Tom Chick's list of 10 games that came out in 2010

[Oblivion]

10) Super Mario Galaxy 2
I don't really make a habit of hanging around at Gamerankings.com, but if I did, I'd see that this is literally the highest rated game this year. I mean, don't get me wrong, this is a fine platformer, even with the awful Yoshi bits. But do reviewers just add an extra 20% to their ratings for Mario nostalgia? I ask because I have to be careful to subtract 20% for Kirby nostalgia from the platformers that actually deserve an artificially inflated rating.

9) Call of Duty: Black Ops
Yeah, sure, the multiplayer is a great iteration of the Modern Warfare formula created by Infinity Ward. But some of my initial enthusiasm about the bots and the zombie mode have cooled as I've discovered how limited they really are. And although the single player has a piquant Cold War twist, it's the same gruel we've been spooned all along, getting thinner by the year.

Transformers: War for Cybertron
Hey, I was told this was really good, without even having to apply the disclaimer "for a Transformers game". Instead, it felt busy, cheap, and plastic. In other words, just like a Transformers game.

7) Heavy Rain
So, some people really liked this, huh? A clunky adventure game with terrible voice acting, creepy puppet actors, and a shamelessly manipulative story? I really liked what Heavy Rain was trying to do. What it actually did, not so much.

6) God of War III
How far Kratos has fallen. Remember when his angsty snarling and R-rated brawling was kind of provocative, and didn't take itself so seriously? It's a pretty sad state of affairs when a hatchet job like Splatterhouse is more interesting than this underdone AAA release.
.
5) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Electronic Arts' branding giveth (Shift) and taketh away (Hot Pursuit). The real disappointment is that developer Criterion was once great. You'd never know by this throwaway ribbon racer.

4) Halo: Reach
Halo 3 ODST 1.1

3) Mass Effect 2
Take Mass Effect and strip out the RPG elements so that you're left with a not very good shooter about a whole lot of busy work, mainly involving aliens addressing their family problems, before going on a 20 minute mission to save the universe. And...scene! Also, planetary scanning. Lots of planetary scanning.

2) Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar's latest entry in their ongoing series of games with great atmosphere and interesting ideas scuttled by tone deaf writing and half-baked game design. But, hey, cowboys and a surprise ending!

1) Starcraft II
It's a great year for RTSs of all stripes. Ruse, Command & Conquer 4, Darwinia+, Supreme Commander II, Swords and Soldiers, League of Legends, Heroes of Newirth, and Settlers 7 all brought their own cool twists to the genre. We also got great expansions for Dawn of War II, AI War, and Gratuitous Space Battles. Yet Blizzard's Starcraft II gets all the attention for playing it safe and e-sporty, demonstrating once again Blizzard's triumph of polish over substance and gamers' willingness to mistake it for inspiration.

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/12/the_ten_most_overrated_games_o.php

[pilonv1]

No surprises there if you've read anything from him before.

[GilloD]

Tom Chick really likes the ludic end of game playing. And I understand that. But then maybe you shouldn't be a game critic in 2010. Visual/narrative presentation is a part of the package and his inability to regard that as worthwhile is like complaining that movies today aren't as good as ye olden stage playes.

I like his REAL TALK, but he's just kind of a pro-Troll.

[Eel O'Brian]

Transformers: War for Cybertron

really.

really?

really?

you couldn't think of another game to fill that slot?

wait, lemme check a couple of things

...

yep, figured:

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/02/the_fantastic_and_poignant_bio.php

http://www.gameshark.com/reviews/3563/Crackdown-2-Review.htm

i'm probably never going to see eye to eye with him on anything

and i mean anything

like, if he were to say to me, "you know, this water sure is wet" i would have to splash around in it a little bit just to be sure

[Van Cruncheon]

like, if he were to say to me, "you know, this water sure is wet" i would have to splash around in it a little bit just to be sure

[ManaByte]

By giving him traffic you're only encouraging more stupidity.

[Eel O'Brian]

i find his writing and the reactions it provokes immensely entertaining, but i disregard his opinions entirely when it comes to selecting games for purchase

[BobFromPikeCreek]

My favourite hater.

[Diunx]

3) Mass Effect 2
Take Mass Effect and strip out the RPG elements

Himuro vindicated.

[Stoney Mason]

i'm probably never going to see eye to eye with him on anything

The smartest and most moving videogame I've played in the last ten years. And I only put the ten year cap there because I don't remember many videogames beyond ten years. But if you ask me in 2030, I suspect I'll remember Bioshock 2.

I always post this quote just because its so funny and absurd.


You know opinion are opinions. Dude is entitled to his opinions. I certainly sometimes have unusual opinions on how I feel about some games or other forms of entertainment. It's just his attitude and how transparent his gimmick is.

Tomorrow: ten games you should have played but didn't.

Fuck You.


Then again he's not too different than a lot posters on GAF and a few on evilbore honestly.

[Bocsius]

Never heard of him.

But I can't hate on him if he lampoons the latest Halo.

[Eel O'Brian]

Also, while I agree with his assessment of the writing in RDR, he's way the fuck off about the game design.

in RDR you can:

Collect bounties on criminals
Hunt animals and sell their hides
Lasso and break horses
Wear a bandana over your face and commit hold ups
Hogtie whores and nuns and throw them onto railroad tracks, then rob the train which ran over them
Perform sharpshooting challenges
Raid gang hideouts
Play poker and dice games
Camp out
Accept gunfighting challenges from punks trying to make names for themselves
Participate in the Mexican Revolution and work both sides of it
Herd cattle
Help out a Snake Oil salesman by putting on an impromptu shootin' show

What the hell else do you want out of a game set in the Old West?

[Stoney Mason]

Also, while I agree with his assessment of the writing in RDR, he's way the fuck off about the game design.

The thing is when game reviewers talk about writing I immediately dismiss them. They couldn't judge writing or storyelling if their lives depended on it. That's why they aren't reviewing movies or books or anything like that. But I get this sense that they talk about such things because they think it makes them sound more elevated. The laziest hackiest thing a review can do is overly comment on writing or the story in an interactive medium.

And then of course any argument he makes about writing can be completely dismissed anyway after that Bioshock 2 statement. Review the fucking game. Leave your opinion about storytelling and your faux movie criticisms in the garbage where they belong.  

[Eel O'Brian]

of course, i am totally gonna read his "games you should have played" list tomorrow

[Eel O'Brian]

i know it's childish, but knowing people hate things i like makes me like them a little more

"this thing that i am enjoying made someone else miserable, haha"

[Stoney Mason]

On the other hand, the laziest hackiest thing a game designer can do is rely overly on story.  See: RDR

I won't overly get into my opinion on RDR because that's sort of my point. Its immaterial. Writing in such true evaluative sense is a pointless discussion in videogames. I will say tell me whatever videogame you think has a great story and somebody else will shred it apart. Videogames are more about immersion rather than technical writing chops. RDR may not have been your cup of tea but the immersion for a lot of people into that world and that character was high. Whether I agree or disagree with that is a separate issue. A large number of people bought it and liked it and enjoyed it quite a bit for that immersion. Beyond that the argument is fairly moot for me.

  

[Bocsius]

of course, i am totally gonna read his "games you should have played" list tomorrow

I am totally comfortable in the list of games I have played in 2010, so I don't need to seek out the chastisement of a heretofore unheard-of gaming blogperson, if that is the appropriate description of whomever he is.

However, if someone posts the list here, I may take a glance and comment anyway.

[Stoney Mason]

i know it's childish, but knowing people hate things i like makes me like them a little more

"this thing that i am enjoying made someone else miserable, haha"

The only reason I tend to go there occasionally or post his stuff is the same reason I rubberneck around traffic accidents. I know something gruesome or gnarly is potentially around the corner and I have an innate desire to witness it and then respond and tell other people. As in omg do you see that dude got his head decapitated! Or omg this semi-respected person in certain quarters who partially makes a living doing this said some stupid shit!

It's my vice. The same way others might watch reality TV.

[Eel O'Brian]

in my defense, i do make an effort not to be an asshole about it!

[Eel O'Brian]

sometimes

[iconoclast]

I'm genuinely interested in tomorrow's list. I'd bet money on Alpha Protocol being on it, probably as the #1 game.

[Stoney Mason]

I'm genuinely interested in tomorrow's list. I'd bet money on Alpha Protocol being on it, probably as the #1 game.

Of course it will be on there.

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/06/11_ways_alpha_protocol_is_bett.php
http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/07/the_best_games_of_2010so_far.php


I'm pretty sure I can guess at least 5 of them that will be there. MAG will also make it I'm sure.

[Eel O'Brian]

yeah, i played some mag this weekend, trying it out with the move controller (and normal controls)

i could keep it from gamefly for $11

i might consider keeping it if they have some bizarro christmas special where they pay me $11 to not send it back

[iconoclast]

I haven't played Alpha Protocol, but this is true at least:

8. As a story
Mass Effect 2's storyline is 90% "Hey, we're getting the band back together!" backstory, with 10% actual saving the galaxy at the end. It makes for a disjointed story, with the main dramatic conflict simmering on the back burner while you help your sidekicks work out their family issues.

[Stoney Mason]

Why isn't Civ 5 on the list btw. He reviewed it and gave it a C and that game has a Metacritic score of 90.

But Transformers does make his list. 

I'm out until tomorrow where I'm sure I'll be back to carp at the silliness of that list.  

[etiolate]

You don't need to be a literature dude to dismiss the writing in most games, but even if you want that expertise there has been writers who have shed the same opinion on game writing. I try to keep the ludic and narrative together when discussing story merits. It's best for gaming.

I don't think I'll understand the want to be a troll, and Chick is such. You're crying wolf so hard that nobody is going to ever listen to you when you actually have something to say. Why throw away your voice like that?

[Sho Nuff]

Poor Tom 

[EmCeeGrammar]

I agree with this list, although I wish he would have explained his SMG2 reasoning a little more. Something about that game didn't click with me and I think I need to see someone else verbalise it before I can figure out why.

[magus]

try this?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1871-Super-Mario-Galaxy-2

[tiesto]

Only games I bothered to play on that list are Galaxy 2 and ME2. I thought Galaxy 2 wasn't as refined as the first Galaxy, as it tended to rely even more on gimmicks, had the AWFUL green star collectathon at the end (if you're an OCD 100% completionist like me), had shorter and less fulfilling levels, and didn't have that whole "wow" factor the first Galaxy did. ME2 was a vast improvement over the first game in terms of gameplay, but I wasn't a big fan of the whole daddy issue solving storyline.

[CajoleJuice]

I agree on RDR.  Played half of it, and once I got over the fun of just riding around shooting shit but after that I couldn't muster the energy to do anything more, and the story was pretty boring.

.

[iconoclast]

10 games you should have played in 2010:

10) Greed Corp
A simple strategy game about mining enough land to win, but not enough to drop yourself into an abyss. It's steampunky, but played while listening to a little jazzy ragtime! Read the review here.

9) Ancient Trader
Who knew a simple trading and exploration game would be the second best looking game of the year? Ancient Trader was only beat out by Just Cause 2 because Just Cause 2 had a bigger budget for artwork. Read the review here.

No Heroes Allowed
This funky dungeon ecology sim previously known as Holy Invasion of Privacy is finally accessible enough to be playable by mere mortals! Well, mere mortals with PSPs. Read the review here.

7) Bloody Good Time
The creators of the bravely original The Ship turn their psych-out, second-guessing, murder party into a slick multiplayer shooter.

6) Lead and Gold
A team-based shooter than gives you immediately visible bonuses for sticking with your team. In this Old West, you either live with your team or die alone. Read the review here.

5) Cladun: This Is an RPG
Or, as I like to call it, Cladun: This Is the Best RPG of 2010. Read the review here.

4) Monday Night Combat
Tower defense meets Team Fortress 2 in this innovative, spirited, colorful, and often cheesy shooter from some of the guys behind Demigod.

3) Hoard
Forget the king. It's good to be the dragon! This lovely little action/strategy game shows you how dragons can't just get away with a scorched earth policy. After all, you have to leave some of the kingdom standing or there won't be any princesses to kidnap. Read the review here.

2) Tidalus
The thinking man's Bejeweled 3. Read the review here.

1) Darwinia +
You can't just make a regular real time strategy game for a console system. So you have to do something clever and different, like Brutal Legend, Endwar, or Darwinia+. As a single player game, Darwinia+ is a wonderfully haunting combination of action, puzzle solving, and strategy. The multiplayer missions, which can be played online or against bots, are hectic and gleefully brutal massacres of tiny screaming virtual people. Read the review here.

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/12/ten_games_you_should_have_play.php

Not a bad list, I guess.

[Eel O'Brian]

bloody good time is awful and broken

[demi]

What a shitty list. Bunch of CRAP nobody knows.

[Joe Molotov]

2) Tidalus
The thinking man's Bejeweled 3. Read the review here.

If I wanted to think, I wouldn't be playing Bejeweled, distinguished mentally-challenged fellow.

[chronovore]

It's always funny seeing one of these Tom Chick things, because I don't follow the guy at all and my first reaction is that it's going to be a Chick Tract about videogaming:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_tract

Truthfully though, they're both ego-maniacal trolls.

[pilonv1]

7) Bloody Good Time
The creators of the bravely original The Ship turn their psych-out, second-guessing, murder party into a slick multiplayer shooter.

I like Chick and his writing, but I don't know how anyone finds this abomination enjoyable. Eel is right.

[Smooth Groove]

I'm pretty sure that Tom Chick and Armond White are the same person. 

[Eel O'Brian]

i paid $5 for it and the whole time i was playing it i kept thinking about the burger combo i could have spent that $5 on

[Raban]

How is The Ship? My friends and I have always agreed that we'll buy it as soon as Steam discounts it. My friend described the gameplay and it sounded amazing.

[Stoney Mason]

Come and get your tootsie rolls!

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/12/the_ten_most_disappointing_gam.php#more

[archie4208]

Civ5 in the top spot is no surprise, especially after his review at 1up.

[Eel O'Brian]

i never got a bioshock vibe off singularity (i think it's more of a half-life 2 riff), and also it is better than bioshock 2

[Smooth Groove]

So basically Tom Chick is no longer teh biased against Sony?

[demi]

Wheres Iconoclast at? Surely hiding after seeing Tom Chick call Vanquish a piece of crap anime episode. Ha ha ha

Suddenly not a good list...

[iconoclast]

Nope, no comment on his vanquish post. Makes no sense at all to me so I've got nothing to say about it. And I don't really care about the rest of the games on his list, so no comment about them either. Although I agree Alan Wake was very disappointing

[Stoney Mason]

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/12/the_ten_best_games_of_2010.php#more


9) Kane and Lynch 2

"Kane and Lynch 2 might not be a great game, but it sure is a haunting one"

 

[demi]

A much better list.


Split/Second > Blur AGAIN - btw.

This is the best thing to happen to racing games since the original Burnout.

[Stoney Mason]

http://fidgit.com/archives/2010/12/just_a_fond_farewell_to_a_frie.php

He's leaving that particular site also.

[Robo]

bioshock 2 

How did I not see that coming?

[Stoney Mason]

bioshock 2 

How did I not see that coming?

The funny bit for me is while I actually liked bioshock 2 more than most I literally can't even remember what the story was about. Not a single lick of it.

[Eel O'Brian]

1) Bioshock 2
I've already written a lot about Bioshock 2. So rather than write even more, I'll just say that of all the videogames to come out this year, none had something as important to say as Bioshock 2. That it says it in the context of a richly atmospheric and consistently surprising follow-up to my favorite game of 2007, with a nifty multiplayer game to boot, is just gravy.

Tom Chick:  "The sky sure is a pretty blue today."

Me:  (looks at Chick, squints at sky, back to Chick, pauses for a beat)  "I think you're full of shit."

[demi]

lol @ "nifty multiplayer to boot"

should have added "... when it works"

[Raban]

His top ten disappointments list is actually spot on.

this is what I said while reading it. I mean yeah, he mostly trolls, but that list was pretty sharp.

[naff]

Weird I find his opinion pretty accurate for the games I've played on that overrated list.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

His top ten disappointments list is actually spot on.

this is what I said while reading it. I mean yeah, he mostly trolls, but that list was pretty sharp.

"I can't tell if Ninety Nine Nights II is poorly designed or just Japanese, but it was a fun ride until the wheels came off."

[Raban]

[Eel O'Brian]

I have nothing against the guy, and I'm mostly joking in my comments (mostly - Bioshock 2 is a morally bankrupt game which tries to pull a blanket of sentimentality and compassion over itself in the last few moments for a truly wretched Disney-style ending).  I rarely ever agree with the guy, though. 

Like, with movie reviewers, I have a few sample movies which I love.  Whenever I come across a movie reviewer I haven't heard much about, I'll try to search for their reviews of those movies (if they ever reviewed them).  If they disliked the majority of the movies on my list, I know we don't really share any of the same tastes, and we're probably not gonna get along.  While I might still read their reviews for entertainment, I'll never put any trust in their opinion on which movies to see or avoid.  Chick is the same way for me, except for games.  Gerstmann's the same.  I enjoy listening to him, find him entertaining, but I'll never buy or dismiss a game based on his reviews.

[Stoney Mason]

I view opinions like batting averages. So to get a "hit" you either need to say something insightful (which means I may or not agree with the statement) or say something I inherently view as "correct".

So the occasional base hit isn't that impressive to me in the grand scheme of things. We all get base hits. It's your batting average on the whole that counts on whether somebody has good insights.

Incidentally, this is also how I judge posters.

[Raban]

I just don't really pay attention to reviewers, of anything, ever. I have really strange taste in just about everything, so mainly I use reviews to find out what a game, album, or film contains. Anything in regard to the "quality" usually sails right over my head so I can form my own unbiased opinion.

I'm also always willing to give every piece of art I see several chances before I form a final opinion on it. For example, I started five different games in Mass Effect before I was able to actually stick to it and play through the game.