Deadly Premonition, two trailers and free swag

While I wouldn't call it a 2010 Game-of-the-Year contender, probably my most surprisingly awesome game of this year would be the criminally underappreciated racing game Split/Second. Normally, I can't stand racing games. I dabble in Mario Kart every few years (and am usually disappointed), but overall the genre bores me.

Split/Second, though, is less of a racing game than it is a 3rd person shooter on wheels. The game's fast, the action is exciting, the visuals are quite lovely, and the tracks are very well-designed. Probably the best part about the game is that while it is similar to Mario Kart in how the game is more about the carnage than the racing, the game is still determined by skill. It takes an exceptional degree of timing and skill to know when to use a Power Play to inflict maximum damage, and a skilled player can still watch for the signs and dodge the attack (unlike Mario Kart, where there is no dodging most of the power-ups, especially the Blue Shell). There's also a high degree of strategy to the Power Plays: do you just spam the level 1 Power Plays as you get them to slow the other racers down, or do you save up for a big Level 2 Power Play that wrecks all the racers and changes the layout of the track? Or perhaps do you save your Power Plays to open small shortcuts and give yourself a little breathing room? The game's soundtrack is also pretty awesome (orchestral and techno), especially the Split/Second theme. Pretty much the only downsides to the game are a lack of tracks (there are way too few tracks for how long the SP campaign goes on) and rubberband AI.

Like I said, I usually hate racing games, but Split/Second surprised me with its inventiveness and the way it just embraces the idea of carefully-controlled chaos in a much more intelligent way than similar games like Mario Kart. Unfortunately, Disney decided to ship the game right alongside two OTHER arcade-style racing games in ModNation Racers and Blur, and the game failed to sell well. !_!

If I win, I'd like Pack #1 please.

My underrated game of the year is a little gem on Wiiware called "And Yet it Moves." You can be forgiven for missing this, given that Wiiware is so loaded with junk that the great stuff is buried and difficult to miss, but you should give it a shot if you have ten bucks to spare. It's a simple indie platformer in which you can freeze the game at any time to rotate the entire world. This gimmick that the game is built around leads to a lot of creative little puzzles (like trying to get a monkey to hit himself in the face with his own coconut he's trying to whack you with)and occasionally warps your brain a bit. My initial concern was that the concept would result in a game that's confusing and difficult to navigate, but the level design hits that sweet spot right between fun and challenge, helped by regular checkpoints that point the way to the next one.

I actually own And Yet it Moves on the PC as well, since I purchased an indie game bundle a while back and this was included. Unfortunately I couldn't really get into it, since it using the keyboard was frustrating, and you were limited to 90 degree turns, but I could tell that the game was something that had potential. In the Wii version, you get as much control of the environment as you want, thanks to the motion controls of the Wii remote (other options include a "click and drag" rotation and the shoulder buttons of the Classic Controller - all work great).

What I haven't mentioned yet is the fantastic "crumpled paper" style of the game. I can't really describe it, so just check out the screenshots and videos over at the official website -> http://www.andyetitmoves.net/index.php?content=screens

If you're into creative little indie games like this, do yourself a favor and check it out - I think you'll dig it.

If I win the contest, I'll go with pack #2. I could think of many obnoxious uses for an inflatable spear!

Yakuza 3 is still one of my favorites of the year. It is a true mature game not just in the violence and sexual themes, but also dealing with family and responsibilities.

Y3 had a ton of content, which made it well worth the $60 price tag at launch.

I would like pack 2 or 3.

Thanks!

I know I'll get dumped on for saying Metro 2033, so heeeeyy, Brad... there's this little game called Patchwork Heroes. ;)

Okay, yes, both games received favorable reviews, but Patchwork in particular needs about all the plugs it can get. In a year when PSP die-hards most likely (I haven't seen sales figures, so I can only speculate) flocked to Japanese banner games like MGS: Peace Walker, Persona 3 Portable, and Valkyrie Chronicles 2, some may overlook an absolute gem of a game in Patchwork.

And a shout-out to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which was by no means a great game but did some very interesting (and arguably brave) things with the series.

looking at shelf-

Ive sold every game I bought that's been released this year with the exception of Nier...

there you go