Destructoid

This game was better than I thought it would be, and better than it perhaps should have been. With more refinement and redesigned (or eliminated) platforming, this could have been a classic in the beat 'em up genre, but as it stands, Splatterhouse is pretty damn good for what it is, and packs enough content to keep fans satisfied. Ridiculous gore, silly metal music, and endless amounts of brutal, nostalgic combat.

Even beyond the 1,000 cars, dozens of track variations, countless modes, gorgeous visuals and mountains of options, Gran Turismo 5 has something more that speaks to the world's car lovers and racing fans. The level of care taken by the people at Polyphony Digital shines in every aspect of this title, and this makes for a racing game that truly has no parallel. Gran Turismo 5 is a massive love letter to those that love cars.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is an absolutely superb effort from Game Republic. It remains charming and sweet without ever becoming cloying or twee, with a genuinely interesting story and a wonderful character in Teotl. The gameplay feels at once traditional and unique, and the overall experience is both remarkable and memorable. No other game released this year has quite so much heart as this.

It seemed to be an impossible task for Ubisoft to turn around a year after the release of Assassin’s Creed II and deliver such a polished follow-up to a game that many critics were calling one of 2009’s best titles. Yet, against all odds, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood exists in 2010, and it not only lives up to the hype, but it manages to completely outclass its predecessor. Brotherhood is a game that Assassin’s Creed fans simply cannot afford to miss, and one of best games this year.

Despite a few flaws, EA has developed a legit challenger to the MMA game championship. They have quite a few things going for them despite not having the UFC license. EA seems like it wants to make this work and if this first shot is any indication of the future of the series, they have come to fight hardcore.

The truly stunning single-player campaign offsets many of the multiplayer's flaws, and the Zombie mode is tons of hilarious fun, but neither manages to be lengthy or deep enough to make Black Ops the truly great game that I know it should be. This is an incredibly well-made game that, once patched, will easily sit among the hottest titles of the year. As it exists right now, however, I can't recommend the game for purchase.

All things considered, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 remains a rock-solid, highly accessible game that's as much fun to watch as to play. Though held back by some ill-conceived design gaffes, it's still chock-full of meaningful content sure to delight any fan of Naruto or anime games in general. True fans should rejoice at being able to actually play their beloved show, prospective fans can consider this an effective primer for the series at length, and non-fans should at least try it, especially if they can pair off with a player willing to do the grinding for them.

Criterion hasn’t rebooted the Need for Speed series, instead taking classic key elements and injecting them with new life for the current generation. It delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games -- racing or otherwise -- can. Hot Pursuit is not only a defining moment for the series, but for arcade-style racing, period.

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage has its frustrating moments, and requires a player with a love of button mashing, but it is ultimately a heap of simple and gory fun that pays a lot of respect of the franchise upon which it is based. Although it could have done with more playable characters (where's my Juda!?), there is a huge amount of content, with story modes for each of the game's eight warriors taking several hours apiece to beat.

Unlike a lot of games from a small team, it doesn't try too hard to be different. Instead, it just strives to be the best at what it does, and it gets there. Team Meat has done more here to refine and evolve the genre that started with Donkey Kong than the real Donkey Kong sequels (including the Super Mario series) have done in ages. For that alone, I can say that Super Meat Boy stands amongst my favorite games of all time.