2010 was a landmark year for gaming that produced several masterpieces still revered today. What was it about 2010 that sparked such an outpouring of beloved and influential titles?
In this post, we‘ll revisit 10 unforgettable games from 2010 and analyze why they remain so captivating for both nostalgic fans and new generations of gamers discovering these classics.
Overview
The 2010 gaming landscape benefited enormously from the preceding console generation hitting full stride. Developers had learned to harness the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii/DS to their fullest capabilities and this peeked with several icons in 2010.
Franchises firmly established their identities while new IPs left indelible marks. Technological leaps empowered immersive cinematic storytelling and multiplayer mayhem. Accessible yet challenging gameplay catered to hardcore and casual crowds alike.
Let‘s explore the various landmarks that keep us returning to these astonishing 2010 gaming time capsules.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo reigned supreme in 2010 thanks to platforming royalty like Super Mario Galaxy 2 scaling new creative heights. Expanding on original‘s gravity-twisting adventures with grin-inducing levels and polish, this remains one of Mario’s shining moments.
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Release Date | May 2010 |
| Platforms | Wii |
| Metacritic Score | 97 |
| Genres | Platformer |
Why It Endures
- Retains charm and variety making it perhaps Mario‘s densest idea playground ever
- Vibrant artistic flair leaps off the screen with colorful, surreal worlds
- Ingenious level concepts with planetoids of all shapes to traverse
- Powerups like Rock Mario bowl over enemies with reckless abandon
- Gravity mechanics push your mastery while allowing casual accessibility
- Forgiving difficulty eases you in before scaling clever challenge mountains
Modern acrobatic masterworks like Super Mario Odyssey owe a great debt to gameplay concepts pioneered back in 2010. Nintendo recently released a port for Nintendo Switch bringing SMG2‘s virtues to modern audiences. It remains one of Mario‘s most delightful moveset showcases.
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar‘s cinematic open-world Western provided a haunting elegy for lawmen struggling with redemption as the inevitable end of the wild west approached. Its aching beauty and lively world left gamers yearning for more adventures across the fading frontier.
| Developer | Rockstar Games |
| Release Date | May 2010 |
| Platforms | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Metacritic Score | 95 |
| Genres | Open World, Action-Adventure |
Why It Endures
- Gorgeous panoramic vistas capturing lush Southwestern landscapes
- Dense open world brimming with outlaw adventures from sharpshooting to lasso wrangling
- Cinematic storytelling with powerhouse voice acting performances
- Deliberate gunplay prioritizing accuracy over speed
- Morality systems based on honor impacting reputation and outcomes
- Multiplayer modes become living legends beloved for years
Modern gaming‘s range of cinematic "prestige" projects across various developers traces its roots to landmarks like Red Dead Redemption in 2010 proving the medium‘s emotional depth. 2018‘s smash hit prequel Red Dead Redemption 2 clearly followed this template to massive success.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Among 2010‘s annual military FPS juggernauts, Treyarch‘s blistering Cold War epic Call of Duty: Black Ops won hearts with conspiracy-laced campaigns and frenetic multiplayer innovations.
| Developer | Treyarch |
| Release Date | November 2010 |
| Platforms | PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, OS X |
| Metacritic Score | 88 |
| Genres | First-Person Shooter |
Why It Endures
- Missions burst with high stakes moments across memorable locales
- Arcade-style FPS action remains polished and accessible
- Zombies co-op mode introduces key upgrades to meta-progression mechanics
- Compelling Cold War plot full of paranoia and betrayals
- Multiplayer features like Codcasting and currency systems grant longevity
The yearly Call of Duty franchise owes much success to pioneering ideas within 2010‘s Black Ops feeding competitive communities. Sledgehammer‘s similar Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War revived conspiracy-tinged campaigns to great effect in 2020.
God of War 3
Sony Santa Monica‘s gory PS3 swansong for Kratos cranked savage combat spectacle to delirious levels while concluding his apocalyptic war against Olympus‘ mightiest gods.
| Developer | SCE Santa Monica Studio |
| Release Date | March 2010 |
| Platforms | PS3 |
| Metacritic Score | 92 |
| Genres | Action-Adventure, Hack and Slash |
Why It Endures
- Fluid, devastating combos paired with grisly finishing moves
- Massive screen-filling god boss fights test dexterity
- Sweeping cinematic camera work amplifies spectacle
- Stunning set pieces like scaling Gaia as mountains crumble
- Trilogy finale caps off Kratos‘ Greek tragedy with savage grace
- 2018 franchise reboot uses this as tonal blueprint
Character action games thriving today using locked perspectival cameras owe God of War a great debt. Its visceral melee violence reached greater highs with 2018‘s more grounded, but equally vicious Nordic quest soft reboot on PS4.
Bioshock 2
2K Marin expanded on the iconic 2007 FPS by framing failure of Randian objectivist ideology in the underwater art deco domains of Rapture through poignant new lenses 10 years later.
| Developer | 2K Marin |
| Release Date | February 2010 |
| Platforms | PS3, Xbox 360, OS X |
| Metacritic Score | 88 |
| Genres | First-Person Shooter, Immersive Sim |
Why It Endures
- Striking visual design and warped retro-future aesthetic still stuns
- Provides insightful ideological examination through shooter lens
- Novel setting exploring objectivism gone awry retains mystery
- Intense plasmid abilities turn you into crazed one-man army
- Fresh perspective as a prototype Big Daddy protector
- Story links back to past characters and ideals
Many acclaimed immersive sims today like Prey and Dishonored owe a creative debt to Bioshock‘s groundbreaking environmental storytelling and gameplay marrying FPS action to ability-focused progression.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Nintendo revived DK sidecrolling escapades in lavish fashion while exemplifying tough-as-nails NES-style challenge. Developer Retro Studios (of Metroid Prime fame) adorned treacherous obstacle courses with toothy grins teeming with secrets.
| Developer | Retro Studios |
| Release Date | November 2010 |
| Platforms | Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Switch |
| Metacritic Score | 87 |
| Genres | Platformer |
Why It Endures
- Brilliant level design refined since 1994‘s DKC heyday
- Sadistic difficulty masterfully tuned to test veterans
- Charming animations brimming with character
- Colorful artistic flair pops even in 480p
- Tight, precise controls instantly responsive
- Jammin‘ tropical beats get your toes tappin‘
- Bosses push dexterity and pattern recognition to the limits
Nintendo clearly recognizes Donkey Kong Country Returns‘ greatness given ports to Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Switch delivering banana slamma mayhem to new generations. Its platforming inspirations shine in numerous examples like Yooka-Laylee and even Mario Odyssey.
Additional Enduring Favorites
Of course, 2010 offered a bountiful harvest of groundbreaking experiences beyond these 10 spotlighted titles.
- Mass Effect 2 perfected Bioware‘s space opera RPG formula with tighter combat and emotionally resonant squadmate missions.
- StarCraft 2 helped reinvigorate enthusiasm for high-level competitive RTS through state-of-the-art tutorials and meticulous balancing.
- Assassin‘s Creed Brotherhood expanded the open world stealth sandbox to the vivid Renaissance Rome brimming with black box missions.
- Fallout: New Vegas delivered Obsidian‘s flavor of quirky post-nuclear roleplaying complete with bizarre AI, game-breaking bugs and RPG depth for days.
- Civilization V addicted armchair emperors to "one more turn" with overhauled tactical terrain considerations and accessible user interfaces.
Conclusion
The diverse masterworks of 2010 left indelible impacts, either salvaging franchises from potential irrelevance or redefining genres going forward. Their winning formulas represent guiding design principles still followed today.
Which enduring classics from 2010 do you revisit year after year? Did I miss any of your favorites? What made 2010 such a landmark year still influencing modern gaming? Let me know in the comments below!
