10. Tron: Evolution
Bridging the story from the original '82 cult fav to this month's $200 million sequel, this game features voices from many of the new film's neon blue-suited stars. Evolution goes from cool to sexy with Olivia Wilde, playing your guide Quorra, and then back to cool with music by Daft Punk.
Also, it features Playstation Move support and full 3-D lightcycle races. Seriously, what more could you ask for in one game?
9. ENSLAVED: Odyssey To The West
You play Monkey, who's "performed" (via motion capture) by Andy Serkis, aka Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. Monkey's movements feel nuanced and even natural, compared to the rigid animations of the past, and it's a joy to control him. Plotwise, you get to trip from a post-apocalyptic Manhattan to the fabled west coast. A blown out skyscraper that's overrun by fauna is one of many unforgettable images.
8. Disney Epic Mickey
Finally, the tale of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit can be told! Before Mickey took over as the Disney icon, Oswald almost became America's Sweetheart. Seriously. Here, game creator Warren Spector worked closely with the Mouse House to make sure decades of animated history would be overflowing in platforming bliss as players paint and erase the Wonderful (and wonderfully scary!) World of Disney.
7. Goldeneye
Current James Bond Daniel Craig's voice/likeness is all over this 007 adventure. With gunplay that never gets old, and those great "bum da da bum" guitar strings, this remake of the classic Nintendo 64 game sticks to simple. It features tight gameplay and a MI6-worthy story (a "re-imagining" of the '95 film).
There's even an opening credit sequence with a new cover of Tina Turner's title track! MGM's financial woes might keep 007 off the big screens for a while, but if Bond games play like this, we might not notice.
6. Dance Central
The company that let grown men play with plastic guitars has made the best of the "you are the controller" Xbox Kinect games. We're not saying this can make you a good dancer, but you'll sure sweat like a fly guy. All the staples of what made Rock Band awesome work extremely well: tons of licensed music (hi, Lady Gaga!), great co-op battles and the ability to make shaking your whole body in front of your friends seem cool. Or at least as cool as those plastic guitars and drums were.
5. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
How does Pac-Man celebrate his 30th birthday? By delivering his Best. Game. Ever. While the core mechanics are the same (but with bombs!) the focus has changed. Instead of trying to eat all the dots to bring on the next maze, it's all about swallowing power pellets to chomp as many Inkys, Blinkys, Pinkys and Clydes as possible. Gobbling down 30 petrified ghosts in a row is one of the most satisfying moments of the year. Another great downloadable title.
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops
This intense combat series has always had top notch production values, addictive multiplayer death-matches and record-breaking sales. Until now though, the single player campaigns have been a near miss. Black Ops corrects this oversight, and elevates the shooter genre. Having voice talent like Avatar's Sam Worthington and Gary Oldman doesn't hurt, either.
3. Angry Birds
The Tetris of the 21st century? Most everyone with a smart phone has it and can't get enough of those cranky feathered meanies. We'll happily sacrifice an endless supply of winged bombs in pursuit of destroying whatever is off to the right of the screen. The best example of a 30-second game that turns into 30 minutes.
2. Limbo
A gorgeous black and white side-scroller that's maybe about being a young boy who maybe died and maybe has to find his sister. There's no dialogue, fantastic sound design and stark imagery, and the sense of something not quite right lingers long after you've completed your first play.
Easily, the year's creepiest game. Look out for that gigantic spider! Best of all, at $15 it's also the year's best console download.
1. Red Dead Redemption
No other world enthralled us as much as Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto-y ode to the Western. As a lone gunslinger with a conscience, you explore fully realized areas of what will become the various western states and Mexico.
Now, if all that authenticity and attention to detail is too much for you, a downloadable adds zombies (and zombie horses!) to the Old West mix.
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