It's that time again, folks. Just as I did back in 2009 and 2008, here is my incredibly imprecise and unscientific top 10 list of games from the past year. The only ones I'm really set on are the top three; everything past that could shuffle around depending on how I feel on a particular day. So let's just call this my favorite games of 2010 for Monday, January 3 at 9:54am.

10. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved suffered from awkward movement issues and a camera best described as jaunty, but it was a beautifully crafted game set in a landscape both gorgeous and heartbreaking, and the nuanced characters were a real treat to spend time with.

9. Fallout: New Vegas

I decided to wait a couple months for this game to get patched up, and all signs point to a smart decision--New Vegas is an engrossing adventure set in a world where it's a blast to simply wander around and allow yourself to get lost in the atmosphere.

8. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed II was my favorite game of 2009, and when they announced a sequel was coming out just one year later, I was worried. Clearly I was wrong, because even though Brotherhood isn't as special as its predecessor, it's still a terrific game that bears the series' quality standards quite well.

7. Dragon Quest IX

I'm a dyed in the wool Dragon Quest fan, so it's pretty much a guarantee you'll see the series make my list any year a new DQ is released. But don't let that detract you from Dragon Quest IX, because what Level 5 has done here with the fabulous loot system and story sequencing really adds new life to the series.

6. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I was a little disappointed that DICE scaled back the sense of humor in the story campaign, but this game's stellar multiplayer more than made up for it. I was addicted to this game in a pretty fierce way when it came out back in March, going from class to class as I maxed out each upgrade tree. But in my heart of hearts, I'll always be a sniper.

5. Heavy Rain

When I set out to put this list together, I wasn't expecting to rank Heavy Rain so high. But the more I looked back on my experience with this game, the more memorable it was. It's not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a very special one--and a game that I loved.

4. Halo: Reach

I was a huge fan of the new direction Bungie took with ODST's choose-your-own-adventure campaign, so I wasn't sure what to make of a return to a more traditional structure when Reach was first announced. What a fool I was.

3. Alan Wake

Alan Wake is a real testament to just how far atmosphere and novel storytelling can get you when the gameplay itself is nothing to write home about. Dark and gloomy in all the right ways, Alan Wake's wilderness was a terrifying place to spend time in. But you add to that a story that unfolds in non-chronological fashion with an out-of-order manuscript page system, and what you've got is a game that toys with you, almost taunting you with its glimpses at what lies around the next corner. Love, love, love it.

2. Red Dead Redemption

As you can tell from my experience with Fallout: New Vegas, I love a game where you can just wander around and get lost in. Red Dead was certainly that, but it was also a terrific story about a man who simply wants to be a better human being than he's been in the past. Also, bears.

1. Mass Effect 2

I'm beginning to sound a bit like a broken record, so at this point you've probably picked up on just how much I love a game that nails story and atmosphere. As far as I'm concerned, no one did it better this year than BioWare. From the explosive intro to the final charge against the Reapers, Mass Effect 2 was my favorite game of the year by a fairly sizable margin. The only real knock against it is the way BioWare slimmed down those RPG elements we diehard gamers know and love. But you know what? Look at that iPhone or Android device in your pocket. Think of how many devices you had to carry around 10 years ago that your current phone can do in one tiny package. Now think of how things will look a couple hundred years into the future. You're not going to be running around picking up loot, coins, and other bits and bobs as you would in a fantasy RPG. The future is streamlined. The future is ruthlessly efficient. But it still has hamsters in it.

The Best of the Rest:

Vanquish, Dance Central, Dead Rising 2, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Limbo, God of War III, Just Cause 2, Super Meat Boy.

Games I Will Probably Love But Just Haven't Played Yet:

Mafia II, StarCraft II, Rock Band 3, DJ Hero 2, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Amnesia, Valkyria Chronicles II, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Most Disappointing:

Crackdown 2. I loved the first game so much. I just wasn't expecting them to ship it again in 2010.

Most Anticipated Game of 2011:

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But before that was announced, it was The Last Guardian.

Favorite iPhone Game of 2010:

Personal favorite game has to be Angry Birds, but objective best game of the year is easily Trainyard.

Favorite Movie of 2010:

Inception. No surprises here!

Favorite Album of 2010:

High Violet by The National.

...and that just about does it. Phew! Thanks for reading!