By: Ryan Ramakrishnan
With the decade coming to an end in just a few days, it is time to look back on the many video games released. There were many titles that I enjoyed across most to all platforms from 2010 to this year. In fact, this decade is when I really got into gaming. So I have decided to break up this discussion into multiple countdowns. I will be writing a list for each year of the decade, counting down from 5 to 1, my favorite games of that year. So let’s take a trip back to 2010.
My top 5 games of 2010 are as follows:
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
2010 was the first year I began playing “Call of Duty.” The first person shooters always looked so cool; when my friends were playing, particularly with “Modern Warfare 2” the previous year. So when I dove into “Black Ops” in 2010, I greatly enjoyed it. However, over the decade, I began to like it more and more. “Call of Duty: Black Ops” has a lot of nostalgia over anything else for me. Maps like the iconic Nuketown, Jungle, Summit and Firing Range and p;laying Gun Game with my friends are priceless memories for me. I also had a blast with the campaign and found it to be very compelling and entertaining, especially on future visits and playthroughs. Overall, it is one of my favorite titles in the long-running shooter series.
4. God of War 3
Now that we got “God of War” in 2018, being one of the best games to ever release, it is hard to look at 2010’s “God of War 3” in the same light. Regardless of what the future brought for Kratos, Sony Santa Monica’s wrap up to the story of the Ghost of Sparta was one of the best games I experienced on the PlayStation 3. This game looked incredible ten years ago with some graphics that were able to be nicely remastered a few years back on the PS4. “God of War 3” has many great moments, even toppling those of last year’s “God of War.” The game includes some of the most ridiculously epic moments in gaming at that point. The massive boss battles, brutal kills, stylish combos and purely awesome moments made a cinematic journey for the games.
3. Pokemon: HeartGold and SoulSilver
After “Pokemon: Diamond,” I fell in love with the JRPG. And now that we have had so many games since my first entry to the series over a decade ago, I look at 2010 and the remakes of “Gold” and “Silver,” realizing they are potentially my favorites. I genuinely loved playing through “HeartGold for a multitude of reasons. This is for starters, a brilliant remake of classics. It looked great on the DS then and let me walk around with any Pokemon by my side. The Pokewalker got me to get exercise and somehow grow close to digital creatures. Johto is large and living. Kanto opens up post-Elite Four, as does the chance to catch more legendaries, making the game feel just as fun and worth your time after beating it. The games are just so well done and basically do everything a good “Pokemon” title should do in my opinion.
2. Red Dead Redemption
“Red Dead Redemption” came close, very close to being in the number one spot. Rockstar’s 2010 game is in many ways, a real masterpiece in modern gaming. Even though it was bested by last year’s prequel, “Red Dead Redemption” still holds up well. It has easily one of the most compelling stories and main characters in their industry, especially when it first launched a decade ago. “Red Dead Redemption” has a very interesting world to explore on horseback. Horses also weren’t so easy to lose for good. John Marston met up with tons of fun, hilarious, intriguing and, generally speaking, interesting characters. Side missions and main alike gave stories that you wouldn’t forget. And the core narrative is written super well. “Red Dead Redemption” stands out a lot for me, particularly above the other games I listed, because it did so many forward thinking things in its game back in 2010. And I often think about that impactful ending and its proper ending. It truly was something special.
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2
I had a surprisingly hard time managing this top 5 list, since I genuinely love all of the games I am writing about. But the truth is, none of the other titles reach the heights in every way that this masterpiece did. Nintendo usually strikes gold with its first party outings and 2007 saw one of my personal favorites in the form of “Super Mario Galaxy.” The game was beautiful, charming, fun, challenging and honestly close to perfect. Three years later, somehow, that gold was struck again; however, the sequel was even more of a masterpiece. “Super Mario Galaxy 2” did so much right for “Mario” games, platformers, Wii games and video games in general. This title had amazing visuals that totally look good a decade later. This is a game that will stand the test of time for ages and represents Nintendo’s highest highs of this decade. It is objectively excellent. “Super Mario Galaxy 2” has dozens of gimmicks, creative level designs, tricks, power-ups and unique moments. Galaxy hopping felt better than ever. It played as smooth as butter. “Super Mario Galaxy 2” had an incredibly wide array of levels with a pleasing amount of variety and it truly and quickly became a modern classic, one of the best of the decade and honestly of all time.
Which 2010 games did you play the most? Which title from, that year do you often think about? What is your favorite game of the first year of our decade? Share with me your thoughts in the comments below.
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