Best of 2010 Awards: Multiplatform Game

Multiplatform Game: Red Dead Redemption

Shacknews loves it some cowboy-gaming and Red Dead Redemption was our definite pick for best multiplatform game, though we were a bit sad you PC gamers didn't get to play the game. Red Dead was all about the experience and the world it created. Through the use of random roadside events, Rockstar San Diego managed to make the game world feel alive and dangerous when close to towns. When out in the wilderness, Rockstar San Diego makes the game feel alive and extra dangerous through the use of random cougars.

Beyond that, the game is packed with stuff to do between quietly exploring the countryside to gambling in saloons to hopping online with friends for some free roam or competitive multiplayer. Finally, the ending sequence is among one of the best we've played in recent memory.

Runner-up: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood refines everything about Assassin's Creed II and lets us romp around Rome, while building up our cadre of nimble assassins to do our bidding. The game's story helps progress both Ezio's memory-based journey and Desmond's present-day storyline, which should help bridge the gap between this and the next game in the series. Ubisoft also added an unconventional multiplayer mode, perfectly suited to the franchise's gameplay, which is basically just a nice bonus on top of this game.

Nominees: Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Final Fantasy XIII.

[Multiplatform Game is part of Shacknews Best of 2010 Awards. For more information, including selection methodology, see this introduction.]