I'm posting this in reverse order because I'm weird like that. I've also spent way too much time pondering this list, and so have attempted to justify all of my (sometimes strange) choices.
10. FEAR 2: Project Origin - My favourite single-player FPS of the generation. I really didn't like the first game. The environments felt samey and it seemed to only remember that it was a horror game at infrequent times, typically accompanied by a random jump scare. This sequel fixes all of that. It's consistently dark and creepy. The levels are all realistic yet not boring. The AI is as good as it was in the first game. Firefights simply don't get better than this.
9. ilomilo - A brilliant puzzle game with a brilliant story and brilliant graphics. Reunite Ilo and Milo. What could be simpler? But the insane level design will bend your brain.
8. Skyrim - Easily Bethesda's best game to date. The skill system finally fixes a lot of the logical problems it had in previous Elder Scrolls games. The combat is finally tolerable. The graphics are both technically and artistically impressive. But what makes this game special is that Bethesda improved upon the areas that really needed it while retaining what makes their games so special: the absolutely massive world filled with nearly limitless freedom. Their games were great back when I had to forgive regular occurrences like NPCs falling through the ground and combat that could only charitably be called terrible, but now they are incredible. I can't wait to see what they do next.
7. Mass Effect 2 - Mass Effect 3 was a disappointment in many ways, mostly because this game is so incredible. The combat is as good as a "real" action game. The conversation options (and those wonderful interrupts) are all well-written and never feel like there's a logical option missing. All of the characters are fascinating. It's the best Western RPG of the generation.
6. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 - I'm pretty sure the reason twin-stick shooters all but disappeared after this game's release is because it is perfect. Every mode is different and wonderful. The leaderboard integration is flawless. The graphics use extremely clever colour shifting to never obscure important things in the Minter-level mess of particles. My only wish is that I was better at it...
5. GRID - Still my favourite racing game of the generation. A flawless mix of simulation and arcade, with excellent presentation.
4. Red Dead Redemption - The open world games are at their best when you are causing chaos and seeing how the numerous systems interact and respond to it. But Red Dead Redemption does something a little different. The world confronts you with chaos, via random events, people, and animals. How you respond to it is up to you, and I think this freedom is what makes it truly special.
3. Team Fortress 2 - Easily my favourite multiplayer FPS of the generation. I adored it before Valve went nuts with additions, and I don't think any of those additions have dampened its cartoony feel. If you're looking for a serious, hardcore, competitive FPS, this is not what you want. But if you just want to have fun in a crazy world filled with crazy characters, there is simply nothing better.
2. Rune Factory 3 - I liked the idea of this series from the beginning. Harvest Moon with action sounds like a great fit. But they didn't really perfect the formula until this, the fourth game in the series. What makes it truly special is how everything ties into everything else. You want to farm to grow crops to sell, but also so you can use those crops to make food and medicine to heal and buff yourself. You want to craft items for both your own personal use and for giving away or selling. It really completes the setup that Harvest Moon created, giving you personal reasons to want to use all the many tools at your disposal.
1. Crusader Kings II - Definitely the best strategy game of the generation. Take control of a member of a dynasty and see what you can do, managing politics, familial relations, conquest, religion, and basically every other thing that might concern a leader in the mid-to-late Middle Ages. I love how the lack of winning conditions means everything from trying to breed deformities into Europe's nobility to taking over the continent to simply trying to survive in the midst of enemies can be your ultimate goal. Every expansion has, well, expanded upon this in really great ways. Actually, as I was writing this, I just realized that I think it's the best game of the generation. It fits into so many potential categories: strategy, role-playing, sandbox, simulation. And it's simply the best at all of them. Nearly unlimited freedom, goals of your own choosing, and all the necessary systems to logically play out your choices. What more could you want from a game?
