Game of the Year 2011: Patrick's Top 10

The "Portal 2 is not as good as Portal" comment annoyed me because I couldn't disagree more. But other than that nice list Patrick. It was cool to see Catherine mentioned.

Kleptok's great. Hope we see him again sometime.

Catherine #2! High fives for Kleptok!

Interesting list. Didn't realize beer came in packs, though.

Holy shit didn't expect Catherine to be that high on the list.

I played Portal 1 and 2 pretty recently and I very much disagree with the statement that 1 is better.  
With 1 I was actually kinda disappointed because it was hyped so much and what it delivered was a funny snack with witty gameplay. 
Portal 2 is bigger, funnier, the puzzles showed better craftsmanship and it has way more content, especially because of the great coop. The only thing Portal 1 did better was the song in the credits, that's it.
 
Good list anyway, I actually expected it to be a little more...indie.

Portal 2 had some really lame puzzles where you just end up looking for the different colored wall to solve the problem. The story and characters are what makes it amazing. Portal 1 had the surprise of being a game no one expected so I agree with Patrick but still love Portal 2 characters

Interesting choices.

No Batman? awww...

@umdesch4: I agree completely, but I worry about having someone who's focus is news being more heavily involved in the more editorial aspects of the site. I know gaming journalism has always had a weird balance between actual journalism vs. PR vs. editorializing, and I really appreciate the newsier work Patrick's done around Team Bondi, Xbox Account restoration, etc. As much as I like hearing his opinions, I think he's even more valuable to Giant Bomb as "the news guy" and would hate to see that be compromised or inhibited by more editorial work.

But otherwise, spot on.

So happy to see Catherine and Skyward Sword getting some recognition.

@Humanity said:

@Batmeng said:

"Portal 2 is not as good as Portal."

Haha, wow.

Yah I was like What?! How?!

Well... I did dislike that there were waaay fewer portal-able surfaces, resulting in sometimes obvious solutions. The developer commentary really made it feel like they dumbed it down over the first because the playtesters were... less than brilliant.

But yeah, you can't say that matter-of-factly. I enjoyed Portal 2 considerably more than the first. It felt like a full game for one thing, rather than a Half-Life 2 mod. The dialogue was sharper and funnier. The added mechanics made the puzzles more varied. And the co-op (that Patrick didn't play) was a great new feature that had the more challenging puzzles, I felt. A much tighter package than Portal, and one of my favorite games ever.

And holy shit, A WII GAME ON A GAME OF THE YEAR LIST?? What site is this? Surely not Giant Bomb.

"Portal 2 is not as good as Portal."

Yeah, I'd disagree. Either way, Skyrim at number 1 guarantees that this last GOTY podcast is going to be VERY interesting.

@mortal_sb said:

this dubstep ghost thing IS SO. FUCKING. STUPID/GENIUS.

@Asmo917 said:

@umdesch4: I agree completely, but I worry about having someone who's focus is news being more heavily involved in the more editorial aspects of the site. I know gaming journalism has always had a weird balance between actual journalism vs. PR vs. editorializing, and I really appreciate the newsier work Patrick's done around Team Bondi, Xbox Account restoration, etc. As much as I like hearing his opinions, I think he's even more valuable to Giant Bomb as "the news guy" and would hate to see that be compromised or inhibited by more editorial work.

But otherwise, spot on.

So what you're saying is, they need to check themselves, before...uh, yeah.

I see what you're saying though. I hope Patrick is able to strike that balance, and keep those roles properly seperated, because his opinions are typically well thought out, well articulated, and coming from a unique (to the crew) enough perspective to be worth hearing and considering. I know I personally enjoy hearing his thoughts, even when I vehemently disagree, because more often than not, they challenge me to think about my own opinions, and why I hold them.

Gah, I didn't want to digress into a Patrick love-fest, but I guess it ended up sounding that way. Bottom line, good on GB for pulling Patrick deeper into the proceedings, but also to your point Asmo917, be careful you don't get carried away with it.

Great GOTY list, Patrick Klep-Step

Portal 2 is better than Portal

Good list none the less, nice to see some Zelda love. I've not been listening to the Bombcast recently so I can only assume that Patrick was the only person to actually play through Skyward Sword which is a shame cause it's a lot of fun.

@DeathbyYeti: Yup the find the concrete wall style gameplay of the middle third really ruined that game for me. Knocked it from a 9.5 to an 8 in my personal scoring system. Portal > Portal 2. I wondered how they would scale it up, they did quite well but not well enough.

Might I just add, the fact that we discuss such things, and care enough to hold these guys to such high standards is a testament to the site, the people who run it, and the community we're all a part of. I certainly don't give a crap about other places on the interwebs as much as here...on a site about video games, no less!

@elcalavera said:

@umdesch4 said:

I really appreciate that Patrick is well able to articulate the things that are great about his choices. Patrick is refreshing on this site for being able to embody an earnest seriousness when it comes to everything videogamey. I have a feeling that the easiest way to get into an argument with him would be to say "dude, this is just entertainment".

If I had to make a top ten list for things that happened on GB in 2011, Patrick's expanded role in this place's proceedings would definitely be high up on that list.

This, and exactly exactly this.

Agreed!

Even though I didn't consider Catherine a 2011 release (since it came out 2010 here), big props to Patrick for putting it on his list. He articulated every choice of his really really well.

I really liked Catherine too, awesome list Patrick.

I respect (not really) your opinion (wrong one) on Portal 2.

Cool list and it's been great having you on the site so far =)

@Dixavd said:

Also nice to see Skyward Sword mentioned without simply making a line about it being a "reason to dust of your wii" and actually seriously talking about the game.

This is stupeinus!

Portal 2 isn't better than Portal? What?

I think Portal was like a nice sampler of things to come, an alright fanciful thing, but Portal 2 is the full-fledged game that everyone should play. But hey, whatever.

Also, Skyward Sword is kinda stupid. And I'm a huge Zelda fan. Just beating it right now.

"Portal 2 is not as good as Portal"......wat

Are going to get a Drew's Top 10? I would like to see that too!!

I'm going to have to disagree with Patrick here and say that Portal 2 is much better than the original Portal. The first Portal didn't have Wheatley in it!

@riosan: Do you mean this? http://www.giantbomb.com/game-of-the-year-2011-drews-top-10/17-5464/

This GOTY podcast is gonna be a bloodbath. 3 Saints Row: The Third verses 2 Skyrim. CAN'T WAIT TO LISTEN TO IT!

This is my favorite list of games thus far. Good going Patrick!

Kudos for putting Catherine on the list, but god I hate those fucking block puzzles

Nice to see Superbrothers on a list! Good going, sir!

@Batmeng said:

"Portal 2 is not as good as Portal."

Haha, wow.

Personal opinion I guess, but I get the feeling the first portal was such an out of no where surprise P2 maybe didn't have the same affect. I also didn't feel a huge connection to P2 until the last 20 mins of the game, but I couldn't figure out why. I Think the original had an element of surprise that pushed it over the edge.

*shrug*

"PORTAL 2 is not as good as Portal."

You sir, are an idiot.

Okay, Patrick.

Came for the Kleptok.

wait...WHAT?! Portal 2 is not as good as Portal...jeeeeeeeeeeez i agree with practically nothing this guy says... now he's not just the annoying guy who talks over someone when they're answering a question

@rimmonhouse said:

@elcalavera said:

@umdesch4 said:

I really appreciate that Patrick is well able to articulate the things that are great about his choices. Patrick is refreshing on this site for being able to embody an earnest seriousness when it comes to everything videogamey. I have a feeling that the easiest way to get into an argument with him would be to say "dude, this is just entertainment".

If I had to make a top ten list for things that happened on GB in 2011, Patrick's expanded role in this place's proceedings would definitely be high up on that list.

This, and exactly exactly this.

Agreed!

Yeah, despite his maybe kind of silly behaviour in the video content, his writing is a fantastic addition to the site, getting much more into video games as a medium than just basic "consumer report" stuff that you generally get on game sites (at least the big US sites), I'd put him up there with the Killscreen Magazine and 1UP's Jeremy Parish as people who are bringing mainstream game critique forward to something resembling what literature and cinema has had for a long time.

Patrick, I love you man, but Shadows of the Damned isn't funny. Great top ten though :)

I have to say, I truly loved what Patrick added to this year's GOTY content. Usually had the best arguments and added some amazing insights and knowledge in all the podcasts. Also, great list. Sword and Sworcery is stunning!

Damn Catherine #2 thats awesome.

I heard Patrick's defense of Catherine on the game of the year deliberations and I loved what he said about the story. I didn't really have an issue with turn the game takes toward the end and I don't believe that invalidates the choices that were made earlier. I'm also one of those people who enjoyed the puzzles. I wouldn't rank the game as high as Patrick, but it is going on my top 10 this year.

How in the world is Portal 1 better than 2? I'd like him to talk more about that. The first was amazing, but 2 takes that amazingness, multiples it by 5 and makes it work with a plot! The first was pretty much just puzzles with some funny dialogue from Glados. Nowhere near the awe of 2.

I like the dubstep patrick. whoever thought of that was brilliant

@Coleslaw893 said:

@Dixavd said:

Also nice to see Skyward Sword mentioned without simply making a line about it being a "reason to dust of your wii" and actually seriously talking about the game.

yea, I was glad to see it mentioned as well!

a shame so few people in the office seem to have played it (long enough)

Glad he gave Catherine some recognition, Jeff makes it seem like a horrible game.

Interestring list, and I'm surprised to find Catherine up there, at number 2 no less!

It surprises me that my favorite lists of the crew this year are Brad's and Patrick's. Great choices!
 
@SamDrugbringer said:

Came for the Kleptok.