By now, you’ve all seen our 2010 Game of the Year awards. All five nominees are terrific titles and we would have been comfortable awarding any of them with the coveted honor. Only one could win and Red Dead Redemption took the crown. But those five games aside, we had discussed some great titles that just didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. We felt those games deserved some sort of mention, so hit the jump to check out a few other games we wanted to highlight for being damn good in 2010.

Limbo

Release Date: July 21, 2010
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade
Developer: Playdead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

From our Review:

Every now and then you get hit upside the head with a game that comes screaming out of right field. A game that wasn’t ever a blip on your gaming radar. One that you weren’t even looking forward to in the least bit. To me? Playdead Studio’s Limbo was that game.

Angry Birds

Release Date: December 10, 2009
Platforms: iOS, Android, Symbian, webOS
Developer: Rovio
Publisher: Chillingo, Clickgamer.com

We never reviewed Angry Birds. Why? It never hit our radar in December of 2009. But a few updates later in early 2010 and Angry Birds has easily been played for more hours around the Loot Ninja offices than any other game in 2010. Whether we’re between meetings, on the can, on the subway, or just looking for some fun iPhone/Android gaming, Angry Birds is one of the best mobile games we’ve ever played.

StarCraft II

Release Date: July 27, 2010
Platforms: PC, Mac
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

From our Review:

After a decade, StarCraft II is exactly what we’ve all been waiting for. While some may criticize the single player for only being one of three announced campaigns, there is still way more content here than any other $50 game on the market. Trust me, you will be playing StarCraft II for the next decade just like you were playing the first StarCraft for the past ten years. Even if you’re new to StarCraft, it’s a blast to hop in and get around. If you’ve never played an RTS, make this your first. If you’re an RTS or StarCraft fan, odds are this is already installed on your machine.

Alan Wake

Release Date: May 18, 2010
Platforms: Xbox 360
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

From our Review:

Alan Wake had fallen off my radar over the past few years when the game went into an almost vaporware state. Even at E3 last year when Remedy showed off a level at Microsoft’s press conference, my mind wasn’t blown. Once I got my hands on the game, my feelings changed immediately. Alan Wake will thrill you from start to finish. If you own an Xbox 360, you better play this game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Release Date: November 9, 2010
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, DS
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision

From our Review:

It’s November. It means that another Call of Duty game is being released and everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for a chance to play it. The development shifts to Treyarch who gave us the forgettable Call of Duty 3, the surprisingly good World at War, and now Black Ops. The focus this time around is the Cold War and we take a look at all of the conflicts that “didn’t” happen. The game is very, very good, but feels like Modern Warfare 2.5 and not the leap forward we all had hoped.

Did we miss anything? Did your favorite game not make any of our lists? Let us know!