This year may not of been the best year of gaming overall but it is certainly the most varied. Some of the games that came out this year cannot be compared to others from year's past. Some of these games may never be duplicated ever again. No matter who you are you'll find at least one game this year that you'll cling onto like a child to her mother. It's truly a great time to be a video game enthusiast.
Here is my personal top ten games of 2011 (Going from best down).
I have been waiting for Skyrim for over half a decade. I preordered the Collector's Edition months before a Collectors Edition even existed. I specifically took my first extended break off work the week it came out. I played it for 60 hours less than 120 hours after it was released and during all that time I enjoyed every second off it. The Elder Scrolls is my favorite series in gaming. I know lore and history off by heart. I played 300+ hours of Morrowind and Oblivion. I'm going to play Skyrim for years. It does what Elder Scrolls does with every game but it does it better than anything else out there. The best moments in the game is better than the scripted moments of Battlefield or Call of Duty. Skyrim is far and away my favorite game of the year and possibly in this generation of consoles. It's that fucking good...
I'll never forget the experience of Dark Souls for as long as I live. I'll never forget that moment when I saw something glimmering in the distance only to have a giant boulder fly out of the darkness and insta-kill me. I'll never forget the moment fighting the church gargoyle only for another one to show up midfight. I'll never forget the pure fear I had when a seemingly dead dragon rises from his sleep as I frantically try to run away. Dark Souls effected me outside the game more than anything in any medium. All of the stress, fear and joy I felt during my playtime is something that will never happen to me again. It will change the way you look at games, forever.
Two years ago if you ask me how "How you do follow up Portal?" I would of said you couldn't, and while Portal 2 still needed match that moment of GlaDOS' turn back in 2007 it got really close. Any sequel that can not only make a more interesting and funny character than GlaDOS but do it multiple times is already beating expectation. But it doesn't just make the story better, it makes the gameplay better giving us the most evil, devilish puzzles in years. Portal 2 is not perfect but if you can give us a reasonable follow-up to one of the best games ever than that alone is indicative of Portal 2's quality.
Like LA Noire I've been waiting for a game like Dead Island for years. I wanted a realistic zombie game in which I'm interacting with people with realistic expectations. You're not cutting zombies in half with a chainsaw, you're smashing them down with a paddle or iron rod. You're not out to kill mutated animals. It's survival. The frantic moments running through the city streets with almost no health with a dozen zombies chasing me is my most memorable gameplay moments of the year. I got the feeling that I'll be playing Dead Island for years, technical issues be dammed!
Despite my massive issue with the colours of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. (or really just one colour) I loved Deus Ex. The best level design since the original Portal, Deus Ex: Human Revelation shows that relevant player choices can be held outside of a conversation tree depending on how you play a level. You'll want to play through Deus Ex: Human Revolution more than once to discover the world, themes and ideals it bring to the gaming audience.
I've been waiting for a game like LA Noire for years. A detective story where the game doesn't hold your hand. Where you make your own observations and decisions based on your bias instead of the characters. You can make mistakes, accuse the wrong person, miss a piece of evidence and completely fuck it up. I really hope this game revolutionize the genre and bring it out of the terrible PC market of TV Shows and a casual audience. This is all on top of brilliant setting and tone plus the best facial animation anywhere. LA Noire is the perfect game for the budding detective.
Despite having similar features to it's big brother, Arkham City shows us that lightnning can strike twice for Rocksteady. Giving us both the famous timeless villains and the lesser known bad guys from the Batman universe it delves into the often fantastic Batman lore and fiction. It has the realism and tone of the Nolen films with the whimsy, colour and creativity of the Animated Series. In my opinion this is the best Batman you can get, in any medium.
There is never a dull moment in Saints Row: The Third. The ultimate evidence that fun gameplay is better than realistic immersion, Saints Row shows the industry that you can make a game with adult humor without being immature. Fantastic scenarios and writing built on top of functional gameplay, Saints Row: The Third is a must play for the person who just wants to go with the flow.
Despite being banned in my country I couldn't wait to get my hands on Mortal Kombat so trust me when I say the importing process and illegal material I'm currently handling is completely worth it. Mortal Kombat has resurrected the series after giving itself a fatality with 'Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe'. Simple combat mechanics allowing new players to feel empowered plus the best story mode in the history of fighting games makes this an easy choice for my top ten.
While critics dismiss this as 'Twilight Princess ate Windwaker' and having not change a 25+ year old formula Skyward Sword is proof of the concept of "Don't fix what ain't broke". The Wii Motion Plus adds that strategic element to an aging Zelda combat system by making each encounter both a combat and puzzle scenario. Add the great presentation and graphic plus the best Zelda story ever and you have a fantastic entry in a legendary series.
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