Well, I guess it's that time again.

Since it seems like it's a tradition now, I wanted to write my personal top 10 list of this past year. I know it's been a rough year (well, it was for me), and I didn't get a chance to play everything I wanted too like past years. But I played enough to make this list.

With that said, here it is!

I'm going to do a countdown this time, starting with number 10!

10. Golden Sun Dark Dawn

Dark Dawn has a lot of faults, mainly the same flaws from the first two games...really Camelot, a prologue?! Anyway, the DS game is the best of the series by far and arguably one of the best looking DS games. The focus over environmental puzzles over random battles is refreshing which is enough to keep the game fun to play regardless of the uninspired story/characters

9. Metroid Other M

Metroid has always been one of my favorite series. Prime set an insane standard, and the writing in this game to humanize Samus wasn't always successful. But I still really like the game, probably because it's Metroid though.

8. Bayonetta

This was one of the biggest surprises of this year. When this game first came out it was getting insanely high review scores which certainly got my attention. So I picked it up not knowing what to expect...and it blew me away! It's quirky and bizarre but it does it on purpose which is one of the game's strengths.

7. Ys 7

During this year I went through a stretch where I was just depressed and everything wasn't working out in my life. But Ys 7 was there to keep me company to help make it through. I think I played this non-stop. Ys 7 was just so much better than Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, which I got rid of.

6. Final Fantasy XIII

When I think about it, I still had a lot of fun with this game early on in the year. It could've been much better, but it was still the best console JRPG of this past year.

5. GoldenEye 007 Wii

Eurocom did an amazing job and made me a believer with this game. They proved me wrong and made a great Bond game. Of course, nothing will replace or trump over the original classic, but as a modern re-imagining, I'm glad it turned out pretty  well especially for a console that needs more good FPSs.

4. God of War Ghost of Sparta

Like I wrote earlier, Ghost of Sparta is the closest to having a console GoW game in portable form. This game always blows me away whenever I play it. One of the best PSP games...arguably, the best one so far. Seriously, it's that good!

3. Super Street Fighter IV

It's Street Fighter, nuff' said.

2. Shantae Risky's Revenge

I know I was hyped for this when it was first announced. And it did deliver. However, I was also disappointed because it was only the first episode of a planned trilogy. It's still a fantastic 2D platformer, but I hope WayForward will bring out the other two episodes on the 3DS.

1. Donkey Kong Country Returns

I really think this game is that good. It's my favorite game of the year. I think it may be my favorite game of this gen when I think about it. The level design in this game is so damn amazing. Like I always said, it's the most fun I had playing a video game in a long time.