GameSpy’s 2010 Game of the Year Awards

You won’t find many role-playing games mentioned in GameSpy’s 2010 Game of the Year Awards, though BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 takes home RPG of the Year and Xbox 360 Game of the Year, and Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Cataclysm wins MMO of the Year.

Fundamentally changing the core elements of a game when creating a sequel is a risky maneuver for a developer, especially if the first game was one of the most acclaimed titles of the generation. Not only did BioWare do just that, the development team behind Mass Effect 2 actually managed to make its sequel better than the original (at least in some fans’ eyes). While not everyone liked the increased emphasis on combat, it’s hard to find flaws in that area’s myriad improvements. Sure, players couldn’t micro-manage dozens of types of ammunition and weapon attachments like they could in the first game, but is that really what we want out of a modern RPG? For those gamers that were more interested in being swept away by its epic storyline or in exploring one of the most richly detailed universes in modern gaming, there was a lot to love in Mass Effect 2. And hey, who knows, maybe we’ll even see a sequel someday…

If a game that was specifically designed to have its RPG elements cut back and streamlined wins “RPG of the Year”, what does that say about 2010?