Anybody who watched the VGA's could have said, most of the awards were kinda BS. If I had the power to choose, I would have chosen the games a little differently. What I did was take most of the VGA categories, plus add a few of my own. While I know everyone has their own opinion that sometimes are vastly different then what I would call the "norm," I hope that there is a little sense in my reasoning.

Welcome to the EGA's

Best Xbox 360 game:

Well who didn't see this coming? I didn't play this game until about a week ago, and my god I missed out on so much. Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games that I have played all year. I wasn't a big fan of Mass Effect 1, but Bioware turned it around by making biotics more accessible and overall the gameplay was enhanced. Shepard's story is one that has you on edge until the credits, and not knowing what will happen on the suicide mission had me so fearful of what was going to happen next.

Runner up: Halo Reach

Halo Reach is an amazing game and easily the best halo gameplay wise. Unfortunately for Reach, ME2 came out the same year, easily winning best 360 game.

Best Playstation 3 game: Heavy Rain

While it's not the first game of this type, it is the first to do it well. I break this rule a few times, but I like games that are fresh and innovative and like to see them win. So when I see a new game like Heavy Rain that is a success, I think that it's a quality game that has great potential at being GOTY.

Runner up: God of War 3

It was hard to decide between this and Heavy Rain, but God of War had 2 other games to build off of while Heavy Rain was the first of its line. Very close call between these 2.




Best Wii game: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Yea...I know I like games that are original, but how do you not give one of the highest rated games of all time a top spot. SMG2 didn't add too much into the formula, but it improved what was already there. Miyamoto dumped the story, Rosalina, and all the gobbity glob. In return there is just pure Mario fun. With 242 stars to collect, there will be plenty of gameplay, and I even like to consider myself good at Mario, but these levels get super hard. The final world is just a straight kick in the nuts.


Runner up: Kirby's Epic Yarn

I just want to squeeze Kirby. Look how cute he is, how could you resist? Good game, but just not Mario Galaxy 2.

 Best Cross-Platform game: Red Dead Redemption

 Red Dead Redemption is good, really good. Rockstar took the western and made what I believe is the first 'good' western game and showed people that the wild west is a fun place to game. The narrative was beautiful and I grew to care for Marston and his struggle against Dutch and Edgar Ross.



Runner up: Call of Duty Black Ops

OMG! Black Ops is good!? It can't be! Yes people, Black Ops is actually a decent game with a fun single player that may not be different than its predecessors but still packs a punch. Zombies mode was updated and is a blast. The multiplayer is the most balanced COD yet. Plus Dead Ops, gotta love Dead Ops.

Best PC game: Starcraft 2

It only took 15 years to make, but I think it paid off. Like with Mario, it's hard to dispute a game that gets unanimous praise and perfect ratings. Korean's around the world are rejoicing ;)

Runner up: Amnesia The Dark Decent

After reading Lance's review, I wished I pc gamed more because between watching him play and his review, this game is scary as hell and is one of the scariest games out there.

Best Nintendo DS game: Super Scribblenauts

What happens when we take the first game and add adjectives? A hell of a lot of fun is what! The puzzles are super fun and adjectives just added to the craziness that is Scribblenauts.




Runner up: Pokemon Heart Gold/ Soul Silver

Don't hate, Pokemon Gold and Silver with updated graphics and a slew of new content equals a great time. I know hardly anyone shares the same enthusiasm for Pokemon as I do, but it still is nonetheless a good game.

Best PSP game: God of War Ghost of Sparta


So God of War is a good game on the console, what would happen to the series if it went portable. We learned that in Chains of Olympus, nothing happens and the charm of the series is still ever present as our lovable Kratos continues his rampage of vengeance. GoS continue this story and was overall a great success, showing that the PSP is possibly worth owning.

Runner up: Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker

Like with GoS, this game makes us reconsider the PSP, mostly the PSP is a joke among consoles, but every now and then these games shine on through, reminding us that there is slight hope that its actually worth the money.







Best Downloadable game: Super Meat Boy

It's a tough choice between this and the runner up, I could go with a good platformer that's about 4 hours long. Or then there's Super Meat Boy, who's insanity inducing gameplay will have you hooked until you beat it...and then some. The gameplay is so simple and the controls are flawless, any mistake is your own. With new levels consistently being added, SMB is sure to give you a great time for a long time.

Runner up: Limbo

Limbo is probably even simpler then Super Meat Boy, just make it to the right side of the screen and you'll win, yet the mysterious and brutal world around you will try to prevent you with all its power. The puzzles are fun and and surprisingly the replay value is pretty high.


GAME OF THE YEAR: dunnn dunnn dun is...



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Mass Effect 2



















What's funny is like I said earlier, I only played this game last week, otherwise the runner up would have easily won. But Mass Effect 2 has easily made the Mass Effect series from something I didn't care about to one of the best games I have ever played. The combat it effective and my only complaint is having to wait for your biotic to cool down before using any other biotics. The rpg elements are top notch and the story is so good. There was never a cut scene that I wanted to skip as I always wanted to know how the characters would interact with each other. Even the mineral hunting I found enjoyable. If you haven't played this game yet I highly urge you to go out there and experience one of the best games that is out there.

Runner up: Red Dead Redemption

I didn't think I would like this game too much at first as I didn't enjoy GTA4 that much. But after getting past that preconception, I learned that RDR was more than just a wild west version of GTA 4. One of my favorite things about RDR is the environment. The whole feel to it as you immerse yourself in Texas and Mexico and overall RDR is a great experience definitely worth picking up.


So that's the end of the EGA's. I imagine some of you agree or disagree. Feel free to comment back on what game you thought deserved recognition!