Recently, IGN released their best PC Games of 2010, and so I though that I would comment on what they've chosen, and also what I would have chosen. It is important to note that I haven't played every single PC game which came out this year, and haven't completed many either, so feel free to complain about my inadequacy.
http://uk.bestof.ign.com/2010/pc/index.html
Best StoryIGN- Mass Effect 2
I am literally appalled by this choice. I mean, seriously? An unknown evil is coming to wipe out the galaxy, where have I heard that one before? IGN's justification that the ,"real stars of the game are all the interlocking story lines of Shepard's companions." just makes no sense. It's ridiculous to give a game the best story award, based on it's side-quests. My personal vote would probably have gone to Bioshock 2, which, despite having a weaker story than the original, still instills a sense of emotion about the characters you meet, and reveals even more about the downfall of Rapture.
Funniest gameIGN- DeathSpank
To be honest, the only game I've properly played on the list is Sam and Max Season 3, but having played the demo for DeathSpank, I can confidently say either game could have won. DeathSpank was created by genius Ron Gilbert (creator of the first two Monkey Island games), and so obviously has a high quantity of funny jokes, however it is slightly let down by the voice acting. In the case of Sam and Max, I've only played the first episode so far, but it does have some classic jokes.
Best Competitive Multiplayer
IGN- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Yeah, hard to argue with that one, as it should be after Blizzard spent so long on making it as great of a multiplayer experience possible. The original StarCraft was already one of the most highly competitive games ever released, and so all Blizzard had to do was change a few things and add in a leader board (not that difficult I'm sure). Actually, the addition of regional (Europe, America, Asia) rankings basically makes it one of the most competitive things you can ever play. Each region is split into several tiers (starting at Bronze for the worst) and each tier is split into several groups. You then play matches, and win to rise up the ranks, and eventually get promoted to a higher league. It is also one of the few games where every loss is an education, where you always learn how to play a little bit better. If you're interested in watching some professionals (and I promise you, the matches are exciting), I would recommend finding either HuskyStarCraft or HD StarCraft on Youtube.
Coolest Atmosphere
IGN- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Odd award this one, as they are essentially trying to quantify the unquantifiable, and people's experiences of games do change massively (also, why the hell is Mass Effect 2 in this category?). Once again, I'm forced to admit that I haven't played Amnesia, but I hear it's very good. However, my vote would definitely have to go to STALKER: Call of Pripyat, which is possibly the most terrifying game I have ever played. Night-time is essentially an exercise in suicide, as your torch is awful and many monsters have night-vision. This creates some of the most panicking situations, when you hear the howls and screams of the monsters behind you, as you sprint as fast as you can back to the safe area. There are no other experiences like it, and I heartily recommend it to anyone (remember, lights down, sound up).
Most Addictive Game
IGN- World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Did anybody see that Panorama show on the BBC the other week? The one about game addiction? Do you remember which game was targeted the most? That's right, it's World of Warcraft, which I still don't fully understand why people love so much. From what I've heard, it gets better at the higher levels. There are 80 levels. You start at 1. That's a lot of levels before it begins to get good. Despite Blizzard claiming they've made starting zones much better, I still don't believe them, as they're still full of "Kill 10 boars. Good job, now kill another 10 slightly different boars and bring me their hearts for my pie." The grind is unbelievable, and despite playing the free trial several times (including the newest Cataclysm version, so no I haven't played the new races), I've never, ever managed to get to the good part. My choice would be Civilization V, as it has the now-familiar turn-based feeling of "just one more turn". There's always a crisis to solve, or another civilization to destroy.
Most Innovative Gameplay
IGN- Mass Effect 2
OK, no this one is just wrong. IGN claim that it's the interconnected stories which are the innovative part of the game, but firstly that kind of comes under story, and secondly, Alpha Protocol did it much, much better. In fact, I would say Alpha Protocol and Splinter Cell would be joint for my vote. Alpha Protocol for it's fantastic dialogue system, and Splinter Cell for finally making a game in which you can be a properly unstoppable bad-ass, that can still die from a few bullets. Basically, if you add them together, you would get a 24 game where you get to play as Jack Bauer. And kill people. And probably headslam someone at some point (an option available in both games).
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