1. The Last of Us
2. Dark Souls
3. Fallout New Vegas
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
5. Mass Effect 2
6. Resident Evil 5
7. Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
8. Rayman Origins
9. Assassins Creed 2
10. God of War III

I could go on forever about how brilliant Xenoblade is. I don't know how I can express it in one post, but I'll try.

Any game that can make me enjoy spending eight hours of screwing around in its opening area, making little to no progess, simply cannot be bested.

I wholeheartedly disagree. If you're saying blurring the line with cinema is a negative when it dimishies gameplay I'm with you all the way however. What IM saying, is that the gaming landscapes evolving appreciation for story structure and character and plot development along with its increasingly first class production values and advancements in graphical fidelity used to heighten emotion and immersion are imperative positives. Of course as a gamer, gameplay will always remain número UNO but these advancements made this gen only made gamings core that much more stronger. Gaming is a hell of a lot more respected now as a medium than it has ever been. And that too, is a good thing. That's what ai mean.

That's a very well thought out philosophy on games. And I appreciate your enthusiasm for those types of experiences.

I too love a good story in a video game. Some of my favorites -- Ocarina of Time, Deus Ex, Ico, and Final Fantasy III -- have interesting, moving, and surprising stories. Nothing wrong with storytelling in video games.

What worries me is the recent trend to turn video games into Hollywood blockbusters. Regardless of any aesthetic similarities, games and movies operate according to different traditions and different restrictions. I strongly believe that as games become more linear, more scripted, and more dependent on action set-pieces, they lose part of what makes them a game to begin with.

i told you so ;) 

Yup, and I agree with you.

In some kind of order:

Oblivion
Skyrim
Killzone 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Motorstorm Pacific Rift
Red Dead Redemption
Batman Arkham Asylum
Mass Effect 2
Bioshock
Shogun 2: Total War

I'm hear to contribute to the Xenoblade love, and shocked by how few are mentioning Ni No Kuni...
I would also like to bring up Portal and Portal 2...
And I realize the legacy of the series is irreparably tainted, but I loved Dead Space...

I an advocate of following cinematic story models. I'm vehemently against following desperate Hollywood blockbuster business models though. The assembly line diet of half baked popular franchises like Call of Duty and the like are more troublesome than anything to me. Innovation, creativity, and more engaging immersive experiences are video games' future.

My own top 10.
1. Pokemon White Version, was able to keep spoilers and any information on the game away for 2 years! Whole new unseen world for me, truly a experience for me, and started a pattern for me for the next game.
2. Halo Reach, my favorite and last Halo game I will own, the campaign was awesome the multiplayer solid and most fun I've had with my brothers and friends in a shooter.
3. Mario Party 8, tons of great games that leave us to tired to kill each other.
4. Super Smash Bros Brawl, my brother, my friends, cousins, and the proud nerds at school, all have invested hours in to beating the hell out of everyone of each other and loving it!
5. Halo Wars, best RTS game I was able to find this generation, there were probably better but left me waiting on the sequel.
6. Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart at home, on the car, on the bus, at the doctor, at school, in class, in detention... Good times.
7. Mario Galaxy, Mario in outer space, favorite Mario platformer so far, love the looks, love the gameplay.
8. Mortal Kombat 09, spelled with a K because illiteracy is kool. And so is ripping people in half.
9. Skyward Sword, not my favorite Zelda game but a damn good one loved it and almost every moment of it.
10. Just Dance, I looked like a complete moron throwing my arms around, all part of the fun.