It's a very good year for video games. One spectacular game after another has come out. Let's take a look at the best five games of 2010, so far.
5. Heavy Rain (PlayStation 3, rated Mature) is an interactive novel, a mystery where you portray different people in various chapters, during a hunt for a serial killer. This slow-paced adventure looks and moves mostly realistically. You even go potty in a realistic way. (I know: gross.)
It's slightly futuristic. One character is a detective who dons sunglasses that spot clues on the ground and process them in a computer built into the glasses, which act like a computer screen in front of your face.
The action is reminiscent of the old games Dragon Slayer and D: When you talk to people, or punch and dodge, you press buttons as they appear on screen.
Body movements are a bit jerky. Parts of it can be as simple as playing boomerang with your kid. And be prepared for adult stuff. At least one dead kid. A naked guy butt. A woman in a compromising position. And an assortment of deep thoughts.
4. Dante's Inferno (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, rated mature) is a God of War copycat, based on the old poem. You portray Dante, sneaking into hell by killing Death, taking his weapon, then slicing and dicing armies of demons, as you wend your way through all layers of Hell, to try to rescue your doomed lady love. I've played it twice.
3. Mass Effect 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, rated Mature) is another epic cinematic game, a blend of shooting and role-playing.
You're a space commander in the late 22nd century, traveling to planets, completing missions, shooting baddies, rescuing victims and solving mini-games. It's a beautifully drawn universe (huge) where you do a lot of talking and killing.
2. Just Cause 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, rated Mature) is bigger, more inspired and sleeker than the last few Grand Theft Auto games.
On a gorgeous island nation, you hijack cars, tanks, helicopters and even planes - during missions and in your own free-roaming sandbox adventures. You blow up military bases to cause chaos, and consort with militias, to take down the evil government.
The game-changer: You're able to parachute when you want, and shoot a zip-line anywhere, giving you that speedy Spider-Man swing through jungles and across cities.
1. God of War III (PlayStation 3, rated Mature) is a deliciously art-rich epic. Once again, you play as Kratos, the one-time god of war, accidental murderer of your own wife and child. And you're hell-bent (literally) in a quest to bring revenge to Zeus, the hubris-filled god of all, who has stripped you of power.
This game looks absolutely stunning, and it's unfathomably fun, slaying demons, demigods and misguided soldiers. It is addictive. Lush. And features compelling narrative. It'll be a feat if any game this year plays this entrancing.
