Giant Bomb Community Game of the Year Best Debut - Bastion
There was no game this year that made a bigger debut than Bastion. As the feature game from the developer Supergiant Games it was an isometric action game that put you in the role of the Kid. Your journey through this world in the sky was explained not through a cutscene or through text but through a very unique mechanic which was a dynamic narrator that not only gave further insight into the world and what happened as you played through the game, but also would comment on your actions. While this feature was parodied quite extensively it still does not take away from how well the game presented its story while still giving the player full control of the character. The gameplay was also extremely responsive and exciting with a host of unique and interesting weapons that are introduced well. They also offer some great RPG elements with the tonics that add some interesting changes and make each world you explore unique and exciting. On top of all this there is an arena mode where you face waves of enemies but to add to the challenge there are god idols that increase the difficulty by changing various attributes such as regenerating enemy health or enemies drop bombs. It is amazing that a game that is only $15 packs in more emotional depth and poetry but also more content and fun that most $60 games and it is the best debut of 2011
Runner Up - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Giant Bomb Community Game of the Year Best Downloadable Game - Bastion
I have nothing further to add. It is the best debut and the best downloadable game. All i have left to say is go play this game now.
Runner Up: Terraria
Giant Bomb Community Game of the Year Best Downloadable Add-On - Peer Review (Portal 2)
Peer Review was a great Add-On to an already great game. Despite being a free add-on it was a product that added value to the core game. For those who enjoyed the co-op mode in Portal 2 found a ton of new content in this add-on that continued the mind-bending puzzles and integrated each of the mechanics even further. It also pushed the level of communication and cooperation required by the two players making solving each puzzle more satisfying
Runner Up: Old World Blues (Fallout: New Vegas)
Giant Bomb Community Game of the Year Best Competetive Multiplayer - Battlefield 3
When DICE announced that Battlefield 3 would have a single player mode many fans were slightly apprehensive. After all Battefield 2 was a multiplayer only game. There was concern as to whether or not DICE would make a worthy successor to Battlefield 2. Once the game was released all those fears were laid to rest. Battlefield 3 may have a single player mode but it was eclipsed by its tightly designed and exhilarating multiplayer. Despite being a first person shooter it proved to be a very different experience from call of duty. It is a tactical shooter that requires a great amount of teamwork and when that happens it is an experience that is unlike any other. It is also a game where more jaw-dropping moments happen that are not scripted and take place within the mechanics of the game. To quote Jeff Gertsmann Battlefield is one hell of a "crazy-shit simulator".
Runner Up - Gears of War 3
Giant Bomb Community Game of the Year Best Cooperative Multiplayer - Portal 2
Most games that handle cooperative gaming do so within a very familiar framework. The shooter and beat-em up are two common examples of this. However, Portal 2 will go down in video game history as one of the earliest and best examples of a cooperative experience within a puzzle game. Like many recent cooperative games it features an integrated story starring the puerile robots Atlas and P-Body. They are awoken by GLaDOS to undergo a series of test chambers in order to satisfy her testing addiction. Much like the single player game the puzzles in the co-op mode are expertly designed that get the cognitive juices flowing, and like any good co-op mode it requires a great amount of communication with the second player. They also do a great job of providing smart means of communication with tools like the ping icon and timers. Overall it is a great co-op mode in which the level of satisfaction at solving a hard puzzle or the level of embarrassment at missing the obvious solution is exponentially increased with a friend.
Runner Up - Gears of War 3
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