10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3, 360, PC)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a pleasant surprise for me. It released towards the end of the summer, during the famed annual summer game drought. I had only briefly played the first Deus Ex, so this game was a mostly fresh experience. With some interesting level design, great characters, and a slick art style (especially in the beautiful Hengsha City area) Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a great way to stave off the summer boredom.

09. Dark Souls (PS3, 360)

Demon’s Souls, the predecessor to Dark Souls, was a game that I bought pretty late in its life. It’s infamous for being one of the most difficult games this generation for good reason. It was a game that made your small accomplishments feel grand, and a testament to what games once were. Dark Souls, its spiritual successor, is every bit of game Demon’s Souls was and more. The developers ditched the hub world for a continuous journey, polished the gameplay, and made the world much more interesting with added lore and more interactive characters. While I haven’t beaten it yet, Dark Souls is one of the most satisfying games, ever.

08. Mortal Kombat (PS3, 360)

Oh man, I was really hyped for Mortal Kombat, and I’m not even sure what my reasons were. I liked the original games as a kid but I was a much bigger Street Fighter fan, and I lost interest in the series as it moved onto the Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube. There was something about Mortal Kombat (the 2011 version) that drew me in from the moment gameplay footage was released. When it came out, I bought it on launch and I wasn’t disappointed. Mortal Kombat has an amazing cinematic story mode, and some great bonus features, but the local versus mode is the place to be. Easy to learn, hard to master, and perfect for parties.

07. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC, 360)

The Witcher 1 and 2 are games based on a Polish fantasy novel series. After picking the first one up on Steam, I cleared the very lengthy campaign in about a month. I wasn’t drawn in by the gameplay, since the first Witcher game gets extremely repetitive with its fetch quests, but the story and characters had me hooked. When The Witcher 2 came out, I was surprised to see that they had changed everything. It ended up being a much better game, with smooth but difficult real time combat, and some amazing environments.

06. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

The Uncharted series quickly became one of my favorite IPs once I got my PS3. It’s a linear, cinematic cover based shooter, but it does everything so right. The stories told in this trilogy are far from original, but the care that the developers put into each game is what really counts. Uncharted 3 is the most exciting of the three Uncharted games, with a campaign that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat until the end, and some fantastic multiplayer modes. Please, play all three games in order. They get better as the numbers go up.

05. Portal 2 (PS3, 360, PC)

The first Portal game was an undeniable success for Valve. It was arguably their strangest, most ambitious game, and the response from fans was overwhelming. So when Portal 2 was announced people wondered how Valve would ever top the first game. They definitely did. Portal 2 no longer contains an original idea, but it expands on the first game by being longer, and more challenging. It also has some of the best writing I’ve ever experienced in a videogame, and if there ever was a game that is a great example of storytelling without cutscenes, Portal 2 would be that game.

04. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

I bought my 3DS on launch day, completely aware that the launch titles were underwhelming, and that I would have to wait a while before getting my money’s worth. But the game I was waiting for the whole time was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. While that game was definitely worth the wait, Super Mario 3D Land is by far the killer app of the 3DS. It has some of the smartest level design I have ever seen, and it matches the original look and feel of Mario games even more than the previous 3D outings did. I feel like a lot of people think the 3DS is a colossal failure, but it's not, and this game is a testament to the console's success and potential.

03. Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC, 3DS)

Yeah, you’re surprised aren’t you? A Sonic game in the top 10, let alone the top 3? Sonic Generations was Sega’s way of saying “Sorry guys. We finally figured it out.” It’s a love letter to all of Sonic’s fans, both old and new. Sonic Generations is an amazing blend of levels from the classic and the modern games, each one complete with two acts representing both generations. I grew up with Sonic, and I was always sad to see that his newer games were disappointing. But all of that has gone away, and I expect nothing but success in the future. Sonic Generations was absolutely amazing experience.

02. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

The Zelda series is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and many people share that opinion with me, so this one isn’t much of a surprise for any of you. But Skyward Sword hit me harder than any other Zelda game since The Wind Waker (2002). Skyward Sword makes up for Twilight Princess's short-comings with an amazing art style and some crazy good motion gameplay. It also changes the Zelda formula up a bit by emphasizing combat and puzzles instead of having a big empty overworld to spend way too much time in. It may be the Wii’s swan song, but I’m confident when I say that this is also the Wii’s greatest game.

01. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, 360, PC)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, 360, PC) is at the top of many GOTY lists, so you may be yawning at this point. But if you haven’t played Skyrim yet, you’re seriously missing out. It’s an amazing, open ended RPG that spans the entire northern province of Tamriel, called Skyrim. The game starts you off as an adventurer with a blank slate. Your character develops according to what you decide to do, whether it’s magic, melee combat, ranged combat, or sneaking. If you’re dedicated enough, you can even do everything. There are hundreds upon hundreds of hours of content in this game, and you truly owe it to yourself to play it, even if you’ve never played an Elder Scrolls game before.

Play all of these games. Every single one. Oh, and happy 2012!