Recent Comments

The 2010 Boysie Awards

What a great year it’s been for video games. There have been almost 100 really good games this year. But only a fraction of them are great. Here are the best of the best!

BEST PS3 GAME

ModNation Racers (Sony)

Not only do the makers of ModNation Racers let you customize your car, they also let you build your own tracks, full of hilarious powerups. Then, they let you build your own towns, too. It’s like creating your own Mario Kart game, except with better graphics.

BEST XBOX 360 GAME

Toy Story 3 (Disney)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

Toy Story 3 was the first sandbox video game for kids. The game is full of exploration and fun missions to enjoy. By the end of it, you feel like you know Buzz and the gang a lot better. It’s great when game makers don’t treat kids like babies.

BEST WII GAME

Guilty Party (Disney)

There have been a lot of really good Wii games this year, but few have felt as completely new as Guilty Party. If you love solving a mystery, you’ll always laugh and wonder at the motivations behind the characters here. With 50 mini games, the game design is so good, you’ll rarely play the same mystery in exactly the same way. Talk about replay value!

Runner Up: Super Mario Galaxy 2

BEST DS GAME

Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs (Nintendo)

Yes, there have been other games in the Ranger series. But this is the one that kept me coming back for more. I loved watching the various Pokemon waddle along as part of my crew. Plus, the branching story and the earnest characters are touching, too.

BEST PSP GAME

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (Square-Enix)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

There aren’t many games released for PSP anymore. But Birth by Sleep is a must-have. The series that mixes Final Fantasy characters with Disney characters takes you to amazing places, such as Never Land, the Dwarf Woodlands and into Deep Space. Plus, the racing and music mini games alone are worth the price of admission.

BEST DOWNLOADABLE CONSOLE GAME

Costume Quest (THQ for PS3, Xbox 360)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

This Halloween-based role-playing game is cute, but it’s so much more. The dialog by renowned designer Tim Schaefer makes you bust a gut laughing. And the cranky, charismatic characters feel real, so much so that you wish they’d come back with a sequel for Christmas. Even the leveling-up (which can be boring) is compelling. More, please.

BEST IPAD GAME

Angry Birds (Rovio)

Everyone’s playing Angry Birds, and it’s best on the iPad. Tossing those exploding birds onto hundreds of structures takes real skill. But watching the strange structures topple down onto those nasty pigs is just as much fun. If you love Boom Blox, you’ll adore Angry Birds.

BEST GAMING PLATFORM

iPad (Apple)

The iPad has so many amazing games. It’s like a treasure chest that constantly replenishes itself with games, many of which are new and innovative, some of which are free. You may not have an iPad yet. But you probably will soon. (It’s not only for games, you know.)

BEST OVERALL SPORTS GAME (TIE)

NHL Slapshot (EA for Wii)

There’s something about playing with other kids on an icy pond with plastic hockey-stick controllers that really makes this Wii game shine. And that’s just the beginning of your career in NHL Slapshot. If you don’t know who the legendary Wayne Gretzky is, well, you will now. He’s your coach in the game. (Lucky you!)

NBA 2K11 (Take Two for PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PSP, PC)

You’re stunned by the realistic graphics. Then, you feel 10 feet tall as you dunk like a pro. Getting to play as a rookie Michael Jordan doesn’t hurt, either. And the soundtrack will really get you pumping.

BEST RACING GAME (TIE)

Gran Turismo 5 (Sony for PS3)

It takes half a decade for the developers to make a new Gran Turismo. This time, they’ve outdone themselves. Over 1,000 licensed cars, 26 locations and 70 tracks make it endlessly playable. There’s kart racing, a fine soundtrack and 3-D (if you have a 3-D set). Gran Turismo is like a realistic painting—except you can play inside this one.

Split/Second (Disney for PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, PC)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

Driving these fantasy racing cars as you take part in a fictional game show is a hoot. But it’s the “powerplays” that are fun. Explosions, destructible environments, crashes and implosions are what really make Split/Second one of the year’s great games.

BEST ADAPTATION

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros. for PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, DS, PSP, PC)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

Sure, you liked LEGO Batman and LEGO Star Wars. But this Potter endeavor isn’t just another LEGO game. There is something just as dark, eerie and adventuresome in this game as there is in the books and movies. It grabs you from the first moments, and it doesn’t let go until the game is over.

BEST NEW TECHNOLOGY

Kinect (Microsoft)

Yes, the games are a little like Wii games. And yes, some of them aren’t great. But imagine the possibilities in the future! With Kinect, Microsoft proved that controller-less games are really fun. Now, they just need a killer game so everyone will want Kinect.

BEST COMEBACK GAME

Sonic Colors (Sega for Wii, DS)

Let’s face it: The last few Sonic games weren’t so hot. But Sega got it right this time. Here, there are lots of amazing powerups, like the Cyan Laser Wisp. That allows Sonic to bounce off all kinds of surfaces—and to travel through power lines. There’s much more speedy fun, too.

BEST MMO GAME

LEGO Universe (Warner Bros. for Mac, PC)
Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older

Sure, this is a terrific kids’ MMO, but any gamer would love to play. It’s a world full of clever story-telling, careful building of your environment and, of course, great LEGO characters.

GAME OF THE YEAR

LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4

Runner Up: Costume Quest

94 Comments on The 2010 Boysie Awards

  1. sporty&gamer // March 20, 2011 at 7:35 am // Reply

    i got angry birds for i phone

  2. fishinglover // March 17, 2011 at 5:05 pm // Reply

    i have angrybirds for iphone and it ids so addicting and you cant stop playing it!!!! sadly im stuck on a level ;(

  3. nba elite 11 is way better than nba 2k11

    and why don’t they have mlb 10 the show that has the best graphics and gameplay

  4. Lego Universe!?!?! I beta-tested it and it was AWFUL. I beat it in about 3 days and about 2 hours a day. So about 6 hours total. My friend beta-tested it too and played it about as much as me and never played it again.

  5. Fan of Super Mario Bros. 3 // March 4, 2011 at 3:27 pm // Reply

    Super Mario Galaxy is about 1000 times better than any of the “best game”s but it is only a runner up?!

  6. what about the computer games

  7. plants vs zombies should be best pc game….

  8. My sister has angry birds on her i touch.

  9. Teh mighty lawn dfender // February 2, 2011 at 4:01 pm // Reply

    I think the best downloadable game was Plants Vs. Zombies!

  10. Teh mighty Ghostbuster // February 2, 2011 at 3:59 pm // Reply

    In 2009 the best xbox360 game was ghostbusters

  11. Toadie, aka Princess Peach`s slave // January 22, 2011 at 4:40 pm // Reply

    I think Super Mario Galaxy is better!

  12. KOOPA TROOPA MASTER // January 22, 2011 at 1:50 pm // Reply

    get an ipad its so fun

  13. Harry Potter // January 22, 2011 at 8:16 am // Reply

    HARRY POTTER LEGO IS ABSOLUTLY THE BEST!If you need help beating it,comment me.

  14. i pre-ordered lego universe 🙂

  15. I say heck no on LEGO Universe. There’s a monthly fee just like World of Warcraft.

  16. i dont agree that guilty party is the best wii game

  17. epic mickey!!!!

  18. mr. Game and watch // January 9, 2011 at 8:37 pm // Reply

    Smash Bros. Brawl should be on the list, but it came out in 2008…

  19. Super Mario Galaxy 2 Rocks!

  20. awesomedude // January 4, 2011 at 7:57 pm // Reply

    Mariogalaxy only fits 1 player. What up with that?

    • supersilver98 // March 15, 2011 at 10:09 am // Reply

      Actually, only one player can be mario, but a second player can help mario out and do things like stopping enemies and obstacles, spinning some enemies, collecting and shooting star-bits, and piking up coins that you can give to mario. I found this out by experimenting with the 2-player’s controls.

  21. AWESOMECHUCKNORIS // January 4, 2011 at 6:25 pm // Reply

    best game for wii was DK country returns! sonic colors doesn’t make the cut. and best sports game should’ve been Madden NFL ’11!

  22. I dont like these games because I like Mario games.I think the best Mario game is Super Mario Galaxy 2

  23. Mario galexy 2 should of won best wii game and the winner should have been costume quest

  24. I seriously don’t think that these choices were the best. Pokemon Ranger was okay for a while, but it got old, to name one.

  25. sonic is best of all

  26. despite its unorignalalty, I think “Just Dance” for the Wii shuld be on this list.

  27. for the ds game i mean pokemon is fun in all butttt i really think that harry potter (lego) or toy story 3. tell me why pokemon is your fav.

  28. I think NBA Elite 11 from EA Sports is way better than 2K11
    go nba elite 11

  29. legolover aka lego master // December 28, 2010 at 10:45 pm // Reply

    I think lego universe rated five stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  30. we need to see more Ts on the list. Most people on this web-site, weather or not there 13 or up, play teen games. The addision of M rated games would be outragous though. but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (ds version), Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part I, and others would be great.

  31. Why couidn’t the best Wii game be Super Mario Galaxy 2?And I don’t agree that Lego Harry Potter is the best game of the year.

  32. Angry birds is great!

  33. Gran Turismo 5 sounds really good now. Is it marked down yet on the Xbox 360?

  34. I think epic mickey should be the best

  35. I will be very exited to be at the 2010 Boysie Awards

  36. I think Mario and Sonic Alimpic games should be it

  37. I am very exited about it

  38. And iPad? Really?

  39. Super Mario Galaxy 2 should have been Game of the Year or at least Wii Game of the Year. @Your Worst Nightmare Halo Reach is rated M so that’s why they didn’t mention it.

  40. Your Worst Nightmare // December 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm // Reply

    The people that made this have a bad taste on video games! The Game of the year should have been Halo:reach!

  41. Mario isn’t for 8 year olds! Who agrees?

  42. Just because a game is rated T, doesn’t make it better than other games. And Mario is awsome!

  43. Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs can not be better then sims 3

  44. sims 3 should win ds game

  45. Wii3DSixl9087 // December 22, 2010 at 9:22 pm // Reply

    Why wasn’t Super Mario Galaxy 2 a winner??

  46. Katie the critic // December 21, 2010 at 6:13 pm // Reply

    Lego Harry Potter is always a good game.But shouldn’t win that award.

    • I know how you feel, because I have LEGO star wars, Indiana jones, and harry potter collectors edition, and it’s all the same,no real adaption. MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010

      • LEGO Star Wars was the most gaming fun I had had in years, so, when LEGO Indiana Jones came out, I was egear to buy it. However I was disapointed after realizing I just wasted my money on the same game. I havn’t bought another LEGO game since, and don’t plan to.

    • gamerdude1479 // December 25, 2010 at 9:18 am // Reply

      I know! DS Potter Lego stank.

    • yes it should

  47. what about black ops for ps3 the only good games on here are kinnect, mario galaxy and NBA 2k11 all these games are for 8 year olds.

  48. Super Scribblenauts was way better!

  49. I am glad that a Mario game didn’t win Best Wii game and I adore Lego Harry Potter and Kinect is awesome,but there was something empty because Epic Mickey Wasn’t there. I really think that they should put T games on there,because we all grow up,and the Boysies lose its oomph starting at 15. Now,I am 11,but I really like this list. So,LETS PARTY

  50. ShadowTheDuck aka Technolord // December 18, 2010 at 1:51 am // Reply

    Get some T’s on here.
    Aside from that, this list was okay, but who has heard of the best Wii game? Best games, Sonic Colors and LU. Black Knight last year was good too.

Leave a Reply to ilikeyoshi Cancel reply

Please don't use your real name.