Well, this is the last Tophat Gamer of the year and I thought we'd do something special. And By special, I mean something that every video game related site, show or blog has done before me. Thats right, it's time for the Tophat Awards for Gaming! Now, I don't have any physical awards, so if you own any of the winning games, just draw a tophat on the cover with whiteout. Or not.
Because we have so many categories, the Minor awards and even more minor awards are here, and the big ones are in the next blog.
Lets get into it!
Note: some categories will have a lot less exposition there. Just so you know.
BEST SHOOTER
This year we saw alot of shooters come out across all the consoles. These games are some of the most popular games at the moment, and its not hard to see why, seeing as they provide a large amount of immersion, as well as robust multiplayer features.
Though sometimes bland and generic, you can't deny that these games are addictive. So these are the nominees for Best Shooter of 2010.
-Bioshock 2
-Call of Duty: Black Ops
-Halo: Reach
-Battlefield: Bad Company 2
-Medal of Honour
And the Best Shooter of 2010 is... CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS! Though the COD franchise is beginning to wear out its welcome with many people, this years addition brought us an interesting, and somewhat strange single player story as well as a refined multiplayer offering; and everyones favourite cannon fodder, ZOMBIES! So to the team at Treyarch, we salute you!
Honourable mention goes to Bioshock 2, for breaking out of the space marine or gritty war mold, and offering something new. Well.. unless you count bioshock 1.
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE
Now there have been a number of amazing action adventure games in the last 12 months. The nominees in this category all put players in the shoes of some of gamings most recognizable, and awesome, characters. They take us to worlds that we could never experience in real life, taking us through time and even through other dimensions.
Here are the nominees for best Action/Adventure game of 2010.
-Super Mario Galaxy 2
-God of War 3
-Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
The title of best action/adventure game of 2010 goes to God of War 3! Previously, we had experienced the adventures of the angry "God Killer" Kratos on the PS2, and even then, they were amazing. Slick combat, stunningly huge boss battles, and a unique setting helped to cement this franchise in our minds. With the release of the third installation on the PS3, it seemed like the mindset of Sony Santa Monica was "do it bigger, better and more polished". And that's exactly what they delivered, as players around the globe set Kratos on the gods of Mount Olympus.
BEST RPG
When I say the words "role-playing game" what do you think of? Swords? Sorcery? Magical Creatures? Not even close. These are the games that best let us sink completely into a game and become the main character. The genre isn't limited to games like Runescape (uuuuurgh), and can be set in any time and place imaginable. The nominees of this category demonstrate this beautifully, and they certainly deserve their nominations.
-Fallout: New Vegas
-Mass Effect 2
-Final Fantasy XIII
-Fable 3
This years Best RPG award goes to Mass Effect 2! Though giving you a pre-named character, with little customization in terms of appearance, BioWare have produced a game with an amazing storyline that branches off in all different directions, as well as solid action and great characterisation. And you, as the player, get to decide how Shepard's story plays out.
To the team at BioWare, amazing work! PS3 owners are looking forward to your work next month, as well as Mass Effect 3 later in the year.
BEST DRIVING GAME
Driving games have been around forever, and for many people, they're the only way to take control of some of the fastest, most powerful vehicles imaginable. Often, players will pick up the game, simply because it lets us destroy these cars; cars that we could never afford, even in ten lifetimes. This year we saw everything from kart racing, to racing sims, to action arcade entries to the genre. The nominees below are great examples, and deserve to be checked out, whether they win or not.
-Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
-Modnation Racers
-Gran Turismo 5
-Split/Second
This years Best Driving Game is Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Despite the tough competition, this years NFS is a stellar addition to the series. Developed by the team who made Burnout Paradise, the team really left their mark on this well established franchise. The spectacular cars, the high speeds and the awesome crashes make this game a must play. Criterion Games should be commended for their efforts.
Coming a close second, I might add, is Split/Second. Definitely one to check out if you enjoy Michael Bay films.
BEST RHYTHM GAME
Since their first appearance with games like Dance Dance Revolution, rhythm games have been extremely popular. With the release of the guitar hero games, the genre has been going strong ever since. Here are the nominations for this years best Rhythm game.
-Rock Band 3
-Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
-Dance Central
-DJ Hero 2
The best Rhythm Game of 2010 goes to Rock Band 3. While Dance Central utilizes the Kinect system, Rock Band 3 has revolutionized the genre most this year. The addition of the pro modes allows players to actually learn the songs in-game, as opposed to just co-ordinating the push of a button. Alongside that, it has an awesome soundtrack, so players who don't want the pro modes can rest easy knowing that its still the same game.
Harmonix, you have done an amazing job. We look forward to seeing how you top it.
BEST MUSIC GAME SOUNDTRACK
The nominees for best soundtrack in a music game are:
-Rock Band 3
-Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
-Dance Central
-DJ Hero 2
Despite it not being the best rhythm game, the winner of best soundtrack is Guitar Hero: Warriors of rock. About 99% of the songs in this game get that foot tapping and get you ready to tap that strum bar up and down. With a large list of metal and rock tracks, as well as a healthy dose of Rush; theres no doubt that this soundtrack is EPIC.
Honourable mention goes to Rock Band 3, due to the sheer size of the potential library the game has.
BEST LICENSED SONG IN A GAME
Th nominations for Best Licensed Song in a Game are:
-Far Away- Jose Gonzales, Red Dead Redemption
-Sympathy for the Devil- Rolling Stones, COD: Black Ops
-Goldeneye- Nicole Scherzinger, 007: Goldeneye
-Jingle, Jangle, Jingle- The Kay Kyser Orchestra with Harry Babbitt & Julie Conway
The winner, without a doubt has to be Far Away by Jose Gonzales. Let me set the scene for you... John Marston has just set foot in Mexico, a land unknown to him, full of danger and mystery. As you ride your horse across the barren desert, the song starts to play, and it encapsulates the emotions that any man in Marstons position would feel. In a game with few licensed tracks, it really does take the player by surprise.
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
The Nominees for best original soundtrack are:
-Halo: Reach
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-God of War 3
-Red Dead Redemption
-Disney's Epic Mickey
And the Best Original Soundtrack award goes to God of War 3. While all the nominees have amazing soundtracks, God of War's sticks out in my mind. The God of War III overture in particular sets the tone for the entire game. Its epic orchestral score keeps with the message of GOWIII, and that is Bigger, Badder and More Epic.
Kudos to Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan, Jeff Rona, and Cris Velasco; all of whom contributed to this awesome soundtrack.
BEST GRAPHICS
The nominees for best graphics are:
-Red Dead Redemption
-Heavy Rain
-God of War 3
-Halo: Reach
And the winner is Heavy Rain! With some of the most life like facial expressions, and millions of unique animations, Heavy Rain conveys an emotional story through its gameplay and its unique, and top-class visuals. Its slick visuals really set this game over the top for me, and i recommend at least one playthrough.
BEST WRITING
The nominees for best script-writing are:
-Heavy Rain
-Fallout: New Vegas
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Red Dead Redemption
The winner has got to be Fallout: New Vegas, due to its black humour and memorable characters. A lot of the game focuses on dialogue between the main character and NPC's, and if the dialogue writing didn't have charm, it wouldn't be half as engrossing as it is. Along with that, the main story arc is well paced, and has many twists and turns to it.
Hats off to Obsidian entertainment for keeping the fallout spirit alive and well, even if the game could be healthier.
BEST MALE VOICE ACTING
The Nominees for best Male Voice Acting Are:
-Gary Oldman as Reznov- COD: Black Ops
-Rob Wiethoff as John Marston- Red Dead Redemption
-Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker- Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions
-Daniel Craig as James Bond- 007: Blood Stone
The Best Male Voice Acting of 2010 has to go to Gary Oldman as Reznov. The man is a fantastic actor in his own right, but his portrayal as the betrayed Seargent Reznov is stellar. His voice alone conveys the raw hatred and bitterness that Reznov feels, and Oldman plays the hell out of that part.
Black Ops as a whole should get a mention due to voices like Sam Worthington and Ice Cube being heard between explosions and gunfire. INBOUND!
BEST FEMALE VOICE ACTING
The nominees for Best Female Voice Acting are:
-Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman- AC: Brotherhood
-Jennifer Hale as female Commander Sheppard- Mass Effect 2
-Emmannuelle Chriqui as the Numbers Lady- COD: Black Ops
-Dame Judi Dench- as M- James Bond 007: Bloodstone
The Best Female Voice Acting of 2010 goes to Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in AC: Brotherhood! "Sarah Marshall" lends her voice and likeness to an already stellar game, and her voice allows the character of Lucy Stillman to feel human. To feel as though she could be your friend if you were in Desmond Miles' position.
BEST DLC
The following games are downloadable add ons to pre existing games, and this year has been quite good for seeing developers support their creations after launch. These are the Nominees:
-Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
-GTA4: The Ballad of Gay Tony (released this year for PS3)
-Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den
-Assassins Creed 2: Bonfire of the Vanities
The winner has got to be RDR: Undead Redemption. This piece of DLC added not only an addition to the already amazing story, it essentially adds a completely new game. The core gameplay stays the same, but the onslaught of zombies changes things up. The subtle humour of the original game carries through to the DLC, and gets somewhat supercharged, while still staying dramatic, with a lot of character.
Well done Rockstar San Diego, well done!
BEST MULTIPLAYER
In this day and age, its disgraceful to think that so many games are being bought for multiplayer capabilities alone. That said, who can blame these consumers when we have such a distinguished field of Multiplayer capable games. The nominees for this category are:
-Call of Duty: Black Ops
-Halo: Reach
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Dead Rising 2
And the winner has to be Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. Yes, Black Ops and Halo Reach are better than ever, but they're still JUST COD and Halo! Assassins Creed brings a new, sneaky style of gameplay to the board, and it allows us to be real dirtbags. It combines the free running fun of the single player story with a more social stealth based assassin game. And its fun. So go play it!
Congrats to Ubisoft Montreal, who created this fantastic game.
BEST SANDBOX GAME
The gaming industry is full of sandboxes. These days, you'd be hard pressed to find a game that was COMPLETELY linear. However plentiful sandboxes are, there are clearly some awesome ones out there. They are our following nominees:
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Red Dead Redemption
-Dead Rising 2
-Just Cause 2
The Best Sandbox Game of 2010 is Red Dead Redemption! Rockstar games made the sandbox popular, so who better to receive this award? And what a sandbox they gave us this year. Filled with lots of sand, as well as cowboys, Mexicans and god damned bears. And cougars. Oh the cougars.
But the defining feature of a sandbox game, is the amount of stuff to do in it. RDR provides mini games galore, as well as ambient hunting, sharpshooter, survivalist and treasure hunter challenges, as well as a number of outfits and horses to collect.
Lets get into it!
Note: some categories will have a lot less exposition there. Just so you know.
BEST SHOOTERThis year we saw alot of shooters come out across all the consoles. These games are some of the most popular games at the moment, and its not hard to see why, seeing as they provide a large amount of immersion, as well as robust multiplayer features.
Though sometimes bland and generic, you can't deny that these games are addictive. So these are the nominees for Best Shooter of 2010.
-Bioshock 2
-Call of Duty: Black Ops
-Halo: Reach
-Battlefield: Bad Company 2
-Medal of Honour
And the Best Shooter of 2010 is... CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS! Though the COD franchise is beginning to wear out its welcome with many people, this years addition brought us an interesting, and somewhat strange single player story as well as a refined multiplayer offering; and everyones favourite cannon fodder, ZOMBIES! So to the team at Treyarch, we salute you!
Honourable mention goes to Bioshock 2, for breaking out of the space marine or gritty war mold, and offering something new. Well.. unless you count bioshock 1.
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURENow there have been a number of amazing action adventure games in the last 12 months. The nominees in this category all put players in the shoes of some of gamings most recognizable, and awesome, characters. They take us to worlds that we could never experience in real life, taking us through time and even through other dimensions.
Here are the nominees for best Action/Adventure game of 2010.
-Super Mario Galaxy 2
-God of War 3
-Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
The title of best action/adventure game of 2010 goes to God of War 3! Previously, we had experienced the adventures of the angry "God Killer" Kratos on the PS2, and even then, they were amazing. Slick combat, stunningly huge boss battles, and a unique setting helped to cement this franchise in our minds. With the release of the third installation on the PS3, it seemed like the mindset of Sony Santa Monica was "do it bigger, better and more polished". And that's exactly what they delivered, as players around the globe set Kratos on the gods of Mount Olympus.
BEST RPGWhen I say the words "role-playing game" what do you think of? Swords? Sorcery? Magical Creatures? Not even close. These are the games that best let us sink completely into a game and become the main character. The genre isn't limited to games like Runescape (uuuuurgh), and can be set in any time and place imaginable. The nominees of this category demonstrate this beautifully, and they certainly deserve their nominations.
-Fallout: New Vegas
-Mass Effect 2
-Final Fantasy XIII
-Fable 3
This years Best RPG award goes to Mass Effect 2! Though giving you a pre-named character, with little customization in terms of appearance, BioWare have produced a game with an amazing storyline that branches off in all different directions, as well as solid action and great characterisation. And you, as the player, get to decide how Shepard's story plays out.
To the team at BioWare, amazing work! PS3 owners are looking forward to your work next month, as well as Mass Effect 3 later in the year.
BEST DRIVING GAMEDriving games have been around forever, and for many people, they're the only way to take control of some of the fastest, most powerful vehicles imaginable. Often, players will pick up the game, simply because it lets us destroy these cars; cars that we could never afford, even in ten lifetimes. This year we saw everything from kart racing, to racing sims, to action arcade entries to the genre. The nominees below are great examples, and deserve to be checked out, whether they win or not.
-Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
-Modnation Racers
-Gran Turismo 5
-Split/Second
This years Best Driving Game is Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Despite the tough competition, this years NFS is a stellar addition to the series. Developed by the team who made Burnout Paradise, the team really left their mark on this well established franchise. The spectacular cars, the high speeds and the awesome crashes make this game a must play. Criterion Games should be commended for their efforts.
Coming a close second, I might add, is Split/Second. Definitely one to check out if you enjoy Michael Bay films.
BEST RHYTHM GAMESince their first appearance with games like Dance Dance Revolution, rhythm games have been extremely popular. With the release of the guitar hero games, the genre has been going strong ever since. Here are the nominations for this years best Rhythm game.
-Rock Band 3
-Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
-Dance Central
-DJ Hero 2
The best Rhythm Game of 2010 goes to Rock Band 3. While Dance Central utilizes the Kinect system, Rock Band 3 has revolutionized the genre most this year. The addition of the pro modes allows players to actually learn the songs in-game, as opposed to just co-ordinating the push of a button. Alongside that, it has an awesome soundtrack, so players who don't want the pro modes can rest easy knowing that its still the same game.
Harmonix, you have done an amazing job. We look forward to seeing how you top it.
BEST MUSIC GAME SOUNDTRACK
The nominees for best soundtrack in a music game are:
-Rock Band 3
-Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
-Dance Central
-DJ Hero 2
Despite it not being the best rhythm game, the winner of best soundtrack is Guitar Hero: Warriors of rock. About 99% of the songs in this game get that foot tapping and get you ready to tap that strum bar up and down. With a large list of metal and rock tracks, as well as a healthy dose of Rush; theres no doubt that this soundtrack is EPIC.
Honourable mention goes to Rock Band 3, due to the sheer size of the potential library the game has.
BEST LICENSED SONG IN A GAME
Th nominations for Best Licensed Song in a Game are:
-Far Away- Jose Gonzales, Red Dead Redemption
-Sympathy for the Devil- Rolling Stones, COD: Black Ops
-Goldeneye- Nicole Scherzinger, 007: Goldeneye
-Jingle, Jangle, Jingle- The Kay Kyser Orchestra with Harry Babbitt & Julie Conway
The winner, without a doubt has to be Far Away by Jose Gonzales. Let me set the scene for you... John Marston has just set foot in Mexico, a land unknown to him, full of danger and mystery. As you ride your horse across the barren desert, the song starts to play, and it encapsulates the emotions that any man in Marstons position would feel. In a game with few licensed tracks, it really does take the player by surprise.
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
The Nominees for best original soundtrack are:
-Halo: Reach
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-God of War 3
-Red Dead Redemption
-Disney's Epic Mickey
And the Best Original Soundtrack award goes to God of War 3. While all the nominees have amazing soundtracks, God of War's sticks out in my mind. The God of War III overture in particular sets the tone for the entire game. Its epic orchestral score keeps with the message of GOWIII, and that is Bigger, Badder and More Epic.
Kudos to Gerard K. Marino, Ron Fish, Mike Reagan, Jeff Rona, and Cris Velasco; all of whom contributed to this awesome soundtrack.
BEST GRAPHICS
The nominees for best graphics are:
-Red Dead Redemption
-Heavy Rain
-God of War 3
-Halo: Reach
And the winner is Heavy Rain! With some of the most life like facial expressions, and millions of unique animations, Heavy Rain conveys an emotional story through its gameplay and its unique, and top-class visuals. Its slick visuals really set this game over the top for me, and i recommend at least one playthrough.
BEST WRITING
The nominees for best script-writing are:
-Heavy Rain
-Fallout: New Vegas
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Red Dead Redemption
The winner has got to be Fallout: New Vegas, due to its black humour and memorable characters. A lot of the game focuses on dialogue between the main character and NPC's, and if the dialogue writing didn't have charm, it wouldn't be half as engrossing as it is. Along with that, the main story arc is well paced, and has many twists and turns to it.
Hats off to Obsidian entertainment for keeping the fallout spirit alive and well, even if the game could be healthier.
BEST MALE VOICE ACTING
The Nominees for best Male Voice Acting Are:
-Gary Oldman as Reznov- COD: Black Ops
-Rob Wiethoff as John Marston- Red Dead Redemption
-Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker- Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions
-Daniel Craig as James Bond- 007: Blood Stone
The Best Male Voice Acting of 2010 has to go to Gary Oldman as Reznov. The man is a fantastic actor in his own right, but his portrayal as the betrayed Seargent Reznov is stellar. His voice alone conveys the raw hatred and bitterness that Reznov feels, and Oldman plays the hell out of that part.
Black Ops as a whole should get a mention due to voices like Sam Worthington and Ice Cube being heard between explosions and gunfire. INBOUND!
BEST FEMALE VOICE ACTING
The nominees for Best Female Voice Acting are:
-Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman- AC: Brotherhood
-Jennifer Hale as female Commander Sheppard- Mass Effect 2
-Emmannuelle Chriqui as the Numbers Lady- COD: Black Ops
-Dame Judi Dench- as M- James Bond 007: Bloodstone
The Best Female Voice Acting of 2010 goes to Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman in AC: Brotherhood! "Sarah Marshall" lends her voice and likeness to an already stellar game, and her voice allows the character of Lucy Stillman to feel human. To feel as though she could be your friend if you were in Desmond Miles' position.
BEST DLC
The following games are downloadable add ons to pre existing games, and this year has been quite good for seeing developers support their creations after launch. These are the Nominees:
-Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
-GTA4: The Ballad of Gay Tony (released this year for PS3)
-Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den
-Assassins Creed 2: Bonfire of the Vanities
The winner has got to be RDR: Undead Redemption. This piece of DLC added not only an addition to the already amazing story, it essentially adds a completely new game. The core gameplay stays the same, but the onslaught of zombies changes things up. The subtle humour of the original game carries through to the DLC, and gets somewhat supercharged, while still staying dramatic, with a lot of character.
Well done Rockstar San Diego, well done!
BEST MULTIPLAYER
In this day and age, its disgraceful to think that so many games are being bought for multiplayer capabilities alone. That said, who can blame these consumers when we have such a distinguished field of Multiplayer capable games. The nominees for this category are:
-Call of Duty: Black Ops
-Halo: Reach
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Dead Rising 2
And the winner has to be Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. Yes, Black Ops and Halo Reach are better than ever, but they're still JUST COD and Halo! Assassins Creed brings a new, sneaky style of gameplay to the board, and it allows us to be real dirtbags. It combines the free running fun of the single player story with a more social stealth based assassin game. And its fun. So go play it!
Congrats to Ubisoft Montreal, who created this fantastic game.
BEST SANDBOX GAME
The gaming industry is full of sandboxes. These days, you'd be hard pressed to find a game that was COMPLETELY linear. However plentiful sandboxes are, there are clearly some awesome ones out there. They are our following nominees:
-Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
-Red Dead Redemption
-Dead Rising 2
-Just Cause 2
The Best Sandbox Game of 2010 is Red Dead Redemption! Rockstar games made the sandbox popular, so who better to receive this award? And what a sandbox they gave us this year. Filled with lots of sand, as well as cowboys, Mexicans and god damned bears. And cougars. Oh the cougars.
But the defining feature of a sandbox game, is the amount of stuff to do in it. RDR provides mini games galore, as well as ambient hunting, sharpshooter, survivalist and treasure hunter challenges, as well as a number of outfits and horses to collect.
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