Yet Another 2011 GOTY Blog, I Guess . . .
By spazmaster666 1 Comments
So it’s that time of the year, where I attempt to crawl out of the depths of obscurity to write a blog about this past year of gaming. As always, while I can write pages upon pages on certain subjects, game criticism is, interestingly, not one of those subjects, so I will try to keep things relatively short and to the point. I went back and forth between whether or not I should write a few sentences justifying each choice but decided that I didn’t really have enough to say to make it worthwhile. Let’s just say it’s a combination of research and gut instinct. Anyways, onto the awards.
Part 1: Special Categories
Best Technical Graphics
Winner: Battlefield 3 (PC)
Runners up: Crysis 2 (PC), Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Best Artistic Graphics
Winner: Bastion
Runners up: Alice: Madness Returns, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Best Looking Game Overall
Winner: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Runner's up: Crysis 2 (PC), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Best Sound Design
Winner: Battlefield 3
Runners up: Dead Space 2, Shadows of the Damned
Best Music
Winner: Bastion
Runners up: To the Moon, Shadows of the Damned
Best Story
Winner: Portal 2
Runners up: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, To the Moon
Best Writing
Winner: Portal 2
Runners up: Bastion, To the Moon
Best New Character
Winner: Wheatly (Portal 2)
Runners up: Cave Johnson (Portal 2), Garcia Hotspur (Shadows of the Damned)
Best Voice Acting
Winner: Portal 2
Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Batman: Arkham City
Best Single Player Campaign
Winner: The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings
Runners up: Gears of War 3, Portal 2
Best Multiplayer Game
Winner: Gears of War 3
Runners up: Battlefield 3, Saints Row the Third
Best Atmosphere
Winner: Dark Souls
Runners up: Dead Space 2, L.A. Noire
Funniest Game
Winner: Portal 2
Runners up: Shadows of the Damned, Saints Row the Third
Best New IP
Winner: Bastion
Runners up: Shadows of the Damned, L.A. Noire
Best Zombie Game
Winner: Dead Island
Runners up: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Dead Space 2
Most Disappointing Game
Winner: Brink
Runners up: Dragon Age II, Modern Warfare 3
Best Game That Nobody Played/Bought
Winner: Shadows of the Damned
Runners up: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, Rayman: Origins
Best Surprise
Winner: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Runners up: Dead Island, Driver: San Francisco
Special Award: So Bad, It's Good That It’s Bad
Winner: Duke Nukem Forever
Special Award: Oops, I Targeted the Wrong Version (aka Press "Y" to Noclip)
Winner: Dead Island (PC)
Special Award: Most Epic Theme Song
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Special Award: Best Game that Most People Forgot About
Winner: Dead Space 2
Special Award: Most Ridiculous Game
Winner: Saints Row the Third
Part 2: Platform and Genre Awards, and GOTY
Best Shooter
Winner: Battlefield 3
Runners Up: Gears of War 3, Crysis 2
Best Action/Adventure
Winner: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Runners Up: Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row the Third
Best RPG
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Runners up: Dark Souls, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Best Strategy
Winner: Total War: Shogun 2
Runners up: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution, Anno 2070
Best Puzzle Solving
Winner: Portal 2
Runners up: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Catherine
Best Driving
Winner: Dirt 3
Runners up: Trackmania 2: Canyon, Forza Motorsport 4
Best 360 Only Game:
Winner: Gears of War 3
Runners up: Forza Motorsport 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Best PS3 Only Game:
Winner: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Runners up: Killzone 3, Resistance 3
Best PC Only Game:
Winner: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Runners up: Shogun 2: Total War, Trackmania 2: Canyon
Best Multi-platform Game:
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Portal 2
GOTY 2011
Winner: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Runners up: Saints Row the Third, Portal 2