In keeping with the "11 going into 2011!" theme that NeoCracker doesn't want to admit to starting:

11. Final Fantasy XIII - as much as I want to crawl in a hole and cry because it wasn't the mindblowing revolution you'd expect from the first Final Fantasy of a console generation, I liked the characters, the story archs they hit you with in the first half of the game, and the combat system was definitely "next-gen." Not a great Final Fantasy, but a very good game IMO.

10. John Daly's ProStroke Golf - lol yes, i'm actually putting a golf game before FF! I played this with the Playstation Move and it really is something else. Tiger Woods on Wii/Move is really just the same game with a swing parameter, but here you really are practicing your golf game. I remember one time w/o using the direction graphic, i relaxed and imagined how i'd hit the shot in real life and I landed feet away from the pin. I really love playing 18 holes on this thing.

09. MAG - this game was more like an experiment, but I'm glad to have paid $60 to participate. The thing is, the game actually works; the 256 player battles are not congested, giving you great 8 on 8 moments when fighting for outer objectives, but welcomed chaos and a focus on your loadout classes when it comes down to the very end of the round. The only problem with MAG is the community - players never learned how become effective squad leaders and instead of the most tactical game of all time, you're usually playing a masterpiece command game where the officer utilize none of the features. I really wish they'd implemented some kind of officer training, a better manual, or SOMETHING because Zipper's failure to teach the community really ruined it.

08. Dead Nation - wow, this game is just so good, it's from the same makers of Super Stardust HD, so anyone looking for an amazing PSN downloadable game should absolutely get it. The use of lighting is so insane and the game is a legitimate challenge which is really appreciated. Can't wait to play more co-op honestly.

07. Call of Duty: Black Ops - sucking away all my attention from other games b/c with how busy I usually am, it's nicer to be able to play a couple equick 7-10 minute matches and progress just a little bit. While I miss the polish and production values of MW2, I think everything is just better in this game, far more balanced, more personality to the maps, and potentially even more variety with the equipment and attachments. Loved the story with Ed Harris and Gary Oldman lending talent, it felt like a more substantial campaign in length even if it isn't as action-packed. I was really impressed with Treyarch on this one.

06. Medal of Honor - it feels good to give it the edge of Black Ops because it reaffirms that I'm still a story gamer. Personally I was incredibly let down by the multiplayer, especially because of how big of a DICE fan I am. But the single player is what really did it. It's another short campaign, but the sense of comraderie, the thrill of the night missions, and the immersion of the self-contained locale made for a very, very memorable campaign. I'm a pretty leftist kinda dude, but when the credits rolled I was overcome by a strong emotion of patriotism. This was the first time I was really shown what is actually going on over there for our troops in Afghanistan, and it convinced me that we are doing the right thing over there, even if the prospect of an Afghan state is unlikely.

05. Heavy Rain - WOW, was this a defining moment this generation, and a historical bullet for video games as an artistic medium thus far. I can't even begin to explain the emotions this game forces you to feel, the extreme empathy for the characters and their plights, the terror of Ethan's challenges, the sympathy for Madison's loneliness, the warmth of Shelby's acts of kindness. This is one of the games that embodies why the PS3 is different from other consoles today and why Sony is different from other publishers.

04. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - wow, what a blast to play. Every MGS by Kojima is guaranteed to be an unbelievable ride and even this PSP iteration delivered. Awesome, awesome story, cool characters, important socio-political themes (explored in detail in the conversations), great gameplay, and TONS of Extra Ops to play on that bus ride to school. There's so many little cool things about it like the cinematic feel of the subtle camera shakes, the menu screens and noises, and the way it makes your PSP look like a cassette player with the extra character convos. Only disappointed in that it's a little easy to just go through holding everyone up then using the Fulton recovery system, but in co-op it's still crazy cinematic and awesome to play with a friend, sneaking around mischeviously. Love this game so much.

03. Gran Turismo 5 the 5 years of work on this game shows. I probably said it in the other thread, but this game went far beyond what you expect from a racing sim, the game serves as a testament to all aspects of motorsport in all areas of the world, from the top gear show in england, to the AMG and Nurbrughing in Germany, NASCAR in the states and all the crazy stuff they love in Japan. From challenges with Volkswagen busses in the 60's to learning just how much technique it takes to be successful in NASCAR, it's like an appreciation class for a huge part of human history. The soundtrack is over 150 i think and is awesome in itself, and the graphics just about as good as we could have expected.

02. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - this is the game where I absolutely loved both the single player and multiplayer so much, I really think this is a candidate for best shooter this generation. DICE played down the campaign by saying they're still new to single player, but I feel they hit it out the park with a classic FPS campaign. From starting in World War II to ending on an airplane, and all the little interesting moments they made in between, along with the classic sandbox shootouts of the multiplayer, the campaign was a 10 out of 10 for me. Some things seem taken from other games, like shooting out the back of a truck in a high speed chase, calling in airstrikes, and chopper gunner scenes, but the fact that these are all things you can expect to do in battlefield's multiplayer really makes it more.... sincere.

The multiplayer was a little cheap with how they trickled down maps periodically for "VIPs" who bought the game new, but the fact that we were all satisfied with 5 maps for each mode is a testament to how rich the maps are and how incredibly solid the progression and customization system is. This is a legitimate, fun team-based game, I love the synergy of your little squad of four and if you play it with 3 buddies you're in for a great night of gaming. It touches upon the movement and shooting mechanics of Killzone, with the colorfulness of Halo, the equipment aesthetics of Call of Duty, and the vehicular aspect that only Battlefield and DICE can pull off. I could go on forever, but this is one of my favorite games this generation.

1. God of War III - I have to give it to this game for #1. Creatively, this may be the biggest artistic achievement in gaming. The little colors on everything, the variety within those colors that you see, how it looks in motion, especially with the motion blur, the angles of the camera as your fighting and how it changes for the QTE's, this game just oozes with creative genius. It's easily the best opening gameplay sequence, ever, and although the ending cutscene was an atrociously terrible way to end the series, it's not really a snowball. There are a few moments sprinkled throughout the game that are just so unbelievably epic, and (SPOILER)the Labyrinth represents how creative the guys n gals at Sony Santa Monica are, where you're taking the three pillars of the series and have you fighting, platforming, and solving puzzles all at the same time. I think they improved the combat a little bit with being able to seamlessly transition into your next weapon, tying them to your magic, and adding in the various abilities with the items to bring this game more in line with the more stylish hack-n-slash titles.

Also, I think this was the best structured story, the entire game takes place on mount olympus, from the base of the mountain in hades to the very top where Zeus looks out on the world he manipulates and all the awesome little locations in between. This is a game made to show just how far ahead of every other developer in the industry this studio is and with the exception of maybe Naughty Dog and Guerilla Games, they certainly succeeded.