GOTY 2011
2011 was a great year for games. To the point that I couldn't even narrow this list down to 10 games. Initially the huge amount of sequels made me a little concerned, but fortunately many of these sequels surpassed their predecessors.
List items
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Oblivion was the game that caused me to fall in love with the XBox 360. That being said my expectations for Skyrim were incredibly high. Too be honest I did not think Skyrim would meet my expectations, i expected to be let down. Fortunately I was wrong. Skyrim met my expectations and then some.
I've already clocked 80+ hours on that game and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Skyrim is a game that you just loose yourself in for hours. While it certainly has its flaws and bugs, those are easy to over look after experiencing the sheer scale and wonder associated with Skyrim.
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Saints Row: The Third is really really dumb, but probably the most fun i've had playing a game in a while. The Saints Row series has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, The Third is easily the best in the series to date.
The Third starts out ridiculous and only proceeds to get even more off the rails. By the end of the game the beginning almost seems tame.
In all honesty Saints Row: The Third probably doesn't belong this high up on a GOTY list, but i'll be damned if you find a more fun game this year and that is what puts it on my list.
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Although it came out early this year, I find myself continuing to think back to Dead Space 2. I loved the original game, and DS2 managed to surpass the first in every way. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the future of this series.
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It is rare for a downloadable game to have such an impact on me, but Bastion was an amazing game that i keep coming back to. The gameplay feels smooth and intuitive, and the pairing of narration with gameplay creates a unique play experience like none I've ever seen before. Ps. The soundtrack to this game is incredible.
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Gears of War 3 provides closure for a series that has always been one of my personal favorites for the 360. Gears 3 returns with one of the best campaigns to date, a vastly improved multiplayer and four player co-op(finally). But where Gears 3 shines is the new Horde 2.0. Playing this cooperative defense mode is one of my fondest gaming memories from this past year of gaming.
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God. Damn. Batman. Those three words should be enough to justify this games spot on my game of the year list. They're not? Damn ok... Arkham City takes the formula from Asylum and makes it that much better. Additional gadgets, more villains and a larger city to explore make Arkham City a worthy sucessor to Arkham Asylum and an all around great game.
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I've always been fond of the open world Rock Star games and puzzle games, so Team Bondi's L.A. Noire seemed like a natural fit for me. This game created a perfect balance gun play, driving and intuitive puzzle solving that kept the gameplay interesting throughout my experience. I'm interested to see where the technology created for this game goes in the coming years.
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I hate Dark Souls. But i also love it. Not since Super Meat Boy has a game made me so angry. But with all that anger came a great sense of accomplishment. I kept playing because i wanted to win, no I needed to win. I let my failures and anger drive myself to keep fighting. While it was an incredibly flawed game Dark Souls provided a unique experience that can't be found in the American gaming market.
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Uncharted 2 was my 2009 game of the year. Uncharted 3 was amazing, but sadly it did not top 2 in my opinion. Regardless of how it stands up to its predecessor Uncharted 3 is still a damn good game that continues the story of Uncharted 2 without really adding anything new.
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Skyward Sword is slow to start, but once i got past the fist dungeon i could not put it down. It falls victim to the classic Zelda Formula, but it does manage to throw a few curve balls that mix up the formula a little bit. Perhaps this game would have stood out to me more if i hadn't played Zelda Ocarina of Time 3DS earlier this year, but i guess i'll never know.
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Portal 1 was a pleasant surprise for me when I bought The Orange Box, so i was interested in seeing what was in store for it's stand alone sequel, i was apprehensive to think a Portal game could stand up on its own. i was wrong, it most certainly could. Portal 2 kept the core that made the first game great and enhanced with new mechanics and new characters. The addition of a coop mode also enhances the package.
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I've never been too keen on MMOs, mostly because of their lack of a story. So when Bioware came along promising a unique story blended into a MMO universe I just had to see it for myself. I was pleasantly surprised by The Old Republic in the limited time i've spent playing it. I can see myself continuing to play the game in order to explore the eight unique character choices.
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