10 best Xbox 360 games of 2010

6 December 2010

We previously looked at the 10 best PC games, and 10 best PS3 games of 2010. Today, it’s Microsoft’s turn. 2010 was a great year for gaming, and the world’s most played HD console enjoyed its fair share of high quality releases.

First off, we have the 10 games which were best received by reviewers across the board. For this, we take a look at Gamerankings 10 best games of the year. Gamerankings aggregates a wide variety of review scores from different publications and gives us an average. 

Gamerankings’ 10 best Xbox 360 games of 2010

1. Mass Effect 2 – 95.66%

2. Red Dead Redemption – 94.45%

3. Rock Band 3 – 92.43%

4. Halo: Reach – 91.70%

5. Super Street Fighter IV – 91.29%

6. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – 90.57%

7. Limbo – 90.48%

8. Super Meat Boy – 90.39%

9. Bayonetta – 89.80%

10. NHL 11 – 89.25 %

With that out the way, here were the Xbox 360 games that kept us busy this year.

Mass Effect 2

So far Mass Effect 2 is the strongest contender for our Reader’s Choice Game of the Year award. Perhaps the most memorable single player game of 2010 (with stiff competition from Red Dead Redemption, mind you), Bioware continued to amaze gamers with the latest iteration of the now iconic sci-fi RPG series. 

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Mass Effect 2 review 

Alan Wake

A criminally-underrated instant classic, Alan Wake is authentically spooky, stylishly atmospheric, and superbly resolved. This game managed to get just about everything right. The worst thing about it is that you’ll only ever get to play it for the first time once. 

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Alan Wake review 

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Okay, the single player campaign was definitively unremarkable. But the multiplayer – oh! – the multiplayer. The squad system is simply ingenious, Arica Harbour is glorious, and Rush mode must surely be one of the greatest inventions in the history of stuff ever. One copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2: About R300-R400. Crashing a helicopter into a campy-sniper-infested M-COM station: Priceless. 

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Bad Company 2 review 

Red Dead Redemption

More than just GTA in the wild west, RDR captured the hearts of gamers around the world with its memorable characters, mature narrative, and massive scope. 

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Red Dead Redemption review 

Call of Duty: Black Ops

The Xbox 360 version of CODBLOPS was probably the least buggy, and also the best selling version of the game for Activision. There is no denying that minus the bugs and lag, CODBLOPS is an incredible game. 

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Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer review 

Call of Duty: Black Ops single Player review 

Limbo

The most critically sucesful Xbox Live Marketplace release this year, Limbo offers gamers a uniquely creepy experience. 

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Limbo review 

Bioshock 2

For many, it did not quite reach the heights of its predecessor, but it still offered up something well worth playing, and succeeded by succesfully engaging players on an emotional level.  

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Bioshock 2 review 

Halo: Reach

Microsoft’s golden egg laying goose did not fail to deliver a game which millions swear by. We’re not all Halo fans, but you can’t deny the game’s ridiculous pervasiveness. 

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Halo: Reach review 

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Making it out just in time for Christmas, Brotherhood brought welcome innovations to one of modern gaming’s most beloved franchises. 

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Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood review

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction

2010 brought with it a new Splinter Cell, and while some long time fans of the series were displeased with some of the new game design choices, we thoroughly enjoyed Sam Fisher’s latest outing.

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Splinter Cell: Conviction review 

Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light

The Guardian of the Light successfully brought Lara Craft into the Xbox Live Marketplace in style. 

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Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light review 

Vanquish

One of the year’s most understated, but well received games – Vanquish offers a solid, compelling, action-packed and gorgeously rendered experience. 

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Vanquish review 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Bearing little resemblance to previous games in the series, this reboot offeres impressive longevity, high-end production values, and an all around solid action RPG gaming experience. 

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow review 

Fable III

Another Xbox 360 exclusive (for now), Fable III blew us away with its memorable personality and sweet voice acting. Sure it has its problems, but it is still one of 2010’s highlights. 

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Fable III review

What were your favourite Xbox 360 games in 2010? << Share your views in the forums

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