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Good Game: 11 Best Video Game Atmospheres of 2010

Good Game is a weekly column with news and reviews of video games and casual gaming.

The background against which a video game plays out always has an effect on the gameplay experience. But in some games, the setting is so unique and integral to the game, it’s inextricably intertwined with the story. For games like these, the environment is part or even most of the appeal.

Several games that fall into this category have been released this year (or will be shortly). Here are my picks of the best, in ascending order of how compelling, important, and effectively integrated the environment is with the rest of the game.

11. Alan Wake (Xbox) — Fictional town of Bright Falls, in the Pacific Northwest

The gameplay in this mystery gets a little repetitive, but the developers definitely created a spooky atmosphere, from the small-town diner to the foggy woods you run through at night armed with a flashlight.

10. Halo: Reach (Xbox) — The human colony of Reach, 2552

You’re probably going to be too busy shooting aliens to explore much of the planet in this game, but the vistas, foliage and settlements are worth a second look. 

9. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox/PC) — Outer space, 2183

In this massively popular sci-fi game, the final frontier is populated by unknown planets, new alien races, and cutting-edge spaceships, as well as stunning starscapes. 

8. Mafia II (Xbox) — The Fictional American city of “Empire Bay,” 1940s

Everything from the cars and clothing to the music and dialogue work together in this game to authentically recreate the golden era of Mob rule in America.

7. Tron: Evolution (Dec. 17, Xbox/PS3/PC)  — inside a video game

The environment is the enemy in this game, as you try to rescue your father from the dangerous video game he’s trapped inside of. 

6. Disney Epic Mickey (Nov. 26, Wii) — Cartoon Wasteland

Paint and paint thinner are used to create and remove objects in the landscape as you try to outwit and outrun a world populated by cartoon characters with bad intentions.

5. Fallout New Vegas (Oct. 19 Xbox/PS3/PC) — Post-Apocalyptic Last Vegas,  2280

Although the previews don’t show much of the Fallout Vegas world, the desolate, irradiated environment is always the most important character in the series.

4. Fable 3 (Oct. 26 Xbox/PS3/PC) — Kingdom of Albion

The Fable games are known for their gorgeous graphics, and this one’s even better, with charming buildings, beautiful scenery, and colorful special effects.

3. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (Nov. 16 Xbox/PS3/PC) — Rome, late 15th century

Picking up right where Assassin’s Creed 2 left out, the exploration of Renaissance Italy continues in Brotherhood, as you mingle with the locals, scale guard towers, and buy from shopkeepers — when you’re not fighting for you life against the evil Templars.

2. Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox/PS3) — Cacoon/Pulse

The visuals in FFXIII are just as beautiful as they are most Final Fantasy games. Whether you’re in the Crystal Cavern or crossing the wide-open fields of the Gran Pulse, you’re almost always fighting creatues somewhere stunning in this fantasy game.

1. Red Dead Redemption (Xbox/PS3) — American Old West, 1911

The vast expanse of this Western and your ability to interact with it is truly remarkable, from the canyons in Mexico and snow-covered trees around Blackwater, to the wild animals scampering across the road, to the saloons and poker games populating the towns. In Red Dead, the setting is the game. The fact that there’s also a good story is just icing.

Feel free to agree, disagree, or suggest other games with great settings in the comments.

Sarah Warn currently runs EntertainHer.com and writes for TheTorchOnline. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

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