Console Monster Awards 2010

Our twelve months of gaming in 2010 is almost over here in the UK, so it is time to wrap-up another successful year for us gamers. 2010 has been a crazy year in gaming, with plenty of stellar titles dropping into our disc trays every month. Just like last year, we have had our fair share of sequels. During the recent economic climate, publishers have been more careful in where they put their coin, which means there has been much less risk in bringing us more imaginative titles and new franchises.

This year saw some comeback sequels and prequels from Halo, Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Mafia, Crackdown, Battlefield Bad Company, BioShock, Medal of Honor, Fable, Fallout and Gran Turismo. I could go on but you get the idea, there were LOTS this year! Sadly for us gamers, most of these games came out within weeks of each other, even some appearing in the same week. This decision overwhelmed gamer’s wallets and forced most of us into deciding which single game were we going to purchase. Unfortunately this resulted in some poorly effected sales for some games that could have done much better if they released at a much better time in the year.

Contrary to all the sequels, 2010 also brought us some new franchises and innovation. Successful releases such as spooky Alan Wake finally hit our Xbox console, whilst over on the PS3 Heavy Rain brought us some an interesting way of interacting with the in-game story. Indie developed titles such as Limbo, ModNation Racers and Super Meat Boy, just to name a few, also graced our screens in 2010, bringing that ‘just one more go’ sense of gameplay, as-well-as the ‘throw thejoypad at the wall’ moments.

So in these closing few hours of 2010 we reflect back on the games that released throughout 2010 and hand out our Console Monster Awards to the games that are worthy of such credibility. Over the corse of the past few weeks we have been asking for your votes and you’ll see which games have won those polls alongside our own votes from the Console Monster Staff.So lets crack on with our most favourite genre of all – best shooter…

Best Shooter of 2010

“Halo: Reach is a must have title for any fan of the series (which by now, you should know if you are or not) and even if you aren’t a fan of the previous titles you may find that the lengths Bungie have gone to refine their formula will now win you over. The next developer on the Halo franchise may achieve success, no one can say for sure just yet, but either way Halo Reach marks the end of an era in Bungie’s take for the franchise and any gamer should see them off, even if it is by simply annoying me in multiplayer screaming like a little girl (yes, they still exist).”

We gave Halo: Reach92%Click here to read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Racer of 2010

“Need for Speed has finally returned to its glory days in the guise of Hot Pursuit. Every element of its design is simply stunning starting from the visual prowess right down to the gameplay mechanics. It’s all brain bustingly brilliant, so if you pass on this title you may miss one of the best racing games of the year. Need for Speed is indeed back!”

We gave Need for Speed Hot Pursuit90% Click here to read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Action Adventure of 2010

“Rockstar have once again showed that they know just how to create video games, oozing brilliance from the graphical prowess to the elegant and fluid gameplay. It’s a shame that the mission structure, variety and polish attempt to drag the game away from its shining glory. That said, Red Dead Redemption can be a blast, especially in multiplayer. If you have a passion for open world adventures, with particular enjoyment of previous Rockstar gems, you’ll likely find more than enough to keep you content here for quite some time; just make sure not to expect the ground-breaking experience hyped about.”

We gave Red Dead Redemption85%Click here to read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Roll Playing Game of 2010

“Mass Effect 2 is a worthy successor to the original, and whilst it’s a surprise to see the legends of hardcore RPG developers BioWare take a step away from the RPG and into the third-person shooter; it’s one that will appeal to a far larger audience, and when it’s at this level of brilliance – everyone should be lucky enough to enjoy it. Game of the year 2010 already? Perhaps.”

We gave Mass Effect 296%Click here to read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Sports Game of 2010

“It comes as no surprise to say that FIFA 11 is the best football title to date. The improvements over its predecessors and its additional features, as well as the game’s depth and replayability factor deem FIFA 11 a worthy purchase, even at the £40 price tag. Expect to spend many sleepless nights as you keep telling yourself: “One more game.”

We gave FIFA 1193%Click here to read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Music Game of 2010

“With a great set of mixes, a better line-up of artists and DJs, and with its progressive Empire career mode, there is enough here to keep your body swaying and your toes tapping. If you already have a set of decks from the first game and you are wondering if it is worth picking this title up, then I would certainly recommend it if you enjoyed the previous title – you will definitely enjoy this second outing a lot more. Newcomers to the DJ Hero franchise will get the most from this without the tarnished memories of being left short-changed by the first game. Other than introducing a two turntable pro-like peripheral, I can’t see where else its developers can go in future versions of this game. They could just get by with providing better DLC support for this game, but that isn’t going to line publisher’s pockets. Let’s just hope that the DLC support continues to grow over the coming months in order for us to keep those turntables spinnin”

We gaveDJ Hero 288%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Multiplayer Game of 2010

There has been a number of great multiplayer titles that were released in 2010, however the most well adopted games rise to the surface, and for us this accolade goes to Halo Reach. This game has proven to be an all round winner for the Console Monster staff, with Battlefield Bad Company 2 just barely nipping at its heals as a very close runner-up.

We gaveHalo Reach92%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Downloadable Game of 2010

“Limbo is in no way a confusing or colourless waste of time. It’s an exciting, part infuriatingly fun, part mind-blowing 2-D puzzle experience, leaving the player to discover everything alone. No tutorial, no hints, no narrative, no levels: Limbo is a back to basics adventure of puzzles and gruesome happenings with nothing but the outside world (or at least the Xbox) to interrupt the atmosphere. It’s a must have!”

We gaveLimbo90%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase some Xbox Live Points for this game from Play.com.

Best Downloadable Content of 2010

Red Dead Redemptions DLC – Undead Nightmare – has had many of us confused as to why we need to be killing zombies in a western based game, but hey, it’s zombies right? Like Ninjas us gamers love ’em, so ‘why not?’ we say! Undead Nightmares brings a wholefleshfresh angle into main retail game, and that is what makes good DLC. So if you have the game we recommend that you check this DLC out before we chew on your brains!

We gaveRed Dead Redemption85%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best Xbox Kinect Game of 2010

“Dance Central is an accomplished start that could well herald a series of follow-ups. The Kinect technology is used effectively and whilst it appears basic at first, is quite possibly one of the hardest launch titles if you have no rhythm. Overcome the initial fear of looking a fool and you’ll find the fancy footwork and body movements are the perfect way to enjoy some drunken tomfoolery with your friends. The only thing it needs now is the greasy kebab on the way home.”

We gaveDance Central70%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Best PlayStation Move Game of 2010

“With the type of events on offer, teamed with the number of modes and challenges easily makes this game a wholeheartedly recommended instant purchase along with your Move Motion controller. I thoroughly recommend buying another Motion controller though if you only have the one, because when combined together in compatible events it really excels the fun and enjoyment of them ten-fold, especially in Gladiator Duel and Archery. I really do hope its developers and Sony acknowledge the praise this game as received by the press and reward its users with additional sports events via DLC, rather than waiting another six months or more and cash-in on a whole separate release featuring new events. Until that time comes, Gladiator Duel and Table Tennis will do just nicely for now.”

We gaveSports Champions85%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Surprise of 2010

Enslaved is one of the few sleeper hits in 2010. Those that managed to discover this title amongst the heavy hitters of 2010 found a rich story driven game, with great visuals and voice acting. From its cinematic demo, to its gripping story in the full release, there is plenty here worthy of your attention and is our surprise hit in 2010. Our Chris said in his review – “Enslaved feels very much like the odyssey it professes in its subtitle. The ten hour epic takes you through some wonderful landscapes as well as the emotional journey of the characters, pushed forwards by a terrific script and great voice acting. It is most definitely flawed but it’s not a game you’re going to forget easily.”

We gaveEnslaved89%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Disappointment of 2010

After numerous delays, GT5 finally hit our consoles in 2010, however under the glossy surface and promises we found a number of frustrations with the game that after many years of hype and development it had left us disappointed. That does not mean GT5 is a terrible game, as our Marty explains – “Gran Turismo 5 is without doubt a superlative driving simulator and there is so much within the game to do that it could easily take up as much as a hundred hours of your gaming schedule. With road, track, rally, go-kart, mini-van, NASCAR and Formula 1 racing, it’s possibly the only driving game you’ll need to purchase in the next six months. It’s painful then that the experience is marred with UI issues and design frustration and that the online side of things is a travesty. Whilst GT5 strives for perfection it does fall short of this (unreachable) goal by several steps – it’s like buying a new Ferrari, parking it up and finding someone has keyed it down both sides when you return. If you’ve never enjoyed a title in this series before then this one won’t change your mind, that said, any niggles are soon forgotten once you’re racing; this is what GT5 does best and it’s why, if you’ve the slightest bit of petrol in your blood, that you’ll want to purchase the game, so long as you’re not expecting evolution in the GT series.”

We gaveGran Turismo 580%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

Console Monster’s Game of 2010

Red Dead Redemption came out of nowhere, like a freight train. Being released as a spiritual sequel to the series, Red Dead Revolver, which managed mixed reviews, it’s of no surprise that expectations for Red Dead Redemption were low. As the release date came closer hype started to build for the open-world western, as Rockstar began teasing with impressive screenshots and videos demonstrating just how gorgeous and open the game was.

Fast forward to today and there aren’t many gamers who didn’t pick this game ‘up, managing a very favourable review average and huge revenue success. Praises fall to the visuals, music, freedom of choice, story, multiplayer… well there isn’t much that doesn’t gain praise, with even the game’s stream of DLC packages being equally stellar. Rockstar managed to capture the wild west perfectly, making it feel like a second home and somehow made playing as a righteous outlaw the most comfortable lifestyle imaginable, regardless of the dangers. This, and more, is why Red Dead Redemption walks away with Console Monster’s 2010 Game of the Year.

We gaveRed Dead Redemption85%Click hereto read our review.

You can support the site and purchase this game from Play.com.

So there you have it, our games of 2010. We hope you have enjoyed our look back at the games of 2010. Our polls for each category above are still open, so feel free to have your say and see what our other monsters think. We would also like to hear your comments, so please do leave us those below too. Do you agree to our votes or the communities? Let us know.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for visiting us, spreading the word and sticking with us throughout 2010. We hope to bring you much more of the same in 2011, where we also have a few new things we would like to try out with you too. We expect 2011 to be an even better year for us gamers, so we hope you come back regularly and join us in embracing what 2011 has to offer us Console Monsters!

Happy New Year – See you in 2011!

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Anthony Barker

Anthony is the designer, developer and owner of Console Monster. In his spare time, Anthony is a keen gamer who enjoys playing mostly First-Person Shooters and Racing games. When he is not developing games or tweaking this site, Anthony likes to be on the slopes snowboarding or hurtling down off-road tracks on his mountain bike.

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