As 2011 comes to a close we take a look back at all the great games that have entertained our thumbs throughout the year. And what year it was…
2011 has proven to be a great year for gaming. A year that, at its start, I’d have guaranteed you The Last Guardian was going to be my Game of the Year hands down. Unfortunately it wasn’t given the chance. Let’s see what happens this time next year. Unless the world actually does end!
There were so many quality games out in 2011, but not all can make the top five. Special mentions to Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which turned out to be great fun regardless of offering nothing new. El Shaddai and Shadows of the Damned were both unexpected and nice surprises. Okamiden, which vanished off the radar once released was easily the best game of the year on the normal DS. But onto my all important top five.
5. Batman: Arkham City
Arkham City was easily one of my most anticipated games of the year. I may even have considered to be a strong No.1 contender prior to release, but sadly it didn’t quite make it despite being mega awesome. It’s one of those games that sucks you in, making you want to complete it 100% (collecting all the Riddler stuff). Even once it was over I wished there were another 500 Riddler missions to complete. Granted I did spend another 500 hours simply staring at Catwoman’s… A game that leaves you wanting more is a good game indeed. Easily the best super hero game ever made.
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Having never really been a fan of the Deus Ex series I wasn’t expected much from Human Revolution. Silly me. Human Revolution turned out to be something special. With a deep and complex story, great stealth and gun play, depending on your preferred method of playing, it was very nearly game of the year. It let itself down with disappointing, and somewhat out of place, boss fights and bad design choices regarding the multiple endings. Negatives aside, HR is a blast to play. It may very well become one of gaming’s important franchises if they get the next instalment right.
3. Portal 2
As Valve weren’t willing to bring us, or even announce, Half Life 3, then Portal 2 is where we’d get our Valve fix. Boy it was some fix. Giving us a mix of top action, mind boggling puzzles and laugh out loud humour. Valve hit the nail on the head with every aspect of Portal 2, from its extensive single player campaign, with rewarding puzzles, great plot and brilliant humour, to the equally as great co-op mode. Portal 3 has become equally as anticipated as Half Life (Episode) 3, almost.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
As a long term Zelda fan I’ll be the first to admit the first proper motion controlled Zelda failed to get me overly excited. When it comes to controls give me a traditional control pad any day. Thankfully the controls proved me wrong. While the first few hours were a struggle the controls soon became natural. Only then could Skyward Sword be truly enjoyed. It offers a lengthy story, complete with two lead characters you truly care about. Plus some of the best dungeon puzzle designs ever seen in a Zelda game. The best Wii game ever made?
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Despite being unable to finish the Thieves Guild due to a glitch, Skyrim is still my favourite game of 2011. Why? How many games can you put over 160 hours into and still desire to keep on going? Skyrim defines open-world gaming. You’ll be distracted while pursuing a distraction, which itself distracted you from a distraction on the way to a big quest. The conclusion to my 10/10 review says it all: “Skyrim will steal your life, and you will happily let it. If that isn’t game of the year/decade/century material then what is?”
While perhaps not the greatest year for brand new IP, 2011 definitely provided a wealth of entertainment for those who know what they like. Even if it did wait until the latter part of the year in order to do it.
There were several titles that would get a definite mention if this were a Top Ten list – Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3, Forza 4 and Skyward Sword springing to mind, while the likes of CoD and Battlefield provided entertaining distractions, albeit only for very brief periods in the world of single-player-obsessed gamers like myself.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The appearance of a 13-year old remake in my Top 5 shouldn’t be seen as an indictment of 2011′s releases, rather a sign of just how strong Ocarina of Time remains. The first truly must-have title for Nintendo’s 3DS gave Link’s legendary adventure a graphical and dimensional make-over, while also fixing a few inventory-based problems that have plagued previous versions. What’s more, you could now even play it on the toilet! Though I suppose you could have done that before if you had your TV correctly positioned, but at least now you can shut the door…
4. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
While perhaps the weakest of the Ezio trilogy, Revelations still brought about a satisfying conclusion to the Italian hero’s story, while also providing closure on Altair’s story after four years. Yes, there were a few “miss” moments, like the Desmond platform puzzles sections and the (somewhat optional) tower defence mini-games, but aside from this there was many, many hours of exciting running, climbing, jumping and hiding to be enjoyed – and a spot of killing too. That said, there’s only so many times you can bust out the “more of the same but still good” cliché, which means I’ll be hoping for a spot more reinvention when AC3 finally comes around.
3. Batman: Arkham City
It was two years ago that Arkham Asylum was pipped to the top spot in my GotY list by Assassin’s Creed 2. While Rocksteady’s follow up to their 2009 adventure has outdone Ezio this time around, it’s still not quite managed to hit the top of my personal pile. That’s despite being a highly entertaining experience with the Dark Knight, which expanded on its linear predecessor with a series of varied side missions, plenty of brain-scratching puzzles, a whole host of collecting, and a rather appealing set of buttocks squeezed into tight leather. Plus there were Catwoman bits too!
2. Portal 2
Valve proved with Left 4 Dead 2 how easy it is to take something awesome and turn it into something so crappy you grow to resent not just it, but its previous incarnation as well. Thankfully, they managed not to repeat this mistake with Portal 2. It provided two highly entertaining and cerebral campaigns (single player and co-op), introduced clever new mechanics (in gel form), and featured fantastic vocal performances from Ellen McLain and Stephen Merchant (pushed to his very limits as a sarcastic Bristolian computer core). If you got 1000 points or a Platinum Trophy from this game, there’s no doubt at all that you earned it.
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Despite the fact that I waited for a few days after release to purchase Skyrim and then left it for almost a month before starting to play, there’s no doubt that this is my game of 2011. The first new Elder Scrolls title for five years reminded us why Bethesda are the kings of adventuring (and also allowed us to forgive them for putting their name to Brink earlier in the year). It’s so easy to get lost in Skyrim, and that’s not a reference to the game’s humongous map. What it means is that a planned hour of play can easily turn into 3 or more, as you find yourself constantly raring to go on “one more quest”. Then, when you’ve finally completed it, another one just happens to crop up that it would be rude not to at least travel to.
Where most games are done and dusted by the 20 hour mark (or could be completed three time over, eh MW3?), Skyrim has the potential to only just be getting started by that point. Sure, you could try to blitz the main quest and have done with it, but to truly appreciate just why this game gets and deserves the praise it does, you owe it to yourself to investigate as much as you can of the massive world. What’s more, sharing your experience will others will soon have you realising that no two Skyrim experiences can truly be the same. And if all that isn’t enough to convince you, how about the prospect of getting to kill big f’ing dragons?!
5. Battlefield 3
A fair few shooter titles have been released in the latter half of this year but Battlefield 3 has been the one to catch the eye of many a gamer. Restoring the large scale battles of its predecessors, Battlefield 3 features a vast variety of game play styles including vehicle battles, sniping and ground warfare. All of this is combined with a startlingly realistic graphics engine (not to mention the in-game destruction capabilities of Frostbite 2). Altogether Battlefield 3 is a superb FPS that brings realism in gaming to a new level.
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword
We can always expect a high quality game when a Zelda is released but The Skyward Sword has outdone all expectations. Making use of the impressive Wii MotionPlus technology for a great sense of immersion in using the many tools at Link’s disposal, The Skyward Sword has continued the tradition of innovation in Nintendo’s epic series. The excellent game play is supported by a beautiful new artistic style that feels like an elegant renewal of the classic Zelda feel in a lavishly painted world. This game is a jewel in the Wii’s crown.
3. Portal 2
In stark contrast to the more open world titles we’ve seen this year, Portal 2 presents us with a seamless linear experience of immensely high quality. This sequel had a lot to live up to and Valve pulled out all the stops to give us an excellent gaming experience coupled with the grim humour we got to know in first game. Thanks to the refreshing addition of Stephen Merchant as Wheatley and the return of the amazing Ellen McLain as GLaDOS, Portal 2 manages to be both hilarious and epic at the same time- a rare feat.
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
It’s been over a decade since Deus Ex redefined the way in which FPS and RPG entwine with one another and at last we have a worthy sequel to the cyberpunk titan. Mingling modern cinematic style with the depth and complexity of its predecessor, Human Revolution features a thrilling story and intensely satisfying game play. There are many ways to solve each situation presented in Human Revolution, with stealth, non-lethality and old fashioned violence all being possibilities. A non-linear narrative and superb character customisation give this game the replay value needed to draw us back for many an extra play-through.
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
It’s been a good year for gaming and a tremendous number of excellent games have been released throughout. Despite the influx of quality titles, it feels like they have all sat in the shadow of Bethesda’s latest titan, Skyrim. The build up to Skyrim’s release was huge and since the big day it’s eaten countless hours of our lives. Skyrim, like Oblivion before it, feels like a dozen games rolled into one thanks to the size of its world and the variety of game play elements available. With its beautiful snow covered landscape and the sheer wealth of content on offer, Skyrim will continue to chew through my free time well into 2012.
5. Mario Kart 7
Arguably one of the greatest franchises of all time, Mario Kart showed its ability to keep up with the technology-advancing mind of Mr Miyamoto when its seventh iteration was released this year for the 3DS. Not only did we get the opportunity to see this iconic series in a whole new dimension, we were also treated to entirely new features and power ups. If the additions of Fireball, Super Leaf and Lucky 7 power ups weren’t enough, the inclusion of hand-gliders to soar you over the finish line is surely a deal sealer.
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Love it or hate it, you have no choice but to respect this year’s offering from the Call of Duty franchise. This year saw the Battlefield versus COD fanboy warfare rage strong and, in my opinion, it was those painted in the colours of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 3 that came to triumph. For me, everything about this game was an improvement on MW2 and put Battlefield 3 to shame. The game-play was sharper, the plot thickened but most importantly MW3 delivered in the big action sequences, an area I wouldn’t expect to be disappointed in, and wasn’t.
3. Uncharted 3
The announcement of Uncharted 3 was far from a surprise but the distinct rise in quality certainly was. So often we see developers porting one game into a new environment, sticking some fancy packaging on it and branding it an entirely new adventure. Naughty Dog weren’t about to be caught out with Uncharted however and in their third instalment, they created their finest jewel in the series’ gleaming crown. The burning building sequence was showcased as the title’s main highlight, and with just cause too as it proved to be the pinnacle of this impressive title.
2. Dragon Age II
We all know Bioware are the masters of all things RPG and with Dragon Age attracting such positivity, the sequel was going to have to be something special to match the hype. My never-fading faith in Bioware was well and truly justified when I sat down to play this simply stunning second instalment. The thing that sets this game aside from any other RPG is the combat. The idea behind it, the depth and freedom of control are in another world to anything we had seen previously, and to make it that bit sweeter, it actually works! Now how many RPGs can you say that about?
1. L.A Noire
L.A Noire was always going to be a hit, for the simple fact that it carried the Rockstar brand on its front cover. It was hyped in the media with the focus being around the MotionScan technology which was meant to reinvent gaming etc, etc. Yes the MotionScan was impressive but it had little impact on why L.A Noire is my game of the year. Essentially, Rockstar have produced another outstanding title with enough to keep you going for hours after the main story missions. More importantly however, we get to live the highs and lows of Cole Phelps, experience all he experiences and hunt like there’s no tomorrow for that tiny piece of incriminating evidence. A gaming masterpiece indeed.
Due to a busy life I have been unable to play some of the games that I have wanted to play, such as Assassins Creed Revelations and Uncharted 3. One notable absentee from this list, despite how much I loved it, is Duke Nukem Forever! Yeah baby! Hail to the king!
5. Gears Of War 3
Finally it arrived, the final instalment in the legendary Gears of War series. This was an anticipated game of 2011 for me and just like its predecessors it was fun, gory and compelling. The story was good and once again they pulled another tear-jerker moment that has become a custom to the franchise. The new weapons are great as are the characters. All the traditional moments are there and it plays and looks like a movie. How can it not be in your top five of the year?
4. Portal 2
Portal 2 is the one of the most wanted sequels in gaming since Half Life 2 Episode 3. When the first Portal came out everyone was shocked as to why this was only an addition to the Orange Box pack and not a stand-alone release. It ended up gaining cult status and became one of the most loved games of its generation. It had everyone crying out for more, so when it finally arrived no-one was complaining. The co-op mode was fantastic and gave us something we all wanted from the franchise. The new single player campaign also did not disappoint and now we all want some more portal action.
3. LA Noire
This game blew me away. The Hollywood film noir-esque theme really appealed to me. The game played and looked great, and while the missions did become repetitive eventually, that didn’t bother me as the stories were really well written. It’s a love it or hate it sort of game. I loved it. LA Noire was one of the most original games of 2011.
2. Batman: Arkham City
The eagerly awaited sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum brought you a new story, a new playable character in Catwoman and a bigger city to play in. Not forgetting a whole host of new infamous villains. It delivered big time. Catwoman was fun to play with despite only having four missions, but what a nice arse. Batman’s gadgets were great fun, plus new moves added to its fun. Arkham City looks fantastic and I’ve had an endless amount of fun trying to get all those Riddler Trophies (I still haven’t gotten them all). The story is well done, and the characters are brought to life really well. It felt like Batman. It had the dark edge that is needed and really followed in Arkham Citys footsteps.
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The most anticipated game of 2011 delivered more than its hype. The biggest game I have ever played and by far the best of the year. I only have one debatable gripe – it takes too long to complete! Silly negative huh? I love being able to switch between third and first person views at will, with a vastly improved third-person view. The ability to free roam where ever you want, becoming distracted easily. Every action you take has a butterfly effect changing your game constantly. This is this years must-buy game. Congrats Bethedsa, you made a corker.
***
We have a clear winner this year. The Itchy Thumbs Game of the Year goes to…
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Congratulations Bethesda. Let’s hope ESVI isn’t five years away, or at the very least there’s enough DLC for Skyrim to tide us over!
Here’s to a great 2012.
