Here is my list for the top ten games of 2011, some games I expected to be here at the beginning of the year and some ended up being total surprises. I will start with some games that nearly made the cut then jump right into the list.
Honorable Mention:
Bastion, Resistance 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Crysis 2, Mario Kart 7, Shadows of the Damned
I will start by saying, damn you Dark Souls. This game totally sucked me in and would not let go. I was so excited to get my hands on Skyrim in November that based on the Giant Bomb quick look I picked up Dark Souls just as filler while I waited for it. I am so glad that I did because Dark Souls became the most incredible time I had in a game all year. I found myself playing this like an old school game, looking in every corner and even consulting my friends as we compared characters and styles of play. I must say that a game that I picked up just to fill time this became an experience that I will never forget.
Man, this game was good. I wasn't a big fan of the first game in the series but gave Dead Space 2 a shot anyway and I am so glad that I did. Atmosphere, story, characters. It was all good to me, I liked the changes made to Issac and really felt for him as he trudged through this nightmare. I am so excited for the next installment and will more than likely return to Dead Space 2 this year during a down period for new releases.
I lost so many hours in Skyrim this year. This game is so massive that there is no way that you will not find something that appeals to you in it. I poured nearly 50 hours into the game within my first week with it. While I have put it down for a bit to try some of the other stuff out, I'm sure that I will go back at some point.
I was never a huge fan of the Gears series, I played the other two games in the series but was never really pulled into one like I was with Gears 3. The gameplay is great, and the story pulled me and my friends in emotionally. And, oh yeah, this was the best multiplayer experience of the year for me. I'm still playing it occasionally with some buddies.
I'm going to start this off by saying that it isn't perfect but that doesn't mean that Dead Island isn't a ton of fun. I loved chopping off zombie limbs in an open-world environment. Essentially playing Fallout with zombies is something that appealed greatly to me and the end result was a nice experience.
I have to agree with most that I did not like Arkham City as much as I did Arkham Asylum I can't discount the fun that I had with this game. Flying around the city as Batman was fantastic and if for nothing else that Mr. Freeze fight lands this game on here.
I thought long and hard about whether or not to put Trenched or Iron Brigade but settled on the latter. All jokes aside, I had so much fun this year with some friends and this great downloadable title. Teamwork and gameplay are why this game makes my list.
This game is nuts. That is nearly all I have to say about it. I had a crazy time with this game and having not enjoyed the previous two entries it's kind of crazy that this one goes on my top ten games of the year. They give you a huge toy box and just let you go insane inside of it.
Nintendo just keeps doing it, while this is the game that should have released for the Wii five years ago that doesn't mean that it isn't one of the most enjoyable experiences this year. I am not a fan of motion controls but with Skyward Sword I found myself having a great time with the combat and exploration.
Mixing classic platforming from the quintessential platforming series with the best use of 3D on the 3DS Super Mario 3D Land proves how viable the system is and for that reason it should be on any list. The challenge and reward you get after completing this game makes it completely worthwhile and one of the top ten games of the year.
