The wave of major new video game releases finally settled weeks ago as 2010 winds down and we prepare to celebrate the new year. But before we look forward to an even bigger year of gaming in 2011, let’s reflect back on what the gaming industry entertained us with in 2010.
Tomorrow marks not only the very last day of 2010 but the end of our first full year of operation here at Game Rant and what better way to go out than with the beginning of an annual tradition with the Game Rant Video Game Awards!
For the first of many to come, we’ve carved out seven key categories to capture some of the most important elements of gaming. Without further ado, here are the nominations:
Game of the Year
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2
- Minecraft
- Red Dead Redemption
- StarCraft II
Most Innovative
- Backbreaker
- Heavy Rain
- Minecraft
- ModNation Racers
- Sleep is Death
Biggest Disappointment
- Alpha Protocol
- Command & Conquer 4
- Crackdown 2
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
Best Presentation
- Halo: Reach
- Limbo
- The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
- Split/Second
- StarCraft II
Best Gameplay
- Bayonetta
- Mass Effect 2
- StarCraft II
- Super Meat Boy
- Vanquish
Best Multiplayer Experience
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Halo: Reach
- Minecraft
- StarCraft II
Best Story
- Alan Wake
- Amnesia
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Heavy Rain
- Red Dead Redemption
Nominations were carefully selected based on input from all members of the Game Rant staff and many hours of deliberation. Share your comments on what you believe deserves to win and come back next week for the award winners!
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Minecraft FTW
Minecraft isn’t even out yet and it’s getting nominated! Yeah, it’s that good.
Here are my picks!
Game of the Year
Mass Effect 2
Most Innovative
Heavy Rain
Biggest Disappointment
Final Fantasy XIV
Best Presentation
StarCraft II
Best Gameplay
Mass Effect 2
Best Multiplayer Experience
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Best Story
Heavy Rain
Mass Effect 2.. Game of the Year for sure (for me)..
My picks:
Game of the Year
Mass Effect 2
Most Innovative
Minecraft
Biggest Disappointment
Final Fantasy XIV
Best Presentation
Limbo
Best Gameplay
Super Meat Boy
Best Multiplayer Experience
Halo: Reach
Best Story
Alan Wake
Game of the Year
Red Dead Redemption
Most Innovative
Heavy Rain
Biggest Disappointment
Final Fantasy XIV
Best Presentation
Limbo – though I think Alan Wake should be in there for the episodic storytelling
Best Gameplay
Mass Effect 2
Best Multiplayer
CODBLOPS
Best Story
Red Dead Redemption, but I’m okay if Alan Wake wins as well
Woahwoahwoahwoah wait a minute.
Where is Super Mario Galaxy 2 on that GoTY list?!
Heavy Rain HAS to win SOMETHING Game Rant! That game was just brilliant!
My picks:
Game of the Year
Red Dead Redemption
Most Innovative
Heavy Rain
Biggest Disappointment
Final Fantasy XIV
Best Presentation
LIMBO
Best Gameplay
Vanquish
Best Multiplayer
CoDBlOps – toughest choice by far.
Best Story
Red Dead Redemption – Great Western, let alone videogame. Some of the writing and dialogue (Marston, Sheriff) were film-quality.
Minecraft as GOTY… maybe when it comes out of beta xP
Mass Effect 2 for me, PS3 owners should be delighted with the double helping of Mass Effect they’re getting in 2011
Just to be clear, the official unofficial name for these awards is ‘The Rantees,’ correct?
lol, I like it, but I also like the GRAWARDS.
My picks:
Game of the Year
Halo: Reach (I have put more hours into the online multiplayer than any game in recent history)
Most Innovative
Minecraft (I haven’t even played this game, but I’ve watched hours of videos and that is enough to convince me)
Biggest Disappointment
Metroid Other M (I was prepared for this game to be amazing and it wasn’t much more than “meh”)
Best Presentation
Super Meat Boy (This game looks awesome in HD)
Best Gameplay
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (If it wasn’t for Halo: Reach, this would be my GOTY)
Best Multiplayer
Halo: Reach ( =) What a no-brainer)
Best Story
UNDECIDED (I haven’t played Red Dead Redemption, but I have a feeling it might belong here)
i don’t think XBL titles should be amongst the others, regardless of how ‘fun’ they might be they still dont measure up with time/man power that the other games required.
Game of the Year: non i hate them all
Most Innovative: haven’t played any of them but mod nation looks pretty cool.
Biggest Disappointment: again haven’t played any but i hear crackdown 2 was a PoS so i’ll go with that (hated the franchise ever since)
Best Presentation: reach is the only thing i have played from the list and imo that was bad at times (frame rate lag etc) so nothing from here.
Best Gameplay: all garbage regardless of what people say. i should have to wait for a sequel to have improved menus and a better combat system etc
Best Multiplayer Experience:
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – the most decent out of all but a whole new game for a feature that could have been sold for half of what it was and been an add on to #2 PASS
Call of Duty: Black Ops – full of ‘young adults’ who hate halo
Halo: Reach – full of little kids
Minecraft – wtf is this sh*t ?
StarCraft II – don’t care
Best Story: does anyone even pay attention to story anymore ? the best story i played through was bioshock 1 that that was a few yrs back. pretty sad that dev’s cant come up with more interesting/attention grabbing narrative.
note: i haven’t played most because they haven’t grabbed my attention, i’m cynical so i wont just pick up a game b/c one person likes it hence why i hate pretty much everything up for nomination… better luck next yr (which is this yr)
haha, what are five best games you picked up in 2010?
to be honest nothing, the last decent/addictive game i played was borderlands and before that bioshock. i’m very cynical, if a game doesn’t pull me in the 1st few hours then give it a paragraph or so worth of profanities and return it only to get another PoS ‘popular’ game.