole time if someone was going to bite the bullet? Wouldn't that be extremely intense? Wouldn't that be a gaming experience unlike anything I've ever seen before?

I guess I could just answer all this by going back to an earlier save and making every wrong choice I could. But would it be the same now? Not unlike before when I knew everyone was going to survive. I'd know that people were going to die, and that none of these deaths would be "canon" in my Mass Effect universe.

What about on my new Shepard? He's going to be a Paragon this time. It doesn't seem like he'd let party members die. And would it be worth it to let party members die on these new Shepard, just so I can experience the effect it will have in Mass Effect 3? I still don't feel comfortable doing it.

Hm.

Finally, it's time for Game of The Year. I've certainly spent a fair share of time bitching about other people's games of the year list over the past month. Time to put my list out there. As usual, my list is quite a bit different than most of the list you'll see around the net. Of course this is all personal opinion, as any list is, but these are the 10 games I enjoyed the most that came out this year. Enjoy!

( Part 1 )

Time for my annual Anime of the Year list. How this works: I usually pick my favorite three anime series of the year. However this year I've watched a lot of different shows, and felt that I could bump the list up to 5 top shows. In previous years I allowed shows to be qualified as long as they were at least still airing during the year. This year I decided only to include shows that started airing this year only. Still wasn't hard to pick five, as there were quite a few good shows this year. So with the introduction out of the way - here's my top 5.

( The List )

 

December has always been a month for list with me, starting back in 2006. Every year I get together with my roommate and we make a list of our favorite games of the year. I also make a little list awarding my favorite anime of the year. Those are still coming in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a list of my 10 favorite games to come out in the last decade. Yeah, after this a measly game of the year list might seem anti-climatic. However I've seen sites posting their decade list before their year list - so I think it's okay.

You'll notice that the list is called "RPGs of The Decade", this is because it just so happens that my 10 favorite games to come out this Decade all happen to be RPGs. After some feedback I decided to change the name of the list to reflect on this. So now it doesn't seem like I'm quite so biased since the only games that will qualify for this list are RPGs. Still, if you're reading this - then you know how I really feel. Oh well. I might take the time to come up with another list of 10 games that came out this decade that I liked that weren't RPGs. But that really depends on how bored I get, and if I get my other list out of the way first.

Speaking of other games I thought of, I thought up 44 games that I loved that came out this decade. That's not even counting other games in the same series. And speaking of that, I've decided to only include one game from each series in this list. It made for some tough choices, but I thought it was only fair. Finally, I didn't count any game that was re-released in the past decade that originally came out more than 10 years ago - sorry Final Fantasy Tactics.

Let's begin.

( Cut for your pleasure. )