The 10 best video games of 2010

(CNN) -- From an explosion of social games and iPhone apps to the rise of motion controls, cloud computing and retro revivals, 2010 has been a year of surprises and revelations for gaming enthusiasts.

But it's also been a generous one to PC and home console owners, with dozens of gob-smacking titles available for almost every system.

Between the launch of long-awaited epics such as "Gran Turismo 5" and "BioShock 2," and the return of heavyweights such as "NBA Jam" and "GoldenEye 007," choosing the year's top 10 titles is a Herculean task.

It's doubly so when you consider how subjective every player's list is, with one man's "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" another's "Fallout: New Vegas."

That said, here are the 10 games that most captured my attention this year, whether through technical innovation or sheer thumb-waggling goodness.

Which ones make your own personal best list? Be sure to write in and let us know in the comments section below.

1. "Heavy Rain" (Sony, PlayStation 3) -- An interactive thriller that raises the bar for adventure gaming by injecting genuine choice and emotion into its suspenseful nonlinear narrative. It features storytelling that's every bit as gripping and cinematic as anything Hollywood produces.

2. "Red Dead Redemption" (Rockstar Games, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- The game industry's equivalent of a Spaghetti Western, this sprawling open-world tale of outlaw justice wows with its atmospheric setting, wealth of play styles and gritty take on gunslinger culture.

3. "Super Mario Galaxy 2" (Nintendo, Wii) -- The cartoon Italian stallion rides high again, bounding about 3-D candy-colored worlds collecting coins, swiping power-ups and using dinosaur pal Yoshi's prehensile tongue to battle enemies. This is his best platform-hopping escapade since "Super Mario 64."

4. "Mass Effect 2" (Electronic Arts, PC/Xbox 360) -- An entire galaxy's worth of colorful characters, clever dialogue and gripping plotlines await in this futuristic role-playing odyssey, whose tale skillfully straddles the line between detailed stat-crunching and action-packed gunplay.

5. "Rock Band 3" (MTV Games, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Wii) -- A high note for even the critically acclaimed music game franchise, this installment outdoes itself by introducing keyboards, more realistic instrument play and countless ways to live out your MTV fantasies.

6. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" (Activision, PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Wii) -- Rewinds the best-selling first-person shooter series to the Cold War era, ratchets up the pyrotechnics and, most importantly, offers months of trigger-mashing replay value by providing millions of willing online victims.

7. "FIFA 11" (EA Sports, PC/PlayStation 2/PlayStation3/PSP/Xbox 360) -- Brings home the virtual World Cup with its lifelike athletes, simple yet deep design mechanics and spirited online play, making it a fast, fun and surprisingly accessible choice, however comfortable you are in cleats.

8. "God of War 3" (Sony, PlayStation 3) -- Say what you will about its bucketfuls of blood, histrionic rage and penchant for melodrama, but this gory Greek tragedy delivers some of the most brutal button-mashing mayhem ever seen on home consoles.

9. "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" (Blizzard, PC) -- Roughly 12 years in the making and so big it had to be split into three parts, this futuristic real-time strategy epic stunned critics by actually living up to the hype. In an age of kinder, gentler social and casual titles, it also underscored hardcore PC gaming's continued relevance and appeal.

10. "Halo: Reach" (Microsoft, Xbox 360) -- Despite sticking to the by-now-familiar sci-fi run-n-gun formula, this sequel offered massive, multitiered stages and a raft of endlessly entertaining online multiplayer modes to ensure you'll be ventilating squealing aliens well into 2011.