Best of 2011
I was too late on a lot of voting stuff because I wanted to play through Zelda: Skyward Sword to see where it ranked, in the end that time was wasted because I dont feel it ranked at all.
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Seriously, how can someone make such a great puzzle game that also has the best co-op, atmosphere, and story of any other game out this year? Seriously, Portal is the counter argument both to people that say games are to mindless and games are to similar to everything else. They keep the puzzle aspects of it interesting by adding tons of new mechanics to the classic Portal gameplay and they somehow topped themselves with the two characters they introduced to the story. The art design was wonderful, and added to both the story and gameplay perfectly with some drastic changes to the environment multiple times through the story. The co-op is truest to the term cooperative than any game before it with the amount of discussion and coordination that has to be done to continue through it. Really, Portal 2 just does almost everything one head above anyone else. Truly a gem and one that will be remembered.
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I am not a big fighting game fan. I can barely do a fireball motion consistently, and forget about any 15 hit combos. The fact that this makes number two on my list really says tons. They just added so much stuff for people like me and my friends that don't have the skills to get deep into a fighting game system. Test your luck was an amazing game mode for people like us. The story was well done and blended with the gameplay perfectly, and the challenges and unlockables provided tons of replayability when your friends aren't around. I don't know how they could make a better fighting game.
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This is a game with some really unique gameplay and puzzles that fit in wonderfully with the story. Telling a story using gameplay is one of the holy grails of gaming, and this one did that multiple times. Practicably every puzzle is a story in itself. Add some amazing characters and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and you have yourself a wonderful game.
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It is so refreshing to have an action game that is focused more on fun than it is on cinematics and realism. Good character progression is becoming a lost art disturbingly fast, but Saints Row is here to save it with its constant dolling out of new weapons, vehicles, and abilities each better than the last. When you aren't going through the incredibly fun story, you can also work towards collecting collectibles, beating side missions, and reconquering the city, all of which was insanely fun an rewarding to do.
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People thought it couldn't be done, but the Sonic team has finally struck a balance between blinding speed, and precise platforming by re-implementing the concepts of multiple paths that the Genesis Sonic had. When you are on the faster portions of the track there will be areas that fork, with the path that takes more skill to reach leading to another fast portion of the level, and if you fail to are rewarded with a classic platforming section. Both sections are fun and provide great replayablity by encouraging you to find the quickest path possible. I've never replayed one level so many times while still having as much fun with it the last time as I did the first time.
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This is yet another game on my list that just hits the ball out of the park on both gameplay and story. The way the story is told is unique and incredibly well done and the world in which Bastion resides is surprisingly deep and interesting. But what really sets this game apart is the dearth of ways you can approach any situation. There are plenty of weapons, weapon modifications, character traits, and enemy traits to choose from, all very different from each other and yet all still very viable. Creating new strategies around these options is always satisfying, and the amount of new strategies you can create is astonishing.
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There was once a time when a game like Skyrim would be very low budget and very difficult to play thanks to some really obscure and hard to understand game mechanics that are supposed to play up the "RPG" part of the game. I am glad that we are finally past all that in Skyrim. The fact that I can easily recommend this game to any player really shows how far Skyrim has evolved the genre. But polish isn't the only thing that Skyrim does better than its predecessors as the giant world is both beautiful to look at and interesting to learn more about.
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Arkham Asylum was my game of the year the year it came out, so making that game again was bound to be success to me. The parts that make Batman, Batman are all still here with both deep and satisfying combat that make use of a large arsenal of weapons, and some incredible gliding mechanics that makes getting around the world fun. There are a lot of moving parts to that game, and all of them are really great.
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When you think of Mario games you think of good controls and fun levels. Super Mario 3D Land is no different. Running across the huge number of levels, stomping Gombas and collecting coins is as fun as it has ever been. You should know what to expect from a Mario game at this point, but when they continue to do that so well how could you complain?
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The video game industry is chock full of games meant to get your adrenaline up. It is refreshing to see a game whose goal is to bring your adrenaline down. Playing through Child of Eden is an experience all it's own, with imagery and music to set the perfect tone of every level. You could also play for high scores or achievements if you want, but all I want from Child of Eden is to sit back and appreciate the experience and it does that wonderfully.
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