Best PC Games of 2010

As 2010 comes to an end, I am reminded that the PC is still simply the best game platform. Sure, PC's are lacking a couple of key advantages, most notably standard hardware and motion control, but PC's just cannot be beat when it comes to the variety and depth of the games available. In a year that saw the introduction of the Playstation Move and the Microsoft Kinect, PC's still reign when it comes to variety. PC's are more accessable to independent game developers, and there are so many more PC's in people's homes than any other platform (excepting possibly mobile phones, but they don't really count -- yet).

So, with all of this innovation, variety, and sheer artistry, what are some of my favorite games released in 2010?

10 - The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom - This quirky little game is what I would call an action puzzler. You'll need to be nimble and clever in order to solve the puzzles. The game has a vintage feel (it's in black and white for starters, and there are poetic interludes between levels that play like a silent movie).

You play the infamous P. B. Winterbottom, who must steal all the pies he sees. Each level is filled with pies for Winterbottom to steal. Your key power is that you can create a limited number of clones of yourself. You record yourself doing something in order to create these clones, and they will happily perform those movements over and over. Pies that your clones collect instantly go to you. The clone mechanic makes for some very interesting puzzles, and timing is usually key. This means that it's not just figuring out how to solve each level, you also have to time your actions right (thus the action part of action puzzler).

9 - Galcon Fusion - This game is one of those with a simple concept that quickly becomes surprisingly deep. You are in control of a space fleet in a galaxy filled with randomly sized and spaced planets. Your goal is simple, take over the galaxy. As you start each contest, each player has one homeworld. The rest of the planets start out as neutral worlds. Each planet has two numbers associated with it, the first represents how many troops currently occupy it, and the second represents the size of the planet, which affects how many troops it can produce.

During the game, you send ships from your planets to others. As your ships reach enemy or neutral planets, they reduce the number of troops there. Once you reduce the indigent population to zero, your troops take over and the planet turns to your color. Then it will begin to produce new troops for you based on its size.

Galcon Fusion includes several game types that vary the basic rules. It also includes both single and multi-player. The single player gets real tough real quick. The multi-player is an absolute blast. The simple rules of this game lead to a very deep strategy game.

8 - Worms Reloaded - Worms is a classic game that was originally released on the for the Commodore Amiga back in 1995. There have been several games in the series on just about every major gaming platform since then. However, worms on the PC has been a long time between installments. The last 2D based worms game was 'Worms World Party' in 2001. There have been several console versions since then, but not until this year with Worms Reloaded have we had a new worms game on the PC.

Worms Reloaded stays true to the original with extremely fun gameplay. The concept is simple. There are two teams of worm warriors that begin scattered on the battlefield. Each player takes one minute long turns where they can move and potentially attack with one of their army of worms in sequence. The attacks are reminicent of artillery games, with you lobbing, shooting, or dropping various weapons on the enemy.

And that's what makes any worms game great, the weapons. Worms Reloaded definitely doesn't dissappoint. All the classic weapons from past worms games are here, plus a bunch more. You'll be lobbing Holy Hand Grenades, steering Super Sheep, dropping Concrete Donkey's, and much more on the fearless worm warriors. It's total worm mayhem. And there are new game types as well, including a mode called Body Count, where you fight against wave after endless wave of enemy worms in order to see how long you can last.

7 - R.U.S.E. - RUSE is a realtime strategy game with a difference. The focus here is not simply on gathering resources and building the largest army quicker than your opponents. The key to winning at RUSE is strategy. Use the wrong units against the enemy and you'll be cut to shreds. Performing attacks is pretty much automatic, so you can concentrate on organizing your units effeciently against the enemy.

The game is set during World War II. The single player campaign gives you a series of focused missions that play like a boardgame. It's like playing chess with an army.

6 - Mass Effect 2 - Normally first person shooters are not my favorite type of game. Mass Effect 2 has a difference. This game uses cut scenes and character conversations to tell a story. Sure, the action and shooting is still there, but you'll also be reminded of 'choose your own adventure' stories by the conversations you'll have with NPC's. Based on your responses during the conversation, you'll open up different conversational paths and even different outcomes of the story elements. All the while enjoying great graphics and lots of shooting action.

5 - Puzzle Quest 2 - Puzzle Quest was an innovative combination of gem matching puzzle game and character leveling, quest completing RPG. When Puzzle Quest 2 came out I thought it might just be more of the same. However, there are key improvements that make this a complete game on its own. Puzzle Quest 2 has a higher concentration on spell casting, and also introduces weapons that you can use if you match enough 'action' gems. All this makes for a game that will have you unable to stop playing.

4 - Greed Corp - This is a strategy board game reminiscent of Risk. You get resource points for land that you occupy on the battlefield, but you get many more points by playing harvesters on your land. However, these harvesters slowly use up the land until it simply falls into oblivion. This means you need to balance between harvesting and occupying land in order to win. Also, a strategic move is to place a harvester next to enemy territory and watch it eat away at their land until it falls away (often with the enemies still on it). This all makes for a very strategic, fun game.

3 - Blood Bowl Legendary Edition - Blood Bowl is a great concept. Originally this was a board game played with miniatures. It was only later adapted to a PC game with great success. The concept is two teams of Warhammer characters playing a turn based game of football. The outcomes of most actions are determined by virtual dice rolls. You can manage your team through an entire campaign, a playoffs series, or a single game. As the coach, you determine the actions of all the players on your team. Each player has attributes that affect how far they can move, how well they block, how agile they are, etc.

The great part about blood bowl are the players, and the legendary edition introduces 11 new playable races in addition to the original 9. You can play with teams of Orcs, Goblins, Undead, Dwarves, Vampires, three different types of Elves, and of course Humans. Each race has different attributes and types of players, and thus different strategies. For example, Wood Elves are the best passers in the league, and Goblins tend to kill the other players rather than bother to advance the ball against them. All this combines to make a fun and funny strategy game.

2 - Civilization V - What can I say about Civ V? If you play PC games at all, you know the Civilization series from Sid Meier. Your goal in these games is nothing less than guiding your civilization from ancient times to the year 2050. Along the way you'll establish settlements and grow them into cities, you'll research technological advancements, you'll build a military, and you'll basically try to civilize your people. For most people, myself included, games in the civ series (Civ 2 in particular) are in serious contention for being the best PC game of all time.

So, what does this latest installment in the francise have to offer? Well, Civ V is more accessible, with all kinds of improvements to the player interface, and a bit of trimming down of some of the game concepts. This makes for a much more playable game for even newbies to the series. But there is still enough meat left for experienced Civ players to enjoy. Add in the fact that Civ V is nothing short of beautiful, and you've got a great game.

1 - Starcraft II - Finally, for my favorite game of 2010. Fans of Starcraft had a very long wait for this game, which was easily the most anticipated PC game of the year. The original Starcraft came out in 1998, and Blizzard has been promising the sequel for years. In true Blizzard tradition, they release only a handful of games, but every one is a bestseller. There is a reason for this. Their games offer great quality and innovation. They basically created the genre of real time strategy game with the original Warcraft, and perfected it with Starcraft.

So, was Starcraft II worth the wait? Well, I don't know about that, but it is one great game. The balance between the playable races and their various units is superb. The single player campaign is a great way to familiarize yourself with all the units and the strategy for each, but that's just the beginning. This game will have you coming back to play challenge maps, and take on a world of opponents via multiplayer. Starcraft II is simply the pinnacle of the RTS genre.


Only time will tell whether 2011 has such a great lineup of PC games, but I think that with releases like we've had in 2010, nobody can say that the PC is a dead platform. So, try some of these and enjoy.

-Ed Williams