Dr. Fetus, dressed in Michael Kors, strolls down the red carpet at the inaugural Rotorob Video Game Awards.
After reviewing nearly 90 games this year and playing plenty more I have decided to convene a committee of one to dole out the prestigious Rotorob Video Game Awards!
Before we get going I’d like to say that although my opinions should probably be considered law, I still want to hear what you think. That’s why I’m offering a copy of Shank and X-Men Arcade for Xbox Live Arcade to anyone that posts in the comments section below with their choices. You don’t need to cover every category or list runners-up, but you do need to at least select a Game of the Year. Winners will be chosen at random on December 26th.
UPDATE – If you found this contest from outside our Twitter feed I highly recommend you follow us @VideoGamerRob as we do lots of contests and code drops that only our followers get to take advantage of. Also, if you’re interested in entering our ongoing 12 Days of Code-mas contest (ending 12/25) head on over here and find out how.
We ready? Then cue the orchestra, it’s time for the 2010 Rotorob Video Game of the Year Awards.
Category #1: Best Downloadable Content
THE CONTENDERS
Undead Nightmare (Red Dead Redemption) — Great tongue-in-cheek approach to the zombie fad and retained so many of the elements that made RDR epic.
Minerva’s Den (BioShock 2) — Say what you will about the rest of BioShock 2′s DLC, but Minerva’s Den delivered on everything fans could’ve wanted: expanded story, new plasmids and locations along with tons of intense combat.
Lair of the Shadow Broker (Mass Effect 2) — Loved the storyline and the fact that the DLC would actually carry forward into Mass Effect 3. A couple of the battles on the hull went on too long, though.
WINNER: Minerva’s Den
Category #2: Best Xbox Live/Playstation Network Game
THE CONTENDERS
Super Meat Boy — Fiendishly difficult yet equally addictive. Just a sweet retro game that had me cursing one minute… and cursing even more the next.
Comic Jumper — Easily one of the most legitimately funny games I’ve ever played. Spikes in difficulty and uneven checkpoint system made for some frustrating moments.
Dead Nation — It takes a lot to stand out in a saturated genre like zombie killing, but this one did. On the downside, it’s the one game this year to induce more profanity than SMB — and that was all created by the end of one chapter!
LIMBO – Cool puzzler with that rare artsy vibe that makes us game reviewers feel like breaking out big, complex words to describe it. The type of game my mother-in-law saw me play five months ago and still asks about when she visits.
Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light — Great co-operative play, items to collect and challenges to make you come back for more. It sneaks in ahead of Joe Danger and Toy Soldiers.
WINNER: LIMBO
Category #3: Best Shooter
THE CONTENDERS
Halo: Reach — Stepping away from the Flood and having nearly all of it take place on a human world made it my favorite campaign in the series. Multiplayer is strong as always — now if we could just get Elite Slayer its own playlist so I never see it again.
Singularity – How this game didn’t get more attention is beyond me. Good action, interesting hook with the time altering powers… even the multiplayer was different and pretty fun.
Vanquish – Lack of multiplayer support probably made people shy away from it, but SEGA put an original spin on the game and the action is incredibly fast paced.
Call of Duty: Black Ops — Gritty campaign with interesting pseudo -historical undertones and another round of patented COD multiplayer. Mixing in the modern weaponry felt forced, though, and at the end of the day, it’s not Modern Warfare 2.
BioShock 2 – Came down to three games for one slot (BFBC2 and Transformers WFC were the others) but 2k’s juggernaut gets the nod. Yeah, it wasn’t as amazing as the original, but the combat was a bit better and it did have multiplayer — too bad they botched the map pack so badly.
WINNER: Halo: Reach
Category #4: Biggest Disappointment
THE CONTENDERS
Naughty Bear — Funny premise from which the developers could’ve gone a hundred different directions. Instead they recycled the same gags and made the combat a chore.
NBA Elite ’11 – Promised huge things and then was such a train wreck that they cancelled the game. IGN called it noble of them, I call it damage control.
Lost Planet 2 — Maybe they should have followed EA’s lead. Seriously, WTF happened?
WINNER: Lost Planet 2
Category #5: Game of the Year
THE CONTENDERS
Mass Effect 2 — One of two games to earn a 5/5 from me, I initially bristled at the scaling back of RPG elements, but in a year where I’ve been so busy there have been numerous games I haven’t even played yet I found time to spend over 90 hours as Command Shepherd.
Red Dead Redemption — An absolutely brilliant game, RDR has an excellent story, amazing scenery and some really unique twists. The multiplayer is pretty fun if a bit simplistic, and their post-launch support has been totally wizard!
God of War III – One word: graphics. While the gameplay might’ve followed the formula seen in every other GoW title this was a true next generation experience.
WINNER: Red Dead Redemption
