Best of 2011
Fantastic year for RPGs despite Bioware's fall from grace!
Fantastic year for RPGs despite Bioware's fall from grace!
Currently the greatest game in existence.
A drearily beautiful game. Play it. Grok it.
When I played the first Witcher, back in 2007, I was super impressed. Some random game from out of nowhere was one of the best RPGs I had played in years -- and using the Aurora engine, putting NWN2 to shame (sorry Obsidian). The Witcher 2 raised the bar tremendously. With a clearly superior engine this time around, the game is graphically stunning. The voice-acting rivals Bioware. The combat is poorly introduced, but enjoyable once you get the hang of it. The story ends a bit flat but leaves you wanting more.
I didn't play the original Deus Ex when it came out, but if I had I'm sure I would have loved it. DXHR drops you in to a beautifully realized near-future Earth and the kind of sci-fi plot we just don't get anymore. Though the story and gameplay had some flaws -- detached ending, too many terminals, too few sidequests -- I cannot wait to see what comes next for Deus Ex.
Ranking this on my experience thus far. I dread the part where it becomes just another MMO to me. But, so far I can play it and think of it as the single player Bioware game I wish it was.
Despite its flaws -- specifically: recycled assets, limited scope, and waves of trash enemies -- Bioware still delivered a compelling narrative and an enjoyable RPG experience. The future for Dragon Age is murky, but I see potential prospects of gold, not just garbage.
The MOST video game of 2011.
Short but mostly flawless. The distinctive midsection of the game suffered in comparison to the tightness of the rest of the game -- which was a shame because the voice work and narrative was so well-done. Disclaimer: did not play first game.
Most interesting as a glimpse of what SMT/Persona could look like on the 360/PS3. Some lost-in-translation business made the down-to-earth ending seem weirder than the far-out ending.. I liked the game overall but hope Atlus JP will focus on RPGs, since there are so precious few and theirs are some of the best.
Jeff's secret GotY.
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