Best PC Video Games 2010 Holiday Guide

Just in time for some holiday shopping, Benchmark Reviews' 2010 Holiday Gaming Guide! Whether you're looking to hook your gamer teen up or you want to kick your PC gaming collection up a notch, this article is going to open your eyes to some of the biggest named titles of 2010 and make you or your child the envy of the neighborhood. If you're interested in some serious FPS, MMO, RTS, RPG, or Flight Simulation, read on.

This winter we have some great hits for lovers of PC Gamers everywhere. 2010 has brought us the release of plenty of great games, but these are the cream of the crop of their genre. Titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Starcraft 2, Fallout New Vegas, and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2, should definitely be on your list of games this year, and this article will go through why you'll love and cherish them like that old blanky you have in your closet.

Starting off the lineup is this year's blockbuster first person shooter by Treyarch, Call of Duty: Black Ops. It set the record for biggest opening day sales for a game ever, so you know this game is going to be one crazy thrill ride of heart pumping adrenaline and memorable moments. Available for Consoles as well as PC, this game is a no brainer for any good little boy or girl!

Next up for you MMO junkies is the anticipated expansion to one of the best selling MMO's of all time, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. This game is set to turn the world of Azeroth upside-down with dramatic changes to the world and brand new content. It just hit the shelves on the 7th!

On the real time strategy front we have another Blizzard Entertainment game, Starcraft 2. The sequel to one of the most legendary RTS games of all time was released early this year and is a must have for anyone who loved the original or is a fan of highly polished and addictive RTS game play.

The developing reins of Fallout have moved from Bethesda to Obsidian and it would seem for the better. Fallout New Vegas, which dropped late October, is a classic post apocalyptic game that mixes great storyline and game play in one great setting. A nice perk is it's also available for major consoles!

Finally on the countdown, you should check out Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2. Ubisoft is known for great games and H.A.W.X. 2 is no exception. With stunning graphics, game-play, and 8-player dog fighting, this game is a great pick for anyone who enjoys the thrill of being a fighter pilot.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

12 Million Subscribers can't be wrong when it comes to how fun a game can be. World of Warcraft revolutionized the way MMOs are created now and it's still holding on to the reins of most popular MMO game of all time. That being said, Cataclysm is sure going to help them do it. With more new features than you can shake a stick at, it's sure to keep you glued to your seat!

Starting out the list of cool new features is the epic storyline that brings Deathwing back into the mix. If you haven't played the original games or read the books, than you might be wondering who he is. /nerdmoment. He's one of the five dragon aspects. More specifically, he is in charge of the Black Dragonflight, and he was made to watch over the earth and the deep place by the titan's when they created Azeroth. The Old Gods, who are enemies of the titans, corrupt him by making him extremely paranoid and power hungry. He turns on his brethren and forces them into submission with a powerful artifact known as the Demon Soul. Eventually, during the second war (Warcraft 2), the Demon Soul is destroyed and Deathwing is beaten by the combined forces of the other aspects. Beaten, but not killed. He licks his wounds and hides deep in the earth in a place called Deepholm. This is eventually where he rises up from, throwing Azeroth into a chaotic mess. /nerdmomentdone.

Cataclysm adds new content and features to keep you coming back to Azeroth. Two new playable races are a big addition (Goblin for Horde, Worgen for Alliance). The world pre-cataclysm is altered in major ways. Some zones have been revamped completely, while others are brand new. This leads to a major amount of quest changes and offer a brand new experience for those that played the original game. A new secondary skill, Archaeology, is added which makes exploring much more rewarding. More Raiding and PvP Content is added and you'll be able to fly in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms finally!

It's going to be interesting on both sides now that the Greymane wall is open, and that some goblins are officially siding with the horde. Battle.net integration is also going to be used. If you play the game you've already seen the effects first hand. Blizzard is integrating all their current games with Battle.net. Starcraft 2 (Which you'll see later on) and Diablo 3 are also using this system, which means you can stay in touch with all your friends even if you aren't on the game they're playing! Also, if you have a graphics card that supports DirectX 11, Blizzard is including some experimental support for it! This game is going to be epic (pun intended). With all the new features they're adding, what are you waiting for? You can order if now on Battle.net or pick up in stores!

Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

The much anticipated sequel to a game that has its own e-sport in South Korea finally hit the shelves earlier this year. Starcraft 2 is an improvement in almost every way imaginable. A real-time strategy game that includes three unique races with completely unique tech trees and units, a beautifully crafted gaming engine with great scalability, a superb storyline, and one of the best online multiplayer experiences out there, Starcraft 2 has the makings of one of the most fun games of 2010.

In the story mode, Blizzard gives us 29 single player maps dealing with Jim Raynor and his journey to finally overthrow Arcturus Mengsk from power. Along the way you'll meet some new allies and enemies and you'll explore the lore of the Starcraft universe. Just a heads up, you'll only be playing as the Terran in this game as Blizzard has broken the story up into a trilogy for Starcraft 2. Some say to milk money from us consumer's, but with all the things the single player mode offers I don't think we'll be disappointed by the content in future releases.

During the campaign you have access to a wide variety of things you can do. Each mission rewards you with money and research if you fulfill the objectives to it, along with unlocking new units. You can spend the money on upgrades in your ships armory and the research points in the lab. These allow a unique and customized experience every time you play the game.

If you were a fan of heroes in Warcraft 3, you'll be a bit disappointed that they don't make an appearance in Starcraft 2, save for the few times you get to use special units in the story mode. That being said, the map editor does come with ways to enable it, and recently Blizzard reveals it's making a DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) like map that will be released free of charge sometime within the next year. Also included with Starcraft is Battle.net 2.0. Battle.net 2.0 includes Facebook friend adding and synchronization of friends lists between Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft. Future games by Blizzard will also include this feature.

Even with a great campaign, the multiplayer is king in Starcraft 2. With tons of achievements to work for, a much better matchmaking system, a nearly flawless balance of races, and addictive game play leads to one of the best RTS experiences I've ever enjoyed. There are a couple downsides to Starcraft 2, but nothing that should disqualify you from picking it up. Firstly, there's no LAN support anymore. This means you can't just run it off your local network anymore. Secondly, the game has online regions that you're limited to for multiplayer. This means if you have a friend in China and you both have Starcraft 2, you still won't be able to play together. Other than those qualms, the game is rock solid, and you should definitely check it out this holiday season.

Fallout New Vegas

From the makers of Knights of the Old Republic II, Neverwinter Nights, and Dungeon Siege, comes a new title in the Fallout series. If you've played Fallout 3 it uses the same engine for this game for graphics, with only a little rework for lighting effects, so you won't need to overhaul your system in order to play this game.

Set in the Wild West after a nuclear apocalypse occurred, you start the game off as a courier for a delivery company who is captured, robbed, and finally shot. You're saved by an old man and nursed back to health. Instead of taking growing up and taking a test, you'll be asked questions by the old man, and then you'll use the machine below to change your attributes and pick your skills. After that you're off to do whatever you want. You can be as good or as bad as you want and be rewarded for each way because of the built in reputation systems. If you start to attack towns then the townsfolk in the general area will start to become hostile, but if you save them they'll like you even better and will help you.

Fallout New Vegas also includes some new upgrades over Fallout 3. These include Hardcore Mode, Iron sights on guns, Customization of your weapons, more weapons, and finally more perks. Hardcore Mode makes the game much harder and difficult in comparison to non-Hardcore Mode. Ammo has weight, you have to actually drink water or you'll dehydrate, Medpacs don't restore crippled limbs, you need sleep, and finally Medpacs also don't heal instantaneously.

Fallout New Vegas' addition of special ammo and modifications that you can use on your weapons adds some more diversity to your experience. Also, you'll explore some memorable locations from the Mojave Desert in the game, including the Las Vegas Strip, Area 51, Dinkie the Dinosaur Motel (Pictured Above), The Helios One power-plant, and the Hoover Dam. Check out New Vegas this holiday season on PC, Xbox 360, or Playstation 3.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2

I'm going to be honest with you. I wasn't that big of a fan of H.A.W.X. 1. To me I felt that it was missing the fun and excitement of Ace Combat and many older addictive Arcade Flight Simulators. But after giving H.A.W.X. 2 a chance, I wasn't let down again. H.A.W.X. 2 lets us experience what it is like to pilot a diverse amount of aircraft without ever having to leave the comfort of our cushioned computer chair.

The game begins with some basic training in order to get you used to flying, but then takes you right in the middle of strife and warfare on a global scale. H.A.W.X. 2 uses GeoEye to map out actual locations for in-game action. That means that the landscape you're bombing and fighting over exists in the real world.

You'll be flying as American, British, and Russian aircraft pilots in your single-player mission as you attempt to stop Russian insurgents from starting another world war and exploring locations all over the world. There are multiple types of missions you'll encounter, including bombing targets, dog fighting, unmanned aerial drone reconnaissance, and stealth missions where you protect ground forces with an AC-130! H.A.W.X. 2 also features 4-player Co-op for the campaign and 8-player free-for-all dog fighting. If you think fighting AI targets is fun, challenge yourself to fighting other people online. There are ranked or non-ranked matches that you can play in three separate game modes. Ubisoft has also included Leaderboards so you can see how you rank up against other people around the world. Finally, there's plane progression and pilot achievements tracked in the game so you can show off how good you are as a pilot to your friends!

As I wrap up playing H.A.W.X. 2 there's a couple things that I like and some things that still bug me. First off, if you plan on using a mouse and keyboard to play, I would advise against it. I tried for nearly an hour to get used to playing with it to no avail. Luckily for me, I had an Xbox 360 wired control to play on lying nearby. I would highly recommend using one or at least a joystick if you have one as it made playing much more enjoyable. Also, Ubisoft made it where you must have an Internet connection to play the game. I don't agree with that decision, but that's what I had to deal with in order to play the game. I did like that there is an included benchmark utility with the game along with LAN support for when you want to just play on your own network. A final nice addition is information about GeoEye and their satellites, including information on each satellite and two galleries with pictures of many places all over the world.

So what games will you be playing this Holiday season? Leave comments below, or discuss in our Forum.

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