Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2010: 50-11

You decide.

30. Super Street Fighter IV

Capcom / PS3, Xbox 360

Bergeron says: "Why? The ability to save replays of online ranked matches."

29. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Namco Bandai / PS3, Xbox 360

lemonfist says: "Is Pac-Man a really big cheese eating smaller cheese? I dunno, but I know that the eating mechanics, regardless of what kind of actual eating they allude to (be it cannibalism or something else), are what makes the game so damned good. Even better when you turn around to devour the train of death in the wake of Pac-Man's wonderful eating orgy. That's how cool Pac-Man is: he cheats death by eating it."

28. ArmA II: Operation Arrowhead

Bohemia Interactive / PC

Sany_CZ says: "Realistic simulation, hardcore, open world." ph101 says: "Involving FPS simulator." Myshaak says: "Best developer support, best community support, free mission editor, free model/terrain/weapon editor, unique tactical gameplay, wide range of weapons, vehicles, armour, helicopters and planes, lot of factions to play for, great graphics... I could go on."

Come to Daddy!

27. BioShock 2

2K Marin and friends / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

oldschool says: "Probably the gamiest game of the year for me, lacking the pretentious hype surrounding the first, and giving you free reign as a Big Daddy armed to the teeth, a slew of gadgets with which to play, and such a presence of foreboding power. Now, who honestly couldn't enjoy that? Compared with the six-month hiatus and such-a-chore attitude to the original, this was a surprise treat to say the least."

26. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Ninja Theory, Namco Bandai / PS3, Xbox 360

talos666 says: "Matches Mass Effect in the acting and has the facial animation to back it up! Great gameplay too, even if the climbing feels very Uncharted-like." Pajspaz says: "Beautiful acting and characterisation."

25. Minecraft

Mojang Specifications / PC

kdsh7 says: "The multiplayer timelapse videos are like watching a game of Sim City unfold, but where each inhabitant is a real-life person (albeit an OCD-suffering one with loads of time on their hands). That one man managed to build a game of this scale blows my mind. I'd put this at number one, if it wasn't for the fact I spent so much time on Mass Effect 2."

Still the king.

24. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Blizzard / PC

Mcstrife says: "It's like meeting your ex-girlfriend after a few years and all the reasons you broke up for are no longer there. She looks better, she is not boring anymore and apparently she learned a few new fancy tricks when you were out of the picture."

23. F1 2010

Codemasters / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Reaver_v1 says: "Although it lacked slightly in atmosphere, F1 2010 is the closest you will get to driving an F1 car. Shock of the year, but Codemasters delivered."

22. FIFA 11

EA Canada, EA Sports / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Wedge1985 says: "EA could easily have just reskinned FIFA 10 and still had a top-selling game on their hands - the licence sells itself. Instead, it took the previous incarnation and really drove on the realism. No longer can Titus Bramble skin all the players on the pitch before scoring a wonder goal from 35 yards. The actual individual skills of each player has been taken in to account to provide the most complete football sim seen so far."

Pretty much amazing.

21. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Criterion, EA / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

ezeeryder says: "Balls to the wall fun – that is best way to describe Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Whether you choose to step into the shoes of a cop or a racer, driving sexy super cars around gorgeous looking environments at insanely high speeds has never been so fun. To add to that, Autolog is the best feature ever introduced to a racing game. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is the quintessential arcade racing of this generation."

20. Rock Band 3

Harmonix, MTV / PS3, Wii, Xbox 360

Brianstorm says: "The best rhythm-action game out there, massively enjoyable. Stunned it didn't sell more."

19. Just Cause 2

Avalanche Studios, Square Enix / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Bergeron says: "The best third-person open-world action game on the PC to date. Avalanche made an amazing game engine to make all the fun/madness possible." kalinichenko adds: "Who doesn't like blowing s*** up?"

Mmm.

18. Super Meat Boy

Team Meat / Xbox Live Arcade

evild_edd says: "Indie game marvel, with charm, wit, and fantastic 'one more go' gameplay. Wonderfully recalls the hardcore challenges of retro games of old, but with the instant quick start relieving a great deal of the frustration felt at revisiting older titles."

17. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Treyarch, Activision / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

joaomuas says: "Although it's not better than Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops' single-player is epic, full of gorgeous moments and plot twists in the best Call of Duty story. During the Cold War, awesome things happened and the player gets to do some of those things in a variety of places, including caves, mountains and Vietnam. And then there are some of the best moments of the year, including an episode with a helicopter. On the multiplayer, some improvements actually work, like the COD Points and lots of customisation. Getting these things together plus Zombies mode with lots of surprises and the secret Dead Ops, this game is clearly the best shooter of the year."

16. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Blizzard / PC

Cluracarn says: "Finally a real-time strategy game with people to play with online." 5h1nj1 adds: "Probably the best RTS campaign I ever played. Very good and balanced MP."

Lorraine.

15. Vanquish

PlatinumGames, SEGA / PS3, Xbox 360

monkfishjoe says: "Every other third-person shooter seems outdated after this. And slow. Very, very slow." talos666 says: "Yes, this game is insane. Yes, the bosses are insane (many with one-hit kills it seems). Yet it feels so great to play, smooth, speedy action with cool weapons."

14. Alan Wake

Remedy, Microsoft / Xbox 360

evild_edd says: "Flawed. Undeniably samey in places. Unoriginal gameplay. It did, however, present something different from the usual releases, with the quirky characters inhabiting the Lynchian American town providing some real, tangible ambiance. Though Wake himself was a little dull, those around him (his manager Barry a real standout) carried me through to the end of a memorable title."

13. Limbo

Playdead Studios / Xbox 360

Blacktown says: "Engaging in just about every conceivable way. Beautiful, thought provoking, perfectly paced and [whispers] fun." GaidenZero adds: "The style was unique and differentiated it from its peers, but it also had a great deal of substance. The puzzles were clever without being too abstract, the animation was smooth, and the soundtrack was very fitting to the game world and the story being told."

I know it's out, but maybe just delay it again for old time's sake?

12. Gran Turismo 5

Polyphony Digital, Sony / PS3

chub says: "Lots of variety and content makes this the best console sim racer there is, and features keep getting added so it just gets better and better." f00b_inc says: "Kaz only knows why after half a decade of waiting I still have to pass all my driving licences, buy a second-hand Yaris and compete through the tedium of Clubman cups/all beginner events... but I still can't stop playing and it definitely feels like a journey worth taking."

11. Fallout: New Vegas

Obsidian, Bethesda Game Studios / PC, PS3, Xbox 360

RodHull says: "Open-world perfection. Sure there were bugs, but none that took away from a great experience." ChanceSplinter says: "Fallout: New Vegas understands the whole 'RPG' thing much better than its predecessor, while maintaining the fantastic, immersive atmosphere. No matter which quest you're working on, it never feels like you are simply running through a lonely, isolated thread of narrative. Instead, you are running along and vibrating one strand of a very, very large web that stretches across the entire game world. It's pretty incredible."

Woo! Come back tomorrow for your top 10 games of 2010.

Read this next