Really happy to see you mention Majin, Shoe! I reviewed it, not really knowing what to expect, and loved it. I had so many ideas for Bitmob articles about it just get the word out, but alas, life interfered. Flawed game but endearing on so many levels.

My three legit choices for my own personal GOTY list are all titles I don't expect to be chosen by any outlet: Castlevania: LoS at the top spot for an epic quest that I thought bested God of War 3 in every way. Metro 2033 in second place and as my FPS of the year for it's immersion, story, and original setting. Enslaved as my third choice for lush visuals, likable characters, and fun to traverse environments. I think I like unsung games more that ultra-hyped ones because I can forgive more of their issues. It seems like too many people love to throw hyperbole at AAA games and ignore every fault, but deride any game with a smaller budget and less advertising. I like games that try new things and take risks, rather than just throw out a well trodden and proven property. That said I still like a good sequel as well... I guess I jus like the surprise of the unexpected over the satisfaction of a known quantity. Also, I could list a number of faults with each of my top choices, but chose them because I had more fun with them than any other titles I played this year (and I played a bunch).

Maybe this doesn't fit the criteria since it does top many GOTY lists, but Minecraft would definitely be one for me. The sheer depth of possibility is unprecedented, and there's just enough of a "game" element (the monsters that come out of the dark) to keep it interesting. Especially creepers. SSSSSSSSS. (Runner-up: Split/Second. I'm not a big racing fan but I enjoyed that game WAY more than I expected to.)

Pint-sized/downloadable: I'd pick Angry Birds if it wasn't so obvious, and I like Shoe's pick of Tilt To Live. But I'll go with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. So creepy I could barely bring myself to play it.

Some of these definitely aren't "game of the year" material, but here are a few that could use a bit more love: Enslaved; Odyssey to the West, Digital: A Love Story, VVVVVV, Singularity, Megaman 10, Darksiders, Skate 3, Drawn: Dark Flight, and Bit.Trip Runner.

Christian: Totally agree. What did you score it?

Frank: That's funny, I didn't play those three games (at least not the finished products...just in preview stage), and they're all on my Amazon wishlist. Sadly, I also know they're games I'll very likely not get around to, just due to time.

Layton: Brett's been trying to get me to try Split/Second! Again...no time!

Hmm...I'm always picking GOTY choices that would never actually win on sites like 1up. Now that I have to come up with my own I'd say Aphelion 2 for my downloadable title for taking me down PS1 RPG nostalgia lane. Soulcaster II for runner-up. For big time releases it goes to Monster Hunter Tri for Wii and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for DS.

Divinity 2 would also be one of my guilty pleasures for runner-up, though I'm not sure if it was a 2010 release or not.

Hmm...I'm always picking GOTY choices that would never actually win on sites like 1up. Now that I have to come up with my own I'd say Aphelion 2 for my downloadable title for taking me down PS1 RPG nostalgia lane. Soulcaster II for runner-up. For big time releases it goes to Monster Hunter Tri for Wii and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for DS.

Divinity 2 would also be one of my guilty pleasures for runner-up, though I'm not sure if it was a 2010 release or not.

Fallout: New Vegas. A game that is easily GOTY bait were it not (A) "more Fallout" and (B) buggy as hell. Once it got patched it was a far better game than Fallout 3 ever was.

Personally, I would have loved to see Metro 2033 make some lists. Of course everyone ignored it. Figures. If it isn't a multi million dollar franchise why bother, right? Ok, ok, maybe that's not completely fair, it just always seems like the list for Best Game of the Year is only filled with the biggest sellers of the year.

Where was Metro 2033? Where was Darksiders? Where was Limbo? I think I only saw one website nominate Limbo for god sakes!

Shoe: Knowing what I know of your gaming habits I would steer you toward Metro the most of my picks. I think some elements might drive you crazy, but I also think with two dark, stormy, and lonely nights spent with Metro would make you a believer. If you ever wanted to play Fallout with half the time investment and none of the wandering in barren environments with nothing to do, then I think you would find Metro a truly compelling experience.

I know this one will be way off and laughed at but I wrote a blog on here just recently.  I chose Metroid:Other M as my personal GOTY.  I know the game got way overlooked and there is many factors that might attributed to it but this was the only game that had me coming back for more.

My game of the year is a game probably not very many people have heard about. I'm talking about 999: 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors. Yes it's 80% story 20% actual game play, but holy crap did this story suck me in from the moment the main character wakes up in a locked room. You will never see the ending coming, hell you won't see anything coming, there are so many twists and turns that you have suspicions of every character. Not only that, I laughed, I was on the edge of the chair I was playing the game in, I even cried a bit. There are some annoyances, mostly dealing with the fact you can't skip or fast forward the text on the first play through (you will have to play this game, at the very least, 1 more time if you're lucky to get the true ending). This game is also rated M, it's a true M game, there's very little blood, but the description of corpses are worse than anything that they could show you. I highly recommend this game, one of the best stories that very few people have experienced this year.

I'll certainly put votes towards Enslaved and Darksiders, but I also want to comment on one of Shoe's runner-up commendations:  Winterbottom.  For all the (deserved) praise that Braid has received, Winterbottom should really receive similar acclaim.  The complex doppleganger-like puzzles are brilliant, and the art style and dark humor are endearing.  The game also has one of the best soundtracks of the year (something I probably put more stock into than other people).

I'm a huge Mass Effect fan although I felt kind've strange as Mass Effect 2 made a lot of #1 positions on someGOTY list. This year was all about sequels, so I felt it was kindve unfair to some original games that came out this year. Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom kicked ass, hell, Namco Bandai really showed off some work & indies were soooo essential this year. The truth is that its mostly based on numbers, sales over innovation.

I would say my GOTY goes to "Game Dev Story", just because. (With "Limbo" running up)

I'm happy that Enslaved is getting brought up a lot now. I LOVE that game. Not the hardest  game and the combat is a bit lacking there aren't many flaws with it either. World and characters are top notch!

One game that would probably never get nominated for GOTY that I would personally nominate is... Deadly Premonition.

That game is such a wonderful original little thing, it at least deserves to be a runner up.

Sadly, Fallout: New Vegas was released this year, and that's my real GOTY.

For the purpose of this article, I do vote for Deadly Premonition, tho!

Red Dead Redemption!

Wait, I'm missing the point entirely, aren't I? 

Well, if I'm thinking outside the box, I'm going to say Metroid: Other M. I know that most people consider the game downright offensive and repulsive, but I was a huge fan. I was really, REALLY impressed with the way it shifted from 2D, 3D, and first person perspectives.

I really like this idea. It's so boring seeing the same games get nominated again and again. Sure, they deserve to be there, but they're so obvious. Everyone already knows about them. Meanwhile tons of solid games get left by the wayside.

Games like Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, while flawed, is a great revival of an excellent series. Were it not for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Split/Second would be an easy choice for racing game of the year (for those like me who don't like GT5 anyway.) For as much as it was played and bought, I haven't seen Dragon Quest 9 on any lists for anything.

Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker, Warioware DIY, Vanquish, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: these are the games that deserve more attention from both the media and the community.

And downloadable games and DLC were the best they've ever been! General Knoxx, Shadow Broker, The Sacrifice, Undead Nightmare, Bit.Trip Runner, Costume Quest, Game Dev Story, the list goes on and on.

If 2011 is even half as good as 2010, we'll all be very lucky gamers.

I wish Demon's Souls came out this year so I could nominate that for the full retail category. I can't remember if it won any awards last year, but if it did, it might not even count, but it's the console game I've played the most this year.

Hm- maybe 3D Dot Game Heroes? Pretty fun Zelda tribute, although I just started playing.

Bite-sized game is no contest. I can't believe no one's mentioned this before: Picross 3D. I've played more of that than any other game this year, period. And I'm still not done with all the puzzles that came with. Runners-up? Easy. VVVVVV and Super Quickhook. What a great year.

Pocket Frogs. That game has completely eaten my life whole. I think I've spent more time collecting and breeding frogs than I have grinding in Dragon Quest IX....

It's a simple free-to-play model that delays in-game rewards. You can pay money to speed things up, or just wait the 3 hours or day and a half it takes for items to ship and whatnot. If it didn't have that delay in there I doubt I'd get anything accomplished.

Michael: Actually. Demon's Souls won Gamespots GOTY of 2009.

For me. My Console GOTY would be Castlevania: LOS. It's probably this year's Arkham Asylum ie: A game from a no name developer with a franchise not known to be good in 3D that blew me away. 

As for handheld, MGS Peace Walker has been the most time I've ever spent in a Metal Gear game and the 4 player local co-op (which I was fortunate to have 3 friends with 3 psps and copys of MGS:PW) is absolutely THE most fun I've ever had with friends, EVER. 

Full-sized retail product: Last Window: The Secret of Cape West (DS)
Not out in America, this game is the sequel to Hotel Dusk: Room 215. I don't think there's much about this game which I dislike, to be perfectly frank. The story is a nice tale of endings and departures (very fitting considering this was CiNG's last game), wrapped up with a murder mystery. Its characters aren't as strong as Hotel Dusk's, in fact they feel a little bit like clones or caricatures of them. However, the tradeoff is that the mystery is far more gripping.
Runners Up: MGS: Peace Walker (PSP), Bayonetta (360/PS3), Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (PC/Mac/PS3) and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (360/PS3).

One pint-sized downloadable title: Costume Quest (PSN/XBLA)
An adorable RPG/adventure hyrbid. Watching the kids' costumes transform into hyper exaggerated fighting machines in battles is very cool, cartoon-esque and designed to tap straight into the childhood nostalgia pleasure spot of my brain.
Runners Up: Game Dev Story (iOS/Android), Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess (PS Minis/XBLIG), Comic Jumper (XBLA).

I forgot to add my bite sized pick which is... The iPad version of 7th Guest! I know, I know, someone probably just did a spit take reading that, but I was a huge fan of this title when it came out on PC, and have loved replaying it on iPad. If I wanted to go for an original game, then I would have to choose Game Dev Story. I put tons of hours into that title, and it actually made me understand Bobby Kotick a bit more. Seeing those sales go up is rewarding, no matter how poorly you treat your workers. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero comes in third.

For a full retail product, my choice would be Darksiders. While it may be mentioned on numerous lists of tops games of the year and be in discussions for the top spot, I don't think it will make it to number one anywhere else. The biggest knock against Darksiders (aside from coming out in January and being forgotten) is that it is simply a Zelda clone. But this game managed to make me do something no Zelda game ever did, finish it in under a week. It is also one of the few games that have come out in recent years that have made me excited for a sequel.

In the realm of downloadable games that were overlooked, my award easily goes to Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. Although originally released in Japan in late 2007, Recettear was just recently translated and brought over to the US. The game flips the JRPG genre on its head and puts you in the position of running an item shop, buying and selling while you deal with market fluctuations in order to pay back a debt left to you by your father. Whimsical isn't a word I use often, but in this case it is entirely fitting.

Does Darksiders ever open up into a big over world? My biggest use was that the game felt so linear. I like Zelda style dungeons, but the biggest thing I love about Zelda is the main world. What I played of Darksiders felt very enclosed and much more like God of War than Zelda.

Spoilers for BioShock 2 below.

These aren't exactly obscure games, but I really liked Splinter Cell: Conviction and BioShock 2. SC:C has one of the tightest, most compelling video-game stories of the year. And BioShock 2 -- while not matching the genius of the first BioShock, story-wise -- had some "oh, shit" gameplay moments (playing as a Little Sister, that huge test-tube mad scientist guy).

Nick: I had opposite feelings about Splinter Cell: Conviction. I thought the story was a little boring and there wasn't really anything unique I liked about the game except for some of the mapping and sneaking. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting when I started playing.

My GOTY would either be Fallout: New Vegas or Battlefield: Bad Company 2. They are both really solid and it would kill me to have to make a decision.  

I'll throw in a nod to Majin, too -- sure it's flawed, but it's also incredibly touching. I'd also tip my hat to Vanquish, which is chock full of '80s B-movie awesome.

And Shoe: At this point, skip Split/Second and go straight to Hot Pursuit. It's the best racing game this year.

Limbo, the little game that did everything right...and often did it better than A-list retail games.

I tend to find that portables are sorely excluded for GOTY lists, unless there are categories specifically for them.  I find that disappointing, since there are plenty of great portables out there that at least deserve a nomination up with the big console boys.

My GOTY for retail?  Dragon Quest IX.  Even though Dragon Quest is, like, a HUGE series, no one seemed to care about it against the big PS3/360/Wii releases, since it was for the DS.  Of course, someone in the media somewhere might have mentioned it for something other than a DS GOTY, but to be honest, I didn't look a lot.

As for downloadable, I don't really know.  Most of the year I spent catching up on older titles.

Game Dev Story, even though it's mainly about navigating through menus. And Lord of Ultima, which is just more of the same but way crappier!

@Brett @Shoe Don't listen to Brett! Play Split/Second! Best racing game ever.

I'm never good with these GOTY selections.  I'm only an hour in, but I'm plesantly surprised by Sonic Colors so far. The premise is sorta copying Super Mario Galaxy and the cutscenes are kiddy, but there's a balance between speed and platforming as well as a sense of fun I haven't associated with Sonic in a while. Ironically, Sonic Colors feels more in touch with the classic games than Sonic 4. 
 

@Frank Towards the end it does open up and it also introduces a fast travel system which makes the bit of backtracking you need to do less irritating than it would be otherwise.

I'm going to concur with Brett and cast my vote for Vanquish. Its tongue-in-cheek approach to its characters and the wanton violence they cause ended up comprising a surprisingly entertaining game.

Thanks, Derek. I will add it to my long list of titles to return to. Chris- Sonic Colors is great! I hope Sega will continue to roll with this style of Sonic games. It is everything Sega has been trying to get right since Adventure!

@Shoe: I gave Majin an 8. Its only major flaw in my eyes was the pretty-horrendous platforming, but the Of Mice and Men-like relationship between the two characters, the partnership mechanic and the beautiful world all made it such a worthwhile experience.

I will have to check out Majin, I was ecited about it at some point but then lost interest due to the poor reviews. Since there are a couple of weeks with no interesting games I might give it a try.

Tilt to Live on the other hand is really cool and addictive. The game is brilliant.

Loved the hell out of Darksiders and Enslaved. Will try Majin.

For the "full-sized" retail product: Metro 2033.

Although it was a little rough around the edges (the shooting mechanics didn't feel optimized for PC at all...), I felt more invested in the characters of this linear, narrative-driven experience than any others in that category. I also really love the gameplay choices of no HUD, gas masks, filters, the flashlight, and the bullet economy. Finally, a first-person shooter that doesn't just pay lip service to ammunition supplies.

Runners up: Vanquish, Monster Hunter Tri, and 3D Dot Game Heroes.

For the "pint-sized" downloadable title: Rogue Survivor.

I love this game too much. It's a roguelike survival game set in a zombie apocalypse. I really like how experience is awarded for surviving a night of the undead rather than from combat and violence. Ever game feels different due to randomization, and the new reincarnation mechanic means that you can continue to play in your rapidly deteriorating world as another survivor. That certainly gives a play through extra legs.

Runners up: Minecraft, Transcendence, and All of Our Friends Are Dead.

I would actually pick Bioshock 2 as a GoTY that didn't get any discussion for GoTY. Bioshock was apparently just forgotten by everyone when it came time for GOTY, which is unfortunate because it was a really good game.

As for the downloadable game I would pick Costume Quest. It was short and simple but still very fun. I probably enjoyed my time with Costume Quest more than any other game this year.

I didn't buy or play a lot of this years full retail games, but I guess I would have to go with Bayonetta (I hope that counts). My runner-up would be Donkey Kong Country Returns, and I don't think many will have this as a GOTY mostly because its on the Wii.

I mostly played downloadable games this year, with Super Meat Boy being my favorite. Runners-up would be VVVVVVVV and Limbo. I bought the Humble Indie bundle 1 and 2 but until I get a PC some of those games didn't get played....

I never thought I'd hear anyone put "Enslaved" on a list of GOTY candidates. This is probably why every game you've never heard of has a GOTY edition.

Retail: Super Meat Boy. Although SMB is downloadable, it certainly isn't pint-sized and it offers a gaming experience as fun and flawless as I've experienced in a long time. Kudos to Team Meat for developing a platform game that is a throwback nod to the classics while simultaneously pushing the genre forward with an emphasis on speed and execution.

Pint-sized: One Chance. A very unique Flash game that takes some chances by abandoning gaming conventions and the result is a rewarding experience. A free game that can be completed in ten minutes, everyone should give it a try.