As always, this list encompasses only my PERSONAL tastes and it only includes games released on the PC-- I haven't owned any consoles for quite a few years, that's why :P
This list includes 12 games instead of 10 'cause I don't know, it just feels right to do "a game per month" thing, even if I'm not exactly taking that literally.
I don't really have the time to add any proper comments, so sorry about that.
"The Witcher 2" quickly became one of my favourite games of all times-- I guess that alone says a lot. It also made me realise that BioWare's RPGs aren't really all that which they claim to be, particularly when it comes to the importance and consequences of the choices you make.
If it hadn't been for "The Witcher 2", my top game for 2011 would've most definitely been Portal 2. Fantastic gameplay, fantastic storytelling, fantastic characters. Played it almost twice in a row and the second time was even better!
The original "American McGee's Alice" has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, but "Madness Returns" managed to surpass it on every single level, providing a deep and emotional journey-- I was instantly sucked in by the world and even now, almost a year later, I feel like I haven't left it yet.
This roguelike-like is an astounding triumph of game design-- while I'll say that "Super Meat Boy" is without a doubt a great game, I must also have to say that it always failed to capture my attention (I'm just not too big on old-school platformers, is all). However, "The Binding of Isaac" hits all the right buttons: randomly generated content, awesome and meaningful loot that always ties to the game's lore, perma-death, responsive controls, challenging enemies, etc. We need more unique games like this!
The first "Deus Ex" is one of my favourite games ever and I guess the best I can say about "Human Revolution" is that I was expecting a disappointment on the level of "Invisible War" and was very pleasantly surprised by a good, solid game with great stealth mechanics and alternate paths that were a joy to explore.
The PC release of "LIMBO" was one I had been hoping for ever since the game had seen the light of day on the 360 and man, I was not disappointed (despite the insanely high expectations I went into it). Brilliant art, amazing use of light and darkness and challenging, but fair platforming and puzzle solving made this a must on this list.
The physics engine is fantastic, the puzzles are amazing and open to interpretation, the voice acting is great and it looks absolutely stunning-- it's kind of the Witcher 2 of sidescroller games.
I jumped into "Bastion" with a certain disbelief as to its overall quality, but all my doubts went away soon enough. Terrific and balanced gameplay no matter what your weapons of choice are, great art style, highly responsive KBM controls and a story that slowly grows on you and lingers on for a long time.
This game doesn't get nearly enough love as it should, I feel. Maybe it's because I love tower defence games, maybe it's because the gameplay is so highly addictive and responsive, maybe it's just because the game is just that damn good-- but it HAD to make this list, no matter what.
You can read my review here: http://tinyurl.com/3rdyaj9
And yet another roguelike: probably the most accessible one out there. I personally love roguelikes, so purchasing "Dungeons of Dredmor" was just a matter of time. And after about 30h dumped into it in about 2 weeks only, it was pretty obvious that it had to make the list. Outstanding writing (the loot descriptions rank among some of the best ever in a video game) and a genuinely funny sense of humour are the cherry on top of an engaging and addicting game.
An incredibly well realised game world was sadly not enough to overcome some stiffness in the combat, a boring sense of repetition that almost always came with a sensation of little to no loot reward when it came to exploration and also a highly unbalanced experience IF you're trying to be a good guy. All these keep "Skyrim" from reaching greater heights. I realise this is a great game, but my personal experience was very hit and miss.
This amazingly good looking game is a third person horror shooter, but despite the incredible lighting and general creepiness, it still fails to deliver some of the oomph present in the first game. "Dead Space" was a much more slow-paced, methodical and survival-esque game and I can't help but feel that despite being great, "Dead Space 2" lost quite a bit of its personal identity in an attempt to reach a wider audience. Or maybe I just really love survival horror and was a bit let down by this more action-packed version, which regardless of that, is definitely one of best third person shooters out there.
