I just logged into Gamespot, only to find out I got a rather amazing Gamespot achievement. Normally I don't really care about achievements as they don't really say much about me, except that I performed a certain action at a certain time. However, this one is rather special. Check it out:

Top 100 Community Reviewers

Power and influence. Those who rank amongst this hallowed 100 greatly benefit those searching for critical information about games. These individuals' thoughtful, analytical reviews tend to be much more detailed and sophisticated than most of the so-called professional game reviews you could find elsewhere. Sure enough, the top 100 tend to be prolific writers and avid game players.

Needless to say, I'll take that as a compliment. Review writing has always been a great passion of me, and it's nice that the powers that be acknowledge the talents I apparently have (ignore the traditional Dutch modesty in that sentence). Of course, I also would like to thank those who have been reading my reviews at Gamespot, because a review has little use if it doesn't help people gather more information about a certain game, or at least provide them with an entertaining read.

In honour of this recognition, I'll try to write some reviews over the weekend. Stay tuned and have a nice weekend!

In case you haven't noticed, I submitted a review of the Ukrainian horror shooter Cryostasis just before the new year. It's certainly one of the best games I've played in 2010, so be sure to check out the review. In this very post you can read the 'pretty' version, with pictures other bells and whistles. Be sure to 'thumb up' my review here if you like it.

Cryostasis - Sleep of Reason



General information:
Year of release: 2009
Platform(s): PC
Available control type(s): Keyboard + Mouse
Developed by: Action Forms
Published by: 1C Company

Frequently, the ultimate goal of an artistically oriented medium is to tell a story. Obviously, books tell stories, but so do movies, pieces of music, and even paintings. Anyone who takes interest in art in whatever form will tell you that the story behind the piece of art is at least as important as its physical representation. Why else would man have dedicated so much labour and study to the comprehension and interpretation of art, ever since the dawn of civilisation? The story is not only important, it's essential. A good story can even provide a seemingly random object with a meaning that goes beyond its everyday use. More importantly, it can justify the very existance of art, because where is art without purpose?

With this in mind, it's not wholly surprising that, amidst the polemic surrounding video games as art, the sceptics direct most of their criticism towards the fact that, generally, video game stories pale in comparison to the stories told by established artistic media such as literature and film. This is not more than logical, seeing as the main purpose of games is still to entertain, and that entertainment is first and foremost derived from fascinating gameplay mechanics, and maybe technical aspects such as graphics and sound. Story is not yet an integral and essential part of the video game medium, and even if developers do try to make the effort to tell an interesting story, they often struggle to make it relevant to the gameplay, with the balance between the two components lacking as a result.



In order to avoid bringing up the entire debate again, it will suffice to say that even sceptics (such as yours truly) will see a potential turning point in Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason. The 2009 PC exclusive is hard to cIassify. The limited parameters that come with genre labels do not do this game justice. It could be named a first person shooter, but the heavy shooting mechanics are hardly where this game stands out. It could be called horror, but, eventually, the goal of Cryostasis is not to scare us, but to tell us a story, a story from which we may even learn something. The dark atmosphere that breathes throughout this entire game may very well be a coincidental side effect of the dark nature of that which it tries to tell us.

It must be said, though, that the setting of Cryostasis certainly aids in stimulating sentiments such as fear and anxiety. Set in the year 1981, the player assumes the role of Alexander Nesterov, a meteorologist whose job is to investigate the mysterious shipwreck of the North Wind, a Soviet nuclear ice breaker that has met its Waterloo in the thick ice of the North Pole. What at first seems like an unfortunate but, within the context, fairly 'regular' shipwreck at the hand of an iceberg, resembling the fate that befell the Titanic, the true cause gradually appears to be something far more sinister.

As Nesterov quickly discovers, he isn't alone on the ship. The frozen remains of the deceased crew members turn to life, and they don't greet his arrival with much cordiality. Fortunately, Nesterov is able to resist their attacks with the various weapons he gradually finds and collects as he explores the enormous ship. An axe, several rifles, a machine gun and a water gun are among his arsenal, and while nearly all of these weapons are heavy and rusty, and require some getting used to, they are enough to repel the attacks of some of the bizarre creations that are encountered along the way.



Fittingly, Nesterov's health is determined by how warm he is, meaning that enemy attacks can hurt him, but so can cold areas. Although in most rooms, health will only very gradually decrease to the temperature of that space, the fierce blizzards that Nesterov has to resist from time to time can prove to be fatal eventually. In an equally fitting fashion, Nesterov's health can be regenerated by 'charging up' at heat sources, such as light bulbs, heaters, and fire.

This innovative system helps emphasise the cold, cold atmosphere of Cryostasis. As you make your way through the frozen, decayed chambers of the ship, it's easy to forget that this environment was created by humans. What was once a proud ship, now bears more resemblance to a frozen, depressing wasteland surrounded by innummerable intimidating walls.

To help make this contradiction more apparent, the game makes use of 'interactive' cutscenes. This means that, instead of the game taking control for a while to show you a movie, you can instead walk around in these cutscenes to see the action unfold from different angles. These 'cutscenes', if they may be even defined as such, are usually flashbacks that display the situation from before the ship was consumed by the forces of nature. Even though the North Wind wasn't the most cheerful place on Earth even before disaster hit, the contrast with its even darker present is jaw dropping at times. One particular section involves walking through the ship's old hospital, and confronts the player with countless flashbacks. This eerie experience is definitely among the most memorable moments the game has to offer.



Even more important than these flashbacks is the Mental Echo system. This allows Nesterov to penetrate the minds of deceased crew members, and relive their last memory. By handling the situation differently than the crew member originally did, he can prevent said crew member's death, and even directly influence the present, for example clearing a path that was previously inaccessible. Along with the combat, the Mental Echo puzzles are the central element of Cryostasis's gameplay. They can be as simple as ducking in order to avoid being penetrated by shards of glass, but they can also involve shooting hordes of enemies. Some Mental Echoes even reveal essential parts of the plot.

And plot is where Cryostasis truly shines. The story is revealed to the player in various ways. Alongside the aforementioned flashbacks and Mental Echoes, you will also find various notes that contain impressive philosophical monologues written by the ship's captain, as well as passages of an old Russian legend. While the latter may seem irrelevant at first, it quickly becomes apparent that the legend runs parallel with the fatal history of the North Wind. Especially later in the game, the story will also be provided with an increasingly complicated philosophical context, taking the plot as far as to a point where it mirrors the human tragedy in all its complexity. While this aspect is for individual players to discover and intepret by themselves, it must be said that it is remarkable how far the developers allow this philosophical context to interweave with the very core of the gameplay and presentation. Especially near the end, the game delves so deep into the human mind, and crosses the borders of what is customary in video game storytelling to such an extent, that it makes BioShock look like a bedtime story in comparison.

As with many brave efforts from creative Eastern European minds, it is clear that the Ukrainian developer Action Forms did not have the same resources at its disposal as some of the bigger Western gaming companies. While its presentation is thoroughly impressive in terms of both vision and sound, the optimisation of this game is very poor. As it does not support multicore rendering, it may even bring the most advanced systems to their knees. Moreover, the game relies heavily on PhsyX, special effects exclusive to nVidia cards, so especially ATI users will have to concede on some of the eye candy this game provides in potential. Particularly the framerate suffers from the heavy engine, causing some of the enemy encounters to be way more clunky than they were intended to be. Fortunately, the game itself is fairly stable, and crashes and bugs occur no more than they do in other games.



Let it be said, though, that Cryostasis is still worth every bit of trouble, even with some of the unreasonably high demands it presents us with. At times, the game feels much like watching an astonishing movie on a shoddy VHS recorder, but even the occasional annoyance caused by the questionable quality of the VHS does not change the fact that the movie is astonishing. Cryostasis, as a video game, is no different. It is a game that requires patience and a certain amount of tolerance from the player, but once it gets going, the experience really is like no other. As more chapters are concluded, the game takes its beholder further and further into the incredible depth it harbours. By means of immersion, atmosphere and creativity, the game slowly charms the player, and it's determined to not let him go before the very end.

Cryostasis truly is a unique game. On one hand, it differentiates itself by creating an immersive world filled with creative gameplay and unforgettable sequences. On the other, it does so by not only wanting to tell us something, but wanting to teach us something. What that lesson is may be interpreted differently by each player, but let it never be said again that video games can only scratch the surface in terms of story. In fact, finishing Cryostasis is much like finishing a great book. After you turn the final page, your enthusiasm makes you want to tell what you've just read to everyone you run into. Soon you realise, however, that they must read the book themselves if they are to truly comprehend it, and appreciate it in the same way that you do.

Such is the nature of the true masterpiece, and such is the nature of Cryostasis. As said, finishing the game is like finishing a good book. And a wise man once said that finishing a good book is like saying goodbye to a good friend.



Score:
9/10

The more I think about it, the more the idea seems plausible that 2010 has been a defining year for the development of my gaming taste. Even though I've had a classic Xbox and a Playstation 2, I have considered myself to be a Nintendo gamer primarily since pretty much the day I started gaming. Growing up with the NES, the first console I bought was the Nintendo 64 in 1999, and I've owned every Nintendo home console since, as well as a DS. The main motivation to stick to the big N was its undeniably impressive library of first party exclusives. Be it the classic Zelda, Metroid and Mario series, or more obscure franchises like F-Zero, Star Fox and the Paper Mario spin-offs, Nintendo has always provided me with my main gaming fix.

While the undeniable greatness of these games still blows me away everytime a new installment hits the shelves, Ninty's 'monopoly' over my gaming library started to crumble about halfway this year. It was pretty much by coincidence that I got a gaming PC, and started playing some of the titles I had missed out on when the Wii was still my only modern gaming platform (alongside the DS).

I must say that, due to the relative scarceness of big budget third party exclusives on the Wii, I had already started looking into more obscure games well before the possibility of a new PC even emerged. Titles such as Deadly Creatures, Mushroom Men, Rampage: Total Destruction and Rabbids Go Home, all of which were highly experimental, compensating their lack of polish with inovativeness, even started to impress me nearly as much as the Nintendo exclusives I have always been fond of.

This must have changed something in my mindset, because instead of immediately getting games like Half-Life 2, BioShock and Oblivion (all of which I love, by the way) the day my new PC arrived, I decided to start out with the games that had sparked my interest the most. In fact, my first PC games were Crysis and STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, both relatively obscure games. Of course, Crysis is a big budget shooter that is wellknown across the entire gaming audience, but the popularity of the game is still relatively small when compared to, say, Halo, and its unique gameplay and unconventional approach make it an acquired taste in my books. Naturally I did get the familiar mainstream titles later on, but almost none of them left an impression that is in any way comparable to some of the more unknown games I delved into.

Another thing I noticed is that I grew evermore fond of European games. I am aware of the fact that developing and publishing a game is an international process, but it is undeniable that every region has its own traditions and peculiarities when it comes to developing games. Especially in Eastern European games, the cultural influence is undeniable. It can be noticed by anything from the influence from local literature to the overall visual design. Games such as the aforementioned Stalker, but also Cryostasis and Metro 2033 (all from the Ukraine), just cannot be reproduced by, say, an American developer without those games losing a significant amount of charm.

It's not limited to just my preference for obscure Eastern European games, though. It is noticeable that, at least in my experience, European developers are getting more and more relevant. There's the Crysis series (Germany), Amnesia (Sweden) and Shattered Horizon (Finland), all the while major European studios are still going strong: Guerrilla (The Netherlands), Rockstar and Criterion (Great Britain), Ubisoft (France) and DICE (Sweden) have all been at the top of their game this generation, putting forward some of the most iconic mainstream titles in recent years. While some would call this distinction 'misplaced patriotism', I cannot deny I'm rather proud to see how my continent moved out of the shadows of the American and Japanese giants, being on the cutting edge of technology and innovation in video games.

In any case, the shift from mainly Japanese games to European (and also more American) ones has had a huge influence on the way I perceive gaming as a whole. This can be very practical and concrete: I now think sandbox gaming is the future, after witnessing how well American and European developers can implement it in a wide variety of genres. But it can also be more general: More than ever, I think innovation is a very important aspect of gaming, as it may not necessarily improve the respective game, but open doors for other developers, pushing the genre at hand forward as a whole. Because however great some Japanese games may be, European games are infinitely more innovative these days, if only because the only Japanese titles that reach us are usually brought to us by established publishers, not beginning studios who have to compensate for the lack of resources with endless creativity.

This brings me to another thing that has changed in my gaming mindset: the appreciation of indie games. For some reason, I always had the prejudice against indie games that they were probably more proof-of-concept and lacked the substance of bigger titles. While this is definitely true for some games, I can say that after playing Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Shattered Horizon and Cryostasis (if you can consider that indie), there are indie games out there that downright degenerate some of their big budget competitors. While I am still merely scratching the surface in terms of indie games, it is definitely a 'genre' I'd like to get more familiar with in 2011, so you can also expect more reviews from me on games you might have never heard of before, but that are every bit as good as, or even better than the games everybody plays.

In the end, 2010 has been a terrific year for me as a gamer, and I hope to continue expanding my horizon and breaking into new ground in the year 2011.

2010 has been a great gaming year for me. Apart from enjoying all the great games that came out, I also beat more games in one year than ever. Some of them were short, others long. Anyway, here's a complete list with the games I have beaten this year. Note: with 'beaten' I mean having finished the storyline or main campaign of the game.

Bioshock
Bioshock 2
Burnout
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
The Conduit (2x)
Crash Team Racing
Crysis (2x)
Crysis Warhead
Cryostasis - Sleep of Reason
Deadly Creatures
Disaster: Day of Crisis
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn
Frontlines: Fuel of War
God of War
Grand Theft Auto IV
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Jazz Jackrabbit
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
MadWorld
Mario Kart DS
Metro 2033
Mirror's Edge
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Paper Mario
Portal
Rabbids Go Home
Rampage: Total Destruction
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl (2x)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
TMNT
TMNT Smash-Up

That's 44 games for ya, three of which I beat 2 times. In my own defence, a lot of them were not very long. And I blame long holidays!

...I'll go outside now.

Game Of The Year:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

We have seen some great, great games this year, and I truly think 2010 has been one of the best gaming years ever. We have seen groundbreaking platformers, solid racing games, terrific shooters, great indie games and some overall amazing surprises. But as the cliché dictates: there can only be one winner. Even though that winner will not come as a surprise to those who know me, I can assure you that it was not an easy decision. We've seen how Super Mario Galaxy 2 rendered nearly every 3D platformer obsolete. We've witnessed Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit restoring the series' old glory, taking it back to first place. We've seen how Amnesia set the new standard for horror games. We've seen BioShock 2 stepping up to the challenge and outcIass its predecessor.

Yet brilliant as they may be in their respective fields, I felt that none of them was as progressive as Call of Pripyat. BioShock 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 were both extremely solid games that expanded upon their respective predecessors, and Hot Pursuit's claim to fame is the impressive way in which it takes what we already know about arcade racing, but executes it to near perfection.

Call of Pripyat also expands upon its predecessors, but it also expans the confinements of its genre as a whole, the first person shooter. With a perfect balance between storyline missions and side quests, an unseen before amount of freedom, as well as the XRay engine's ability to steer countless AI at the same time being capitalised upon even better, Call of Pripyat is an examplary game for both first person shooters and sandbox games. It shows how the excitement can be prolonged by adding a sense of unpredictability to the gameplay, and it shows how well-dosed missions can do a perfect job at familiarising the player with the environment, causing him to be sucked in. It also showed how to properly implement choice, with a lot of missions having various paths leading towards completion. It's sandbox gaming at its finest combined with some of the most delicious shooting mechanics around. Add to that the customisable, unpredictable and unrestrictive nature of the core game design, and you've got a video game that is truly worthy of the title 'GOTY'.

Thanks for following, have a happy new year, and see you in 2011!

So I'm close to wrapping up my personal GOTY ceremony. Tomorrow I will reveal my 2010 Game of the Year. But before that happens, let's take a look at some genre awards. I decided to only give out awards to genres I had played multiple good games of. There's no sport in giving out awards to games just because they happen to be the only once I've played within their respective genre. In addition to the usual genres, I've also added an award for the best downloadable game. Whilst this isn't a genre, I decided to put the award dedicated to this growing phenomenon amidst the genre awards. So sit tight, and keep an eye out for tomorrow!

Best platformer:

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Some awards are just no-brainers, and the best platformer award definitely falls into that category. The fact that this is in no way insults some of the other great platformers that got released this year, says a lot about the quality of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Some games make you wonder how the developer is going to improve upon them. Super Mario Galaxy was such a title, until Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out. The amount of creativity that went into the level design, and the overall degree of polish is unheard of. A game probably never came closer to absolute perfection. Personally, I would've prefered a bit more exploration, such as in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, but at the same time I'm truly wondering how Nintendo, or anyone for that matter, is ever going to make a 3D platformer that is better than this one.

Best shooter:

STALKER: Call of Pripyat

It seems as though the shooter genre is getting evermore popular. Representing a huge chunk of the present-day video game market, there is relatively little space for originality, especially in the dog eat dog world of this business, where every step away from the conventions is a risk. Luckily, the Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has managed to steal the hearts of many with its unusual but amazing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise. Its latest addition, Call of Pripyat, which appeared on the Western market at the beginning of the year, felt familiar in terms of setting and design, but was a huge step forward in terms of the sandbox FPS. The dynamic AI and the versatile gameplay, that incorporates elements from numerous other genres, such as RPG and survival/horror, made for a title that is not only unique as a game, but also provides a unique experience every single playthrough. Combined with a new level of stability (previous games in the series had some notorious bugs), Call of Pripyat definitively established STALKER as a leader on the FPS market.

Best racing game:

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

The Need For Speed franchise is a great example of how a respectable series can be driven into the ground by a yearly release schedule. The downfall started with Underground, and even the success of Most Wanted couldn't completely wash the foul taste away of games such as ProStreet. It seemed the series had lost direction, until Criterion, at least temporarily, brought it back to where it belonged: driving exotic cars through exotic, natural environments. No craptastic story, no tedious customisation or obligatory 'styIe points': just you and a few opponents polluting the environment. This game isn't just a nice trip to Nostalgia County, though: the driving mechanics are probably the best displayed in the series, putting emphasis on cornering technique and proper boost usage. And even though it borrows considerably from Burnout (which is no surprise if you look at who developed this), it's still unmistakingly NFS. Arcade racing has seldomly been so intense, and it can even be said that Hot Pursuit 2010 is the best game in the series to date, which is quite a feat if you look at NFS 1 to 6. There was competition, but Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit comes in first place in this category, without a photo finish.

Best downloadable game / Best horror game*:

Amnesia - The Dark Descent

There are relatively few download-only games that can compete with full-fledged retail games in terms of immersion, depth and overall quality. With download-only games usually being much cheaper than new retail releases, this is logical, but once in a while, a game emerges from the 'download scene' (if you may call it that) that will even put most high budget retail games to shame. Amnesia - The Dark Descent is such a game. The Swedish developer Frictional Games truly delivered a product that can be cIassified among the best of the horror genre. Relying on atmosphere, pacing, incredible sound design and some interesting design choices, the game does not have to resort to cheap scare tactics to make you jump your seat. Its silent pacing almost feels like a statement against the stagnation of the survival horror genre over the last few years. Supported by some impressive production values, Amnesia feels like it belongs in the same league as retail horror games that are priced at €50-60 when they first hit the stores. Amnesia, however, only cost €15 at its release, and beats most of its competitors in both quality and price as a result. Being a very reasonably priced game that has the quality of a high budget game, Amnesia is a perfect example of how downloadable games can and perhaps should be done.

(Note: I am aware that a retail version exists in Eastern Europe, but seeing as the structure of the CIS gaming market is so radically different from what we're used to in the West, I felt it didn't warrant excluding Amnesia from this category.)

* These are two separate categories, yet with the same winner. When I finished my explanation for why I deemed it the best downloadable game, I noticed how it also explained why it's the best horror game of the year, which is why I've provided both categories with the same description.

The third 'installment' of my own little GOTY ceremony will concern those unconventional awards that may or not be something to be proud of. So enjoy finding out which games apply for some dubious honours and seemingly more insignificant awards. Tomorrow, the genre awards will be decided upon, and the day after, my personal GOTY of 2010 will be revealed. Hubba, hubba!

Least Played New Game:

Bloody Good Time

There probably isn't one gamer out there without a considerable backlog. This backlog often prevents us from not playing new games as much as we would like to. To conmemorate these unfortunate games, I decided to dedicate this category to them, if only to show you the devastating results of having a backlog. With a whopping playtime of 21 minutes (which all took place in one session), Bloody Good Time is my most unfortunate game of 2010. Bloody Good Time is an indie game that runs on the source engine, and revolves around killing other characters on a horror movie set. This zany game actually seems quite fun, it's just that it never really got my priority. With the game only costing 5 euros, there was really no need for me to get my money back. As such, BGT's unfortunate fate was sealed. Better luck in 2011, dear friend.

Note: only games that were released in 2010 are considered in this category. There are games I haven't yet played at all.

Best game manual:

BioShock 2

To many of you, especially younger gamers, this award will seem a bit unnecessary. After all, who needs manuals today? Nearly every game includes an in-game tutorial anyway. Well, I started gaming with a NES, and I remember how the manuals of NES games always contained valuable and interesting background information on the game's universe. For example, did you know that Goomba's are really mushrooms that have betrayed the king of the Mushroom Kingdom, and walked over to Bowser? Did you know that the Foot Soldiers in the first TMNT game have had over 1000 years of karate training (though it didn't pay off in the end)? While a game manual is not a necessary component of the gaming experience, it may enrich it greatly. This is why I decided to offer a stage to a game that DOES still include an interesting manual. It's a homage to a dying art, so to speak.

This year's most intersting game manual is that of BioShock 2. It contains a lot of interesting information on the various creatures, items and weapons you'll encounter in the game. Both practical and background information is provided, all well written and nicely presented in a colourful booklet. Props to 2K for not giving in to the trend of omitting game manuals altogether.

Buck For My Bang Award (game I should've played more if only 'cause I paid good money for it):

Monster Hunter Tri

Bloody Good Time may have been my least played game of 2010, but at least it didn't have a lasting impact on my wallet. That's more than I can say of Monster Hunter Tri. While I paid a good €65 (about 80USD) for this game, I mysteriously quit playing after 10 hours and never bothered to pick it up again. I don't wanna do the math and find out how much money per hour that is, but I think it's more than a pay per view channel would ever dare asking. I did get the bundle with the CIassic Controller Pro, so I at least got some value out of that part of the deal.

Most Deceivingly Difficult Game:

Super Meat Boy

Looks can be deceiving. Take Super Meat Boy, it looks kind of cute when you think of it. Well, cute in an awkward sense seeing as it's a little doll made out of meat. But still, you'd hardly think this nice little game would stand in the way of you and the eternal glory that befalls on you when you beat it, right? Wrong! Super Meat Boy is tough as nails. Even though each level can basically be completed within 15 seconds, that doesn't mean you will need so many tries to actually make it happen that, at times, you wonder if it is even physically possible for this level to be beaten. Also, I don't think I ever died that many times in a video game. In 2.4 hours of gameplay, I have died 779 times. That is over 5 deaths per minute, probably more if you scrap all the time I was looking at my statistics to realise how crap I was.

Best Game For Those Who Think Christmas Is Humbug / Skinflint Award:

Alien Swarm

Id est the best free game. In these cold times, the Scrooges among you still have no excuse to not be gaming. Well, it doesn't make you money of course (unless if you're a total nerd and so good that you earn money on tournaments by making BOOM! Headshots!), but it doesn't have to cost you money either. Take Alien Swarm, a free game you can download over Steam. Even though this game was obviously a scheme for more people to get Steam (which worked in my case), it's still a pretty enjoyable game, especially seeing as you don't have to spend any money of it. Especially with 3 other friends, this top down shooter is a nice hectic brawl that requires both skill and team spirit from each participant. And yes, it's totally free! The catch is that you'll spend the money you saved on this game on Steam's holiday deals anyway. Steam rhymes with scheme for a reason.

This part of my personal GOTY awards still revolves around Special Achievements, but this time around they're a bit more prestigious. Time to decide which game looked the best, which sounded the best, stuff like that. The competition has once again been stiff, and even though I haven't even played every worthwhile game 2010 had to offer, I still had a very tough time deciding the winners. In the end I came up with the following, though. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Best graphics, technical:

Metro 2033

There is no question about it. The best-looking game of 2010, from a technical point of view, is Metro 2033. Anyone who doubts this statement just needs to play it on a capable PC. That may seem crude, but it's true. Having the most technically advanced visuals since Crysis Warhead, Metro 2033's graphics allow for an unforgettable atmospheric experience that, in my opinion, leaves the original BioShock gasping for air. Many jaw-dropping moments added to the credibility of this dark shooter. Metro 2033 is, without question, the best-looking game of 2010, as well as the most impressive and progressive from a technical point of view.


Best graphics, artistic:

Monkey Island 2: Special Edition

Some of 2010's games were a true feast for the eyes. Some from a technical point of view, others in an artistic sense. Especially the Wii has seen some amazing-looking games with Kirby's Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns. But for as far as I'm concerned, 2010's best artistic graphics were showcased in a PC game, a remake of a very old PC game even. The special edition of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge received a visual overhaul, with all the environments being redrawn. The result is a truly beautiful piece of work that demonstrates the talent of the artists. Playing through the game is like walking through an enormous, living painting, with every single screen being full of detail and personality, resulting in a visually stunning experience that also happens to be well worth playing from a gameplay point of view.

Best original soundtrack:

Super Mario Galaxy 2

The great amount of polish that characterised Super Mario Galaxy 2's gameplay, could also be witnessed in its presentation. It had the best graphics on the Wii bar none, and the art design was phenomenal as well. But while the eyes certainly received a nice treatment, the ears weren't forgotten either. Super Mario Galaxy 2's phenomenal orchestrated soundtrack outcIassed even the terrific score of its predecessor. With old and new compositions, as well as some revamped tracks from SMG1, the soundtrack of this game was unsurpassable in terms of quality, which is why it is fully deserving of this award.

Best sound design:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Whether it's tortured screams in the middle in the night, gun sound, or random ambient noise, Call of Pripyat's sound design was stunning all around. It proves that, while good sound design is not as necessary a component of a video game as, say, good visuals, it still can contribute massively to the overall vibe of the game. It may not sound as good as in the Complete mod for Shadow of Chernobyl, but Call of Pripyat does a very noteworthy effort, and subsequently leaves all other games behind in this department.

Best story:

BioShock 2

The philosophical touch of BioShock 1 may have set it apart as far as video game stories go, but the central plot just wasn't as interesting as it was made out to be, especially after the lukewarm plot twist kicked in about 2/3rds into the game. BioShock 2, while taking it a bit easier on the philosophical side, does offer a central plot that is interesting and intriguing from the first second to the last. It's hard to go into depth on the plot surrounding the search of a Big Daddy for his daughter, but it will suffice to say that the plot succeeds in letting the player progress through Rapture seamlessly for a second time, all the while maintaining an incredibly high standard of quality, with its colourful characters, multiple endings, emotionally involving storytelling, and a whole lot of surprises.


Best writing:

Metro 2033

It may not be entirely fair to give this award to Metro 2033, seeing as it is based on the book, and a lot of the legendary one-liners have no doubt been taken from it, but it is nevertheless an aspect of the game that deserves recognition, as it has been criminally overlooked. With the central gameplay not being too unconventional, this game relies a lot on atmosphere. Bad writing can destroy that, but in the case of Metro 2033, it underlines and elevates the atmosphere, contributing to the overall memorability of the game. The story is ridden with surprise, mystery, and dark humour, the latter of which helps portray that, even in a destroyed world, there's always crumbs of humanity to be found. The way that was portrayed by the sharp dialogue made this game a success.


Best voice acting:

BioShock 2

The great story of BioShock 2 shines even more because of its top notch voice acting. The believability of the voice actors is so high that they sometimes even make you forget you're playing a video game. And if voice actors can realise such a level of immersion, you know you're dealing with something special. And that's what BioShock 2's voice cast is. Especially characters such as Gracie and the aforementioned Sinclair are memorable for their voicework alone. But really all of the voice actors did a fantastic job, making BioShock 2 absolutely flawless in this respect, and well deserving of an award such as this.

Best atmosphere:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

The best atmosphere award is not an easy one to give out when you've got games like Call of Pripyat, BioShock 2, Metro 2033 and Amnesia competing for it. In the end, though, Call of Pripyat only confirmed that the people of GSC Game World are the absolute masters of atmosphere creation. The phenomenal sound design, the unparalleled lighting, the haunting soundtrack and the believable, fear-invoking environments all produced such a high degree of immersion, that you didn't have time to realise you were playing a game. It felt like you were actually there, scavenging your way across the wastelands of the Chernobyl zone of exclusion. As such, the phenomenal atmosphere of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat has its name written all over this reward, despite the tough competition.

___

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some dubious honours and just plain random awards.

The end of the year is upon us, and for a gamer that naturally means 'GOTY', i.e. Game of the Year. I also decided to organise my own little award ceremony for what I think were the best games of year. This ceremony will span various categories, some of which are the same ones you saw in the official GOTY ceremony of Gamespot, others which I have invented myself. The ceremony will take up several posts. As of now, I'm planning on making 1 or 2 GOTY-related posts per day, each of them revealing around 4-5 winners in the different categories. The final post will contain my GOTY, of course. But let's start with some special achievement awards, just to get in the mood. This post will explore some of the more minor achievements, while the next post, which you can expect sometime tomorrow, will list the winners in the more prominent categories, such as graphics and sound.

Before starting, I would like to note that I, being a humble gamer just like you, have naturally not been able to play every game 2010 had to offer. I have missed out on several great games, so I would like to emphasise that my awards are based on my personal experience and preference, and nothing else. Still, enjoy the first part of my award ceremony, and feel free to discuss my choices in the comment section.

Most surprisingly good game:

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

While the Sonic franchise is still tainted by years and years of subsequent disappointment, 2010 has marked the comeback of the blue hedgehog to the world of respectable games. The well-received Sonic Colors has certainly played a part in this, but Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing also deserves some credit. While the game is already nearly forgotten, it got very close to emulating the quality of the Mario Kart series. Still, ASR isn't a glorified Mario Kart clone in any way. The gameplay mechanics reminded me more of F-Zero GX, and the artistic design is quite creative. Definitely one of the best racing games of the year, and one of the best kart racing games of the past few years. Both of these feats were against the odds. Not only do kart racing games have the near obligatory disadvantage of standing in Mario Kart's shadow (Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing were welcome exceptions to this rule), Sonic himself also had something to make up for. And he delivered big time. Here's hoping this game won't be forgotten in its entirity.

Best new character:

Sinclair (BioShock 2)

BioShock 1 already introduced us to some fabulous characters. Who could forget the likes of Andrew Ryan and Sander Cohen? The standard the game set for its successor in terms of character design was not to be underestimated, but BioShock 2 really did deliver. Gracie, Stanley and Sofia Lamb were all excellent, but the real star of the show was Sinclair. With his nonchalance he always cut right to the chase, yet never without a healthy dose of charm, most of which can be traced back to his slick, Southern accent. Even though you barely see him, his voice is present throughout most of the game, motivating throughout the entire quest with the 'you'll do us both a favour' kind of tone you'd expect from a self-made business man. All in all, Sinclair was the perfect sidekick: loyal and resourceful, yet without constantly getting in trouble like some clueless frog, let alone going all 'Hey, listen!' on you.

Best original game mechanic:

Sanity (Amnesia - The Dark Descent)

It is hardly a surprise that the successful indie game Amnesia - The Dark Descent does things a little differently than your usual blockbuster title. After all, one of the things that allows this horror title to be so genuinely frightening is its reluctance to resort to the same clichés that have turned so many horror games into cheap scare fests. The fact that you cannot actually fight the monsters in this game also takes some getting used to. But perhaps the most interesting new addition is the sanity system. Witnessing disturbing events (which will happen A LOT, mind you) or residing in the darkness too long will cause the screen to become blurry and start shaking, depicting how the main character is losing his mind. This is an excellent way of translating the sense of anxiety the player experiences while playing this game into the game itself. It is an integral part of what makes this game so scary and brilliant at the same time.


Best boss fights:

Super Meat Boy

Good boss fights can make a good game even better. This goes for Super Meat Boy in particular. The level design is ace, the controls are responsive and the game provides tons of challenge, but it's all foreplay when the boss fights are taken into account. What makes them so great, is that defeating these bosses does not rely on your usual 'find weak spot, hit it 3 times' routines. Instead, bosses chase you through a level, which you have to finish before the boss catches you, without hitting one of the many other environmental hazzards. It's the epitome of the challenging old-school platforming gameplay that makes Super Meat Boy such a strong game. Super Mario Galaxy 2 may have been the superior platformer, but it has nothing on the Meat when it comes to a good old boss brawl.


Best online:

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

I already explained that Hot Pursuit showed that less can be more. Dropping elements that made previous installments weak (story, tuning) turned out great, and the same goes for the online. There are only a handful of modes to be played, but they make for some of the most enjoyable online sessions in recent years. Especially the Hot Pursuit mode, in which 2 teams consisting of cops and racers respectively fight for victory, makes for some unforgettable online sessions. The best of all is that it's all perfectly balanced. Cops get extra nitro so that they can keep up with racers and prevent them from crossing the finish line, and racers also get a few gadgets, such as a turbo boost and some spike strips, to give the police some of their own medicine. The amazing driving mechanics alone make for some very exciting normal races as well, and especially when the skill level of the competitors is similar, the tactics involved may often turn out to be deeper than they appear to be at first. And even the single player mode is a testament of this game's great online functions: you will get a message whenever someone breaks your records, giving you the option to play that race immediately in an effort to break it. Again, this so-called Autolog function may appear simple, but in its subtlety it just carries competitive online multiplayer to a whole new level. For its solid, charming, involving and addicting online component, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit will be granted this award.

With the New Year coming closer, there is still some chance to make 2010 an even better gaming year than it already is. The Steam sales in particular are a great help, as great games are nearly handed out for free on a daily basis. I'll make a post soon enough about how Steam managed to bombard more games into my backlog every single day, but for now, I wish to inform you that there are 2 classics on sale for a few more hours.

The Monkey Island Special Edition combo includes both the original The Secret of Monkey Island game, and its predecessor, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's revenge. Both games have been completely redrawn, making you feel like you're walking through a living, interactive painting most of the time. The games themselves are cleverly designed, with real brainbusting puzzles and tons of some of the funniest humor you'll ever see in a video game. Some of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 are really farfetched, but luckily the hint system will eventually help you figure out what to do most of the time.

Both games can be bought for a mere €3.75 (less than 2 euros per game!) today only, and for less than €5 each for the remainder of the holiday. So check it out! Also, have a Merry Boxing Day and a very Happy New Year! Expect my personal GOTYs anytime now!