Top 5 Video Games of 2010

Anyone who knows me well understands that I have this disease that forces me to buy a ton of video games (or books, or movies) and not have enough time to play all of them. This year, I spent the majority of my time writing movie reviews, thus my video game playing time was shorter than in the past. Because a Top ten list would be mostly filler, I’ve cut the list in half to have actual quality games on the list that I thoroughly enjoyed.

5. Major League Baseball 2K10 (360)
There was some debate for that #5 slot, as Pac Man Championship Edition DX for the Xbox Live Arcade andWheel of Fortune for the Wii both made a good case to trump Major League Baseball 2K10. Pac Man Championship Edition DX is one of the more fun experiences I’ve had this year, especially with XBLA releases. It has excellent arcade action, lots of replayability, and nice, vibrant, HD graphics. Wheel of Fortune, though a casual Wii game, stands out in my memory because it is a great representation of my favorite classic game show. In the end, though, I couldn’t leave Major League Baseball 2K10 off the list.

There is no denying that MLB 10: The Show is the more complete baseball game out this year, and the most realistic. When it comes to baseball, like basketball, I prefer the game be fun more so than completely realistic. Major League Baseball 2K10 is just that: fun. Admittedly my time outside the My Player section is limited, but that mode alone made the game worth my $60 purchase. The pitching and batting mechanics are unique to this series, and some may call them “gimmicky”, but they give me more control over what is happening on the diamond, and in the end, make it a more immersive experience. That immersion factor alone is why I preferred Major League Baseball 2K10 over the Playstation 3 king, MLB 10: The Show.

4. Battlefield Bad Company 2 (360)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for Xbox 360 is an example of a company getting online multiplayer right. This is one of the only online shooters I enjoy playing, and will continue to overtake the Call of Duty series on my consoles when I want to play online, which is why this ends up in my #4 slot of the year. The online gameplay, complete with destructible environments, is slower-paced, and rewards gamers for playing a smart match, working together to destroy the enemy. Not only this, but I have a friend whom I play with online, which makes the experience that much better.

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360)
Battlefield might win the multiplayer battle, hands down, but what matters most for me is the single player experience. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360) has a wonderful campaign mode that, although relatively short, made the game worth buying. I love the use of licensed music in the game because it is able to bring out that 1970s feel. The guns, while good, are not the best in the series, but the graphics are top notch. This is another game that is simply fun to play, which is all that matters to me in the long run. The story was interesting and coherent, unlike last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which places Call of Duty: Black Ops as my #3 game of the year.

2. Heavy Rain (PS3)
Heavy Rain blew me away from start to finish. The demo had me chomping at the bit for its release, and it sits on top of my pile of PS3 exclusives. The first thing one notices about this game when he or she turns it on is the stellar graphics. These are, by far, the best I have seen in any video game, with the rain graphics topping even Bioshock’s water graphics. The story, though obviously flawed, grabbed my girlfriend and I and forced us to finish to find out where it would go. I didn’t see the end coming from a mile away, and it pulls at the heartstrings. This game is beautiful, and is the best narrative game I have played since inFAMOUS. If I weren’t such a sports fanatic, this would easily be on top of my list. This is a PS3 exclusive that makes me proud to own the system.

1. NCAA Football 11 (360)
Usually by this time (December) I have moved from football to hockey in my video game repertoire, and I usually stick with hockey through the summer. This year, though, things have changed. NHL 11 has not garnered my love yet, in part because I wasn’t able to find good sliders until this past week, but more in part to the fact that NCAA Football 11 (360) is such an incredible experience. Back in August I posted my deepest review to date, and it covers virtually every though I had about NCAA Football 11 at the time. As I played even more, though, I was able to appreciate an aspect of the game I merely touched on for the review: TeamBuilder. Using that same team I tested the mode with for my review, the Rochester Warfrogs, I have played through two seasons and a half season (without simulating a single game) and am on the path for a National Title this season. I’ve devoted over 60 hours into this title this year, which is infinitely more than any other 2010 release. On the field, the gameplay is spot on, and by far the best football experience to be found. I tried giving Madden NFL 11 its fair shake, but something was missing from that title, and it is a purchase I regret (though I would love to see GameFlow make it in to NCAA Football 12). The year 2010 might not go down as a memorable one in terms of sports gaming, but NCAA Football 11 is still the one game I had the most fun with all year, and it is looking to take a lot of my playing time until next year’s iteration drops in July.

*This was originally written for DieHard GameFAN. It can be found here.

Christmas 2010 – The Haul

Hey guys! Just wrote down everything I got for Christmas this year. It is a ton of things to look at, and I continue to be remember how fortunate I am. I bought a ton of these DVDs/BDs on Black Friday, and my parents paid me for them, which is how I was able to get so many. Anywho, I tried to include only the gifts that are relevant (so no t-shirts/boxers/socks, etc.).

2010 Christmas Haul

Video Games:
-Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
-Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS)
-Medal of Honor: Limited Edition (PS3)
-Pac-Man Party (Wii)*
-Playstation Move Starter Bundle (Playstation Eye Camera, Playstation Move Controller, Sports Champions Game)
-Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (PS3)
-The Sly Collection (PS3)*

Movies:
-Alien Anthology BD (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien 4)
-AvP Unrated 2-Pack BD (Alien vs. Predator & Alien vs. Predator: Requiem)
-Back to the Future Trilogy BD*
-Batman Begins BD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete First Season DVD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete Second Season DVD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete Third Season DVD
-Harry Potter: Years 1-6 DVD**
-Hostel Part II BD
-House M.D.: Season Five DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Four DVD**
-House M.D.: Season One DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Six DVD*
-House M.D.: Season Three DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Two DVD**
-iRobot BD
-James Bond: Dr. No DVD
-James Bond: For Your Eyes Only DVD
-James Bond: From Russia with Love DVD
-James Bond: Live and Let Die DVD
-James Bond: Octopussy DVD
-James Bond: The Living Daylights DVD
-James Bond: Thunderball DVD
-King Kong Deluxe Extended Edition Gift Set DVD*
-Knocked Up: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD**
-Maniac BD
-Natural Born Killers BD
-Predator 2 BD
-Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition BD
-Resident Evil: Afterlife BD*
-Scooby Doo Where Are You! – The Complete Series DVD (w/collectable Mystery Van)
-Taken BD
-The A-Team BD/DVD/Digital Combo Pack*
-The Godfather Trilogy BD
-The Other Guys BD*
-The Princess Bride BD/DVD Combo Pack
-The Town BD/DVD/Digital Combo Pack
-The X-Files: I Want to Believe DVD
-Wanted BD

Books:
-151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen by Leonard Maltin*
-501 Most Notorious Crimes
-If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell*
-My Year of Flops by Nathan Rabin*

Misc.:
-42” Panasonic Viera Plasma 1080p HDTV (parents paid for half of this)
-Dan Cleary Premier Detroit Red Wings NHL Jersey
-Engraved Pocket Knife (w/Anniversary Date)
-Original 6 NHL Plaque

*Bought after Christmas w/Christmas money.
**Actually Bridgette’s gift, but we live together, so…yeah.

There it is! This is obviously more for me than anything, just so I have it all written down in one place, but I thought someone else might be as interested as I am in knowing what others received for Christmas.

2010 Predictions – The Results

Last January, I made some predictions about how I felt the sports gaming world of 2010 would go. With the sports titles being all released, I want to go back and see how I fared.

5. MLB 10: The Show (PS3)
What I Said: The only reason this game isn’t higher on my list is due to the fact that I don’t follow baseball as closely as football and hockey, but that doesn’t change the fact that MLB 11 will be a wonderful game. Looking at what is already confirmed for the game makes it a must-own for me, even though I’m not a baseball nut. Hell, they could have just repackaged MLB 09: The Show with a roster update, and the game would be great…ok, that’s an exaggeration. But, the point is that MLB 09: The Show was such a great game that the developers don’t have TOO much to change. With the emphasis coming to the online league updates, this title will be another great reason to own a Playstation 3.
My Hype Rating: 4 Stars
Actual Result: Played this for a total of around 2 hours. Major League Baseball 2K10 was much more my style, given at was much less realistic than MLB 10, and easier to get into. I should have realized this when I put this on my list back in January. Oh well. Fail.

4. Madden NFL 11 (360)
What I Said: Madden 10 was/is fantastic. The online franchise has made this games replayability skyrocket for me. But, what is missing is CONTRACTS! If Madden 11 adds in the ability to deal with contracts in your online franchises, it will be even better. There can be some AI tweaks to make the game even more realistic, and improvements done with the animations (see Backbreaker for great tackling animations). Madden 11 has the chance to skyrocket to number 1 of my list if it does the little things correctly.
My Hype Rating: 4 Stars
Actual Result: What a disappointment this game has been. The developers touched virtually nothing in terms of online or offline franchises, deeming this title worthless to me. The only redeeming quality is the surprisingly playable GameFlow added. I am about to go back to this one, though, simply because I want some more NFL action. I have been playing the living hell out of NCAA Football 11, and want to move my coaching style to the majors to see what happens. Another fail.

3. NHL 11 (PS3)
What I Said: In my opinion, NHL 10 was absolute rubbish. Sure, it looked sexy, but the AI issues were too much for me to overcome, and has made the game unplayable. It is the most overrated sports title I have ever come across. With that in mind, I think the team at EA will make the AI changes needed, and improve upon the already beautiful interface and graphics and this will be great again, like NHL 09 was. Where this series needs a major overhaul is in the player models. With the success that NHL 2K10 had in making excellent player models (even 4th line players look like there human counterparts- but there is still some mistakes across the board), I believe that NHL 11 will take notice to that and improve in this coming outing.
My Hype Rating- 3 Stars
Actual Result: When I wrote this back in January, if someone would have told me I would go on to rack up over 105 hours of gameplay into NHL 10, I would have said they were jackasses. Alas, I was the jackass. Once I found the right sliders, NHL 10 became my go-to game, even over my much-praised-below NHL 2K10. I can barely go back to NHL 2K10 anymore. I will refrain from any ridiculous statements on NHL 11 for the time being, though, as I have just found a good set of sliders that has managed to bring me a very fun game. The jury is still out on whether or not this was a good prediction.

2. NHL 2K11 (360)
What I Said: NHL 2K10 is, without a doubt, with the correct sliders, the greatest game of simulation hockey ever created. It is truly the epitome of “diamond in the rough”. With that said, the chances that the series are over are about 50/50 in my mind. But, if 2K11 gets made, it will be a big turnaround for the series. It will be a better game than 2K10 out of the box, and for that reason, it will garner much better publicity. Oh yeah, 2K might actually advertise the game this year!
My Hype Rating- 5 Stars
Actual Result: This is the saddest prediction in the lot, simply because this was never released. NHL 2K11 became a Wii-exclusive just a few months after my original post. That said, I haven’t played game at all. NHL 2K12, on the other hand…THAT will be stellar! Third fail.

1. FIFA Soccer 11 (360/PS3)
What I Said: FIFA 10 has got me semi-obsessed with the sport, and has taken soccer gaming to a whole new level that I never thought would be possible by EA. FIFA 11 is sure to add to the amazing gameplay in FIFA 10, and hopefully make improvements where it is needed, such as the Manager Mode.
My Hype Rating- 4 Stars
Actual Result: My final fail of the night. I have been cash strapped so I haven’t been able to purchase this one, and my buddy told me that because I am a casual fan, it wasn’t really worth the upgrade. I actually went on from this to play soccer over the summer, which was a helluva good time. I was terrible, but I had a blast. I even managed to score a goal…on my own net. Oops. Anyway, I will be sticking with FIFA 10 until this bad boy drops in price.

All in all my predictions were terrible. The one game that has been sucking up my free time since the summer (when I let go of my NHL 10 addiction) has been NCAA Football 11, a game that I didn’t even mention above. I am sure I will post another prediction post in a few weeks time. Hopefully this one will be a bit more accurate.

Thanks for reading.

NCAA Football 11 – Week 13: The Backyard Brawl Game Recap

If you are a student of Pittsburgh or West Virginia, it doesn’t take long to realize the ferocity of the Backyard Brawl.  Simply put: the Panthers hate the Mountaineers, and the Mountaineers hate right back.  It’s wonderful!  It’s rivalries like this that make college football one of the greatest sports around.  Last season, WVU pulled off an enormous upset and stalled Pitt’s chances at any National Title hopes (wouldn’t have happened anyway).  This season (in NCAA Football 11 for the Xbox 360), Pitt looks to take advantage of their home field and squash the Mountaineers dreams of another Big East championship.

Let’s get to the game.

#21 West Virginia University (8-2) (5-0) @ #13 University of Pittsburgh (8-2) (4-1)

The game starts out in typical WVU fashion, with the first quarter being dreadful.  Pitt is able to take a 21-0 lead with 1:37 left of the second quarter.  It looks like the underdog is the underdog for a reason.  During this time, were two fumbles on bad tosses from QB Geno Smith to HB Noel Devine on option plays, and one fumble by Devine as he tried pushing through the middle.  Simply put: nothing is going right for WVU, and nothing is going wrong for Pitt.

But if ended up that way, no one would be reading this.

WVU gets the ball back with less than two minutes in the half, and they look to make something happen.  The first play, Geno drops back and tosses up a prayer:

VIDEO 1

The ball deflects off of at least two Pitt players and miraculously ends up in the hands of WVU WR Brandon Starks.  Starks is able to break a tackle and hit paydirt to bring WVU back to life.  Since they are receiving in the second half, the morale on the sideline is good (score on the opening possession of the second half, and the lead is down to one possession).

WVU defensive tackle Nield has some other plans.  Pitt decides to throw the ball to try and get some points out of the half, which proves to be a bad decision:

VIDEO 2

Nield, all 300 pounds of him, intercepts the ball and runs it back 53 yards to cut the lead to only 7 with 0:38 left in the half.  The excitement doesn’t end there, however, as WVU decides to use it’s timeouts to stretch the half.  They are able to hold Pitt to a 3-and-out, and get the ball back on a punt.  Going to the air, TE Tyler Urban makes a nice 24-yard gain on a pass from Geno Smith, which puts them in excellent field goal range.  Instead of going for the kick, sophomore QB Smith thinks he has enough time for one more play.  This is a big mistake, as he tries for Urban again but the pass falls incomplete as time expires.  The three-point opportunity is wasted, and the game goes to halftime with WVU down 14-21 to the favored Panthers of Steel City.

Pitt comes out strong defensively in the third, forcing an interception off Geno Smith.  The worst-case scenario for WVU comes true as Pitt capitalizes with another 6 points, making the score 14-28 Pitt with 2:53 left in the third.

WVU is able to take a long drive down the field, effectively eating up all of the rest of the third quarter, but they are rewarded with a 9-yard Noel Devine rushing touchdown.  21-28 Pitt at the end of 3.

Like it usually is, the fourth quarter provides the magic of tonight’s football game, and is why students from both West Virginia and Pitt look forward to Backyard Brawl each and every season.

Pitt starts with the ball and, as expected, they move to a run-first offense.  The one passing play they decide to do results in a huge 32-yard gain, and gets them inside the 10-yard line.  The clock keeps ticking, and WVU is forced to start using timeouts as Pitt lets the play clock run down to the last second before snapping the ball.  An offside call pushes them back a bit, and eventually they will get to a third down.  The Pitt sideline decides they want to go to the air one last time to try and seal the ball game.  The result?  Controversial to say the least:

VIDEO 3

Fumble?  Incomplete pass?  The officials and the booth agreed that this was, in fact, a fumble, and the big guy from the first half comes up huge yet again, giving WVU the miracle they so desperately needed.  With no timeouts remaining, this is the type of play that usually only happens in dreams, but there it was on the frozen tundra of Heinz Field.

WVU was far from their fairytale ending, however, as they find themselves down by 7 with 1:40 on the clock, with the ball on Pitt’s 5-yard line.  From here, Geno Smith makes a game saving play by tossing the ball out of bounds when Pitt brought the blitz on the first snap.  Geno then runs an option play, making it third and goal on the 2-yard line.  An overzealous defensive line earns an encroachment call, making it 3^rd and goal on the 1.  The ball is snapped, and Geno tosses it to the right to Noel Devine, who pushes his way through the trenches and into the endzone, tying up the Backyard Brawl at 28 with 1:07 left to play.

Pitt gets the ball back and starts running some short passing plays to get to around their own 40-yard line.  Then, disaster strikes for Pitt when HB Dion Lewis catches a screen pass and collides with the freight train in the form of Sidney Glover:

VIDEO 4

Glover jars the balls loose, and junior CB Keith Tandy picks it up and steps out of bounds.  WVU has possession of the ball inside Pitt’s 40 with 0:52 left and zero timeouts.

Staying conservative, Geno tosses an easy screen pass for 7 yards to start the drive.  A 3-yard rush by Devine, and then a 16-yard QB scramble up the middle by Geno himself follows.  He is unable to get out of bounds, but the clock will stop until the chains are set.  With 0:23 left in the 4^th, WVU hustles it’s special teams unit onto the field, lead by sophomore Tyler Bitancurt.  With 0:02 left on the clock, the ball is snapped:

VIDEO 5

A perfect kick right through the middle, and West Virginia University upsets the Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl for the second straight season!  This was a circus game, but one I will never forget.

Final Score:
#21 WVU Mountaineers 31
#13 Pitt Panthers 28

Aftermath:
Pitt (8-3, 4-2) falls to #18 in the BCS (#19 in Coaches and Media Polls).
WVU (9-2, 6-0) rises to #14 in all three polls.

Up next for WVU is the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University (8-3, 4-2).

**Note my apologies that the videos are not embedded, but I could not figure it out. This is best I can do right now. Thanks for reading.**