Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th. But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2010.
2010 sat at the exact midway point in the lifecycle for the PS3 and Xbox 360, making it an uncommonly good year for video games. But a slew of classic games were introduced for all three consoles and the PC that year.
Leading the way was Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, which captured “Game of the Year,” as well as “Best Original Score,” “Best DLC,” and “Best Song in a Game.” Red Dead’s closest competitor in 2010 was definitely Mass Effect 2, which earned “Studio of the Year” honors for BioWare, along with “Best Xbox 360 Game” and “Best RPG.”
The other big story of the night was God of War III. Ten years on, it’s been overshadowed by other games in the franchise (including the 2018 reboot), but Kratos’s third adventure did win “Best PS3 Game” and “Best Graphics.” Not to be outdone, the PSP’s God of War: Ghost of Sparta took home the “Best Handheld Game” prize.
Unlike Sony’s continued commitment to the God of War franchise, Blizzard has all but abandoned the the StarCraft series in 2020. However, that uncertain future couldn’t stop StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty from flying high in 2010 as the winner of “Best PC Game” and “Best Performance by a Human Female” (for Tricia Helfer’s role as Sarah Kerrigan) at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards.
Amazingly, even the ceremony’s crop of solo winners are still fondly remembered a decade later (and many of them can be found scattered throughout the Video Game Canon’s Top 1000 too). That list includes Super Mario Galaxy 2 (“Best Wii Game”), Limbo (“Best Independent Game”), Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (“Best Action Adventure Game”) and Rock Band 3 (“Best Music Game”).
A complete list of all the winners and nominees from the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards can be found after the break.
Game of the Year
- WINNER: Red Dead Redemption
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- God of War III
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2
Studio of the Year
- WINNER: BioWare
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Bungie
- Rockstar San Diego
Best Xbox 360 Game
- WINNER: Mass Effect 2
- Alan Wake
- Fable III
- Halo: Reach
Best PS3 Game
- WINNER: God of War III
- Heavy Rain
- ModNation Racers
- Red Dead Redemption
Best Wii Game
- WINNER: Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn
- Metroid: Other M
Best PC Game
- WINNER: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Mass Effect 2
- Sid Meier’s Civilization V
Best Handheld Game
- WINNER: God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
- Super Scribblenauts
Best Independent Game
- WINNER: Limbo
- Joe Danger
- Super Meat Boy
- The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
Best Downloadable Game
- WINNER: Costume Quest
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
- Monday Night Combat
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
Best Shooter
- WINNER: Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- BioShock 2
- Halo: Reach
Best Action Adventure Game
- WINNER: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- God of War III
- Red Dead Redemption
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
Best RPG
- WINNER: Mass Effect 2
- Fable III
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Final Fantasy XIII
Best Individual Sports Game
- WINNER: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
- EA Sports MMA
- Shaun White Skateboarding
- UFC Undisputed 2010
Best Team Sports Game
- WINNER: NBA 2K11
- FIFA 11
- Madden NFL 11
- MLB 10: The Show
Best Driving Game
- WINNER: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
- Blur
- ModNation Racers
- Split/Second
Best Adapted Video Game
- WINNER: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- Transformers: War For Cybertron
Best Music Game
- WINNER: Rock Band 3
- Dance Central
- Def Jam Rapstar
- DJ Hero 2
Best Soundtrack
- WINNER: DJ Hero 2
- Guitar Hero 5
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
- Rock Band 3
Best Song in a Game
- WINNER: José González (“Far Away”) – Red Dead Redemption
- Eminem (“Won’t Back Down”) – Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Green Day (“Basket Case”) Green Day: Rock Band
- Iyaz + Rihanna (“Replay/Rude Boy Mashup”) – DJ Hero 2
- Nicole Scherzinger (“GoldenEye”) – GoldenEye 007
- Soundgarden (“Black Rain”) – Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Best Original Score
- WINNER: Red Dead Redemption
- God of War III
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2
Best Graphics
- WINNER: God of War III
- Heavy Rain
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn
- Red Dead Redemption
Best Performance by a Human Male
- WINNER: Neil Patrick Harris (As Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man) – Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
- Daniel Craig (As James Bond) – Goldeneye 007
- Gary Oldman (As Sergeant Reznov) – Call of Duty: Black Ops
- John Cleese (As Jasper) – Fable III
- Martin Sheen (As The Illusive Man) – Mass Effect 2
- Nathan Fillion (As Sergeant Edward Buck) – Halo: Reach
- Rob Wiethoff (As John Marston) – Red Dead Redemption
- Sam Worthington (As Alex Mason) – Call of Duty: Black Ops
Best Performance by a Human Female
- WINNER: Tricia Helfer (As Sarah Kerrigan) – StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
- Judi Dench (As M) – James Bond 007: Blood Stone
- Danica Patrick (As Herself) – Blur
- Emmanuelle Chriqui (As The Numbers Lady) – Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Felicia Day (As Veronica Santangelo) – Fallout: New Vegas
- Jennifer Hale (As Commander Shepard) – Mass Effect 2
- Kristen Bell (As Lucy Stillman) – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Yvonne Strahovski (As Miranda Lawson) – Mass Effect 2
Best Multiplayer
- WINNER: Halo: Reach
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Character of the Year
- WINNER: Sgt. Frank Woods – Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- John Marston – Red Dead Redemption
- Kratos – God of War III
Best DLC
- WINNER: Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
- BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den
- Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
- Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
Most Anticipated Game
- WINNER: Portal 2
- Batman: Arkham City
- BioShock Infinite
- Gears of War 3