A new year has begun, a year that promises to be another great one for gamers. But before we close the books on 2010, we’ve asked our writers to think back to the year just completed and select the best of the best. Here, then, in no particular order, are our choices for the best games that we reviewed in 2010. You’ll find the diversity of games matches the diversity of our writers, who stretch from London to Seattle, and who do this all for the love of the hobby. Read on and enjoy, and don’t forget to let us know what you think!

Call of Duty: Black Ops

What’s not to like about this epic first-person shooter? The single-player campaign takes storytelling in a video game to the next level by mixing flawless narrative with the right amount of action. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then play the first level to see how the rest of the game is presented. It sucked me in from start to fantastic finish because it got me attached to all the characters. Even though the story rocked my socks, multiplayer is what truly makes me love this game. I can spend hours (days if I didn’t have a job and a girlfriend) in Black Ops online. If I were ever asked to describe my perfect Call of Duty:Black Ops game night, it would be meeting up with some buddies online, trash talking before a hardcore game starts in the pre-game lobby, and owning in that hardcore game, followed by trash talk in the post-game lobby. Then repeat. —Patrick Watts

God of War III

Having to pick my favorite game of 2010 is easy. But when choosing from a list consisting solely of games I reviewed in 2010, the task becomes much tougher. After looking through the games I reviewed last year, I became torn between Heavy Rain and God of War 3. Heavy Rain had an incredible story and it was unique. God of War was spectacular, but it was a sequel. After further consideration, I decided to go with God of War 3. The visuals, the visceral combat, and the voice acting were near perfect, and the game was thrilling from start to finish. —Jason Iatomasi

Alan Wake

Though I rated Halo: Reach higher, my favorite game I reviewed in 2010 was Alan Wake. Halo: Reach had better gameplay, but Alan Wake rewarded me with a unique experience. It helps that I grew up as a rabid Stephen King fan. As a native New Englander, King’s horrors always seemed just outside my doorstep, so seeing a King-esque pulp fiction transported to the spooky, fog-shrouded Pacific Northwest just sucked me in from the beginning. While the actual gameplay eventually reverts to rinse-and-repeat retreats from various scenic locales—with your character using the same tactic of blasting darkness with light to weaken his pursuers—I was always pushing through those middling combat scenarios to follow this narrative down whatever twisty rabbit holes developer Remedy burrowed through next. It might’ve been a long time coming, but Alan Wake was a shining light upon arrival. —Ed Humphries

Mafia II

I played an awful lot of good games in 2010 (on the flipside, I played a lot of awful games, too), but out of all my assignments, the standout amongst them all had to be Mafia II. The wise-guy exploits of Vito Scaletta and his buddy, Joe, against the beautiful backdrop of Empire Bay was engrossing story-wise, well-acted, and featured my favorite soundtrack of 2010 to boot. Looking back now, I view Mafia II more as a “buddy” flick than a tightly-written mafioso movie gone interactive. The interplay between Joe and Vito is unforgettable, and at the end you can’t help but feel a little shocked or sad when that final cutscene rolls. It’s a pity that the downloadable content didn’t capitalize on this, otherwise we might have had something really special on our hands. I suspect that if there’s ever a proper sequel, we’ll finally get some answers, though—or at least a shot at some well-deserved revenge. —Andrew Clark

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Amnesia was without doubt the best game I reviewed this year because it scared me out of my wits. The first-person gameplay kept me constantly on the edge of my seat, and I never knew what was going to come next. Combining action and puzzle-solving, this game used none of the standard cheap formulas to shock you, and it was an unmitigated success. —Bob Mandel

Solomon’s Keep

You’re probably dismayed at seeing an iPhone game on a “best of” list. You’re thinking, “iPhone games aren’t real games,” but you’re wrong, and here’s why: Solomon’s Keep reminded me that a quality gaming experience isn’t solely based on length of play, intimidatingly complex storylines or ridiculous budgets. The game is a dungeon crawler with tremendous replay value, stemming from a near-perfect amount of character customization and addictive looting possibilities. Solomon’s Keep offers most of the elements I look for in a game, but on a scale that doesn’t hurt my wallet or detract from my real-world responsibilities. —Matthew Booth