Menu Close

2010’s Best: Top 5 “Shame On You For Missing It!”

Few hardcore gamers can play every game on their "to do" list in any given year. It's just a frustrating fact.

This is why we all have priority lists and why certain titles inevitably fall on such lists; we must make room for the most anticipated. This is why you may have pushed aside something like Bioshock 2 as you saved your cash for the likes of Red Dead Redemption , God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII . But there were more than a few titles you really shouldn't have missed in 2010 and if you've got a few gift cards burning a hole in your wallet, we've got some "catch-up" suggestions for you. Here are the Top 5 "Shame On You For Missing It!" titles of 2010:

5. Yakuza 3

Even though it routinely earns plenty of critical acclaim, the series just doesn't excel on the sales charts in this country. Admittedly, it caters to a smaller niche market; those who really like Japanese culture and don't mind subtitles. But regardless of personal preferences in setting and style, Yakuza 3 remains a solid, entertaining title that gives you plenty of bang for your buck. Featuring another surprisingly emotional and in-depth storyline, a ton of brutal hand-to-hand combat (for which the franchise is known), and even a bit of exploration, the game is well worth your attention.  Oh, and Kazuma Kiryu is a super huge bad-ass.

4. Bioshock 2

As I mentioned above, the game's February 9 release date gave many forward-thinking gamers pause. March was gonna be huge – and oh, it was – and it was important to conserve funds. The title did relatively well on the sales charts, but this is more geared to the PSXE community: we know FPSs aren't exactly popular around here and even though Bioshock 2 is part-RPG, it still looks like a regular shooter on the surface. Secondly, because the original came late to the PlayStation 3, Sony fans are, consequently, a little late to the Bioshock party. Therefore, a whole lot of PS3 copies of the game went unsold and we're telling you…that's a mistake.

3. Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype

Many PSN games often fly under the radar, especially when compared to the big-budget productions, but this is one PSN exclusive you shouldn't have missed. Sure, Joe Danger is almost a shoo-in for downloadable game of the year (and arguably the best digital game to date), but Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype is an extremely polished, oddly addicting side-scrolling shooter that keeps you riveted. Vastly superior to the original, this sequel is simultaneously one of the prettiest and most fulfilling PSN titles currently available. You can nab it for a relatively cheap price, too, so don't waste another minute…you'll thank us, especially if you love old-school arcade space shooters.

2. Singularity

And speaking of shooters, Raven's super fun FPS is absolutely one of the year's most satisfying experiences. Singularity surprised the hell out of me (2009's sub-par Wolfenstein couldn't possibly have been made by the same team, could it?), and I completed it with a smile on my face. The combination of rock solid shooter mechanics and cool time manipulation skills worked exceedingly well, and even the length didn't disappoint. The story was more than passable for the genre and for the record, there is no cooler weapon than the Seeker. Even if FPSs aren't your bag, there's a darn good possibility you'll have a blast with this one.

1. nail'd

Speaking of surprises, no game knocked me off my feet quite as much as nail'd . If you check around, you'll see similar viewpoints: critics were just plain shocked at the game's sky-high (pun intended) fun factor and outrageous sense of speed. The track design is almost unparalleled this generation – just try it if you don't believe me – and you will find that it's very, very difficult to drop the controller. It sort of came out of nowhere and unfortunately, it had to contend with the fall juggernauts. It's unlikely that it brought in a ton of cash and that's too bad; it's just so insane from top to bottom. Besides, it's a nice contrast to the more serious titles of the late-2010 period.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
76 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
NoSmokingBandit
NoSmokingBandit
13 years ago

I've played none of these. I occasionally thought about Singularity, but for some reason never got it.
I have no desire to play any of the other listed games.

PasteNuggs
PasteNuggs
13 years ago

You should definitely pick up Singularity. I couldn't how well it turned out after Wolfenstein. They implement the time manipulation perfectly.

Kiryu
Kiryu
13 years ago

Go buy Yakuza 3 now even though they cut the hostess clubs from the us version.It's got more depth and story than gta 4 and red dead redemption.
Or if you're too busy buy Yakuza 4 in March because it's going to be 10 Times Better.
Seriously u should have played Yakuza 1 and 2 Kiryu Kazuma What a Badass!Kratos move aside!

NoSmokingBandit
NoSmokingBandit
13 years ago

I played Yakuza a little, i just didnt get into it. Not my style i suppose.

eLLeJuss
eLLeJuss
13 years ago

I haven't played any of these games either and don't plan on playin em. too mcuh comin up to play catch up. And im still busy on GT5 lool. Bought the wheel and its amazing! Oh and i also missed UNCHARTED 2! should i be ashamed of myself?!?!?!

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

yes very ashamed. what wheel did you get?

Gimmedat
Gimmedat
13 years ago

Singularity was a great game to me,it felt different even for being a shooter.Bioshock 2 was very good but not as good as the first.The story of the first one just entranced me more.havent played any of the others yet.

eLLeJuss
eLLeJuss
13 years ago

Frylock : I have the logitech gt driving force. or w/e its called lol. It made GT so much more fun. except some stuff are easier to do with the controller. Like the top gear test track with the lotus elise…. First turn i spin out of control or bump onto some1 =/

mastiffchild
mastiffchild
13 years ago

As I don't buy Activision games(unless I'm conned into it by people demanding them as sodding presents off me even though they're my wife and KNOW I hate the company and feel COD has been diluting itself for our cash since COPD4!! She thinks it;s funny I have to have a broken game ,like Blops in the house! Not that COD is rubbish it's just that, well you know, Kotick!)these days I've been waiting til Singularity comes round on my rental list as I've heard some great things about it-hell I even know one fella who claims he played the multiplayer(must have been launch day when twelve others thought they'd try it out!)and he said that was OK too! Certainly annoys me that new IPs like that were allowed ZERO marketing from Acti when they waste so much on COD which would sell anyway! You'd get to thinking they WANTED it to fail so they could shill the devs into making COD map packs!

Ah, maybe I'm just too cynical. Whatever, looks a good shooter from the outside.

Still haven't seen a lot of Nail'd so reserve judgement on that one but was massively let down by the sloppy seconds of Bioshock2 and hopefully the magic returns with Ken and Infinite next time round as the series still has a touch of genius under the skin even if much of it was stolen from System Shock anyway.

Soldner was cool, though, and as one of the few who liked the first game(a good, if briefly shining, distraction the other year)I was more than pleased to see a sharpened follow up come round.

Asn for Y3:EVERYONE should at least try it out. By that I mean give it at least three hours to seep into you. If you don't like it after that then fine-it means you just don't like the game but any less and you risk not allowing the story to hook you and writing off the combat as slow and shallow when it's all about finding yourself in it's timing to get the best out of the game.

When you DO give into it Kiryu is a dude, the story is cutting and emotional(as always-story is always a cut above and the Jp voice work is excellent), the combat satisfying, bosses more varied than ever and more open world touches than previous games with a host of cool minigames to waste a few hours(some are great, imho, with the golf and the arcade shooter my faves)on too. Great stuff and cannot wait for Y4 and TTE to come round starting in March! Great to see it included here too.

The games that surprised or satisfied me miore than I expected were , prolly, the GOW/Zelda inspired Darksiders and the, looking to be, criminally underselling in the UK, Vanquish. Not that I expected Platinum and Mikami to fail just that I wasn't thinking it would be quite so exhilarating AND so Japanese in the current climate out there. I'd steer people in their direction rather than the "trendy to rate even though it sold like rabies flavoured toasties" Enslaved-which, imho, has practically NO gameplay, looks a step backwards from HS in every regard and proves to me that a game can't get by on good characters and good story alone.

Also, WHAT are they doing to DFante and why are they being asked to do it? Capcom just cannot sink any lower! Seriously, who tyought DMC? Ninja Theory! Sorry, NT rant over-seriously, though, why did they have to maon so much about Sony and HS sales? Had Sony not come in and bought the IP when they did the studio, which had been struggling after mismanaging development for the original Xbox would possibly have gone under. Breaking even is probably more than they really deserved and I'm sick of their bleating.

Doesn't help that I really LIKE HS and would have loved a sequel. Maybe someone at Sony would let Cambridge loose on it as they worked a lot on the first and deserve actual games to make.

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

Bioshock 2 was awesome i need to play it more. i want to play both bioshock 1 and 2 over again.

singularity was a really cool game also. really enjoyed the time manipulation and the way the story worked out. really sucks that the multiplayer was dead i didnt even get to try it. not one person in the world was playing lol.

i will have to game fly the rest and check them out.


Last edited by frylock25 on 12/27/2010 10:10:54 PM

SixSpeedKing
SixSpeedKing
13 years ago

Haha I was trying to play it online too but never got in a game. Guess me and you weren't on at the same time then we could've at least had a 1V1 going lol. Anyway Singularity was pretty awesome.


Last edited by SixSpeedKing on 12/27/2010 11:05:01 PM

_______
_______
13 years ago

I missed em all, though Cabelas Dangerous Hunts needs to be on this list! Actually wait, put that on a list for games you should miss.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
13 years ago

I was expecting all of these to be high-profile productions. Yeah, I only glanced at the fact-o on the front page. That being said, I did play Bioshock 2, and while it wasn't as good as the original in the way that it grabbed me, it was still better than most shooters.

Nail'd I'd barely heard anything about at all, but with GT5 starting to annoy the crap out of me, I think I'm burnt out on racing games… until TM, or a new Midnight Club comes out.

Soldner-X 2: As always, I'm unable to buy games off the store, and even if I were, I'd be unwilling. I'll pick it up the day that Sony offers me a PSN Greats compilation.

Singularity interests me, but I'd like to give it a rent first… Unfortunately, the rental store in town isn't big on keeping up with game releases, so they stick mostly to the big titles. I think the only new ones in there from this year are CoD, GT5, Bioshock 2 and… No, actually, I think that's all.

And Yakuza 3 I've been wanting to get, as I remember playing, and enjoying, a demo of the second one, but bad timing, and a stupid backlog have forced it to the sidelines until God knows when.
Peace.

Jawknee
Jawknee
13 years ago

Played Bioshock 2. Great game. I was one of the few who actually liked it better than the first one. I saw Singularity on Amazon for $20 bucks this morning. Not sure if the sale is still going on, in case anyone is interested in picking it up last minute.

SixSpeedKing
SixSpeedKing
13 years ago

I liked Bioshock 2 better then the first… but not by much 🙂


Last edited by SixSpeedKing on 12/27/2010 11:02:18 PM

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

singularity was $9.99 on gamefly used and i passed it up on buying it. rented was enough. maybe one day id score it.

Jawknee
Jawknee
13 years ago

Can non-members take advantage of those used game sales on Gamefly…or do you have to be a member?

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

i think you just have to pay for S&H if your not a member. im pretty sure that is the only catch to it. but i looked and right now and there is no shipping for an end of the year sale


Last edited by frylock25 on 12/27/2010 11:50:26 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

I bought a gamefly deal game and I'm no member so yeah. Just prepare to get an email now and then asking you to sign up.

maxpontiac
maxpontiac
13 years ago

Not me. The original kept me hooked, the second one really did nothing for me.

I believe it all came down to the opening sequence. The first one with the plane crash and everything drew me in.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Bioshock 2 > Everything else on that list. Okay actually I dunno cuz I passed on those others. They don't interest me either but I have to side with Ben's opinion that Bioshock 2 was a tad underrated or at least underappreciated. Yeah nothing is gonna blow you away like that first game but 2 is really good. I can't wait for Infinite.

I'll consider Yakuza 3 cuz the demo was decent, but not till it be cheap. I passed on Darksiders today for 10 bucks cuz I've rented it and it isn't even worth that.

Gotta save up though kids, 2011 is gonna be insane.

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

i saw darksiders for like 19.99 and passed on it cuz i wasnt sure about it. since you say that im glad i did now

oh and play singularity its really cool.


Last edited by frylock25 on 12/27/2010 11:38:04 PM

HighOnFire
HighOnFire
13 years ago

Bioshock 2 did not get the love it deserved. It had some amazing moments and the ending was great, but the change in developer hurt the game in some peoples eyes. I had a blast with Singularity as well. Shame that one got thrown aside by the Activision Kotex Machine.

Drake_RB3
Drake_RB3
13 years ago

Big fan of the Yakuza series, and the third entry is a lot of fun. Amazon usually has a pretty good deal on it, $32 right now.

mexgeo86
mexgeo86
13 years ago

Eff, I've already got a growing backlog as it is right now (AC2 Brotherhood, Sly Collection) and then there's a wave of awesome titles next year, even in the first month. Too many good titles, not enough time. *le sigh

PorkChopGamer
PorkChopGamer
13 years ago

I went to play nail'd online, couldn't find a game, and the leaderboeards only had 1500 people on it. That sucks because its a really fun game. Singularity is one of my favorties this year along with Yakuza 3.


Last edited by PorkChopGamer on 12/27/2010 10:52:54 PM

SixSpeedKing
SixSpeedKing
13 years ago

Yes Bioshock 2 is freakin' sweet and Singularity is very fun indeed. I love the whole time manipulation you do in it, story is fairly good as well.

Yakuza 3 is still on my list as well as Soldner x-2 but nail'd just isn't really my type of game.


Last edited by SixSpeedKing on 12/27/2010 10:59:51 PM

TheUglyBassist
TheUglyBassist
13 years ago

I got the Bioshock 2 CE for Christmas so I will be getting to that one quite soon. 😀

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Give me your record.

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

i have that CE and have yet to listen to the record. i need to go buy a record player

TheUglyBassist
TheUglyBassist
13 years ago

The record was one of my big reasons for wanting that. Game soundtracks on record is beyond awesome.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
13 years ago

I just picked up Bioshock 2 on Christmas eve, but it's got to go in my backlog of games for the moment, as I'm playing too many games on a bunch of different consoles right now.

But I still want to pick up Singularity, Yakuza 3, bigtime, & Nail'ed just for the hell of it.

I will have to say "NO" to Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype though. Granted, it's a great "Looking" game, but it's really not my style.
Plus, since it's a D/L title & not on disc, I won't need it for collection purposes either.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Hey Biker, if you want a tip on knocking down that backlog, play the shorter games first.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
13 years ago

World,
LOL but at 1794 as of today, then unless at least 1400+ of them are short games, I don't ever see my backlog whittling down, especially since I usually buy my games in bunches.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

You better retire so you can finish them all before you croak!

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

Biker can i when you die can i have your game collection? dont give them to your kids they wont appreciate them lol

FatherSun
FatherSun
13 years ago

Look into the cloning option.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

Add Majin and Modnation Racers to that list.
Fully agree with Yakuza 3 and nai'd.

Too many good games so little money (bad economy makes it even worse).

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

We must never let PSXE live down the fact that Modnation wasn't reviewed 😉

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
13 years ago

It's fine, to be honest reviews to me don't really matter that much any more.

Blade Kitten is one of the funnest games I've ever played yet it got really bad scores.

Demos are enough to judge if a game should be bought or not*

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

Too bad we don't get demos for everything. I wanted to like Blade Kitten but couldn't.

___________
___________
13 years ago

only game there i really enjoyed was bioshock 2.
i was really worried that a completley different studio was working on it, i was worried that 3 different studios were working on it i was worried they would screw it up.
than i was even more worried when i found out you play as a big daddy instead a human, than when i found out there adding MP it was the final nail in the coffin.
luckily my fears were unfounded, sure its slightly different to the original, the gameplay is slightly different but remains still reminiscent and recognizable to bioshock.
i cant say which is better because 1 they both have there ups and there downs, but more so they both are so different and its so hard to say which style is better.
if i had to put money down on it, id choose bioshock 1 simply because the story was more engaging and the gameplay was also more engaging because you felt like a small fish in a big pond, instead of the massive man eating killer shark!

the rest really did not impress me, singularity is ok but certainly not a must play game.
if you like time manipulation and for some reason think we dont have enough shooters out there, than ok. but seriously WTF thinks that!?
yakuza i simply did not like because of all the babysitting.
i thought yakuza meant the Japanese mafia, not babysitter!
as for naild, well its hard to play a game when its not out yet.
one game im really itching to play thats actually out is EAs create, love puzzle games and we rarely get any.
sad EA did not bother to release it here.
🙁

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

Holy smokes! No Enslaved? I thought for sure… It's more fun than reading subtitles I'll tell you THAT.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
13 years ago

I think we've already made it plain that people who pass on Enslaved are missing out.

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

That's true! Oh man… ok. Let's not go down that road again. :p

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
13 years ago

Yeah… The hate in that article was ridiculous.

frylock25
frylock25
13 years ago

man enslaved was 29.99 at my local walmart. thought about pickin it up but didnt

Alienange
Alienange
13 years ago

It's 20 on Amazon this week. Grab it along with Singularity for another 20 and you'll get the free shipping.

If you're in the States of course.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
13 years ago

I like Enslaved, but I don't love it. SOOO restrictive in what you can do. And if it keeps up at this rate the game will be very very short.

Temjin001
Temjin001
13 years ago

I'm sort of compelled by Nail'd, but it seems to encroach on Motorstorm's turf a little. Maybe I'll give it a go if I find it cheap enough. I've been meaning to play the SOldner X game's. They look like good old school shooter fun.

The Bioshock's have my respect because I know they're quality, but they sort of creep me out so I don't plan on playing them. Basically, the whole horror'ish genre isn't my bag.

76
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x