So full disclosure before I start explaining why Persona 3 Portable is so great and how a game that’s is a port of a PS2 game can be my game of the year. I’m actually picking Persona 3 Portable as my Handheld Game of the Year. I feel that the handhelds should get some love because there have been some real gems released in the last year.

Persona 3 Portable defines what it is that makes an excellent portable RPG. The J-RPG’s story is intriguing and pulls you in and the combat is built on a strong turn-based system.  It’s got great graphics for such a tiny system and a extremely fitting J-soundtrack. What really makes P3P really stand out is the persona system, mixing the elements of addictive collecting, strategic equipping and, my favorite, social relationship building. I picked this game up late in the year for my PSP and haven’t looked back. The game has sucked me into the universe and addicted me with the thought of conquering the large tower, Tartarus. It has caused me to lose sleep as I tried to fight through just one more level, over and over. Throw in the new feature to play from a female perspective and P3P is in a league of its own.

I never had the opportunity to experience the original Persona 3 on the PS2 and I’m pretty sure that almost every other gamer bypassed it as well. It was considered to be one of the best RPGs when it first came out and this improved version will stand to be one of the best RPGs of this generation. With this second chance to play it on the PSP, I think everyone should try to grab this game and give it a chance. RPG lovers, you won’t be disappointed!

(Image source)

[Photo via]

I hate saying sequels for things like this, but the first game that popped in my head the second I saw the title was Mass Effect 2. When I got Mass Effect 2 it became an almost sibling rivalry between my husband and I over who got to play first and for how long. I was anxious as I put the first game disk into my 360, but as soon as it started up I felt like I was back with old friends. Mass Effect 2 draws the player into the action and drama right from the start. I’d hate to spoil the first bit of action, but it made me tear up.

Yes, I’m sure it sounds silly over how connected I feel to these video game characters, but it’s hard not to connect with them. The player can make Commander Shepard into a big softy, a tough inquirer, or any mix those, and how you interact changes your crew’s attitudes. Mass Effect 2 also has a great blend of characters from the first installment, and new additions. For a good portion of the game you’re wondering about your old crew; what happened while you were out of it and if you’ll ever see them again. So as the game progresses and you find out their fates it leaves you rejoicing or in sorrow.

Mass Effect 2 also paced this game a lot better than Mass Effect. Mass Effect suffered from a very slow start and hard to control rover missions, and Mass Effect 2 gracefully did away with that. ME2 throws you right into the action and hardly lets up. Because of the urgent matter that is driving all your missions, there are hardly any slow points. There aren’t any missions that are there just to keep you busy, and that keeps you from getting bored. If by chance you do want a break from the stress of your missions you can drill planets. Now, that isn’t the most exciting thing in the game, but it is up to you whether you want to do it. This is a great alternative to the forced rover missions, and if you never want to drill planets for resources then all you need is a keen eye to collect the minerals on the worlds during missions.

The action and drama keeps you drawn in and constantly getting closer to your crew, making the final mission really nerve wracking. The “suicide mission” had me on the edge of my seat the entire time playing it through, because there is only so much you can do to keep your crew alive up to a certain point, and the rest is up to how you played the game and the decisions you make. If you do happen to be unlucky enough to lose a member of your crew, it’s heartbreaking. If you have yet to get into this trilogy, shame on you, as you’re really missing out on the best video game of 2010.

As far as I was concerned, there was really no contest when it came to this decision. For whatever reason, quite a few of the manga titles I had been reading this year just started to revert into something…um, let’s just say less than palatable.

I can honestly say that was never the case with One Piece. 600+ chapters (yes, I have read them all) into this epic and I still find myself laughing out loud, crying (sometimes) and being surprised by every plot point Eichiro Oda throws at me. I won’t spoil anything for those of you not fully current with the manga, but this year’s major arc totally changed the OP world (for the better).

It’s actually hard to extol all the virtues of the direction the story is taking without revealing anything (those who are current can attest to the awesomeness that has occurred), but suffice to say everything is handled in a way that prevents the manga from becoming stale or mundane.

I truly look forward to see what 2011 has in store for the Straw Hat Crew.

[source]

The best manga of 2010 is a manhwa? Yes, it is.  I felt this was the best choice because of the following two reasons.  One, Noblesse started in February of this year and since that time has released 164 chapters.  This series got the most done this year.  Two, this manhwa is great, I enjoy it more than I do most other manga or manhwa.  It is my one favorite series of all time.

Sources:  [mangafox.com]

[photo via]

This pick for me goes down to the two films that most critics are probably deciding between to place on the top rung of their 2010 list, and more than likely will be the two biggest favorites for this year’s Oscar: The Social Network and Inception. And as someone who likes going against the grain and looking for any reason to throw a wrench into the hype machines of undeserving films (*cough* Avatar *cough*), I simply cannot do the same to these heavyweights. The praise and acclaim garnered by these two films are truly warranted. The very best of 2010. Now it’s just a matter of deciding which one was better than the other.

When comparing the two, both pass various tests with flying color. Tremendous script? Check. Good cast of characters? Check. Well directed? Appeasing soundtrack? Check. Extremely fascinating subject matter? Check.

The Social Network has more notches on the acting belt; Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield were both fantastic. Its dialogue was quick and sharp, with programming vernacular tossed around at such a torrid pace that it gave boners to the geeks who understood it. While not as action packed as Inception, in different ways, banter between two characters made it equally breathtaking. Inception was no doubt a visual triumph. Various sequences almost defied logic, but through his artistry and with the use of technology, Christopher Nolan managed to pull it off.

Both were great films in 2010. My pick, though, in a somewhat difficult choice, goes to Inception. It sorta reminded me of a live-action Paprika, which is always a plus. I’m not one who goes into a summer blockbuster expecting a masterpiece. I just want to eat my popcorn and be entertained for 2 hours. Though because of the hype, I did go into Inception with high expectations. And frankly, I walked out of that theater with my expectations more than exceeded. That in itself is an accomplishment. One main reason why: It stuck with me longer.

The entire plot of diving into a dream, manipulating a dream, balancing a dream with reality, etc, is one little misstep away from being a convoluted train wreck. But because of the brilliant direction and narrative of Nolan, it was viscerally stimulating and seemed feasible through cinema. It had me pondering whether the film was real, or a dream, or a real dream.

And therein lies the brilliance of a film: When you feel certain you have the answer, but you want to watch it again just to make sure.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Inkers: Oclair Albert, Joe Prado

I had to think fairly hard about this, since there have been quite a few awesome comics this year. However after some help deciding, I decided to take the angle of what single issue I was most pumped for and enjoyed this year.

So why was that the last issue of Blackest Night? As an event it did feel like it dragged on a little bit, but this was an issue I couldn’t wait for, especially after seeing Sinestro gain the White Light. For me, this was a really satisfying conclusion to an epic story, tying up some of the dangling plot threads whilst adding more tantalising ones which are still being explored in Brightest Day.

The art and presentation in this issue were just damn awesome – the two page spread of the heroes return was just beautiful. What really grabs it though is the brief handling of the returns of the newly resurrected character, and the reactions from them and our heroes to this shocking scene. To read this was just plain damn awesome, and just made me geek out.

[Image from Comicbookdb]

This year saw a lot of great stuff all around, from movies to video games to TV shows, but being that I usually focus on comics, I figured I’d bring what I felt was the BEST comic of 2010. 

As a bit of a broad focus I’d like to say the best of 2010 was Grant Morrison’s Batman books. Morrison did not handle just one book this year, but several: he finished up his 16-issue run on Batman and Robin, published his six-issue Return of Bruce Wayne mini-series, put out two issues of Batman that tied into, and filled some blanks in his RIP storyline from 2008/2009, and finally he launched his new Batman series, Batman Incorporated (along with a one-shot called Batman: The Return). 

It has certainly been a busy year for Mr. Morrison, and though he faced some delays in publishing, he put it all out there, and it was all pretty fantastic. His finale to Batman and Robin was probably my favorite single issue of the entire year, and I know I have never been so excited for any single issue ever before. It was fantastically written, and even though it featured work from three different artists it was perfectly executed. I loved it dearly. 

And on top of how wonderful that last issue was, the entirety of his works (previously listed) beautifully wove together a mystery, piece by piece, that showed us pretty much why Batman is arguably the greatest, and most important character in the DCU (no offense to fans of other characters, I love others, but Bats is my favorite). If you like Batman, this is a thread of stories you would kick yourself not to have read, and you better be sure to pick up Batman Incorporated as it continues off into next year. Also be sure to check out Scott Snyder and Jocks run on Detective Comics, which is sure to be a contender for one of the best ongoing runs of 2011. 

From a huge list of anime that was aired in 2010, I could have easily picked what I thought was going to be selected as Best Anime of 2010. However, despite all the gaga over K-ON!!, I feel that in the overall picture, Highschool of the Dead fits the bill better. 

I’m not a big zombie fella and but with all the talks about these undead things terrorizing the world, I couldn’t ignore it.

I was actually disturbed when I heard from a close friend of mine that the director/producer really wanted to focus on breast movements. (Source unknown so for all I know, this could be a lie.) Well, Highschool of the Dead did showcase unabashedly the buoyancy and NSFW jiggles of each girl except Alice, so in that regard they were majorly successful. I think the best example of how over-the-top it got was when Saeko did some major matrix evasive maneuver as Takashi fired a sniper bullet. 

But what I see in Highschool of the Dead is a lot of meaningful action that has been lacking for me. On top of that, you got varying intensity levels of drama, betrayal and jealousy, the will to survive, and lunatic manipulation. The lead characters in Takashi and Rei aren’t too impressive for me but the secondary wave of leads are key factors. Saeko’s gentle exterior vs. her sadistic mental capacity, Saya’s “I’m-a-genius” chant and tsun-tsun unrequited love for Takashi; and Kohta’s gun-nerd perversions stabilizes the otherwise generic troubled would-be couple while tackling the end of the world. 

I can go on about why I think Highschool of the Dead is the Best Anime of 2010. Before it turns out to be an analytical review, it is safe to say that this series got an amazing amount of hype and when I first started watching it, I quickly claimed it as the best series of the year. While it ended rather slowly — and no thanks to a slower manga release — this season itself is worth the acclaim and the potential is still there now that the escape plan goes into phase two. 

In my humble opinion, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is the best anime of 2010.  This anime is the most unique I have ever seen.  Every episode the directors take risks and experiments with anime in ways I have never seen.  We have bared witness to everything; from segments with no dialogue, to a music video.  This is a good time to mention most of the time the risks pay off making this my choice of the best anime of 2010.

Sources:  [flash-screen.com]

[photo via]

Admittedly, the decision to go with One Piece was a rather difficult one. Do I give notoriety to a great new show that actually debuted in 2010 over a world renowned show that’s been great for 11 years? Were the criteria “best new series of 2010”, then yes, I would have made cases for some of my personal favorites like Durarara!! or Kuragehime (don’t judge me). But I had to pick THE BEST, and it wasn’t even close. One Piece by a mile.

It’s no secret that as a whole, One Piece is one of my all-time favorites. Though I hesitate to place it as my #1 for the simple fact that it hasn’t ended yet. Still, it’s only a matter of time before it sits atop my list. It’s that great. Yet, just because I am an unabashed fanboy of this show doesn’t mean it gets picked best anime of 2010 by default. I am very objected. I was (and still am) one of the biggest fans of Lost, but I never hesitated to bash it when episodes or seasons were too mind-numbing for comprehension. Same with One Piece. I’ll be its biggest fan and critic. Believe me, I’ll be the first person to point out when this show begins to run its course. It just won’t be any time soon.

So how does an extremely popular, well-established show with 13 technical seasons under its belt and heading into its 12th year continue to be great?

*Spoilers*

By splitting up our beloved characters, that’s how. If I would have told you in the middle of last year that this show would completely remove every mugiwara nakama but Luffy from the main narrative, yet still maintain its success, would you have believed me? Probably not. That’s precisely what happened. This year, One Piece has essentially replaced Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Franky, Robin and Brook with Buggy, Bon Clay, Mr. 3, Ace, Boa, Ivankov, Jimbei and the Whitebeard Pirates, and amazingly, has not lost steam. Imagine that. We’ve been rolling with Luffy and a cast of prison misfits for 15 months. 15 months!

*End Spoilers*

This is a testament to the greatness of Oda and the incredible depth he has been able to provide. He is a maestro of storytelling, character building, and emotion invoking. And because of this gift, he was able try something bold and have it turn to gold. Who knows how much this series would have faltered had it been in incapable hands? We might have been clamoring for it to be put to pasture a long time ago. Instead, we are nearing the end of arguably the best arc in the entire series and it continues to feel fresher than ever.

One Piece is the best anime of 2010, and if all goes to plan, is sure to be an early favorite for 2011. Sure, looking down on popular shōnen has been a trendy thing to do lately. I’ve been guilty of this in the past. So as someone who doesn’t necessarily prefer this particular genre, I say this: If you haven’t watched a single episode of this show, I sincerely recommend you give it a try.

Pop Go will be providing our readers with a little fun feature to help close out 2010. Throughout the week, from Monday, December 27th to Friday, December 31st, our contributors will reveal what they felt was 2010’s best in specific GO categories. We will reveal at least two picks from the following categories each day:

(12/27) Best Anime of 2010
(12/28) Best Comic of 2010
(12/29) Best Film of 2010
(12/30) Best Manga of 2010
(12/31) Best Video Game of 2010

Check throughout the week to see which contributor has deemed what as the best for which category. I’m sure there will be picks you will or will not agree with, to each their own. We hope you enjoy!

[photos via, via, via]