...of 2010
Friday, December 31, 2010 at 14:40 2010 was an incredibly busy year for me on every front, and there hasn't been nearly enough time to do even a tenth of what I wanted to do. Family life and work, of course, took precedence over everything else, leaving precious few opportunities to explore personal projects and to simply kick back and play games, watch movies, read and reflect.
The following 'Best of 2010' list, therefore, is full of gaping holes but represents what I did have time for -- and enjoyed -- in the year that passed. Hopefully it'll inspire some of you to seek out Cool Shit that you otherwise might have missed. That, after all, is why we make lists like this, and I hope some of you will add your own favourites in the comments below.
Happy New Year, and see you all in 2011!
Games
My favourite game of 2010 was actually released in October 2009.
I didn't start playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves until well into the new year, but it kept me glued to the sofa until the end credits had rolled. Aside from being great fun to play -- a perfect mix of adventuring and action -- the game was impeccably written, acted and directed, and deserving of praise on every level. I'm eagerly anticipating next year's sequel. The movie? From the little I've heard, not so much, no.
My favourite proper 2010 release was Halo: Reach. Despite (also because of) working in the games industry, I don't often complete games, and it's extremely rare that I complete games in a week, or even two. Reach had me on the edge of my seat for two weeks, and though I've yet to dip (much) into multiplayer, the campaign alone was worth the price of admission.
Movies
I'm a long way away from watching every movie I wanted to watch in 2010, let alone every worthy candidate for a proper best-of list, but the three movies that engaged me the most in the past twelve months were Inception, Kick-Ass and The Social Network -- closely followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Easy A. It's a very studio centric list; perhaps reflective of my viewing habits this year more than anything else. If this was a top fifteen or twenty list, I'd include movies like The Disappearance of Alice Creed (with a fantastic score by Marc Canham, composer on The Secret World), Buried, How to Train Your Dragon...but it isn't, so I won't.
I haven't watched Toy Story 3 yet -- the Blu-Ray is sitting on the shelf, waiting -- but I expect that one would have made the list.
Albums
While strictly (again) a 2009 release, Melissa Horn's Säg ingenting til mig ("say nothing to me") is my favourite -- certainly most listened to -- album of 2010. Of actual 2010 releases, I loved The Way Out by The Books for being inventive, surprising, and just plain awesome, and the orchestral soundtrack to Inception for being the best film score of the year.
Books
I read a lot, but I don't necessarily stay current with the publishing scene. Since getting my (first) Kindle sixteen months ago, I've read four to five times as many books as I did in the previous decade; a lot of it is simply catching up on books that have slipped through.
Of the novels that were published in 2010, I had a ton of fun with Kraken by China Mieville (though my favourite read in 2010 was actually 2009's The City & The City, also by Mieville) -- and not just for taking place in a darkly magical present day London littered with secret cabals and squid-worshipping cults. Although that certainly didn't hurt.
So far, about midway through, Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King has me on the edge of my seat.
And yes, I am going to read Jonathan Franzen's Freedom. I promise.
Comic book
I arrived late to Scott Pilgrim, but I read through all six volumes (on the iPad) in about five weeks, and was blown away. Nothing else came close in 2010.
Gadgets
It was the year of gadgets, but at the end of the day it came down to two choices: the iPad or the third generation Kindle. Since I got the former, I've used it every single day, but it's probably my Kindle that gives me the greatest joy. Being able to focus completely on reading, and to carry around my whole digital library, is priceless. True, the iPad has the Kindle app, but it's also got way too many distractions, including my music collection and comic books...
Come to think of it, perhaps the iPad is my gadget of the year.
Or the Kindle.
Websites
For gaming news, reviews, commentary and general bloggery, it's a three-way tie between PC centric Rock, Paper, Shotgun, console focused Joystiq (and, by proxy, MMO blog Massively) and all-rounder Eurogamer. This triumvirate is where I got my '10 gaming fix.
If we count linkage, Boing Boing was, by far, the site I spent the most time reading in 2010, followed closely by Kottke. For tech news, it was Engadget all the way, every day, and for movies, I stop by /film as often as possible.
And for general time wastering and meme tracking, nothing beats The Daily What. They have stolen from me too many hours to count.
iPhone app
It's a three-way tie between Hipstamatic, Twitter and the Kindle app -- all of them brilliant in their own ways.
iPad app
It could have been The New York Times app, if it weren't for the fact that it crashes. All. The. Effing. Time.
For pure digital joy: Comics by Comixology reader -- I churned through the entire Scott Pilgrim saga in August and September, and purchase all my comics through this app now. For productivity and helping keep The Secret World rolling, no matter where I was or what I was doing: Evernote, LogMeIn and Dropbox. Together they make the iPad into a perfectly capable production tool.
TV show
Lost.
Of course, Mad Men was stunningly good, every episode a beautifully written and acted work of art; The Walking Dead (and the odd episode of True Blood) was cheesy fun; Dexter was darkly engaging and always entertaining; The Office kept me laughing, and Parks and Recreation moved from third favourite comedy to the number one slot...
...but the final season of Lost was, well, the final season of Lost, a show that has been in my top three list for the past six years, and it was going to be impossible for anything -- even Mad Men -- to beat it. It was a rigged game, and despite a few ups and downs in those final ten hours, the journey came to a satisfying and emotional conclusion.
Don't get me started on Fringe, though. Just...don't.
Reader Comments (33)
May you find another year of difficult choices ahead of you. I hope all things compete for your notice and demand your attention as i am sure last years endeavours struggle for importance.
Running out of worthwhile TV shows is always the problem now, nothing can fill the void of Lost in the long run.
But seriously you should be 'finishing' Fringe, getting started is the easy bit ;)
@Lee: Fringe jumped the shark at the end of last season, and this season has been...annoying. I guess I get so hung up on the inconsistencies and improbabilities of this alternate universe, and I feel the show has strayed way too far away from its core premise and storylines in the first two seasons, there's really no way back.
Happy 2011 Ragnar ;)
Favourite Series: Castle
Favourite Game: Limbo. This is what indie gaming is about. It was pure game design refined to perfection.
Favorite Movie: How to Train Your Dragon. The finest non - Pixar animated movie I have seen in years and an outstanding movie in it's own right.
Gadget: 4th Gen iPod touch. As beautiful as material things come.
Websites: Rock, Paper Shotgun without a doubt.
I dont see you mentioning "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" in your top movies of the year? I can only assume you havent watched it yet since that movie is awesome, and you would love it!
I love The Books, and would also have placed "the Way Out" in my #1 slot for the list
Hopefully we can add Dreamfall-Chapters to the best games of the (universe) year, in a few years ;).
Lost was amazing. Glad to see one of my favorite game authors thinks so as well.
Regarding fringe, well if anyone, YOU would know your way around plots dealing with two worlds colliding :)
As a sidenote, just started playing the longest journey, that's why i came here now. I remember reading here for news on a dreamfall sequel a few years back. Don't know why i waited so long to catch up on this masterpiece. Would've been even more awesome with 2010 graphics, but it certainly holds its own anyway. I love how your games immerse me. I just wanna jump in and be part of their lives too.
Oh and you should really watch scott pilgrim :)
Hopefully 2011 will be a great new year... filled with news about DF: Chapters.
Oh and further more on your picks for gaming, I 100% agree with Reach. The multiplayer is as equally entertaining as the campaign.
Several months ago you dropped a hint about paying TLJ "pre alpha" on an Iphone.
Will that go any further in 2011?
"Hopefully 2011 will be a great new year... filled with news about DF: Chapters."
Definitely. :-)
Dying for Dreamfall : Chapters to come out...
SO glad you're blogging again!!! I was very sad when you stopped. Great list, especially the gadgets. I think I learn about new gadgets from you before I hear of them anywhere else. You introduced me to the iPhone and lured me into watching an hour long presentation on the thing. I forget now why I'm thanking you. (:
I have to second, or third (I lost count) watching Scott Pilgrim vs the World. The comics were fantastic but the movie is a perfect blend of dry wit, beautiful cinematography and what should be up for an Oscar editing. Oddly enough have had mostly the same experience, Uncharted 2 as my game of the year, Kick-Ass and Pilgrim for movies and Pilgrim for comics. All of which I arrived late for.
Just got the special edition of Dreamfall I ordered on Amazon (by the way one of the best signs that people that tend to download stuff, also buy it when they like the quality and have the money...) Personally I put in the soundtrack CD and was instantly reminded of this great game.
Now, I have TLJ and Dreamfall both twice... lol
It had me glued to the screen for a long time, and the story is one of the best I've seen yet, in the same group as Beyond Good & Evil (!) and Thief - Deadly Shadows, which were just fantastic.
Strangely, almost half of my favourite games have sold very little. It seems that a quality story don't come along very often.
Wishing you a happy new year (in february, riiiiight :D ) !
Tis always heaven on earth when the one with all the inspiration comes down to discuss with those who dwell and dream within our realm. I hope to read many of your thoughts and hidden meanings to follow along the paths that you share with your readers and gamers.
I have not played one game in forever that had such a great feel to it as ''The Longest Journey''. The only equivalent would be my pen and paper table top D&D games I've been playing for over 10 years now.
I hope to be able to join you in your latest journey within The Secret World soon enough, that this world around me be once more as involving as in the days of old when role playing was a weekly thing and the responsibilities of today could feel lighter under the dark and eerie atmosphere that shall linger once the veil will have been removed from those who dream on...