It was very hard to pick a top 10 this year. There have been some great games throughout 2010. I have managed to narrow down the list into those that I have most enjoyed.

10 – DeathSpank

With its Diablo like gameplay mixed with Monkey Island like puzzles and humour DeathSpank was something of a treat for me. The comedy styling’s of Ron Gilbert where strong with this one. Hours of laughs and addictive dungeon crawling gameplay made DeathSpank make its mark on not just Xbox lie Arcade and PSN but 2010.

9 – Deadly Premonition

Crazy genius. Words used to describe the likes of Hideo Kojima, David Lynch and David Cronenberg however in this case ‘Crazy genius’ describes Deadly Premonition to a tee. Sure the production values are low and the game doesn’t look like a current gen title but if you can look past the visuals then you will be in for a treat. A strange story that mange’s to be interesting and engrossing set in a world full of activities and surprisingly deep characters. Deadly Premonition may not have the looks but it did have the personality to stand out in 2010.

8 – Dragon Quest 9

A traditional JRPG in every sense, Dragon Quest 9 had me picking up my DS at every available moment. The epic scale of the game is impressive in its own right but add to that the ability to play with others in the same world made the game even better, same can be said about the downloadable content that supports the game. If you don’t like JRPG’s then Dragon Quest 9 will be your idea hell but for me it was heaven in my pocket.

7 – Plants Vs Zombies XBLA

Plants Vs Zombies XBLA: Simple yet so dam addictive, its something Popcap has managed to distil in almost every game they produce. Plants Vs Zombies has been doing the rounds on various different formats for a while now but 2010 seen the title shuffle onto Xbox Live Arcade. Keeping the addictive gameplay and the silly humour along with the addition of a few new game modes was a recipe for success and surely enough that recipe tasted dam good. Fun, simple and addictive Plants Vs Zombies had my fingers going green (from plants…not gangrene) and my face smiling.

6 – God of War 3

Kratos came into the next generation – and with it he brought the pain in HD. The game didn’t differ too much from past titles on the PS2 but the sheer epic scale of each level left an impression on me. Great sound track, great visuals, solid gameplay and unadulterated action and gore made God of War 3 stand out from the market.

5 – Bayonetta

Fast paced fluid action that is so over the top you can’t help break out in fits of giggles, that’s Bayonetta. The story was a little ropey but the main cast of characters’ helped carry the plot along with delivering a number of so lame its funny lines along the way. Gameplay was great as was the sound track which included a mix of Japanese and Western Styles which combined to make a catchy and unique sound.

4 – Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I’ll be honest this is pretty much my first person shooter card. Big explosions, big guns and solid design in all aspects of the game made Bad Company 2 an enjoyable experience. Sure the single player was a little weak however the multiplayer was a mix of fast paced brutal action and tactical play which resulted in an extremely enjoyable game. Extra credit should go towards the top notch sound design, you can literally hear every last bullet fly past your head.

3 – Heavy Rain

I shouldn’t like this game; in fact I should hate it. But I don’t in fact I love it, the stories where engaging and drenched in tension and atmosphere and i was compelled to play through the game till the very end. Gameplay is of course limited to a number of button presses and wandering around a area in a point in like manner however interacting with the supporting cast was addicting and compelling and oddly the action set pieces felt frantic and evoked panic at times are the main reasons why I fell for David Cages story. Beautiful animation and fantastic believable voice acting makes Heavy Rain a highlight on 2010 for me.

2 – Mass Effect 2

Although it didn’t stay in touch with its RPG roots and became more of a shooter it didn’t affect the quality of story and gameplay. The main beef behind the game was not the storyline but in fact the character development. With top notch visuals and a beautiful art and audio design Mass Effect 2 was a treat with many a epic moment to hold on to.

1 – Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2: Simply put Mario Galaxy 2 reminded me of why I love video games and why Nintendo are just a staple in the industry. Each level offers something new and interesting to try out, add to that the almost perfect gameplay and Nintendo charm and the result is pure video game bliss.

Honourable Mentions

Limbo: Although the game has seemed to fell into the over rated bracket in the eyes of many it didn’t stop me from enjoying the dark adventure that is Limbo. Simple in its gameplay yet so clever, the striking visuals and the creepy soundtrack made Limbo something of a dark piece of escapism. It was a strong year for downloadable titles and Limbo typified this.

Dragon Quest is a series that has almost remained fundamentally the same throughout its long history; it’s kept the same battle screens, the same mechanics, the same monsters and the same art style and has kept a tight grip of the same turn-based RPG core gameplay. The saying don’t fix what isn’t broken comes to mind and for good reason. Dragon Quest is a consistent performer for the most part in terms of sales (in Japan at least) and quality so why change the winning formula?

A testament to just how much of a winning formula Dragon Quest contains is the sheer popularity of the series in Japan, it’s no longer just a game but a national treasure and can even be called a pop culture symbol. As well as selling millions of games Dragon Quest also holds the honour of the first game to inspire a ballet, so why hasn’t the Dragon Quest series captured the West in quite the same manner?

Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied 3D world to explore.

Dragon Quest IX continues with religious themes set by past titles in the series, players take up the role of a celestial (who is created by the player via a number of customization options offered at the beginning of the game) who is put in charge of a small village and tasked with protecting the people the village, aiding the villagers rewards a celestial with benevolessence which is then offered up to the Great World Tree which situates within the sky. The player finds them self offering up the last few required benevolessence for the Great Tree to bloom however when the try blooms everything goes to hell and the players celestial finds them self awakening in the village he/she once protected and discovers he/she has lost their wings and halo. This is where the game becomes instantly familiar to veterans of the Dragon Quest series. The world in which Dragon Quest takes place is filled with the traditional elements you would expect to see in a Dragon Quest game, from the eccentric NPC who inhabit the villages and towns to the creative and kooky creatures who roam the lands. The core gameplay is completing side quests and burning through the main story line, both of which involve interacting with NPCs and performing quest which consist of fetch quest, killing quest and the like. The quests may sound quite repetitive on the surface however they are far from it, the Dragon Quest charm has a strong presence which instantly pains a smile to a players face. The quests mange to stay fresh by also delivering comedic elements into some of the NPCs. It’s at this point it becomes clear that the localisation is top notch as no part of the script feels awkward or unnatural  .The main story its self doesn’t stand out as anything particularly epic but it does however offer the Dragon Quest charm and traditional themes you would come to expect from such a fruitful game series.

With questing comes exploration and Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied world to explore. The locations range from small villages to large forests and of course the odd dungeon, all of which are well designed and well detailed   a broad pallet of colours mixed with the 3D visuals and detailed character models create a world that is a treat on the eye. While exploring the land and carrying out quests it’s only a matter of time before you meet the enemies that inhabit the world and this is where players will encounter a change to the Dragon Quest series, gone are the days of random monster encounters which provoked a sense of grinding in past titles. Instead of random encounters Dragon Quest 9 opts to place the enemies on the world map which allows players to sometimes avoid conflict all together or engage enemies by walking into them, this removes any frustration that may stem from being attacked within quick concession that occurred at times with the random encounter system as well as this the new encounter system also frees up the game allowing it to feel more fluid and more welcoming to explore.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer.

Combat its self remains as traditional as ever with the enemies lining up and facing the camera as they have done through Dragon Quests long lifespan, also sticking to tradition is the combat system, there isn’t any attempt to upgrade the system with new mechanics in the same way other JRPGs have tried e.g. Resonance of Fate, Final Fantasy 13 and instead sticks with turn based system that allows players to take their time thinking out their next move and overall strategy in each battle. This combat system may seem dated to some but for most part quite refreshing change from the current trend of JRPG’s trying to reinvent turned based combat.

The player takes up the control of all four parties’ members (assuming they are not playing with a friend via Wi-Fi) and chose the skills and abilities to use in combat; there is no set time limit in between turns allowing for a player to think out their next move or weigh up the options open to them.  There is also the option to set the mentality of the bots during single player, so for example you can set one bot to focus on healing and another to focus on attacking which this however does mean the bots will select their own skills and attacks during combat but does offer a easier gaming experience . The combat system won’t do anything to draw in gamers who have already gained a dislike to JRPG’s combat but for most part Dragon Quest 9 delivers on the combat front with its traditional take that offers a number of skills and abilities that all are carried off with fluid animation and great visuals. Unlike past Dragon Quest titles which normally required some degree of grinding to overcome certain enemies Dragon Quest 9 is more lenient and is overall easier than past instalments. This easier difficulty may be off putting to some veterans of the genre but it does however allow new comers to the Dragoon Quest series and indeed genre to ease into the gameplay.

Defeating enemies rewards the party with experience points which of course are needed to level up, levelling up in Dragon Quest opens up the ability to put points into certain weapon specialisations which in turn make a character more effect with a weapon and also opens up the ability to learn new skills.  A class system opens up a bit further into the game which allows you to pick from a range of classes which will affect your characters performance in certain roles such as healing or damage dealing.

Experience points are not the only thing a player will require during their time in Dragon Quest 9 as equipping your character and indeed your party with items is a key part to the game. Items such as armour and weapons can be found in chests dotted around the world as well as being dropped items from defeated enemies. The range of items with Dragon Quest IX is quite impressive; weapons and armour all look wonderfully detailed and look great on the in game character models, this allows for each character to look unique.  The sheer amount of items within Dragon Quest IX will offer collecting hounds plenty of replay value as they search for the best items within the game.

This biggest addition to Dragon Quest 9 is the multiplayer aspect. Using local Wi-Fi players can group together to tackle Dragon Quest in a group of four, the option to team up with bots is still open while online but is not as satisfying as playing with friends. A handy option included in the multiplayer section of the  game is the ‘Call to Arms’ feature which allows the host to instantly summon all players within the world to your location making travel and exploration a more than welcoming option while playing with friends.  Combat is fluid even in multiplayer and any delays normally come when a friend is taking their time to select their combat action. The rewards on offer by playing with friends in multiplayer come in the shape of more fun while playing, more experience points for your character and in the even your party up with friends who are further on in the game you’ll be able to bag yourself some   powerful items to take back to your game save and story point. However Dragon Quest 9’s multiplayer isn’t flawless; the only way you can play with your friends is via local Wi-Fi as there is no online option which then leads to the issue of gathering your friends in one place in order to play with them which isn’t awfully practical. However gathering with friends to play Dragon Quest 9   is a wonderful experience as tactics are discussed and items are shared out as too is the wonderful Dragon Age charm. A other issue with Dragon Quest is that seems to be designed with multiplayer in mind, the bots that fill the spots in your party in the single player have zero personality which can somewhat take away from the single player experience, this may not be a major issue but it is a niggling issue throughout the game.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer. The world of Dragon Quest IX is both welcoming and full of witty banter that is sure to bring a smile to the face of any gamer, combat is traditional is every sense but never the less is a joy to play. Although Dragon Quest 9 doesn’t do anything ground braking it does everything else with a classic touch and finesse creating a fantastic gaming experience that is a must buy for  any Dragon Quest fan or JRPG fan, new comers to the series will find it highly accessible and enjoyable. Multiplayer adds a whole new dimension to the game and offers many a fantastic social playing experience.

Thanks to Nintendo for providing us with a reviewer copy.

The title is set to include character customization, cooperative multiplayer adventuring and an Epic Story. The game is set to allow players to enjoy a unique experience that will differ from every other player yet will still allow them to share their adventure via co-op.

The following information is taken from NintendoEverything.com

In DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, players begin their adventure as a city guardian who is sent to retrieve a sacred tree’s fruits, which have the power to grant wishes. Players travel the world, conquer fearsome monsters and unravel an epic storyline. During their journey, players will encounter mighty opponents in fast-paced battles, and also interact with a colorful cast of characters.

DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies contains special modes that let players share their adventure with others, allowing up to four players to team up via a local wireless connection and experience the fun of tackling challenging monsters and dungeons cooperatively with their own characters. Players can even leave the game active in their backpacks, pockets or purses and still interact with other players via an interactive “Tag Mode.” Information about players’ characters can be wirelessly transmitted to others, and treasure maps and customized greetings can be exchanged automatically by players who come within range of one another when their games are set to Tag Mode.

Players looking to enjoy a variety of different game activities can take on special side quests. Some of these quests will be earned by progressing through the game, while additional quests will be made available for free download for players with broadband Internet access after the game launches, providing hours of additional content for virtual adventurers to enjoy either on their own or with friends. Some downloadable quests will continue the main storyline of the game, while others offer standalone missions.

“DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is one of the biggest games ever to hit Nintendo DS, with an incredible amount of content for every kind of player to enjoy,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “This new game has all of the elements of an instant classic: customization options, a great story, and the ability to share a nearly limitless experience with friends.”

Releases in the period included Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Quest IX, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Kingdom hearts 358/2.

Square Enix has also announced that it is to consolidate its online and offline gaming operations under a single corporate ‘Games’ segment and form a brand new Merchandising segment.