Doing this a bit differently than I've done it the past couple years - my text blocks are going to be written here first and copied over to my personal journal later, rather than copying from there. So here goes. (Also I disqualified Chrono Trigger DS from my personal list because it's just not FAIR.)
1. Persona 4: How does PS2 get an unabashed GOTY nod from me? How does it top a game I spent well over $500 and took a week off of work to finally get to play? I'm really not sure, but somehow it happened and I'm okay with that. Letting you control the party directly is a double-edged sword. It removes a lot of frustrations in boss battles but quickly becomes a crutch you can't toss away. The graphics are dated (duh) but the team at Atlus figured out how to use the camera to great effect here to help the game appear more dynamic. Soundtrack is wonderful as well, and the characters are a joy - there's no Fuuka or Aegis here. When they get around to a P5, I'd like a slightly deeper S.Link system; but then that'll put even more demands on an already taxed translation team... ;D But honestly that's the only complaint I can level at this game.
2. Metal Gear Solid 4: This game is always going to be, to me, its final three acts. There is so much possibility in the more open gameplay you experience in the first two acts. The game is so radically different in South America and the Middle East that the rest of the game, while incredibly enjoyable, feels like an afterthought. BUT. That afterthought is so impeccably constructed that it's still better than every other game that came out this year (other than the above). I'll save all the controls and graphics praise and just say that I enjoyed how much more "grown-up" the soundtrack was to this entry...it really fit the sense of time passing since the previous missions that you get as you play the game.
3. The World Ends With You: Never before has a game had so many subsystems and almost all of them be unnecessary to finish the game. An RPG that never lets you get stuck or impossibly frustrated is remarkable; one with a storyline with so much under-the-surface is a treat. All the extra stuff like Tin Pin Slammer, collecting the reports, using the sleep mode... Wonderful game. Just wish Neku wasn't such a typical modern RPG douche lead for 90% of the game.
4. Rock Band 2: I tried really hard not to score this this high. The amount of time I spent playing it disagreed.
5. Mirror's Edge: Lots of critics have complained about the death rate in this game. Either you love trial and error or you hate it; I love it and the load times are super-quick so it's not a big deal to me. The controls make sense in a way that I never thought they would and the enemies are quick to swarm you the second you're open. A sequel should be a tad longer though, and maybe offer multiple paths through an area?
6. Wipeout HD: The most visually impressive game I've ever seen (let's see your favorite game not drop frames at 1080p/60fps). I seem to have hit a dead spot in my progression, and I still really dislike the barrel roll, but it seems that it's here to stay. This would be multiple spots higher if the online weren't so barebones.
7. LittleBigPlanet: I never in a million years expected the challenge the story levels present towards the end. I've played a ton of wonderful levels (libidius!) that challenge what I thought could be done in a console game editor. When will someone make an accurate Aggro Crag?
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: It has a classic Donkey Kong stage. It has Snake. It has a level creator. Too bad the online is weak and there isn't more to created stages. The roster is huge and thoughtful and the Final Smash always makes the whole room go "OHMYGODCRAPGOGOGO". Making it work with the Cube controller (even though I prefer the classic) saved this for a lot of people.
9. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix: Confession: I am 100% a better Puzzle Fighter player than I am a SF2 player. Despite my hilariously inept play, this game takes me back to my youth in a less anger-inducing way thanks to pretty graphics, online play that lets me always find someone new when I get sick of losing to the same guy, and thoughtful little additions like the dipswitch settings or the way the control settings work.
10. No More Heroes: When the first thing you hear in a game is "fuckhead", you know it'll be good. Reviews called NMH out for not having enough to do in its open world and that the chores felt like chores. Well, uh, that's why they're not jobs you're going to WANT. I liked that I didn't have to be distracted from hunting the next guy on the list. The partial-waggle control scheme really maintains a sense of being in command while upping the sheer ferocity of the combat.