A year has passed since I made my Best of 2011 list and I have decided to make a new one since I have played alot of games from 2011 in the year 2012 and my feelings towards the best of 2011 is alot different now since I have had the chance to experience games I wanted to play but missed out on in 2011. So let's begin, hope you enjoy my list and just remember that this is my personal list!
No shocker here but the competition this year was fierce, Naughty Dog has done it again. Their games are always something I don't want to miss out on. The Uncharted series is the best thing they have done and they are always making it better. Uncharted 3 is the best game in the series, although it's not much better than 2, it expands on the great things the earlier games have done right. Uncharted 3 is a technical achievement that any gamer will appreciate. I just wonder how many times I will complete the single player campaign, because it's something I want to enjoy again and again. And the multiplayer is extremely good too. Although it didn't blew me away as much as Uncharted 2 did you can't go wrong with Uncharted 3 and it's my pick as the best game of the year!
Rayman hasn't been the most important figure in the video game world since his debut and for the last couple of years he has been in the shadow of those pesky rabbids. But with Origins, Rayman is back and in full force! From the brilliance of the art style, tight controls and to the fantastic level design Rayman Origins is just a fantastic experience. It was a difficult decision to pick between Rayman and Uncharted this year since both games are amazing. Just pick this game if you haven't and try to beat it 100%, it's going to be a huge challenge but you're also going to have alot of fun doing it.
Super Mario 3D Land is a fantastic reason why you should pick up a Nintendo 3DS. This game is full of charm, brilliant 3D platforming, great level design and all in all just a fantastic experience. It even uses the 3D gimmick so well that I actually used it during gameplay and that says alot! The game starts up exremely easy but if you want to complete the game 100% you will have a great challenge on your way. Although the Galaxy games are way better you have to pick up 3D Land and love it if you're a platformer fan.
I had fun playing the original Dead Space but I didn't love it to death like many people. I decided to pick up Dead Space 2 but it took me a few months to finally pop it in and start playing, and WOW this game took me by surprise! Dead Space 2 is just brilliant and kept me playing for a while. Although its very similar to the original its a far better product and just more polished. With Dead Space 2 this series has proved that the survival horror genre is very alive and Dead Space is the new king. Resident Evil has alot to learn from Dead Space if it wants its crown back!
Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of my favourite games of 2009, the awesome combat, riddles and most importantly the setting. I just loved Arkham Asylum and also how linear the game was. For many Arkham City is the best game of 2011 but although that the game is clearly a more polished product than Arkham Asylum I have to admit that I loved Arkham Asylum more. Many love the fact that the environment is bigger and the game is more open but for me that is a bit of a letdown since I like it when games steer me through the experience. But don’t take me wrong, Arkham City is a fantastic game and everyone should play it, one of the best games in recent years.
The original inFamous was amazing back in 2009 and really took me by surprise. In the end I played it through a couple of times both as good Cole and evil Cole. It was really cool to see Sucker Punch expanding on the great concept of inFamous with this sequel which is a far better end product than the first game. If you liked the original you simply have to experience its sequel and I can’t wait to see where Sucker Punch will take this series in the future, great job!
Sports games are not often game of the year material but this year EA Sports did so many great things with FIFA 12. FIFA 11 was a very good game and I had my doubts on how they could get FIFA 12 to be better than 11. By completely revolutionalizing the defending and giving the player more ball control they made FIFA 12 amazing. Even though you don't enjoy football in the real life you can enjoy FIFA 12. The game is so deep gameplay wise that you are constantly learning new things to do. And by adding the online league season they have made the online experience just fantastic!
The original Portal is something that every gamer should have played, amazing game that does alot of fantastic things with it's gameplay. Portal 2 does everything that the original did and adds some great new stuff that expands the concept. Portal 2 is just a great experience that everybody even non gamers will like. Non gamers will have alot of fun just watching a player trying to get through those clever puzzles. Just play it already!
I'm not the biggest fan of first person shooters but there is something to the Killzone series that wows me. Killzone 3 is the best in the series and just a fantastic experience. The game looks amazing, it plays just like you want it to and the whole concept of the game is awesome. The story itself isn't groundbreaking but this is a game where the gameplay is the main thing. Pick up Killzone 3 even though if you're not the biggest FPS fan, the game is alot of fun.
The original LittleBigPlanet was a game I loved to death. The sheer amount of originality, exquisite character the game had and just all the fun that the game brought to life. Until LittleBigPlanet 2 I thought that the original wasn’t to be topped. But boy does LittleBigPlanet 2 do a fantastic job making the original looking like a tech demo! The amount of different stuff that Media Molicule was able to put into LBP2 is amazing. It’s simply a must have game for every gamer, if you liked the original this is a no brainer and if you’re a newcomer to the LBP series just go for this one.
Rockstar is my favourite developer along with Naughty Dog so I followed L.A. Noire for a long time. Even though Rockstar didn't develope the game you feel like you are playing a game from Rockstar. The game starts out great and had some moments that were just awesome. But L.A. Noire gets very repetitive along the way and loses it's charm. But even though the game doesn't hold up through all of the story, you should give this game a chance. There is nothing like this on the market and it has some great moments.
I’m very picky when it comes to open world games, outside of the GTA series there haven’t been a lot of games that have wowed me. After hearing some great things about Saints Row: The Third I decided to give the game a chance. And all that I can say about the game that it’s simply fun, extremely fun. Although I find the controls pretty loose and that’s often a game breaker for me I’m having trouble letting this game go. The ideas that the developers cramped into the game are brilliant and quite often I was laughing my ass off. If you want a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously you have to play Saints Row: The Third.
I have played alot of MotorStorm, I have played all of the games in the series but the original has always been my favourite, until Apocalypse was released. MotorStorm: Apocalypse is just fantastic. The game does so many things right and quite often you will just have to stop and enjoy all of the chaos that goes around in the game. How the race track will change between laps because of earthquakes and total destruction is just great! Please pick this game up, you won't be dissapointed, and we need to support this series!
I love this game, just simply put. For a game that only required one button to play the Impossible Game is just brilliant. The level design is just amazing and I respect the creator alot for having the balls to create such a challenging game. There is something to these rhythm games where you have to press the right button at the right time that I just love and this game is just excellent rhythm game. The Impossible Game has the right name, it's almost impossible to beat but nevertheless it's great fun and one of my favourite games this year.
Bastion is a game that took me by surprise, the art style is so amazing and how the world flies into place when you get close to the edge is just brilliant, the soundtrack is also just breathtaking. It’s fantastic when you see an indie game this polished and also getting this much attention. But all in all the core gameplay didn’t blew me away like everything else in the game and that’s why the game didn’t end up higher on my list but Bastion is definitely a game that you should give a chance.
Rochard is a unique 2D platformer which plays with gravity and physics. I decided to give it a go thinking I would end up playing it for like an hour and then be finished with it but the game really grasped me and I couldn’t stop playing the game until I had finished its fun and engaging campaign. I adore 2D platformers and especially 2D platformers that do something unique and Rochard is a great example of a game like that. I can’t recommend Rochard enough to platforming fans and it’s also pretty cheap.
Battlefield 3 is a stunning game, graphically the game is simply a masterpiece and the sound department is also great. But I mainly play First Person Shooters to play through the single player experience and that’s where Battlefield 3 let me down a bit. The gameplay is tight and some of the action scenes are very good but the length of the single player campaign is extremely short. It worries me that games like Battlefield and Call of Duty which have extreme budgets end up having such a short single player experiences.
Sonic has had a hard time trying to get back on his feet after being on top of the video game world back in the day. With Sonic Colors on the Wii you could see that Sonic was finding his footing and with Sonic Generations I can say Sonic is back! Although I have to admit the game is far from perfect this is a great platformer especially the earlier levels that pay homage to Sonics glory days. If you have in any way liked Sonic through the years you will probably have some good times with Generations but just keep in mind that although this is the best Sonic game in years it still has its flaws.
The first Virtua Tennis on the Dreamcast blew me and my friends away back in the day, with its pick up and play gameplay and tight gameplay the game was awesome. Since its debut the series hasn’t really evolved so if you have experienced one Virtua Tennis game you really have played them all, but all that aside Virtua Tennis 4 is still a solid good time and why change something that isn’t broken? I recommend Virtua Tennis 4 equally for sports fans and non-sports fans since the games are short and it’s very hard not to like it.
Many people have stated that the First Person Shooter genre has become stale for the last couple of years and each and every FPS plays the same. Man does Bulletstorm proof those people wrong! With its arcade gameplay where the game challenges you to rack up as many points as you can by killing enemies in as many ways possible the game is very fun. Bulletstorm is definitely not the best game around but it deserves much more attention than that it got back in 2011. This is no ordinary brainless FPS game so if you think every FPS is the same, try Bulletstorm.
I didn’t hear a thing about Sideway: New York so I was very surprised when I eventually saw a trailer for it and seeing how magical the game looked out to be. With its 2D gameplay in a 3D world the game is unique already and quite often it found me just staring in awe at the brilliance of the level design and how they implemented the core idea of a 2D game in a 3D world. But the game becomes stale after a bit and that’s the reason it doesn’t score higher on my list, but if you find it cheap Sideway: New York is a no brainer for 2D platformer fans.
I loved Super Meat Boy so I was pretty interested when I heard about The Binding of Isaac. It's nothing like Super Meat Boy but still you know it's from the same guys who made Meat Boy because of it's artwork. Binding of Isaac is a very strange game but if you give it a chance you'll definitely sink some hours into it. And its worth a mention that although the game is randomly generated the level design is always solid. Really can't go wrong with this one and it's really cheap.
If you have been looking at my lists through the years you probably know that I’m a sucker for 2D platformers and especially games that do something new and unique. Where Is My Heart? is a concept that grasped me and I fell in love with it. The game has some really cool moments that deserve respect. But along the way I feel the game didn’t keep up and in the end it fell flat. All in all I’m very pleased that I gave Where Is My Heart? a chance and you should try it since it’s very cheap.
Outland is a very beautifull game, some things are done very well and the experience is good fun. But I have to admit that I was hoping for something little bit better. The polarity switch is a really cool idea but I would have liked to see them use it in more ways than they did. But I liked this game alot and Outland is a fantastic game to play in between the bigger releases. And it's so great to see the love that 2D platformers are getting for the last few years, loving it!
I’m no fighting game expert and except for the Tekken series I just want to pick up a fighting game and play with friends for some mindless fun. Mortal Kombat really does what I wanted it to do and that’s allowing me to hit some combos while button mashing and being just fun. I especially love the roulette where everything can happen, trying to fight without arms against a friend who has endless X-Rays is surprisingly fun. If you’re not a big fan of fighting games, Mortal Kombat could still be the game for you.
The original Crysis is an overrated game in a way, sure the graphics and all the technical side of it was breathtaking but the core game underneath the hood was lacking. Crysis 2 fixes that in a way, it’s definitely more of a game than the original but somehow it didn’t grasp me like I wanted it too. It sure is gorgeous to look at and the game has some great moments but yeah, Crysis 2 didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Crysis 2 sure is a step in the right direction for the series but I really hope Crysis 3 will take a bigger step than Crysis 2.
Blocks That Matter is a weird mix up of a 2D platformer and Tetris. When I heard of it I thought it couldn’t possibly work but when I saw it in action I was quite intrigued. Blocks That Matter is a one of a kind game that really shines when you begin playing it. Unfortunately the concept doesn’t really hold up through the whole experience but nevertheless this mix of platforming and Tetris is so good that even though it does get stale in the end you should definitely check out Blocks That Matter.
Rez was a pretty magnificent game back in the Dreamcast era, and finally we have some kind of a sequel to Rez. Child of Eden is has some stunning visuals and catchy beats but although it’s very polished I was always waiting for the game to grasp me and blowing me away. Unfortunately that never happened and I was left feeling that Child of Eden was a bit of a cash in on Rez fans and those that wanted to try out something unique. If you loved Rez you should probably play Child of Eden but Rez is still better.
Since Portal created this First Person Puzzle genre we have had some imitators. Q.U.B.E. isn’t a complete rip-off of Portal but there is no denying that Portal was a huge influence for Q.U.B.E.. The game is pretty clever along the way but the biggest problem that the game has is that it’s so empty. The original Portal was pretty empty and the environment very bland but it was full of character, that’s where Q.U.B.E. is lacking and stops it from being something great. But if you loved Portal there is definitely some fun to be had with Q.U.B.E.
I had to include Duke Nukem Forever, but before you write me off let me explain. Duke Nukem Forever is a strange game, it's definitely not great and you have to have alot of love for older games and for Duke himself to enjoy it. I did enjoy some parts of the game but there are so many horrible boring parts you have to go through to get to some good stuff, just give this game a shot if you find this game cheap and you can enjoy old games still today. So all in all, if you loved Duke Nukem 3D and have alot of patience you will have some mindless fun with Forever.
