PC gamers have been treated to one of the best years in terms of the quality of games coming out for the system. There weren’t many new franchises that made their way to the platform in 2010, but a host of sequels and iterations of some of the most highly acclaimed franchises have dominated the top PC games for 2010. Let’s countdown to the Top 10 PC games of 2010 on the basis of critic ratings, ingenuity and amazing gameplay.
#10 Â S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Â Call of Pripyat
The game takes place straight after the end of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, where the government is investigating the cause of a failed operation. The player takes control of Alexander Degtyarev, a security service agent, who is sent into the zone to investigate the crash sites. The atmosphere of game is absolutely fantastic and someone familiar with the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series might enjoy it even more. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – COP, Stalkers wander the zones searching for artifacts, loot and firefights. There are some side-quests too apart from the main story. To sum it all up, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. –  Call of Pripyat is a powerful, harrowing experience.
After playing the PC version of Splinter Cell: Conviction, you may feel that Sam Fisher is not only a mad person but a little cranky too. The conviction tells Sam’s conspiracy bitten story in a miscellaneous way, and its slick execution moves are fun to perform, particularly in the game’s cooperative mode. Executions look really slick. Superb storytelling gets you into Sam’s head, Great soundtrack keeps you immersed in the game. The game is fun till it lasts, unfortunately it does not last long, the single player campaign is pretty short. The Ubisoft always online DRM isn’t a pleasant experience.
It’s the world of Metro 2033, where the depressive atmosphere fills each and  every corner and is so well cultivated that the relentless gloom can start to wear you down. Yet your journey is a lengthy and intriguing one, full of dramatic moments and tense action. Rich, pervasive atmosphere along with beautifully detailed environments pulls you into the game. The game rewards exploration and observation which is a part of most survival horror action oriented games.
An open-world sandbox game, JC 2 takes place in the beautiful fictional island of Panau in Southeast Asia. Just Cause 2 is wonderfully ridiculous in the possible best way. Within the space of a few moments, you can get on to a hovering helicopter, or could beat up the pilot and hijack the chopper. You may also blow up a cluster of fuel tanks and watch the resulting explosion as you parachute down over a moving motorcycle below. Enormous, varied island to explore with lots of things to do. More than 100 vehicles to drive and pilot, you can pull off all sorts of crazy stunts. Blowing up stuff can be a whole lot of fun and the visuals are absolutely fantastic.
Assassin’s Creed II carries on the tradition and culture beautifully, inspiring you to rethink the conspiracy at the heart of the series–and to reconsider what you should be expecting from a sequel. The franchise’s second outing is an impressive piece of work and a huge improvement on its predecessor. A greater variety of missions, weapons, and stealth techniques compared to the original make your experience worthwhile. The game also has a great set of controls making it easier to find your way through the open world non-linear gameplay. The Ubisoft always online DRM isn’t a pleasant experience.
BioShock 2’s rapture is just as haunting and atmospheric the second time around, although the sunken tomb of rapture has been lost under much of the mystery that made it so much memorable. Things might seem a bit too familiar for fans of the original, and the story that accompanies your journey is not as impressive or shocking as the original one, but nonetheless Bioshock 2 is an impressive game. It has an expanded set of moral quandaries which takes the immersion to a while new level. The improved combat mechanics makes it fun, the game also has an engaging multi-player mode which some of you might fancy.
In Battlefield: Bad Company 2,  the online multiplayer mode is a complete standout, it features huge maps, destructible environments, really powerful vehicles, and tremendous sound design. The draw distance and beautiful vistas are a treat to the eyes and the impressive destructible environment forms a key element of the gameplay. The single player campaign has a ton of cinematic moments and is a solid 6-7 hour experience, but the real star of the show here is multiplayer which will keep you coming back for more.
Civilization V is another instance of turn based bliss that’ll keep you from socializing for a long time to come. It makes various exercises of its power on your mind by making use of many tricks the series has long been known for. The efforts to make the interface more user friendly might lead you to believe that Civ V dumbs down the series, but make no mistake the apparatus powering the game is as complex as ever. One last turn…
Mass Effect 2 is a landmark game, and lives to the hype of a sequel to the original which was a smash hit. The epic sci-fi role playing game continues the story of Commander Sheppard, and his journey to avert an impending galactic apocalypse. Probably one of the most cinematic, interactive and dramatic role playing ever created, Mass Effect 2 is a rpg fans’ dream. It is one of the most personal video game experiences ever created, as your choices will affect the story in a profound way. All the technical issues associated with the original game have been listened and corrected in this sequel. It is a gorgeous looking space opera not to be missed by rpg fans.
A decade long wait, finally ended in 2010 with Starcraft 2 : Wings of Liberty hitting store shelves around the world, mostly importantly in South Korea where the game is considered a national sport. Blizzard plays it safe with probably the biggest release of 2010 by not changing the core gameplay mechanics radically. High production value with some amazing cut scenes create an equally impressive single player campaign which follows the Terran race is fantastic to say the least and perfect for those intimated by the highly competitive multiplayer. The three factions in the multiplayer mode are very diverse, and learning new tricks and tactics will keep you busy for a very long time and could be very addictive.
