Top 5 Video Games of the Year

We round up the best Top 5 video games for 2010.
Top 5 Video Games of the Year
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, one of the best video games of 2010. (EA)
12/10/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/nfshp_fordgt500_2.jpg" alt="Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, one of the best video games of 2010.  (EA)" title="Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, one of the best video games of 2010.  (EA)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1811029"/></a>
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, one of the best video games of 2010.  (EA)
5. Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3 could have easily been a stale, repetitive game which simply recycled old game mechanics and provided you with a new set-list of songs. Luckily, Rock Band 3 delivers the best rhythm game experience yet released on a console. There is a fantastic single-player mode, with a great roster of songs, and hundreds more soon-to-be-available via the Xbox Marketplace. The new, challenging pro modes, and online band experience make this a game worth every penny, although the hardware prices may not be the most wallet-friendly. 

4. Halo: Reach

After nearly a decade of blockbuster sales, the Halo series as we know it came to an end this September. With the release of Reach, expectations were high, as Bungie closed their chapter on the franchise. Reach is a stellar package, including a single-player campaign that is arguably the best in the series, a multiplayer option which could keep some players happy for years, a theatre mode to keep all your online antics saved for you to edit and show your friends, and to top it off, a map editor which is the cherry on the proverbial cake.

3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit


The age-old formula of cops vs racers is something that only Criterion could reboot in such style. After a sad slew of games under the Need for Speed name, Hot Pursuit is a lavish racer that spends the majority of its time at 200mph. With environments that look second-to-none, and a huge roster of licensed cars, Need for Speed’s production values are phenomenal. A varied single-player experience, and an addictive, competitive multiplayer component, make this a fantastic package, and definitely the best arcade racing experience you will have this year.

2. Red Dead Redemption

An engaging, climactic storyline, believable characters both hilarious and sinister, and a vast open world which sells itself as real, Red Dead Redemption is an exemplary title that resets the bar for sandbox games. Rockstar went to great efforts to capture the harsh, unforgiving times of the closing years of the Wild West, and the final product is full of authenticity. Jaw-dropping vistas, exhilarating gun play, a memorable adventure, and competitive and co-op multiplayer, all ensure that Red Dead Redemption will be played and replayed for a long time yet.

1. Mass Effect 2

With an epic plot that could rival a blockbuster movie, Mass Effect 2 took the sci-fi series to a new level of brilliance. Adding more refined and robust game mechanics, Mass Effect 2 strips the game down to the bare bones of a traditional RPG formula, and focuses on the intense action, lifelike dialogue sequences, and masterful cinematic elements which Bioware portray so well. Coupled with gorgeous visuals, Mass Effect 2 is a rollercoaster ride that engrosses the player in the fascinating universe that Bioware has so expertly crafted. With a system that allows the player to upload their Mass Effect 1 save game, the proceedings take on a very personal feel, and no two game play-throughs will be exactly the same. This is an absolutely flawless game, worthy of being the best game of the year, and one of the best western RPG titles in recent memory.