1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

We’ve long regarded Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune as the most under-appreciated game of this console generation. Uncharted 2, however, was just so incredible that everyone had to sit up and take notice. It’s not just the stunning visuals, the breath-taking animation or the seamless mix of Tomb Raider acrobatic and Gears of War gunplay that make it so good. No, it’s Naughty Dog’s faultless sense for pace and spectacle, and its grasp of character and story-telling. As a movie-like experience, Uncharted 2 didn’t just put most games to shame – it actually put most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. The script, style and acting were so strong that you were left hoping that Spielberg and Lucas would take notes before they started work on another Indiana Jones. Uncharted 2 was the sort of game that had you muttering “surely they won’t do that”, then five seconds later, they did. You could tell who was playing Uncharted 2 by the look of slack-jawed amazement on their face. The best game of the year, and among the very best of the decade.

Read the full review of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
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Honourable Mentions

A list of ten games can’t cover every high-point of the year, and we had to miss out games as excellent as Colin McRae: Dirt 2, LittleBigPlanet PSP and Streetfighter 4 from our final countdown. All three only just missed the cut. There were other games that we felt left a big impression, but didn’t quite hit the mark. Dragon Age: Origins might have been the year’s biggest and best RPG, but its dated visuals and slow-moving storyline mean it’s not quite in the same league as Oblivion, Mass Effect or Fallout 3 (and don’t even get us started on the console versions). Borderlands is an exceptional online co-op FPS, and the closest thing to a modern Diablo, but its MMO-style grind is not for everyone. Torchlight, meanwhile, comes pretty close to hitting the magic Diablo formula, but until it has online play, it won’t quite live up to its potential. That won’t stop us recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Other games were just too controversial for agreement. For every one of us who thinks Killzone 2 is a brutal, compelling sci-fi take on Call of Duty, there’s another one who moans about the geriatric speed of movement. Some can’t get enough of Left 4 Dead 2, but others got bored within the first half hour. Halo Wars might be the best console RTS yet, but does that actually mean it’s really great. And was Halo 3: ODST the next step for the series, or just an interim, DLC content pack pumped up to full-game status? We can’t agree.

You, of course, will have your own opinions. Feel free to share them in the usual place, and we’ll hope to see you for some more gaming action in 2010.