Mass Effect 3 Cast and Aliens: Colonial Marines Trailer

The Reaper invasion and the galactic war to counter it will begin in a little over a month and BioWare is starting to step-up the marketing game.

If there's one thing that BioWare has always been at the top of the pile with, it's tremendous voice acting. The Mass Effect games are no exception to this as they have featured some of the finest voice acting ever recorded. Even Mark Meer (Male Shepard), who I consider the weakest link in the chain, still does an adequate job.

One thing I've been waiting for is the cast reveal trailer to see who's back and who's new. It finally came in today and I've got it below.

Before you listen to it though, I highly recommend that you also listen to the music in the background. Anyone who thought that a fabulous composer like Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan) couldn't replace Jack Wall, hang your head in shame this instant.

The piece, in this trailer at least, is spectacular giving a moody and atmospheric quality that feels like sci-fi and Mass Effect both. It also gives a feeling of a larger scale and the enormous conflict that's coming. I cannot wait to hear the rest of it.

Well, Martin Sheen is definitely back. HOORAY! He and Jennifer Hale (FemShep) gave arguably the best performances in Mass Effect 2, though to be fair, it is Martin Sheen so we probably shouldn't have expected any less. The Illusive Man is still an incredibly mysterious character and an incredibly fascinating one. One of my biggest anticipations for this game is seeing what exactly he's up to here. And Sheen voices him with such incredible energy yet gives him that mysterious quality that makes him such an appealing, if immoral, character.

Martin Sheen returns as the fascinating and mysterious Illusive Man. What's he and Cerberus planning? That's one mystery I'm very excited to unravel.

Also returning are Seth Green as Joker, Tricia Helfer as EDI, and Keith David as Admiral Anderson. All have been excellent at their respective roles with Seth Green providing a good deal of humor but also showing that he can be a great dramatic voice actor as well with some truly emotional moments in Mass Effect 2. The awesome Keith David has served well as a sort of "father-figure" and mentor to Commander Shepard.

But of those three, the one that really interests me is Tricia Helfer as EDI. BioWare has worked the commentary on artificial intelligence into this series brilliantly and had it served as another part of it's well-delivered message of tolerance. With her unshackling near the end of Mass Effect 2, it will be very interesting to see how EDI changes in this one and how she becomes more "human".

Battlestar Galactica actress, Tricia Helfer, returns as EDI, the Normandy's artificial intelligence. A potentially huge wild card and a character with major storytelling potential.

Ali Hillis returns as my favorite character in the series, Liara T'Soni and after the superb character development she's gotten, I can't wait to see her in a larger role again. Without having played the demo, I know that Ashley Williams/Kaiden Alenko, Garrus Vakarian, Legion, Mordin, Admiral Hackett, etc. are all back as well as any other squad members.

Ali Hillis returns as Liara T'Soni, my favorite character in the franchise. She's been promised a bigger role in this game than in 2 which makes me very happy.

The two new VA's shown here are Freddie Prinze Jr. as James Vega and Jessica Chobot from IGN as Diana Allers. I'll say right now, that I really don't think highly FPJ's acting, BUT after watching an interview with him, it's clear that he's a fan of the series and shows a real enthusiasm that makes me excited as well. Also BioWare can get a strong performance out of just about anyone so I'm actually confident. He's also gone more in-depth talking about the character, talking about how he's basically what Shepard was before s/he got involved with the politics: naive and by-the-book, which makes me curious to see his character development.

Of course the controversial one on the internet has been the casting of Jessica Chobot as reporter Diana Allers. Let me say right now, that I'm not going to comment on the ethics of hiring a game journalist as a voice actress in your game, because my rambling is going on long enough as it is. But I give the same reasons that I gave about FPJ as to why I'm not worried about her acting-wise. She's a fan of the series and BioWare is universally excellent with voice-acting.

Lastly, still no sign of Nathan Fillion. That makes me a little disappointed. Hopefully he shows up somewhere.

The ending to what is, so far, one of the finest sci-fi epics imaginable will hit on March 6 and March 9 in Europe.

NOTE: Oh and real quick, I also found this piece earlier today, which apparently plays during the Reaper's arrival on Earth and when they utterly decimate all of its defenses, or when Shepard escapes from Earth. Once again, cannot wait to hear the rest of this score.

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Aliens: Colonial Marines is getting closer...at least I hope, I still haven't a goddamn release date for it and just five days ago it got pushed back again to Fall 2012 when it was supposed to Spring. For a game that's been in development hell for five years now, this is getting painful.

But at least they released a new trailer to make up for it. Come to think of it, they did this for Duke Nukem Forever as well. Don't turn into Duke Nukem Forever. Please? It's only a cinematic trailer, but at least it's something.

The trailer gives off the kind of atmosphere that I'm really hoping for in the final product. A nice camera movement downward through the different levels ending on the ugly mug of an Alien Queen. I still remember the first time I saw the Queen in Aliens and I hope they can give something close to that awesomeness for video games.

Delayed again, but I'm still hopeful for a strong final product.

Resident Evil 6 Reveal and Thoughts

As some of you may have heard, Resident Evil 6 has been officially announced. After months of false rumors, it's officially a reality. And Capcom gave us a trailer to go along with it. Here is that trailer along with my thoughts on it and other news about it below.

Now the trailer has shown us a few things: Leon still appears to be employed by the President and the living-dead zombies appear to be back. Chris Redfield will also be a playable character and still looks to be on steroids (what's he going to punch this time?). And I've also heard that there might be (or definitely will be) a third protagonist as well, with some even saying Steve Burnside from Code Veronica or Hunk.

It will be played from multiple perspectives with Leon fighting traditional zombies in America and Chris Redfield fighting the mutated aberrations from 4 and 5 in China.

As for the gameplay, I'm divided and I probably won't be able to make any kind of judgment until I see more. If they're going for an action-focus, I'm glad they're at least updating the controls and design, something that Resident Evil 5 DEFINITELY failed to do. 4 was a revolutionary game in terms of it's over-the-shoulder gameplay but five years later, it felt outdated with 5.

The key to making this game work will be more than that. In Resident Evil 4, you had to be very careful with ammo as the design was done to keep you from getting too much. Resident Evil 5 was pretty broken in that regard with you never feeling needy for ammo like in 4.

You can have an action game and have it be survival-horror at the same time. The idea that you can't have both is ridiculous. The key is in the design. Will this game be like Resident Evil 4 which forced you to keep an eye on your stock and ammunition and encourages some exploration as well, or will it be like Resident Evil 5 where you had more than enough to play through it a few times and could just blast your way through everything? The game needs to hit the design philosophy of 4 if it wants to succeed in the eyes of Resident Evil fans (well most of them, some will complain no matter what).

As for the game itself, a demo is scheduled to come out on September 5th. However, in the Xbox 360 version of Dragon's Dogma, you will find a code that will allow you to access the demo as early as July 3rd.

The game itself is expected to be released on November 20th for the Xbox 360 and PS3. There will be a PC version but that hasn't received a release date yet.



Stay tuned as I'll be posting a Mass Effect 3 video as well as an Aliens: Colonial Marines trailer later today.

Kingdoms of Amalur Demo

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has, unexpectedly, become one of my most anticipated games of 2012. Hell, it got #2 when I listed my most anticipated, beating out giants like StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm and Bioshock Infinite. Only Mass Effect 3 beat it out.

Well the demo came out a week ago and I got the privilege to play it (and be subjected to a crappy network that resulted in a SIX HOUR LONG DOWNLOAD) and I'll say right now that I enjoyed it, though it definitely feels like a game I'll need to play for a longer time to get the meat of it.

But what was there was, for the most part, quite promising. So let's jump into it now.

STORY

The demo (and by extension, the game) begins with a bit of backstory. An evil force, known as the Tuatha, are attempting to eradicate all mortals. If the Tuatha, obviously being immortal, are "killed" they're reborn a little later. This has made the war go very badly for the mortals. And it's been foretold by "Fateweavers" that no one is ever fated to stop the Tuatha. In Amalur, everyone is ruled completely by their fate, which means that this fate reading essentially says that mortals are screwed.

However, your character is killed before the game even begins, and placed in what's called "The Well of Souls" in an attempt to bring him/her back to life. The mortals are attempting to unlock immortality for both usage in the war and afterwards. The good news: it works on your character. The bad news: it gets destroyed and you're the only one who has ever been successfully brought back.

However, there's a bright side. Because of your character's resurrection, s/he is now immune to fate and has many possible destinies based on his/her choices rather than one destiny based on fate.

The story is written by the first our three big-name creators, R.A. Salvatore who wrote the well-done Dark Elf Trilogy for the Forgotten Realms. The story itself, from what I've seen so far, has some good ideas and interesting concepts that make me want to see more.

That said, there were some problems. Some of the dialogue just doesn't seem to match up and creates continuity errors. Obviously, they're small given how little of the game I've seen but still enough to make me scratch my head a bit. I hope it remains a minor issue that only happens a few times and in that case it's forgivable. I'm still curious to see where it goes.

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

The second name in our trinity is Ken Rolston, the man behind The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind which I really liked, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which I really did NOT like. However, what I played of Amalur was really enjoyable, fast-paced and well-rounded.

The game is a combination of a stat-based RPG mixed with traditional hack-n-slash gameplay, sort of like Fable or Dragon Age II, though I had more fun with this than either of those. The combat was more frantic than Fable which was definitely a plus and there's no class system to restrict you like in Dragon Age II. In fact the game encourages you to switch between using traditional weapons and magic on the fly as a nice combo.

To further the hack-n-slash idea, each kind of weapon also has their own techniques that can be learned as you level up and you can also further your skill in the different traditional avenues. So if you want to be a powerful mage, put focus on magic abilities. Or you can go for a combination of all three (warrior, mage, thief). And that's not counting the different sub-categories of them such as the different magic types and weapon types to wield.

If there's one complaint that can be made against the gameplay in Kingdoms of Amalur, it's that it might lack an identity of it's own, at least in terms of gameplay. It plays like Fable, has the flexibility and versatility of The Elder Scrolls and Demon's Souls/Dark Souls, the dialogue wheel of Mass Effect mixed with an old-school dialogue scrolling list for questions about specific things, etc.

At the same time, one could also say that a strength it's the ability to combine established gameplay and design really well. It looks like they've done a nice job of that and I'm looking forward to see how far they went from what I saw.

If there was one thing that did not impress me here it was the design. The world felt WAY too linear and the game too railroaded. This was would be a big problem for THIS game in particular given that the story is about shaping your own destiny. I really hope the world becomes more open as the game goes on, otherwise this game will become a very bitter irony.

When all is said and done the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur was really fun even if none of it was particularly original. The linear and railroaded feel did not impress me and I'm hoping that this was just the beginning.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND

Closing off our trinity of names, we have Todd McFarlane doing the art. Some have criticized the art but I thought it was pretty good. I'm waiting to see what the rest of the art the game has before I make a big critique. Technically the graphics are lacking and definitely don't stand up to many other RPGs out there.

A big annoyance here was the fact that the main character does NOT talk. After Mass Effect, it just feels like something is missing when the main character doesn't talk. For the most part, the voice acting was good but that just didn't feel right.

CONCLUSION

Kingdoms of Amalur showed a few kinks in the armor, some of them may only appear to be kinks at this stage. However, the demo was fun and enjoyable time with solid gameplay and nice character progression. The story had interesting ideas and cool concepts and I'm still very excited to see where else the game goes.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning gets released on February 7th and I will definitely be picking up a copy.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2012

Well, 2011 has come and gone and we had a great year. We saw the greatest comic book/superhero game of all time with Batman: Arkham City which was my Game of the Year. We saw two superb comebacks with Rayman: Origins and Deus Ex: Human Revolution and a plethora of other great games.

2012 is also looking bright with some spectacular-looking sequels and some great-looking new IPs. Barring too much disappointment, there's a lot to look forward to and there are almost definitely other announcements for games later this year.

So let's look ahead at and see what my most anticipated games of 2012 are. Some of these have set release and others do not. As for the lack of The Last Guardian, well at this point I need to see something new before I put it on this list again. Anyway, let's get started.

#10. Tomb Raider

I made it no secret that I was less-than impressed with the footage of Tomb Raider that was shown at E3. The cinematic trailer was excellent, but the gameplay trailer didn't do it for me. I don't really have a problem with QTEs but it looked like an over-usage of them, especially for an adventure-style game like Tomb Raider. Especially when compared with Uncharted which has barely any QTEs.

That said, I'm still holding out hope that this will be a strong reboot for the franchise that will get my interest back into it. The past three games have been good but nothing really spectacular. Uncharted just shows even more how lacking they feel in comparison.

The thought of playing as a more down-to-earth and "green" Lara Croft is appealing as it feels like it will be more of a survival game at that point which is what is keeping my interest. Tomb Raider makes it into the list with hope that it will be a solid reboot.

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#9. The Last of Us

Sure, we only saw one cinematic trailer within the last month, but for over a decade now, one thing has been clear: any game being made by Naughty Dog is a good thing. This fits in for the reason that Tomb Raider does, it looks like it's going for a survival angle rather than just another third-person shooter.

The premise looks interesting, like a 28 Days Later or I Am Legend setting, and Naughty Dog has apparently been working on this game for years. The cinematic trailer really sold me and I can't wait to see some gameplay footage from it.

As can be expected coming from Naughty Dog, it also looks like it will be very character-focused and that also makes me excited as I love good character-driven storylines. A good combination of things based on speculation and what was shown in the cinematic trailer makes me yearn for more from this game.

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#8. Anarchy Reigns

Anyone who has followed my blog for a small amount of time or listened to the podcast know that I think Platinum Games is awesome. Even before they were Platinum Games, when they Clover Studios and working with Capcom, they were awesome. In 2010 they release two of the best games of that year with Vanquish and Bayonetta, which is arguably the best 3D hack-n-slash of all time.

Anarchy Reigns looks like a spiritual successor to the criminally overlooked MadWorld. And the main character from MadWorld, Jack, is back with the same chainsaw gauntlet as well. From what I've seen, it appears to be an online beat-em-up or online tournament fighter sort of like Super Smash Brothers or Power Stone.

At this point, I'm looking forward to anything that Platinum Games puts out and Anarchy Reigns is no exception. Knowing the developer, it's going to be over-the-top, impossible to take seriously, absolutely hilarious, and most importantly, it's going to be insanely fun (emphasis on insanely).

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#7. Aliens: Colonial Marines

Anytime I've gotten the chance, I've tried to hype up Aliens: Colonial Marines. It's been in development hell for quite a while and what I've seen looks like a solid FPS/horror game. As I said on the podcast, I think we have yet to see a good alien game without predators (nothing against predators) that's NOT in the arcade.

What I saw in the gameplay demo made me smile. It really seemed to capture the essence of the films themselves from the lighting to the atmosphere. Hell, I complained that they didn't hold the atmosphere for a long enough time because when it was there it was awesome.

What's really selling me on the game is Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox. The real joy of watching that demo was listening to Pitchford's commentary which showed him as a man who really loves this franchise and is putting everything that he has into. Seeing the love that he has for the project makes me really excited to see the results.

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#6. Grand Theft Auto V

Yes, Grand Theft Auto is coming back for another full-retail release and like everyone else, I'm highly anticipating it. The main reason it isn't higher is because all we've seen is a cinematic trailer so far. But returning to San Andreas is a good boost as I still have awesome memories from the first time I played San Andreas.

I'm not jumping on the rumor bandwagon as to when this game will be released, or who the different characters are but I am very excited. The only thing I want to stress Rockstar is to make it like The Ballad of Gay Tony which kept the serious storyline but melded it very well with over-the-top missions. The best of both worlds from the new and old GTAs.

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#5. Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock is the spiritual successor to System Shock 2, arguably the finest FPS in history and one of the scariest games ever made. Bioshock, while not as good, was an excellent game with an in-depth world, complex philosophies, and a brilliant deconstruction of the FPS genre. The sequel, while still good, was not quite as memorable.

However, this time, I believe this will be different. Ken Levine, one of the designers of System Shock 2 and the main man behind the original Bioshock, is working on this game. He did not work on Bioshock 2, which I believe hurt it a little bit. Also, while what I've seen still feels like Bioshock, with the gameplay and the philosophical themes to the story, they're taking it to a new place: Columbia, a city floating in the sky.

Both the story and the gameplay look to be intense rides from the footage shown so far and I can't wait to see more of this game to get my anticipation even higher.

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#4. Diablo III

The LONG-awaited sequel to Diablo II, Diablo III will finally get a release this year after nearly 11 years in development and nearly four years since it was first officially announced. But good things do come to those who wait and Diablo III looks like it will be an example of that.

The third entry in the spectacular Diablo series is looking great with the story taking place 20 years after Diablo II. I don't expect gameplay to change too much from its predecessors but that's not really a bad thing. The Battle.net service will be there to make easy-to-join multiplayer games and random quest generators will allow for differences in each playthrough.

Blizzard, like Valve, generally takes a lot of time on their games, but they pretty much always come out excellent and I don't expect any difference with Diablo III.

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#3. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Yes, another Blizzard game. StarCraft II was hyped up as three different games: Wings of Liberty, for the Terrans, which came out in 2010 and two "expansions" that are still around the same length. These are Heart of the Swarm for the Zerg and Legacy of the Void for the Protoss. Heart of the Swarm is next and I really hope it comes out this year (though I do want a finished game).

Heart of the Swarm will focus on Kerrigan and the Zerg and take place two years after the superb Wings of Liberty. Kerrigan reassumes control of the Zerg in attempt to get revenge on Arcturus Mengsk and the Terrans. Without her leadership, the Zerg has also split into separate factions that she must regain control of. I can't wait to see the story unfold though I do worry that it sounds a little bit like Brood War.

However, the multiplayer is still a major focus and with new units being added and tweaks made to the multiplayer, it's sure to still be an incredible time. Also, even though it's about the same length as Wings of Liberty, it will be sold at the price of an expansion pack. Blizzard, you guys are awesome.

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#2. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

And here we have the darkhorse for this list. I've been trying to hype up this game for months now. I first saw footage of it from E3 of 2011 and instantly fell in love with what I saw. Some have described it as a superior looking Fable. For me, it looks like a cross between Fable, Dragon Age, and The Elder Scrolls all in one which is just awesome.

Don't know much about the story yet but the gameplay is looking superb and versatile with an incredible amount of options for the player to choose from and not many real restrictions in how you create your character. The fact that Ken Rolston, the lead designer of Morrowind, is acting as lead designer here, gives me more reason to be excited.

Todd McFarlane is doing the art and while some people haven't really liked it, I've enjoyed what I've seen. McFarlane is an excellent artist and I'm quite confident that he'll make this work. All of this adds up to a potentially phenomenal game that I cannot wait to get my hands on when it's released on February 7.

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#1. Mass Effect 3

Was there really any question as to what my #1 would be? Really? I think I've mentioned the Mass Effect series on this blog more than any other game series. The first two games have been superb with excellent storytelling, incredible characterization, and arguably the most in-depth and well-built universe in video game history. I've never been more excited to finish a story in my 16 years as a gamer.

The Reapers are finally invading which means that it looks like it's time for a bit of a Dragon Age: Origins style plot, with Commander Shepard attempting to bring all the races of the galaxy under a single banner to fight the genocidal machines while s/he hopes there is a way to actually stop the powerful machine race that has been wiping out organic life for millions of years.

It's a used, but classic set-up and the Mass Effect series really makes you feel like a true leader, probably more than any other game I've played. But the on the gameplay side, everything is looking smoother than ever. More in-depth RPG elements, with gun customization and MUCH more in-depth leveling system only make me more excited to play.

Also, Clint Mansell, composer of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, doing the soundtrack. He's one of the best composers out there and I'm so excited to hear what he does here. Not to mention, hearing the terrific voice acting that we come to expect for BioWare titles, especially as we see the finale unfold. March 6 can't arrive soon enough and I will be at a game store on the launch date to pick this up.

Oppose SOPA

Hey guys. Well, my list of my most anticipated games of 2012 should be up over the weekend, but right now I want to point you somewhere very important.

Right now, the internet is a pretty good safe haven that allows people to express their views in ways that cannot be expressed anywhere else. There are bad eggs in this with sites solely dedicated to violating the copyright from artists, whether those be movies, music or video games.

However, this should not be an excuse to take this safe haven away. This is unfortunately what is being debated in Congress now with the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA. It sounds nice but the implications that this bill carries are anything but nice, allowing the government and companies to essentially block websites that are even ACCUSED of copyright infringement without any chance for the owner of the website to defend him/herself. Websites that host user-created content are also in danger as they can be shut down for stuff they didn't even make.

As to what violates copyright infringement, that is very vague. Sure there are obvious examples like posting full movies. But are Let's Plays copyright infringement? Is using a few clips from a movie copyright infringement? It's not really made clear which just shows how flawed this bill really is and how dangerous it is.

For my readers from America (most of you), I urge you to go to THIS ADDRESS and take two minutes tops to send an e-mail to your two senators and your district representative to express how utterly unacceptable this bill is and that you are not going to stand for it.

Please, let them know that this is too far.

Top 10 of 2011

Happy new year everyone. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year weekend. I'm personally hoping for a great 2012 and on that note you can expect my list of the my most anticipated of 2012 soon.

But before we look to the future, let's look back at the past and respect the excellent games that came out last year. There were plenty of excellent games last year and it's time to list my favorite.

Maybe Tyler and I will have a podcast version of this and he can list his and I can list mine for those who would rather just listen to the podcast. Anyway, here we go.

NOTE: There are a few games in here that I plan on reviewing that I haven't reviewed yet. If I list a flaw (or positive), expect me to go more in-depth in the review itself.

#10. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Oh, I can hear some of the Sony fanboys getting up in arms as I type. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the best game of 2009 and I think part of the reason is that it was such a huge improvement over its already great predecessor that Uncharted 3 couldn't really hope to live up to. It's near impossible to do such a great improvement twice in a row.

On top of this, the story felt both like it was retreading old territory too much and felt quite inconsistent in many areas which took away the somewhat fresh feeling that the other two had going for them and making it feel quite predictable in many areas. Not bad, but not as driving and compelling as Among Thieves.

But enough of criticizing. This is still one of the year's best games and the story still manages to be compelling primarily due to exploration of the relationship between Nate and Sully and it also had some trippy sequences that gave some fresh feeling to it. The gameplay still remains excellent and the setpieces are still phenomenal. The graphics and environments are beautiful and voice acting is still superb. The multiplayer is also great and gives one of the more enjoyable online experiences on the PS3.

While it may not have had quite the impact that Uncharted 2 had two years ago, Uncharted 3 is still an excellent addition to the PS3 library and Naughty Dog's resume. That alone puts it as one of the year's top games.

#9. Bastion

Every year, there come indie downloadable games that reinforce the concept that less is more. Last year we had gems like Limbo and Super Meat Boy. This year we had the spectacular action-RPG, Bastion. Though to be fair, "less is more" doesn't fully apply to the game as it's got a good amount of depth to it.

The game's story is told by a narrator who also narrates what you do onscreen throughout the game. You'd think this would become annoying really quickly but it actually doesn't. The main story manages to be interesting but it's the well-done gameplay that will come keep you coming back with a ton of weapons to find and upgrade as you progress and different boosts to get from alcoholic drinks (yeah).

On top of this, a bunch of challenge rooms and areas to test your different weapons to find which suit you best. Also you've got probably one of the best soundtracks of 2011. There are a lot of reasons to pick up Bastion and be happy with your purchase of it and I was very glad that it was a good purchase to make.

#8. Bulletstorm

I freaking loved this game. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did but it was such a fun experience from beginning to end. It basically was like one of those hack-n-slashes such as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta mixed with an FPS (not quite the best analogy but I'm trying). It called for you to do try different ways to kill people rather than just shooting them over and over and it was a load of fun.

The game didn't take itself too seriously which is a good thing as it often mocked contemporary shooters out there while being so over-the-top itself. The shooting was fun with a lot different possible kills to make and lot of weapons to use, some generic, others unique, and some kind of mixed generic with uniqueness. The levels were well-designed and gave you clear opportunities to make most of these kills and it even had an enjoyable, though still lacking, co-op feature for horde-like confrontations.

In addition, the characters were surprisingly excellent and likable. This definitely helped by having two of the best VAs in the industry as the leads: Steve Blum and Jennifer Hale. Both are hilarious in this game but also can put some surprising emotion into it such hammy performances as well, a true credit to their talent.

With beautiful environments being the icing on the cake, Bulletstorm was a really tasty cake.

#7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The original Deus Ex is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever put on the market and for good reason. It's blend of FPS and RPG elements (which I still give System Shock 2 more credit for) helped influence many contemporary franchises and also helped lead to the best new franchise of this gen: Mass Effect. Unfortunately its sequel was not a worthy one and people were worried that Human Revolution would have the same problem. Well, it didn't.

While I wouldn't say that it's as good as the original, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a superb and worthy follow-up, definitely more than Invisible Wars was. While it doesn't have as much depth as the original, it still has enough to be engaging and it's shooting controls are actually improved. It's storyline is excellent and one of my favorite stories in gaming, especially when put in place with the original.

On top of this, a great artstyle that shouts Blade Runner with an excellent soundtrack that fits the mood and dystopian world that it's trying to display.

Holding it back are lame boss fights and a lackluster ending (though the stinger did a good job of leading to the original). These don't manage to hold it back from being a thoroughly excellent experience throughout and one of the most wonderful comebacks I've seen a franchise make in long time.

#6. Rayman Origins

Speaking of awesome comebacks: Rayman Origins. Rayman had some amazing platforming games in the late 90s and early 2000s but went quiet for about six years, with his last game being a Gameboy game that was considered mediocre. And boy, what an awesome return. Too bad it didn't sell very well.

Rayman Origins returns the character to the 2D side-scrolling view that he had in the first game and in it, you progress by freeing Electoons that have been imprisoned. What it results in is a game with one of the most flawless level designs of the year, if not the generation. A beautiful, vibrant, and colorful art design also keeps your interest throughout as you go to new worlds.

And with a four-player co-op mixed in where other players can jump in at anytime, there's a lot of room to enjoy this game for quite a while. Throw in great music and you've got a platforming masterpiece that actually rivals the Super Mario Galaxy games. Yeah, I went there.

#5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I've made it no secret on the blog or the podcast that I did not like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. At all. I liked Morrowind but Oblivion did not capture me in anyway that Morrowind did so I wasn't sure about Skyrim when it was announced. Well thankfully it turned out to be an awesome experience that fixes many problems from Oblivion.

The story follows your character who turns out to be Dragonborn, a person with dragon blood who can slay dragons and absorb their powers (that's putting it simply). Dragons have been returning and causing quite a mess in the midst of a civil war. Definitely sounds interesting but unfortunately is one of its weakest points as it's just uninteresting with forgettable characters. This combined with the amount of glitches and particularly the unfinished state of the PS3 version is why it's not higher on this list.

Thankfully this is made up for with a streamlined leveling system that was definitely needed after the abomination of Oblivion's leveling system. It's far easier to use while still keeping the same concept of leveling up skills as you perform them rather than with XP. Combat could use more depth but is still satisfying as hell.

But magic is the main course whether it be the regular spells or the shouts that are gained from killing dragons. Mixing these with your melee and ranged combat make for a really fun experience. Great music and beautiful environments add to an already great experience that makes Skyrim one of the more fulfilling games of this year.

#4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Anytime a Zelda game comes out, people should know that they're going to be in for a great experience and that was definitely the case with Skyward Sword. Twilight Princess hinted at what the Wii could mean for a Zelda game and this one delivered on the potential with an intuitive motion-control system for swordplay.

The game's story is, chronologically, the earliest point in the series timeline, primarily serving as a prequel to Ocarina of Time. Just like any other Zelda game, it starts out slow but eventually becomes an incredibly satisfying and well-designed romp through dungeons gathering new equipment at every opportunity. Skyward Sword does this and does this well.

A new upgrade system for equipment was also put in place and the artstyle was done the way it was to allow for more out-of-the-box creature and enemy designs and some of them are really good. The music is still spectacular and it has enough new additions that it doesn't feel like a rehash. The game may not have captured me as much as Majora's Mask (my favorite game in the series) but it's still an incredible game to spend your money on.

#3. Portal 2

Valve's follow-up to it's surprise 2007 hit, Portal, definitely lived up to the expectations. Portal 2 is remarkable game with the same great charm that it's predecessor had and the same great polish and design that is expected from a great company like Valve.

Portal 2's story is set hundreds of years after the original as Chell, the protagonist from the first, wakes up from suspended animation and with the help from Wheatley, finds her way to the heart of Aperture Science's facility. There she mights a pissed of GLaDOS who is accidentally reactivated.

What follows is much more in-depth story than the first game, but lacking none of its humor. This is helped by the superb performances from Ellen McLain as GLaDOS, Stephen Merchant as Wheatley, and J.K. Simmons as Aperture CEO, Cave Johnson. They are all hilarious while still threading you along to see what happens next.

But of course, the puzzles are the main attraction and for the most part, they deliver with new ideas thrown in such as the different gels for jumping and sliding, tractor beam funnels, and hard-light bridges give each puzzle a feeling freshness that the game fun and interesting. Mixed in is a great co-op that can be done online or in splitscreen. All new puzzles which require good thought and teamwork is aided by the great humor and a story of its own.

It's not a perfect game as the more difficult parts are wondering where you shoot the portal rather than how to use the portal, and the game can be a little a short (though co-op helps with that). Even still the positives definitely outweigh the negatives in this regard and Portal 2 is one of the finest achievements of 2011.

#2. Dark Souls

Demon's Souls literally came out of nowhere for me in 2009. The difficult and unforgiving action-RPG was an outstanding experience that was one of the finest games of the year. In 2011, From Software released the spectacular follow-up, Dark Souls. The game continues its traditions of unforgiving difficulty that constantly pushes you forward with the incredible sense of accomplishment.

The story has barely any depth to it at all and is utterly forgettable but they don't focus on it that much which makes it a very minor nitpick. The gameplay and design is where it's at and you'd be hard pressed to find a game from 2011 that gives you more control over your character.

Customization is the name of the game in Dark Souls and it is spectacular what they've done here. Like in Demon's Souls you have total control over how your character levels up with the opening classes being nothing more than templates to get you started. Weapon upgrading is likewise incredibly in-depth and gives a feeling of freedom with around a dozen ways to upgrade your weapons and armor. This isn't even getting into the different magic schools and covenants that can be made.

Intimidating enemies and awesome boss fights keep you going as does the feeling of accomplishment you will get everytime you get enough souls to level up your character or upgrade a weapon. New Game+ increases the difficulty based on how high leveled your character is and makes it worth it to go through again and again and again until you feel that you've maxed out your character and made as strong as he/she can possibly be.

While the lack of hand-holding is generally a plus, sometimes the game takes it a little far as it's very difficult to figure out exactly what you're doing in certain areas or how parts of the game work such as the covenants. However, once you get past that, you'll appreciate the game's trust in you as the player to build your character and figure things out for yourself. And when you do, there are not many other games that give the level of satisfaction that Dark Souls does.

#1. Batman: Arkham City

If three years ago, someone told me that a comic-book game would be my Game of the Year for 2011, I would laughed and probably tried to have institutionalized. But goddamn it, they would have been right. Batman: Arkham City is simply the finest achievement of 2011. It has so many great that to even think of where to start describing its greatness is difficult.

First the storyline. For some reason, some people thought it was weakened by a open-world design. Maybe such a large amount of villains did that a bit but not enough to take away my love for this game's storyline. Taking from No Man's Land and mixing in a bit of Knightfall, this game's main story has an incredible sense of urgency and constantly pushes you on in the midst of exploration and sidequests. From beginning to end, it's compelling and full of amazing moments that I want to talk about but can't due to spoilers and there are a lot of things to spoil in a story with this much ambition.

As for the design, Arkham City takes an open-world design where you have full reign to the superprison. A good amount of sidequests with TONS of fanservice for big Batman fans (yours truly) is accompanied by 400 riddler challenges (440 if you have the Catwoman DLC). Boss fights are definitely improved from the first game and the combat system is still incredibly simplistic but satisfying as all hell. Gliding through the prison is like a dream and rescuing the Riddler hostages is an incredible feeling. Riddler bonus rooms are also here to keep you busy after the main story as well as a New Game+ mode where you go in with all your upgrades but with a greater difficulty level.

The voice acting is simply spectacular with Mark Hamill giving his swan song performance as the Joker and Kevin Conroy delivering an excellent performance as Batman. Tara Strong replaces Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, but you would never tell the difference if no one told you. This is added onto with an incredible soundtrack and excellent art design that captures of the feel of this superprison and of Batman.

Not perfect, but about as close as you could imagine, Batman: Arkham City is the best comic-book game ever made, one of the finest action-adventure games ever released, and simply the best game of 2011.

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I hope you enjoyed reading. If you haven't played any of these, I highly recommend any of them as they are all superb accomplishments.

My list of my most anticipated games of 2012 will be up within the week. Keep your eyes open for it.