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 – Final Fantasy XIII

Great story. Great graphics. Everything you want from a turn-based RPG. There are a few flaws here and there (lack of free roam!), but overall a solid game.

9 – Blur

Fantastic action-packed racing game. I would describe it as Mario Kart with real cars. Loads of power ups. Loads of challenges. Loads of cars. Loads of tracks. Loads of fun.

8 – Battlefield: Bad Company 2

One of the more realistic FPS’s of the year. It has a solid campaign and brilliant multiplayer which should be played by all lovers of shooters.

7 – Call of Duty: Black Ops

Good online play, though I don’t believe as good as Modern Warfare 2. It was let down by its maps and over speculation. The campaign is great and an improvement in the franchise. Still hours of fun to be had.

6 – FIFA 11 / 2010 FIFA World Cup

The two FIFA games this year were yet again an improvement, and an easy triumph over it’s rival, Pro Evo. 2010 FIFA World Cup provided a brilliant selection in teams, and gave us a sneak preview of what we were to see when FIFA 11 released later in the year with improved game play from 2010.

5 – Dance Central

Whole-hearted fun for all the family. Provided us with so many laughs over the Christmas period, and really showed the true capabilities of Kinect. Definitely the best release title for the device, and best music game of the year.

4 – Fable III

Humor packed RPG, an improvement from the 2nd in the series. Fable III doesn’t let you down on action or adventure as you explore new places with new spells, weapons and characters. Most of the old features I loved remain, and more have been added.

3 – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Brilliant sequel to my Game of the Year 2009. Just as action-packed, intense and vast. If you love action adventure games, you can’t miss this one.

2 – Red Dead Redemption

Wow what to say about this game? I can’t justify in words how much I enjoyed it. I actually expected nothing from this game until release when I started seeing some reviews and tweets showing just how good the game was. The setting is brilliant. The characters are entertaining. But best of all is the world around you. The animals and vegetation look great and the variety is truly terrific. The action is fun and exciting. There are a lot of hours to be had in the game as well. Rockstar really showed that they can do something other than Grand Theft Auto.

1 – Mass Effect 2

My game of the year for many reasons. The story is fantastic. The gameplay is an improvement from the first, and battles can actually get pretty intense at stages. The cycle of weapons, armor and upgrades is great. The paragon system works perfect and the exploration of the worlds is completely original. The game also has some entertaining downloadable content. 30+ hours of enjoyment. BioWare really have upped their game in the franchise, and have earned my game of the year award with this title.

“Titan is… the media is not meant to know anything about that,” Pearce said. “It’s our next gen MMO and we’ve only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we want to leverage the fact that we’re working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting – getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project.”

As of yet, it is unclear if “Titan” is a working or final title.

The leaked schedule also provided other news. Diablo III was given an expected release window of late 2011, and new Starcraft II expansions were mentioned.

Source: IGN

• ‘The Voice – players will decide the fate of Understone
• Shooting Range – lots of bonus prizes on offer
• The Wheel of Misfortune – an arena based challenge

As well as the DLC, other items will be hitting the Xbox Live Marketplace. These include an exclusive hair pack (corn row, afro and bob hair styles, 160 points),  an instant 5-star dog potion (80 points), a Reaver Industries Hero outfit (160 points) and a Dye pack (80 points).

Fable III begins five decades after the conclusion of Fable II. The industrial age has hit its stride in Albion, and with it, oppression, fear, and poverty. The tyrant behind this? Your brother, Logan. As the offspring of the “Hero of Bowerstone”, it is your job to become the hero Albion seeks, usurp Logan and take his place as king or queen of Albion. To do this, you will need to amass an army powerful enough to overthrow the king. Restoring Albion to its former glory is your goal. Will you be that hero? Will peace and tranquillity return?

What kind of hero will you be? As in Fable II, this is the central theme you will be presented with throughout your quest – will you save Albion from poverty, or succumb to greed? Which would you choose when two loved ones are staring death in the face? These problematic, and sometimes obscure scenarios are prime examples of the hardships you will face. This element was promised in Fable II, only to feel underwhelming at times, as you got the sense your decisions didn’t affect the world as much as you’d hoped. Though rest assured, this time your decisions will hang over your shoulder until the very end.

There is no dipping your toes in to test the waters; you either jump and completely submerse yourself, or you don't.

Much of Fable III sees you travelling around the vast kingdom of Albion. This will take you from one end of the terrain spectrum to another. You’ll visit beautifully constructed regions such as the bleak industrial estate, snowy mountain tops, blistering deserts, forsaken caves and just about any other place typical within the fantasy realm. The reason for this expedition is to find rebel leaders and exiled rulers, and persuade them to take up your cause. Doing this isn’t quite as easy as you’d like, though. In order to persuade them, you will have to embark on quests and sign contractual agreements that may haunt you in the future.

The side quests are your chance to witness the bulk of Fable III’s traditional, ridiculous and often quirky story lines. While these side quests don’t add anything to the story, they don’t try too. They do what they were intended to do; give you a release from the mundane. For example, one side quest sees you agreeing to participate in a game (they created) between stereotypical Dungeons & Dragons nerds, which results in you being shrunk down to fit in their model board-game ‘set’ in order to rescue the cardboard cut-out Princess from a bunch of demonic fire-breathing chickens. It’s done in such a way that it becomes instantly unforgettable, and hilarity is sure to ensue. Fable doesn’t get enough credit for being funny, but sections of this game are sure to induce a chuckle or two. The “ye olde English of olde!” type humour is definitely enhanced by the British celebrity voice cast.

Now that you have assembled your unbeatable army, charged your brothers castle and become the new ruler of Albion, let the credits roll! Wrong. Unlike most fairy tales or stories, simply saving kingdom and becoming the ruler is not the end. Remember all of those contractual promises you made to rebel leaders that helped you get where you are? This is a portion of the game where it is up to you to fulfil those promises – or not! This is the section of the game that feels completely unique, and is the defining factor that makes Fable III better than its predecessors. Things have been turned on their head as you didn’t expect the game to continue to this point – happily ever after was snatched out from beneath you – and just to make things worse an even bigger threat is looming.

I was decorating my new house in 'Bowerstone Market' as two villagers walked past deep in conversation about last nights episode of Eastenders!

This second section of the game is where you will face the most difficulty, though not through depleting life gauges as you might have come to expect. Instead, I found the decisions you are forced to make some of the most challenging and stressful moments in the franchise. There is no easy way out, all options have benefits and consequences. Your worth as a ruler will be tested as you feel its strain from both a financial perspective and a moral perspective. Whether you choose the path of good or evil, this section of the game is a fantastic climax as things become full circle and you begin to realise there’s more to it than first thought.

Throughout your adventure, you’ll be using an array of weapons and clothing items. So you’ll need easy access and navigation to find these items. If you remember the navigation system in the previous Fable title, you will certainly remember it had its issues with menu presentation and low frame rates. Gladly, you will find none of that this time around, mainly because Lionhead didn’t improve those menus, instead opting to replace them completely. Now, in order to change your clothing or weapons or do anything managerial at all (check your map, quests etc) you have to hit start, where your character teleports to a small hub environment where you have to physically run in to your armoury to change your weapons, or run over to the map table to view the world map. While it does fix the issues we were previously faced with, it does become a little repetitive having to physically leave the game-world, run over to the map, only to realise you’ve gone the wrong way. Gladly it’s not so much of a chore when switching weapons or clothing, but a map hotkey on the controller would bypass the pestering switching.

At its core Fable III is largely the same as its previous incarnation. It still has that simplicity regarding combat that makes it accessible to all gamers – melee, ranged, and magic are tethered to their own buttons. The world is still as vibrant and welcoming as we’ve come to expect from Fable. As you break from your revolution, you still have the same options to get married, buy a house, or father a group of illegitimate children. This time, however, you can take these things further than before. You now have real estate and entrepreneurial skills to aid you in your endeavours. Most importantly, the buzz created by the townsfolk as they interact and natter is just as intense and worldly as we remember it. True story: I was decorating my new house in ‘Bowerstone Market‘ as two villagers walked past deep in conversation about last nights episode of Eastenders! While only the British readers will understand this taste of British humour, it had my sides splitting with laughter and disbelief!

Through all these improvement and revamped functions; some technical hiccups still peer through from time to time, though none were gameplay-threatening.

Fable II was largely criticized for its disappointing co-op mode which prior to release received a great deal of hype. I’m delighted to inform you that the co-op play in Fable III is greatly improved. No longer are you restricted and tethered to the same screen as your partner. Gone are the days where you take up the generic role of henchman, which makes the whole experience seem aimless. So be prepared ladies, if random gentleman invite you to a game then try and get you in the sack – use a condom – or just say no!

Through all these improvement and revamped functions; some technical hiccups still peer through from time to time, though none were gameplay threatening. When you see so much potential and general improvement, it’s disheartening to see your breadcrumb trail guide sometimes get confused and disappear, leaving you temporarily stranded. My biggest gripe was after watching the opening cinematic. I was filled with delight as far as the visuals went – for a game running on an old engine, it looked fantastic! Though shortly after this cut-scene I was faced with some rather sub-par character models and, while excusable, it detracts from the overall experience.

I enjoyed my time in Albion. Fable III analyses the shortcomings present in Fable II and finds ways to amend them. The great flexibility is demonstrated as you develop your character and make the world truly mirror your inner personality and decisions. A few technical sections of the game could have been used to greater effect, sadly cutting Fable III short of five stars in the process, but that won’t stop you from having a decent time in Albion.

Thanks to Microsoft for supplying us with a reviewer copy.

The trailer uses actors to portray the in game characters, for those that didn’t play FEAR 2 the trailer does have a spoiler within it so beware!

An interesting fact about FEAR 3 is that Horror legend John Carpenter is helping out with the cinematics along with 30 Days of Night writer Steven Niles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Allowing players to get a taste of the University District within the new skater’s paradise of Port Calverton, those that download the demo will be able to enjoy a series of both single and multiplayer challenges that are set to include Domination, Own the Lot and Hall of Meat.

Alongside this, players will also be able to utilise the new Skate.School featuring Coach Frank to either bring them up to speed or practice their skateboard skills. It doesn’t stop there either as you will also be able to sample the brand new object dropper tool by being provided with a selection of 24 different items to tweak and alter within the University District to personalise your demo experience. You are also able to capture your best tricks within the in-game Replay Editor, to then upload your footage to the ever popular Skate.Reel.

Skate 3 is set to be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 across North America on May 11th, with a worldwide release following on May 14th.

There are 47 achievements with a total of 1000 points.

	It takes a really big village…	50
	Reach community board sales target
	Park Apprentice	20
	Complete the skate.Park tutorials
	Takin ‘em to the limit	20
	Get the terrain meter in the red for your own skate.Park
	Constructive Criticism	20
	Rate 5 skate.Parks, 5 Films, and 5 Photos
	Artsy Fartsy	20
	Upload 5 Films and 5 Photos, and 3 skate.Parks
	Sellout!	20
	Create a Logo and put it on your Skater
	Objectifier	10
	3 Moveable objects used in a single sequence
	Mantastic Voyage	10
	3 manuals in a single sequence
	Don’t be so Mayo	20
	Land a Miracle Whip (Superdude body flip)
	100% Pure Adrenaline	10
	Fly Spread Eagle for 10 seconds
	Employee #3	20
	Earn your second career teammate
	Dedicated	100
	Everything beaten, everything unlocked, everything earned
	Party at the Penthouse	10
	Win both Maloof Money Cup contests
	T-Mobilized	10
	Win the T-Mobile sponsored contest
	Employee #2	10
	Earn your first career teammate
	Beast Unleashed	10
	Win the Monster contest
	Deck Peddler	75
	1 Million boards sold
	GVR Champ	10
	Win the Goofy vs. Regular contest
	Making a Buddy Call	10
	Call a Skater to come skate with you
	Talking bout Team practice	10
	Play in a 6-player Team Freeskate session
	You’re Winner!	10
	Win a Ranked Online Solo Challenge
	Co-Operator	10
	Complete an Online Career challenge
	Throw Down	10
	Win a Ranked Online Team Challenge
	Team Up	20
	Be part of a team with two or more skaters
	Lot Pwners	10
	Win a Ranked Team Own The Lot
	High Five!	25
	Win any 5 Ranked Challenges
	Is that all you got?	50
	Own all challenges
	Speed Demon	10
	Win the final deathrace
	In Stereo	20
	Complete Coach Frank’s skate.School Tutorials
	Masochist	10
	Beat the “Thorax Crunch” Hall of Meat Challenge
	Spot Monopolist	30
	Own all of the spots
	All your base are belong to you	10
	Unlock the Team HQ
	Employee #1	10
	Start your team
	Big-Footy	10
	Beat the film ender
	A Dynasty Is Born	30
	Fully staffed your team
	Mass Murderer	50
	Kill 80 challenges
	The Consumate Pro	20
	Complete all pro challenges
	King of Kings	20
	Win the street and tranny ender contests
	Lot Monopolist	30
	Own all of the lots
	Sexiest Skater Alive	20
	Get the covers of Skateboard Mag and Thrasher
	Overexposed	20
	Complete all Promotional Films and Photos
	Employee #4	20
	Earn your third career teammate
Secret Achievements
	Secret Achievement	20
	Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
	Secret Achievement	20
	Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
	Secret Achievement	20
	Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
	Secret Achievement	10
	Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
	Secret Achievement	20
	Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.

If you have played any of the previous God of War games, then you will know you play as Kratos, an angry Spartan whose one sole goal is this: revenge. Why, you might ask? Due to the fact that Zeus, his own father killed him on a temporary basis in the previous instalment and therefore Kratos will stop at nothing to kill the King of Olympus. Events pick up right where they left off at the end of God of War II, which sees Kratos on the titan Gaia along with the other titans climbing Mount Olympus ready to kill Zeus and his fellow brethren. After an epic opening battle, things don’t go according to plan straight ahead and due to this mishap, Kratos sets out on another bloody adventure acquiring weapons and artifacts necessary to defeat the Greek gods and co in what will undoubtedly end up being a gory way.

Kratos will stop at nothing to kill the King of Olympus.

As you would come to expect from the God of War series, the story is told via cutscenes that break up the action just right. They are told either in-game or through flashback sequences done in this terrific pseudo art-style showing that Santa Monica studios can do no wrong when it comes to the visual department. Although the story is kind of a linear path in that it is all about Kratos killing everything in his path to get to Zeus and having no retribution for his acts, it takes a turn towards the end and you see a different side of Kratos you never seen in the previous games. If you enjoyed the story in this series, then the supposedly final chapter of the series ends on a good note.

When it comes to the gameplay of God of War III, not a whole lot of things have changed, as they go for the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” motif. You fight a range of enemies with your blades or the other weapons you get throughout and have light and heavy attacks that you can make a variety of combos with to deal damage to the creatures you encounter. Once an enemy is weakened enough, a glowing circle prompt will glow over its head and you will either make mincemeat out of it in some way instantly or enter a quick-time event that sees you pressing the allotted buttons to deal the final blow to some Minotaur or Cyclops you just beat the crap out of. The Golden Fleece introduced in the 2^nd game is back also, which helps you counter enemies by blocking just as they are about to strike and thus deal more damage to them. It is a lot easier to counter enemies this time round making it a more approachable and streamlined experience for the player. The Rage meter makes a welcome return in the form of the Rage of Sparta, which is activated by clicking on both analog sticks and sees Kratos summon the Blade of Olympus and is pretty much invulnerable as long as the effect lasts. If you weren’t fond of the combat in the previous games, this game will do little to change that perspective but for fans of the series, it is the same tried and true formula you’ve come to know and love.

Most of the enemies are recycled from the previous game but are given a great makeover that makes them feel fresh somehow. New additions include the Chimera, which is part snake, part goat and part lion and although you do not fight it a lot throughout the game, each confrontation is exciting and it’s a rewarding feeling once you take one down.

Chimera - part snake, part goat and part lion - each confrontation is exciting and leaves a rewarding feeling when conquered.

If you are accustomed to the series, you will notice some new moves that Kratos now has in his repertoire. One of these is the ability to grab a weak enemy like an Olympus sentry and use it as a battering ram to knock back enemies that are surrounding you in whatever combat arena you are in at the time. Another new addition is that you are able to combat grapple enemies using the L1 + circle combination, which sees Kratos grab an enemy with his patented blades from a distance then ram right into him to get himself back into the action. These new additions are very welcome and are useful in certain scenarios throughout the 8-10 hour journey.

With new moves also come new weapons and tools at your disposal. Throughout the adventure, you gain certain tools that help you in certain locations. An example is that the Head of Helios helps lighten up dark places and reveals hidden chests that usually have a glimmer of dust surrounding them so it makes it easier to notice. They can also be used in combat situations although they are not entirely necessary to use since I only used the Bow of Apollo a handful of times to finish off enemies due to having low health at the time. These are attached to a new yellow meter that is below the magic meter thus you can’t use them infinitely. The weapons Kratos possesses include the Claws of Hades, the Nemean Cestus and the Nemesis whip. With the exception of the Nemean Cestus, the weapons are just different variations of the Blades of exile and not entirely useful during my experience with the game. The Nemean Cestus is a pair of fist gauntlets shaped like lion heads that are incredibly useful to deal great damage to some of the tougher enemies in the game like the armoured Cyclops. At times, I felt the Cestus was more powerful than the Blades of Exile and is perhaps the best new addition in the entire game.

Unlike before where you had magic attacks and your weapons separately, this time around your magic attacks are attached to the weapon being used. The Blades of Exile release the Army of Sparta, which sees a big circular army with shields and spears in a blood red colour come crashing down in the middle of the battle and arrows come shooting down once the weapon is powered up some. The Cestus magic sees you slamming the ground with the gauntlets, the Claws summon souls of certain enemies in the game, which you can select in the menu and the Nemesis whip electrifies enemies. Again, some of the magic attacks are better than others but will be helpful no doubt in the tougher battles that occur late in the game.

In terms of upgrades, it’s still the same work you have done before. Kill enemies or find chests and red orbs come out that help you upgrade your weapons and tools you possess. Throughout your adventure, you will come across chests that contain one of three items, the gorgon eye, which increases your health once three (formerly six) is obtained, the phoenix feathers that increase your magic and the Minotaur horns that increase your item meter. It will be quite essential to find as much of these as possible during your playthrough depending on what difficulty is chosen because certain battles can be tough.

Santa Monica Studios surpass themselves once again in terms of epic boss battles and gory victims.

Boss fights are a pleasure to fight through and once again, Santa Monica Studios surpass themselves once again in terms of epic opening boss battles. For those of you who haven’t played the game yet and would like things kept at a hush-hush level, let’s just say it is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Each boss battle whether it is against a Greek god or a titan dare I say is a joy to play through and require certain techniques out of you in order to get through it just fine and not see the infamous ‘You are dead’ screen. Like with the enemies, once you have dealt enough damage to a God, you will get the circle prompt and thus begins a great action-packed QTE sequence that ends up seeing you kill a God in a particularly gruesome yet satisfying and awesome way. One of these sticks out and had me gleaming with delight afterwards. Some of them provide a level of challenge while others can be pretty easy to tackle (the last one disappointingly fits into that category).

When there is no gory action occurring on screen, you will make Kratos traverse the plains of Olympus, Hades and elsewhere with a puzzle sequence every now and again. The puzzles are standard fare in this one, which usually sees you hit a switch here and push some object over there. A location in the game known as Hera’s Garden provides a different kind of puzzle that sees you use a stone that makes the view different and can make pathways connected that weren’t before and help you proceed to the next area. It is one of the cooler puzzles in the game nonetheless. They are not entirely difficult to figure out for the most part so you won’t get stumped and find yourself stuck in a room for hours on end.

Once the game is completed, a bevy of unlockables are there for you to dig into. One that is included is the Challenges of Olympus that see you partake in 7 different challenges each with a different requirement. One of these challenges sees Kratos having to defeat all the enemies with his bare hands with a limited time put on top. While these have been done before in the previous games, they aren’t nearly as hard as those that have come in the past but still provide a good level of strategy for you to master. Other unlockable includes videos on the different aspects of making the game and Chaos mode, which is the toughest difficulty in the game and if you played any of the previous games, you will know damn sure that’s the truth.

From the echoing cries of a harpy to a scream of a fallen Minotaur, the audio is packed with excellence.

The God of War series on the Playstation 2 was praised for its outstanding production values when it comes to visuals and on the Playstation 3, it is no different. From the opening sequence right through to the end, you will marvel at visual delights whether it’s a location such as the Realm of Hades, an enemy like the Chimera or just the sheer scale of the game. You can easily tell how much work they put to make this game shine in visual splendour. Kratos himself is finely detailed with his scars and blood from a fallen enemy on display and his movements are expertly crafted that makes it a pleasure for the player to control. Also, thanks to the extra power, you will see a lot more detail and a lot more blood in the death sequences, which are satisfying to pull off and watch. Centaur filet mignon anyone?

The camera is the same as before and while it is good for the most part, certain parts of the game are hindered by the camera vision and therefore, an unfair death is likely to follow. During the epic scenarios, the camera actually zooms out showing you more of the action and the fact that this is done in real time gameplay makes it all the more astounding to behold.

With the visuals being top-notch, you think that the audio might take a bit of a dive but not in this game but you would expect no less from a great studio. From the echoing cries of a harpy to a scream of a fallen Minotaur, the audio is packed with excellence. For the most part, the voice actors in the previous game return to their roles but a new female actor takes over the voice of Athena. In the end, they do their jobs well and don’t bring the experience down. The music is still the immense orchestral soundtrack that you listened to in the previous games and is still done in top-class style in this chapter of the franchise. Once a battle occurs, the music kicks things right up and fits the mood perfectly while at traversal times; it is a bit mellower waiting for that next encounter to happen whenever it may be.

If this is the end of the God of War series, then it has happily gone out with a bang. While some things may have stayed the same and little changes have been implemented, it still provides a first-class experience nonetheless. In all fronts, God of War III is a fitting end to an incredible action series.

God of War III is scheduled for release in March on the Playstation 3 system.

Judge for yourself, here is the gallery of new screenshots: