I has come to my attention that if I do not make a Top 10 Games of the Year list, then I will lose my press credentials. Here, therefore, are my personal faves, representative of my own tastes and not speaking on behalf of any publication, which I shouldn’t have to say, but there you have it:Â
Left 4 Dead
The zombie apocalypse finally arrived and it was everything I hoped it would be. Pure mechanics, pure gameplay, pure mayhem. My personal game of the year, and the only one I’m playing consistently on both 360 and PC.Â
Rock Band 2
What sophomore slump? The second album rocked. Online play slotted in perfectly, the import function from RB1 was genius, the new guitar feels better, and career mode as single or multi on the fly on any instrument was a brilliant tweak.Â
Pure
I think a lot of people ignored this ATV stunt game but it’s brilliant. I’m playing through on my retail because playing it once for the review wasn’t enough.Â
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
I didn’t think it would work. I was very skeptical and very loud about it. But when I took off the WTF goggles, I found a really fun game that didn’t take itself too seriously and — most importantly — brought back the fight mechanics I liked from MK2. Accept the Elseworlds angle for what it is and enjoy the game.Â
Geometry Wars 2
I didn’t know how they were going to make it better, honestly. They found six ways. Â (I still suck at it.)
Fable II
I never played the first game but I’m sure glad I played the second. The voice acting alone in this one was brilliant.Â
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Well, of course. I only wish there was more to the Death Knight’s unique campaign, but it’s a fun new class and I’m still enjoying myself with this game. Â
Honorable Mention: Lexitron for iPhone
I got the free version of Word Warp, then graduated to this. Simple but slick anagram gaming on the go. Â
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Before someone asks in the comments, Fallout 3 is missing because I only played about an hour of it so far, but I plan to go back and do more. Same with GTAIV except for the going back part. Not being able to save anywhere is a major stumbling block for me; I want to get lost in games, but sometimes life just doesn’t let me. And traveling for 10 minutes to shoot someone and then get shot and have to do it all over again quickly lost its luster, so I’ve been staring at it on my shelf without actually putting it in.