Best of 2011
My favorite games of 2011.
List items
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The first hour or so of Killzone 3 frustrated the living hell out of me. I must have switched between two different control schemes half a dozen times until I figured it out. When I found the sweet spot in the controls, I never looked back. No other FPS right now feels like KZ3. Add to this a beautifully crafted world and excellent pacing and Killzone 3 takes home my top spot for Game of the Year.
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In the early 90s nothing compared to the MK series. Sure, there may have been more technically sound and more tournament ready fighters, but none of them gave me what Mortal Kombat did. It was a combination of sound mechanics, which were easy to get into, as well as a world I wanted to explore deeper. Mortal Kombat combines everything I love about MK2 and UMK3 and brings it into a fully functional modern day game. For this, I love Mortal Kombat.
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GTA in the 1940s? Nope, that's not L.A. Noire, not in the slightest. Though the game has a pseudo open-world and the gunplay is similar to other Rockstar games, the best and most important parts of L.A. Noire are its adventure elements. It was really cool to go from crime scene to crime scene and putting all of the pieces together and then interrogating the suspects. Though it did a little too much handholding at times, I really enjoyed playing through L.A. Noire. Also, it easily has one of the most intense levels of the year (the underground corridor sequence). Despite the ending (which was really bad), I still thought L.A. Noire was one of the better and more unique games of the year.
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When thinking about my time with Dead Island, I have a lot of uneven memories. At its best, the game's loot system, weapon mods, and unique environments make Dead Island one of my favorite games of the year. At its worst, I'm crawling through seemingly endless waves of enemies in a dark sewer. Despite that one specific level, I really enjoyed playing Dead Island. Often times games with a co-op focus are unfairly balanced or completely abandon their story. I didn't have that problem at all here. In fact, I really dug Dead Island's story. It's too bad that the game couldn't nail everything completely, but the things it does well overshadows most of its shortcomings.
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It's hard not to like a game like Bastion. It checks all the bullet points for me: sharp control, beautiful graphics - both technical and artistic, and a story worth listening to. My only regret is that I haven't had time to play it again.
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Uncharted games are just a lot of fun to play. They are indeed the "summer blockbuster" of video games. While Uncharted 2 is one tough act to follow, Uncharted 3 holds its own and offers some really thrilling moments. The multiplayer and co-op are two things I'd never thought Uncharted needed, but they're actually both pretty fun.
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Just one more run. You can keep telling yourself that, but chances are you'll be sitting on the couch wondering where the night went. Temple Run does so many things right for an iPhone game. It has simple and responsive controls, and score-attack games naturally fit perfectly for handheld platforms. The game totally made me view the iPhone as a worthy gaming platform, something I didn't think possible before its release.
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Though I'll always prefer the more tightly focused and linearity of Asylum, Arkham City is still a great game. The combat and stealth in these games are just so satisfying. Not to mention that you get to be the f***ing Batman.
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Fun and funny - not much else to say about YDKJ games.
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A redemption of sorts for me. I absolutely love Gears of War. It was my first next gen game and an experience that simply wasn't possible before new hardware was released. But man, Gears 2 was so bad. Not just a bad sequel, but a bad game. Gears 3 fixes a lot of problems that the second game had. The movement speed was quicker, the guns felt better, and the online actually worked. It doesn't reach the greatness of the original, but it is a fun game to play online or off.
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