1. Red Dead Redemption
Once in a while, one game puts a developer on the map.
With Retro Studios, it was Metroid Prime.
With 5th Cell, it was Scribblenauts.
For Rockstar San Diego, Red Dead Redemption is the game that it will be ultimately known for.
I know that the developer has made Table Tennis and the Midnight Club franchise, but its latest Western title blows everything it's done out of the water.
The fact that the Housers played a major role in it helped, but the game's scope, style and mission design makes it my favourite Rockstar game since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
That's high praise, but Rockstar San Diego deserves all of it.
2. Bayonetta
Hideki Kamiya's games are genius, but despite the critical praise, they haven't sold well.
But with Bayonetta, he breaks the trend and I'm glad to see one of his games sell more than a million copies.
If Red Dead Redemption had come out later this year, this action title would be No 1 by a mile.
It's the best of a crowded field, which also included God of War III and Dante's Inferno.
All those games were great, but Bayonetta's silky smooth gameplay on top of its over-the-top humour makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest.
3. Mass Effect 2
When BioWare announced that this franchise would be a trilogy, I assumed that this was another one of those situations where a company over promises on an ambitious franchise and under delivers.
I was wrong.
What's amazing about Mass Effect 2 is that the choices made in the original carry over to the sequel.
They actually have a profound impact on who you meet and how easy or hard the game is.
In addition, BioWare streamlined the combat, making it more like a shooter rather than a clunky Gears of War-Knights of the Old Republic hybrid.
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
Shigeru Miyamoto said there was more gameplay to mine out of the Super Mario Galaxy universe and how right he was.
With Yoshi and Luigi in tow, this game offers more difficult levels that are just as rewarding and as whimsical as the original.
Sometimes you forget how smart and clever Miyamoto games are, and once you play them, you once again understand why he's the pre-eminent game designer in the world.
I admit that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is more of the same, but when a game is as inventive as this, that's not a bad thing.
5. Heavy Rain
By far the most cinematic experience I've had this year, Quantum Dream's latest is also the best-looking game I've seen.
The developer successfully treads across the Uncanny Valley and creates a title that's incredibly immersive while being accessible to newcomers.
The controls aren't complex (most of it is just pushing buttons in the correct order) but the emotions contained within the game are.
The plot and gameplay intertwine to tell a mystery that will keep players guessing until the surprising finale.
6. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
It's been a long time coming, but Sam Fisher's newest adventure is definitely worth the wait.
Ubisoft Montreal reinvented its franchise and made it better with a fluid and more forgiving stealth system and smartly implemented UI.
Everything in Conviction goes in service to the story, never taking players out of the experience unless it's completely necessary.
Add in one of the more compelling co-op campaigns I've seen, and this game has a deserving place as one of the top titles in 2010.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this on a couple of top games lists at the end of the year.
