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.