[Question] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2011: Time to Vote

The Gamingforce Game of the Year, back by (some) demand, is here once again. 2012 has arrived but for us here at GFF the first thing to do before we start on new games is cast an eye back at those that came and went in 2011; as ever the real question is what does Gamingforce consider the best of 2011?

As with the previous years' voting here's how this is going to work: each person has 100 points to vote for games released in 2011 (doesn't matter where, but games have to have been commercially released in 2011) and you can allocate them to as many games as you like as long as it totals 100 in the end. The only rule is that you can't award any single game more than 40 points. So you could vote two 40s and a 20, or a 40 and six 10s, or any other combination of points as long as it adds up to 100.

To vote all you have to do is post a reply with your top games of 2011, how many points you're giving each, and a brief explanation of why you feel the game deserves your points.

Example:

GAME A - 40 points
Man I loved game A because...

GAME B - 20 points
I ended up playing so much of game B that...

GAME C - 15 points
Game C gets some points because...

GAME D - 15 points
I couldn't decide between this and C, so gave both points, but D rocks because...

GAME E - 5 points
Good, but not necessarily great, but I figure E deserves some points because...

GAME F - 5 points
Like E, F gets a few points because...

REFERRED BY: ... Wait what is this?

As with last year: to try and encourage a little spreading of the love this year there will be a referral system in place. If you convince someone else to vote and they put your name in their post (of the style "REFERRED BY: x") then you gain an additional 5 points to make use of. The same maximum of 40 points exists so you can't use these additional points to exceed it, but you can boost the points of any game not yet at the 40 limit, or you can use the extra points to vote for another game. There's a maximum of 20 points that can be gained from referrals to be distributing within the rules however you please.

--------

Voting will close on Saturday 14th January at 18:00 GMT (that's Englandland time), at which point I'll add all the points together and work out GFF's top 20 games of 2011, posting the results in a new thread for discussion/people to bitch about.

Get voting.

Oh, and get other people to come vote too. This year it earns you some extra voting power.

Disclaimer/Rules:
1. If you allocate any game more than 40 points your vote won't be counted.
2. If your points allocation totals more than 100 points [2a] your vote won't be counted (totals less than 100 are fine).
2a. Referrals allow an additional 5 points each to be used in voting, up to a maximum of 20 additional points.
3. Votes for games not released in 2011 will be ignored.
4. Only official commercial releases in 2011 count.
5. No negative points. I'll point and laugh and then ignore your vote.
6. Whole integers only. Fractions and decimal places will also lead me to ignore your vote.
7. Any other such idiocy will also probably lead your vote not being counted.

And as ever, I take no responsibility for Skills fucking with stuff, which if you ignore these points he almost certainly will do somehow.

How ya doing, buddy?

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - 20 points

I expected it to be good, but I did not expect it to be this amazing. Massive improvement on the (interesting but quite flawed) original, Witcher 2 is an amazing experience with great characters, writing, acting, combat and some good roleplaying thrown in for good measure. An engaging storyline to follow and some meaningful choices to make along the way. Not to mention CDPR are massive bros who keep updating the game with new content for free. Cannot wait for Witcher 3.


Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - 25 points

An incredibly charming adventure title with a gripping plot, wonderful cast of characters, excellent dialogue and animation, a superd soundtrack and awesome pomeranians. *clink*

EDIT: using my extra 5 points on dis


Gemini Rue - 20 points

This game completely out of nowhere for me. I liked the way it looked, but I did not know what to expect. A completely wonderful old-school point & click adventure with a gripping storyline, an awesome dystopian universe I hope they make more stories in, and surprisingly good voice acting for such a small production. Essential stuff.


Minna no Rhythm Tengoku - 20 points

After the disappointing DS game, this was a wonderful return to form for the series, with more completely wonderful characters, music and mini-games. A few annoying events prevent it from being BETTER than the original, but there are some incredible bits in there. The 9th Remix is one of the highlights of the year.

YouTube Video

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - 20 points

Did not become my favourite 3D Zelda, but it is an engaging adventure with some beautiful visuals, engaging story, marvelous setpieces, excellent motion controls and that Zelda magic that only Nintendo can do. Absolutely essential.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - 40 points
I love this game because whatever it does, it does extremely well. Combat is a tinnking man's game. You can't button smash and hope to win. The environments are gorgeous, the voice acting is good, the music is good, the writing is among the best I've seen in the media (amazing the game came from Poland too) and the two different paths provide replay so you can see things from the other side's perspective. Even for a structured RPG, the choices you ultimately decide upon changes the quests/plot. The only issues I have is the UI which suffers from consolitis but other than that this game deserves a perfect score.

Dino D-Day - 20 points
This game deserves my vote for best indie game of 2011 as well as best multiplayer game for 2011. A lot of folks tend to dismiss this game either because they think the idea is too silly or because they just think it's a stupid game. That said, I never had so much fun with a multiplayer game since Battlefield 2. The classes are unique and the dinos are awesome and no, the Axis don't always win despite what other people believe.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy - 20 points
My favourite fighting game (although obviously not a traditional fighting game) made a bang in 2011 with this sequel which featured everything the first game did while adding a whole bunch more. Wish Zack was in it but nothing's perfect.

Super Mario 3D Land - 10 points
A Super Mario game done right. I've always preferred the 2D sidescrolling Marios over the 3D stuff and Super Mario 3D Land is just that but in 3D. Much better than the horrible NSMB on the DS.

Pushmo - 10 points
A simple looking puzzle game that slowly turns out to be a lot more complicated than it looks. Lucky there is no time limit. Cute colourful graphics and appealing design puts it on the list.

Special mentions. Really wish I could put these in somewhere. Maybe if I can get some referrals, except lots of my friends don't really post here anymore.

Test Drive Unlimited 2
It may not be the best racing game and the handling is kinda wonky but being able to drive through two gigantic islands for the sheer fun of it and seeing the wonderful sights puts it on the list.

Harvest Moon Tale of Two Towns
Much better than the HM DS games, this one has alpacas and the appeal to two towns to live in.

Most amazing jew boots

Minecraft - 10 points
If Minecraft had been eligible for GFFGotY last year I might've had it with 20 points. But I must say I'm pretty disappointed with how far Minecraft has come in a year's time (that is to say, not very far). Minor improvements belie an unoptimized engine, and there's a lot of potential that's gone unrealized despite a flood of income and lots of hype and popularity. Of course, Minecraft is a very good game. It's the kind of game that, when improved, people may be playing for years and showing their children how to play. After you figure out what you're doing, there's little to stop you from doing what you want in a massive world with only your imagination to stop you. (Experience and hunger though? Consider the shark jumped.)

L.A. Noire - 15 points
Oh was I hoping for much better than this. After beating Red Dead Redemption, a game so good Danielle actually sat through almost all of it, L.A. Noire really had a high bar to clear. But I was quickly frustrated by the two key elements of the game, investigating a crime scene and interrogating people, especially the latter. The prequel case did not do much to help teach me the mechanics and I just left it in a pool of my disappointment.

Portal 2 - 20 points
Brief, though not as brief as its predecessor, Portal 2 still managed to grab my attention the whole way through. The puzzles were much improved, and "traveling through time" (if that's what you can call it) was a fun experience. The co-op, though I didn't play much of it, was a welcome change of pace. I'm curious to see if there will be another sequel.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 25 points
I've only been playing the game for a week (only level 7), so I can't reasonably give it 30+ points, but I'm excited for the future. Having never played an Elder Scrolls game (I played Oblivion so briefly it doesn't count) I would've liked a little more guidance on combat, particularly with magic use. It's still early in the game though, and I'm learning how it goes, and GIANTS SUCK

Batman: Arkham City - 30 points
My main complaint with Arkham City is that The Riddler had way too much time and space to play with, because I really would have liked to find all his trophies and recover all the hostages before I focused on completing Assassin's Creed II. But after beating the game, the tedium of gliding all over the place, figuring out Riddler's mini-puzzles and grappling with an endless supply of goons lost its appeal when I had to start meeting a quota before I could rescue the next hostage. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as I did with Arkham Asylum, and I can't wait for number three.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Portal 2 - 10 points

Surpassing the first game in just about every way, Portal 2 was a very interesting experience. Some of the later levels outside of the testing chambers were very challenging, but you've got the humor of two A.I. characters to keep you going through the whole game.


Super Mario 3D Land - 10 points

Mario 3D is straight up fun in the Mushroom Kingdom. The return of the Tanooki suit was cool, but the fact that you could only hover in it and not fly was a little disappointing. However, it's by far the best single player experience you can have on the 3DS and one of the reasons to get the system.


Mario Kart 7 - 10 points

HELL YES. The other reason to get the 3DS would be this game. 8 cups consisting of 16 new tracks and 16 retro tracks, Mario Kart 7 brings back all the fun that you can remember from the 64 version with some added tweaks. The gliding parts are cool and the underwater parts are a nice change as well. The 7 item may seem cheap to some, but it's saved my ass a few times. However, where this game truly shines is in its multiplayer. You can play with random people, friends, and even in a community like GFF has. Right now, there doesn't seem to be a way to cheat either which is a nice welcome over its DS predecessor.



Mortal Kombat - 15 points

Sweet baby jesus, Mortal Kombat is back with a vengeance. Thank you Netherrealm for creating one of the best fighting games of this generation. One of the most epic single player modes in a fighting game, great local and online multiplayer, classic arcade mode, and a challenge tower that will make you rip your hair out. Loved it. My only complaint is that there wasn't a mode where you could just play one-on-one with the CPU and be done with it after the match. Other than that, can't wait to see what they do with the next MK.


Catherine - 15 points

The cover of the game can mislead you a little bit, but hot damn I ended up loving this game more than I should. While it can be like a sim date at some points, this is mainly a puzzle game and a damn challenging one at that. I played through this game on the easiest difficulty and I still got my ass handed to me so many times. The story is one of twists and turns that can mislead you and shock you, but can really be engaging as it deals with real-life situations and decisions. I thought there were 3 endings to this game, but I've come to find that there are actually 8. Oh, and the chicks are pretty hot too.


Sonic Generations (360/PS3) - 20 points

Yes people, my bias nomination. Sonic Colors started the comeback last year, but Generations is even better. It seems the Sonic games have some sort of gimmick to them nowadays, but here it's being able to play as Classic Sonic in 2D sidescrolling levels. The Modern Sonic parts have been fine tuned as well, WAY better than the shit from Unleashed where you had difficulty controlling your character.

Sure, the game can be a little cheesy at times but it's a guilty pleasure. One complaint I have with the game is that the final boss battle seemed WAY too easy...as long as you can keep collecting rings you won't run out of time and none of the attacks hurt you.

I went back and collected every artwork, skill, and music track from this game. It only took me about two weeks to completely finish it, but like Ikaruga I'll come back and play some levels from time to time. Oh yeah, and this was my favorite soundtrack of 2011. Sonic is making a comeback, hopefully they don't screw this up.



Batman: Arkham City - 20 points

GAME OF THE YEAR. While a lot of people say this was much better than Arkham Asylum, I only say it's a little better because I hold Asylum in such high regard. That doesn't take away from the fact that this is the definitive Batman game. You have a larger cast of villains to contend with this time around ( they left out Scarecrow) and even some that only the comic readers will recognize. The combat system is improved, the boss fights are epic, the gadgets are almost doubled...traveling around in Arkham City is a freakin breeze thanks to a longer range bat grapple and better gliding abilities. As a bonus treat, whether you preordered the game from Gamestop or bought it as DLC, once you beat the game you can switch your characters' skins to the Animated Series look. Damn, that is awesome.

Truth be told...I'm hoping they don't make a third game. One, well...if you've seen the ending to the game that's part of the reason why. Two, I know this was said many times after Asylum but how in the hell could they possibly top this game? It looked like they included just about everything they could.

If there was one game that's absolutely necessary to play from this year, Arkham Asylum is definitely it.



Note: Zelda Skyward Sword would've probably made this list but I've barely had time to play it. Pretty good game so far though.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Did not play too many games this past year (especially games eligible for GOTY 2011) but I'll chime in on the three games I did have the chance to play.

Mortal Kombat - 20 points
It's great to see the reboot of Mortal Kombat. Honestly, I was never the biggest fan of the originals in the arcade but I always liked the character designs and the utter zaniness of the story. MK9 had an incredibly amusing story line and fantastic gameplay. And the gore. The wonderful, wonderful NC-17 gore.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Fate of Two Worlds - 40 points
I truthfully never thought this game would get released and after the long wait, it was certainly worth it. Love it or hate it, the new streamlined gameplay is way more accessible and the 3D sprites do the franchise justice. While there were some peculiar character selections (and omissions, no Megaman ;_; ), the music is a vast improvement from MvC2.

Batman: Arkham City - 40 points
Rocksteady has done it again and Arkham City has introduced Batman into the sandbox experience. I have to admit, I found the sandbox experience to be daunting at first, but the game built on the gameplay mechanics of the last and introduced more villains from the rogues gallery. Combined with the return of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, this is a 90's Batman TaS fan's wet dream.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Not a huge year in gaming for me, as I sat out several of the high profile releases, and just got Skyrim. But I did play enough to comfortably fill out a list.

Forza 4 - 40 points
Great racing game, with a great selection of tracks, and just as importantly, a great selection of cars. Not only is there a car for every taste, it is probably safe to say there are half a dozen cars for every taste, and if you spend some time tuning and tweaking your favorite car, most likely it can be competitive with most other similarly rated cars.

Deus Ex Human Revolution - 40 points
There was a whole lot to like about this one, and not much to dislike. Quality sci-fi, appropriate visuals, interesting gameplay allowing for several styles of play.

Uncharted 3 - 10 points
Doesn't rate higher because there's a lot that doesn't make sense in this game. Like how the bad guys can afford to employ so many henchmen, why these henchmen are willing to run into burning buildings trying to kill Nathan, and how Nathan has to spend half an hour scaling walls to get deep into some tomb and when he gets there, bad guys are waiting for him. Still has great dialog though.

Disgaea 4 - 10 points
Disgaea in HD. Doesn't rate higher because that's pretty much all it is, and because there is not female brawler class. Still, it is a fun game with over the top voice acting and silly humor. Definitely worth playing if you were a fan of Disgaea, but maybe at a discount price point like the $40 I paid for it.

How ya doing, buddy?

Batman: Arkham City - 40 points

Ok this is a game I really couldn't put down. I found myself actually playing so much that when I'd go to sleep, I'd start seeing my surroundings in detective mode. Yes, I'm a sad case. Anyway, the story surpassed Arkham Asylum for me. Plus the side missions that took up my time more than the actual game. I would find myself trying to get that current side story done before I went back and continued the main arc. Easily Game of the Year for me.

Warhammer 40k Space Marine - 20 points

Being a casual D&D fan now (more hardcore back in my High School days), I always have a soft spot in my heart for anything related. I bought this on a whim (the same whim I did many many years ago with the Lord of the Rings PS2 games) and wasn't disappointed. I haven't finished the story mode, but from what I have played of it, it's pretty solid. Gameplay was pretty good too. The Gears of War style run-and-gun was just mindless fun while also adding a unique way to restore health by performing executions, which can be pretty brutal since enemies can knock you out of the animation sometimes causing you to die. Overall I felt this was a really good game, a step in the right direction.

LA Noire - 20 points.

Deja Vu updated. That's what I felt when I played this, and yes I'm a huge Deja Vu fan. I enjoyed immersing myself in the 40s and playing out a Hollywood story. This was another game I couldn't put down (until time got away from me) and very much want to go back and revisit it, trying to collect all the cars and trophies.



Duke Nukem Forever - 15 points

This game got such a raw deal. Reviewers constantly shitting on it. Comparing it to titles like Call of Duty and Halo. Saying how it is dated, plays like a game from the 90s and shouldn't have been released. Well yeah... the game is what, 15 years old? I found the game quite fun. Running around blowing shit up. Ah-nult style jokes and one-liners that would make Al Bundy proud. Sure, it wasn't for everyone, but if you enjoyed the Duke Nukem of old, it was a nice throwback.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean- 5 points

It was a toss up between this and Alice, and I just had more fun with this title. The usual Lego formula can't go wrong (and rumors that there are going to be releases of Lego Lord of the Rings and if Traveler's Tales can secure the rights, Lego Back to the Future). This game was just good fun and I wish I could have scored it a bit higher, the other games were just better for me.

edit: I was going to post a screencap of each game, but didn't know if it would break the stretch limit, so I decided against it or if you didn't want anything like that. If it's ok, then I will later on.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I didn't have a lot of time to play any video games this year, but the games that I DID spend my time playing didn't disappoint me.

BASTION - 40 Points



I had no expectations when I played this game. I just heard it was pretty good and that Greg Kasavin from Gamespot wrote the game. I figured it was worth seeing if a guy who makes a living talking shit (badly, at that) about video games could actually put his money where his mouth is, and actually make a halfway-decent game. As it turns out, some people can actually write a damn good RPG when they spend all their time pointing out petty flaws in other people's work. Bastion was a ridiculously fun, lovingly-crafted and finely-detailed action RPG that takes place in a unique, visually-striking world, has an undeniably charming cast of characters—from the narrator on down—and had one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard in a video game, period.


L.A. Noire - 20 points



This game is totally not what I expected. When I picked it up for $20 while doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, I expected a Grand Theft Auto clone set in the 1940's with some pseudo-hard-boiled detective mystery spread on thin; and I would have been content with that, really. But it turned out to be an atmospheric and interactive noir flick in a faithfully-recreated Los Angeles that I would love to have witnessed with my own eyes. The cases are pretty much by-the-book detective fare, but the way you play them out requires quite a bit of cunning and deductive reasoning. I had almost finished the game, but lost my save and got right back up to where I was because I just can't stop playing this game. Oh, and the soundtrack. OH GOD, THE SOUNDTRACK! This game has my favorite soundtrack of any game in the last 10 years, and it's second only to Grim Fandango in rank of my all-time favorites. The combination of the fantastic gritty graphics, a vast and well-populated Los Angeles that wasn't copy/pasted together like the one in True Crime, the amazing Bernard Hermann-esque score and the overall noir-ish atmosphere made me regret I didn't pick it up earlier.


Gears of War 3 - 20 Points



The final(?) game in the franchise was the kind of fun and bloody, run-and-gun shooter that I've come to expect from the series. The dialogue was sometimes corny, sometimes good but it was always solid and the game gave me one of the best campaigns I could possibly have asked for. I wish I'd gotten to play it online a bit longer but, like I said, I didn't have too much time to play too many games.


ilomilo - 20 Points



(Yes, I realize that this game was available through a limited promotion in the closing days of 2010 but, since its wide release was actually the following January 5th, I'm including it in my picks for 2011. If you guys decide that it doesn't qualify, I'll shuffle the 15 points from this game around accordingly.)

Ilomilo was the kind of time waster that I love to play in short spurts. It was charming and had some interesting puzzles. The more you play it, you realize that it's quite a challenging puzzler with so much cuteness oozing out of it, that it makes kittens not giving a single fuck on grass fields on a sunny day look like alleyway runts fighting over fishbones and crackpipes. The wonderful fabric-textured graphics are reminiscent of LittleBigPlanet and lovingly dressed up a surprisingly clever puzzle game with original gameplay and a catchy-yet-understated soundtrack. To this day, it is the only console game I've ever been able to get my very-non-gaming-inclined girlfriend to play with me.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Bastion - 40 points

This year's Limbo/Braid what have you. Delightful in every way. One of the best soundtracks, some of the most fun, some of the best storytelling (that end sequence if you choose to save that guy who I won't explain for spoilers? One of the best moments in any game ever) and just great game mechanics all around. I have nothing bad to say about this game.

Batman Arkham City - 10 points

It's Batman but with more stuff. Never get tired of that silhouette ever. I find his interactions with gunplay sort of frustrating, but the voice acting is just completely tremendous. I just want to high five Mark Hamil after every single thing he says.

Xenoblade - 20 points

How is this game on the wii? How did it take so long to get the localization done? Why aren't more people jacked for one of the greatest RPGs out there? It's fantastic all the way through, and I love it. You should love it too.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - 30 points

You didn't play this (unless you're Skills) and you should be fucking ashamed of yourself. This game felt fantastic all the way through, and was thoroughly enjoyable.

Honourable Mentions:

Witcher 2
Gemini Rue
To the Moon

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Despite the fact that I haven’t played all that many games this year (relatively speaking) trying to name games for my Game of the Year votes has been a remarkably hard call as there were some really good titles to pick from. It’s been so hard that I got thoroughly stuck whilst trying to whittle down my shortlist and have ended up at a point where I don’t think I can cut the list down any further. I hate to spread my points out somewhat thinly but each of these games, and a few more perhaps, are very much deserving of some love.

Bastion – 25 points
This game just appealed right out of the gate when the first bits of news about it started popping up so a purchase was a no-brainer. But despite high hopes I got something even more awesome than I was expecting and this is just an absolutely solid experience boosted by the narrator (a trick I thought was going to be annoying, but never was) and perhaps my favourite soundtrack of the year. If you didn’t play this and have access to an Xbox or a PC you really owe yourself to check it out.

Xenoblade Chronicles – 25 points
And here’s the other game in contention for my favourite soundtrack of the year. But beyond amazing music (and it really does have a lot of excellent music in this game) this is an absolutely fantastic JRPG that defies conventions and is just a blast to play. It has a crazy but fun storyline, characters I cared about, really fun and involving battle mechanics, a huge wonderfully realized world to explore and tons more beside. There is a lot to this game, but almost none of it feels like filler or a waste of time, I was constantly engaged and happy to be distracted by the various side-quests and NPCs. I know this has yet to arrive officially in the US making it a hard sell for top of 2011, but this was a truly wonderful game. It’s rare that any single player experience gets its hooks into me for 100 hours, but Xenoblade managed it.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective – 20 points
Oh god this art and animation in this game is so good, so wonderfully, wonderfully good that pictures alone can not do it justice. For just the animation it deserves a nod I’d argue, but thankfully the game is also full of wonderful interaction, delightful characters, great puzzles and just a crap ton of fun. This is an excellent game and if you own something capable of playing DS games and haven’t picked it up yet, get off your arse right now and correct that situation. Right now!

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – 10 points
This is a statement that wins me no friends and on these boards probably gets me branded a heathen, but I never played the original Deus Ex. As such I don’t have the long-standing love for the franchise, though the setting and mechanics always looked interesting. Human Revolution therefore also looked interesting and I’m very glad I took a chance on it as this is a fantastic game and was an experience that stuck firmly in my mind making this and easy choice for my game of the year list. From what I’ve been told this does not let fans of the series down either, which is quite an achievement given how much love there is for it. Definitely a game worth playing.

Batman: Arkham City – 10 points
I absolutely loved the crap out of Batman: Arkham Asylum. I don’t know why but that game just looked like it’d be good and I had plonked a pre-order down before any real reviews came out, for some reason I had faith; and that faith was richly rewarded. The same held true for Arkham City, whilst some of the changes to make it more of a sandbox game and the large number of villains making an appearance worried some I had faith in Rocksteady to deliver, and deliver they did. This is another fantastic game that just makes you feel like an absolute badass, but not a vulnerable one. You have to be Bats and engage people on your terms, but when you do you can take people down with brutal efficiency. My only complaint would be I wish there had been more of it.

Battlefield 3 – 10 points
Let’s get something out of the way: both the single player and co-op are pretty fucking terrible in this game and if you pick it up for those then this would be a massive let down and a complete waste of money. But let’s be honest, no one should be buying this for anything other than the multiplayer and in that respect this game is fantastic. Like any multiplayer shooter sure there are issues here and there (mostly with people trying to abuse the system), those little frustrations, but the thrill of proper teamwork, those Battlefield moments, when it all comes together nothing is quite like it. It says something when this game has single-handedly stopped me playing a number of other games because it’s so damn addictive and a joy to play. So far I’ve sunk 150 hours into the multiplayer and I won’t be surprised if this is a game that I keep revisiting here and there well into 2012. Best multiplayer of the year without a doubt.

Honourable Mentions:
- Portal 2
- Super Mario 3D Land
- Continuity 2: The Continuation
- Child of Eden
- Gears of War 3

Most amazing jew boots

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - 25 Points.

Honestly, I can't think of anything that this game does wrong. It's gorgeous, the music rocks, the story is awesome, the puzzles are clever. It has the best Pomeranian of all time in it.

YouTube Video

I mean Jesus Christ.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - 15 points

This is criminally ignored. It's quite possibly as objectively great as Xenoblade, and it's a years late port of a PC game. But it's Falcom so. It's a touch slow to start, but it's got some solid writing, excellent characterization and a fantastic translation from XSEED. Also the combat's tight, focused, and fulfilling. A candidate for best JRPG of the last half decade, alongside Xenoblade and Radiant Historia.

Xenoblade Chronicles - 20 points

Counts, quite easily, because it's hard to believe this thing runs on the fucking Wii. And far, far better than other games of smaller scope on far more competent hardware. That says something for Monolith, but it also speaks to the hilarious QA practices for most other titles.

But I digress. This game is gorgeous. Interesting combat, THE BEST ACCENTS, and WHAT A BUNCH OF JOKERS. I haven't taken a game this slowly in years, because I'm enjoying every little thing in it so much.

Battlefield 3 - 20 points

The MP in this is fantastic, despite a plethora of balance weirdness and not-so-occasional completely fucked up whackiness. Be it a trained marine having a heart attack while he's taking a stroll, an airplane falling out of the sky for no reason whatsoever, or other "Bad Luck", the thing is still a very solid shooter. There's a controlled chaos to it that no other shooter can match, and that's something that deserves a nod.

Mario Kart 7 - 10 points

This is about the least bullshit filled Mario Kart since...well, MK64. Most of the Wii/GCN item horsefucking has been removed. Blue Shells may exist. And so do Bullet Bills, but their power and exposure have been reduced to a very manageable level. Great track choices too. The new ones, including some three parters like the Wahu stages and the new Rainbow Road, are sublime. The hang gliding and underwater mechanics are not gimmicky in the least, and actually add to the design in a way that I wasn't expecting.

No Waluigi though.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - 10 points

Honestly, I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was. The original is so iconic and so classic, and yet such a product of it's time and platform, that I feared we'd get something halfway between Invisible War and Call of Duty.

Instead, we got something that pays definite homage to the first game, knows how to give the player some very legitimate options, and accomplishes it all across three major platforms.

Despite the reveal of the outsourced boss battles (which explains a lot), the rest of the game is amazingly well done. It maintains the spirit of the old one, even when a few odd choices (yellow borders, some very minor handholding) belie it's slight, almost reluctant pandering to modern test audiences.


Honourable mentions:

Skyrim - Game is great. No doubt. But it's also a buggy, half finished disaster. It says a lot about Bethesda that they can craft such intriguing worlds, even if those worlds fall apart and fray at the seams to the point of them disintegrating. But I can't honestly award anything to a game that's built on a foundation as solid as half set Jello.

Catherine - Very interesting game that is sabotaged by it's controls. Part of it is how Vincent reacts after changing hanging angles, part of it is the odd slight buffering you always seem to have to do, but it's offputting enough to make control mistakes when you're going for Golds. The competitive Catherine scene is AMAZINGLY BIZARRE though, holy shit.

Super Mario 3D Land - Holy cow this is excellent. I honestly just ran out of points to give this anything I wanted to give it. Doesn't get "real" until the second half, but once it does, it gets very interesting.

Gears of War 3 - Despite how well built this is, I have a hard time going back to it. I don't know why. It's very well made, it's interesting and entertaining, the campaign is good, the MP is glorious (when you're on deds) and otherwise it holds together well. But there's an underlying frustration to how Gears plays out that can turn me off of it for somewhat lengthy periods of time.

Skyward Sword - Haven't finished, can't give a final declaration on it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Batman Arkham City 35 points
This was a very very very good game. This is more than just a super-hero game, it's just a superb game in every aspect, the city was designed with so much love and care that it was fun enough to just glide around beating up goones. The only thing that i can point at as a big flaw was that the Riddler trophies were required to actually rescue the people. It got tedious after a while chasing every single one down. The combat in the first game was already great but improved system made you feel dope and like the caped crusader. The story was well-written and it was just a big sex session for a batman fan.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution 25 points
This years big surprise for me. I played the first game, never finished it but enough to get it, didn't love it but i liked it a lot. What HR did beautifully was to pay homage but still being its own game, something that rarely is done well. Yes the bosses were horrible, the graphics weren't the freshest, it did lose steam in the last part. But the levels were amazingly planned and designed, the design was top notch in every aspect, it did suck you in and made you keep playing. I loved the stealth parts, loved that it actually gave you choices without no silly karma system. Wouldn't mind a more polished sequel at all.

Bastion 20
Bought it on a whim on the Arcade Sale, heard it was good but it still surprised a motherfucker. Haven't played a refreshing RPG in a while, not only the aesthetics but the gameplay with the choices and how you progressed.

Forza Motorsport 4 20
Turn 10 sure delivered with this one. It was improved in every aspect, it looks great, plays great and sounds sooo good. Too many hours have been spent at the Suzuka circuit in my AMG Benz chasing tenths of a second.

Winning losers:
Skyrim
It's like Oblivion but without all the suck, I'm enjoying it quite a bit even though it still plays wonky and weird, Bethsedas balancing and gameplay choices are still questionmarks. But it's to be expected in this big of a game, great fun and a horrible time eater.

The Witcher 2
I have no doubt that this is one of the best games of the year, but it didn't play well enough on my computer and didn't come far enough to give a fair opinion. But the part I played was gorgeous and the battle system was surprisingly fun.

L.A Noire


GoW 3
More of the same, nothing revolutionary just a lot of fun.

Portal 2
Enjoyed the first one more, I think I enjoyed the shorter more condensed design more.

Assassins Creed: Revelation
I'm the biggest AC fan and love the game world. But this was the weakest game yet, the story was good and rounded up the current story line good enough but the gameplay is gathering dust and it really needs a injection of new. Even the design had some chinks in it, even though i loved the return to the middle eastern world. The games have a high low-level though and it just fell short of my list. Been playing a lot of MP lately too, super fun.

Most amazing jew boots

Posting here because goddamn you Q (sup)

Bastion - 30 points

Never had I played such a game with charm last year. The visuals were excellent and the soundtrack very catchy while the battle system included a deep array of customization, from weapons to tonics to deities that challenge the player. While I haven't finished it, I am deeply impressed with it.

Ghost Trick - 30 points

Oh my good lord, the visuals, the narrative, the charm and the fun factor makes this game that makes it to the top of my list. Never I could forget the Panic Dance, Cabanela's entrance dance among other things. The system, oh god, the system of solving Sissel's predicament through material possession is wonderful. It stands along with Bastion as my games of last year.

Portal 2 - 20 points

GLaDOS and Wheatley and how they're trying to one-up each other is hilarious. Plus as always, GLaDOS' deadpan snarks made me laugh the entire time. Game had definitely had me hooked for as long as it lasted. Not going to comment on the gameplay as it is pretty much the same thing but man, I still love them gels and them turrets. <3

Skyrim - 20 points

This game. THIS GAME. Oh my good lord, so much to do, SO MUCH. The amount of customization and perks to take and where to put your points in is BRRZZZZRRAAAPP AMAZING. While it doesn't stack up to the charm of both Bastion and Ghost Trick, this game is one of my longest played this year, amounting to about 106 hours in only 2 months. God, making daedric armor from a stacked up alchemy/enchantment tree plus the weapons plus the high magic assist is oh good lord WHY CANNOT I PUT THE CONTROLLER DOWN. Seriously, the more you explore, the harder it is to put the controller down. One more area! One more concoction! Oh dear god help me for I love this game immensely and that's still without the mods.


Honourable mentions:

Radiant Historia (Concept of going back and forth to change shit up plus the combat? Sign me up!)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Most fun third person shooter I've played besides Gears of War 3. While the campaign is short and multiplayer limited, the free 4-player add-on is basically like Horde mode. And any co-op game types prove to be fun while it lasts)
Catherine (Fuck yeah erotic thriller. Gripping story and an interest puzzle mechanic)
Shadows of the Damned (Talking skull was pretty amusing, not going to lie. Also Hotspur outbursts were fantastic)
Gears of War 3 (COLE TRAIN RUNS ON WHOLE GRAIN BABY! WOO! the game. It's a massively fun romp and trying to finish this now)
Frozen Synapse (Along with Bastion's OST, FS' is one of the BEST ones last year. God, I love Welcome to Markus Geist and the Schism themes. Combat is absolutely turn based and damn, is it ever challenging as well.)
Batman: Arkham City (Asylum was amazing. This game takes it one step even further, with a fuckton of stuff to do, from Riddler's riddles to Zsasz's telephone tracking horseshit. Plus, Catwoman! This game is simply expansive, you don't know where to start)

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I dread making my post. Because I cannot make up my mind!!!!!!!!! >.< Damn it.

40 pts - Deus EX: Human Revolution
Only because this game served me soooo good in sniper/infiltration than any other friggin wannabes out there. Its just served what I wanted for so damn long and so good in execution that I replayed this at least 3 times and 1000'd it too. This was the game I had sat down and became completely engrossed in start for the year (before Xenoblade/Skyrim). So yeah, this game is still my GOTY. Mostly because its polished, replayable, just perfect in execution. I don't care for the ending, but still this game was perfection for me in what I wanted for a sneaky sniper.

30 pts - Skyrim
Because its HUGE, because its stupid fun to go owning a dragon with two shots, because its awesome to explore at your own leisure, because its hilarious quests and followers and idiotic AI, because you can customize a lot of shit, because you can make your own house be an episode out of Hoarders, because you can customize your own leveling to pure ownage, and because you can build a sword out of over 9000 and dead stop a dragon into its track literally. I'll have to wait til the bugs are ironed out before I can fully enjoy it.

20 pts - Xenoblade
Gorgeous rpg, massive landscapes and monsters, awesome leveling system, awesome customization of your party, awesome music, sweet plot, and likeable characters. And a fucking HUGE list of achievements! Nothing got me into this game like achievements, otherwise I'd miss out on a lot of brilliant touches in this game. I had issues with the battle system til I got Melia and I was in love again. She just made it so much better I swear to god.

5 pts - Ghost Trick
Brilliant, fun little title with awesome animation and puzzles. And dat ending! <3 <3 <3

5 pts - Portal 2
Smashingly fun and in some way exceeded my expectations and yet missed a few that I loved about the first.

Honorable Mentions:
Fishing Resort
LOL this fishing game came out of nowhere and I spent so much time on this. Clocking in 300 hours now.

LA Noire
Nice theme setting I've not expected and enjoyed it quite a bit. After Bully and Red Dead Redemption, this was a nice touch of the era. I'm definitely looking forward to more Rockstar's theme GTA games more than ever now.

FELIPE NO

Portal 2 - 40 points

Portal 2 is probably the best game to be released this generation. An interesting story, told with humor and wit, mixed perfectly with a long, satisfying single player mode that is much longer than its processors', makes for a fantastic experience that is really my only case of "I can't put this down" in recent years. The fact that the game never feels like it's been padded or cut short is a quality more games need, but few get. The coop is just icing; less story, sure, but the same level of humor, and one of the few coop games to ever get the feeling of working together RIGHT. It is an awesome, awesome game that no one should skip.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - 25 points

A sequel years after the fact to a rather iconoclastic FPS series that never really got off the ground, really, is not something that anyone would expect to have a great chance of being good. Surprisingly enough, the DX:HR devs managed to put together a tightly wound ball of intrigue that only kinda sorta doesn't make sense, and offer honest-to-god freedom of choice in a gaming environment full of "choices" that aren't. It's a refreshingly different game amongst a sea of Call of Duty copycats, and I look forward to seeing what's next from these guys. Maybe next time they'll get to make their own boss fights.

Skyrim - 15 points

Skyrim is everything I liked about Oblivion refined, with a lot of its needless cruft removed. For the first time, I can honestly describe a Bethesda release as "elegant". The sheer amount of content is staggering, actually. I'm not going to be done with this for a while.

Batman: Arkham City - 10 points

I love how this game somehow managed to do properly two things that so many developers seem to struggle with: Making a proper sequel to your fresh hit game, and making an open world that feels open without feeling overwhelming. My biggest problem with LA Noire was how empty the city of LA felt. You were only ever going to one place at a time, so what the hell's the rest of the city for? Arkham City has shit all OVER the place, without having nearly the square mileage of a GTA or Just Cause 2 to spread it out over. It feels like you're constantly tripping over things to do, which is such a great feeling to have in a game. The combat is still best in its class, as well.

LA Noire - 5 points

LA Noire is such a bizarre thing. The sheer scale of its undertaking, both in the size of the city it takes place in and the amount of effort that went into its facial capture technology, are not going to be replicated any time soon now that it turns out the company making it was basically dead in the water upon the game's launch. It's a damn shame, too, since the game has a fantastic rhythm to it. A very casual, steady rhythm almost like an interactive 50's CSI. It's a shame we're not going to get to see any more from Team Bondi.

Saints Row 3 - 5 points

There are some gaping holes where content is going to be plugged in later, which is a real damn shame, because the portions that actually shipped on the disc are a really neat, fun to play sandbox game that doesn't take itself too seriously except where it counts. If only THQ hadn't portioned the game into oblivion.

Honorable Mentions

Modern Warfare 3

I gave Black Ops a bunch of points last year, and this year I feel like I should give MW3 some solely because of how the multiplayer still effectively grabs me. I'm not sure at this point whether it's due to habit or not, but they did at least manage to make a Modern Warfare game that isn't unbalanced as all hell. I can't really actually justify giving it points, since so much of the game came out half-assed or broken. Hopefully Black Ops 2 borrows the things that MW3 added that are neat (Kill Confirmed, Drop Zone, Strike Packages) and improves on all the stuff MW3 feels like a regression compared to Black Ops with.

Gears of War 3

Holy shit, a Gears game with competent online and a non-shit story! Will this magic never end?

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

A really neat idea for a puzzle game, and I wish I'd played it to the end. I need to.

Radiant Historia

Oh my god it's Chrono Trigger I can't believe they finally made another one holy shit

Burnout Crash

It's not the Burnout Paradise sequel we all were hoping for, but it's a fun little diversion that never gets too frustrating or too easy.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Man, there's a lot of games I'm missing out on apparently. My list is going to look so odd

Portal 2 - 40 points

Its Portal, except longer, wittier, and with a story. Seriously, I loved this. I still need to go back and play the co-op. And remember, when life gives you lemons, tell life to take its lemons back. In fact, burn down life's house.

Battlefield 3 - 30 points

I haven't even touched the single player yet. The MP is just too much fun. I enjoy rolling up in various vehicles and blowing people up a lot more than just running around and shooting bullets into people. Plus this game really focuses on teamwork. Its amazing how much better your team does when you work together, like having an engineer passenger in a helicopter to keep it constantly repaired.

Gears of War 3 - 20 points

I played through GoW2, but never really played the multiplayer. I really enjoyed the MP of GoW3, and was quite happy to get in on GFF face melting action. The MP was mostly balanced and when the dedicated servers were up, it was lag free and awesome, no matter how much I sucked at it. Much like Skills though, its tough to keep bringing myself back to it, though I think mine is more a time restraint mixed with a ton of other games to play.

Little Big Planet 2 - 10 points

I am honestly amazed this wasn't mentioned at all on anyone's lists. Perhaps its because it literally came out at the start of the year, but it seems all but forgotten. LBP was a decent game, but LBP2 took what was good about LBP and removed all the crappy pieces. The thing I enjoyed most about LBP2 was how it felt like Super Mario Bros Wii, with a ton more content. You can both fuck over your friends and help them out at the same time. Its a blast at parties.

Honorable mentions

Dance Central 2 - Yeah, I'm a sucker for a rhythm game, especially those made by Harmonix. Its a good workout and is fun in groups.

Rocksmith - Once again, sucker for music/rhythm, but this one actually teaches you to play guitar, using any guitar you want, which is pretty awesome.

Skyward Sword - I would give this points, but I haven't opened it yet Looking forward to playing it!

UMvC3 - I haven't played a good fighter in awhile, but when I picked this up, I played it pretty heavily for awhile. I need to get back into it.

Modern Warfare 3 - I can't give this game series points, ever. It doesn't deserve points. However, the MP IS addictive like Mo0 mentioned. This is really the only game on the ps3 I play these days, and I only play it when some IRL friends and I get together for a ps3 lan party type thing, but I enjoy it when we do. Perhaps its the fact that I just don't care when I play it, or the fact that I'm playing with IRL friends, but it has a unique charm to it that the other shooters don't. However, I still can't give it any points, because fuck Call of Duty.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Xenoblade - 40 points

I'm honestly surprised by how much I love this game. All the characters are likable, the setting and story are refreshingly unique, the music is great, and the locations are all gorgeous. Between the hundreds of sidequests and the highly addictive Collectopaedia it's difficult to get back to the main story sometimes. Oh, and the Nopon are the most adorable species ever. Everything about Xenoblade works, and it works damn well. I think the last RPG I thought this highly of was Digital Devil Saga, and that was around 6 years ago.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - 20 points

A solid RPG with phenomenal writing. It's been sadly overlooked in part due to the previous LoH games being mediocre crap piles from what I've heard. I mean, it has a different joke message when searching every empty treasure chest in the game. That's commitment.

Tiny Tower - 10 points

It's difficult to say exactly why Tiny Tower is so addictive, yet it is. It's all about wait times and letting the game do its own thing while your iPod is asleep. A nice game for breaks at work.

Bastion - 10 points

I want that narrator to narrate my every move in life. The game is fun, the art and music are great, but it's the narrator who I'll always remember best about Bastion.

Portal 2 -5 points

I'd forgotten this was 2011 until I saw Dopefish's post. A lot of fun, and I still haven't gotten around to doing the multi with anyone. Top notch writing.

The Binding of Isaac - 5 points

Interesting Zelda-esque shooter with so many bizarre enemies. The huge number of items and enemy possibilities give the randomly generated dungeons a ton of replay value with every run changing drastically depending on what items you find.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland - 5 points

I'd probably want to give this more than 5 points if I'd played more of it, but I haven't yet. From what I have played it's a nice return to the usual Kirby formula (not that Epic Yarn wasn't great) with new powers and the multiplayer aspect that made New Super Mario Bros. a riot.

Radiant Historia - 5 points

Great story, but the combat grew stale kind of quickly. Still, it's a very good game that I need to play more of.

Honorable Mentions:
- Mario Kart 7 - It's really good, but not really different from previous Mario Karts.
- Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I'm sure it would've made the list if I'd played more than half an hour of it by now.
- Dark Souls - A good game, but inferior to Demon's Souls.

How ya doing, buddy?

REFERRED BY QWARKY, although feel free to revoke that if he gives the 5 to something other than Ghost Trick (not really) ((but really))

Alright time to give points to Ghost Trick and then waste the rest on games no one else picked:


30 Points: Ghost Trick

Yep.


20 Points: Beret

It's a platformer where you have telekinesis! Can't make a jump? Stack some blocks to make some steps! Robot up in your grill? Smash that fucker against a wall! Can't make it up a thin passageway? Stack two enemies in a specific way that allows you to defy gravity! Can't do something with gravity just going in one direction? Set up some blocks so they hit switches and fly around in a self-perpetuating cycle of gravity fluctuations!

Pretty easily the best puzzle design of any game in 2011. And just about every other year too. This game will murder your brain to death. Also it's free what the fuck http://kiwisauce.com/beret/


20 Points: Kirby's Return to Dream Land

• 5 Points: Obligatory Kirby bonus because I am HAL's bitch
• 5 Points: Soundtrack of the year '011
• 5 Points: Super abilities, especially the very last super ability area, which is probably the most satisfying sequence in a Kirby game to date
• 5 Points: High jump

15 Points: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Hub & warp navigation is cool, but aside from the awesome cast, the world feels kind of thin when you're not questing. Dungeon architecture is the best it's ever been, but in the first 3.5 dungeons it seems at the expense of flow/routing; "DUDE CHECK OUT THIS GIGANTIC FUCKING ROOM ISN'T THIS SHIT AWESOME" leads to the same layout of central room -> side room -> back to the central room -> another side room -> return to the central room again -> new central room -> yet another side room. Improves a lot in the second half of #4, and then whoa shit #5 bizarre loopy whatinthefuck awesome

Bosses are neat. I like how the overworlds are now almost dungeons themselves, especially Lanayru. Visuals are pretty stunning, especially the timeshift stones (the sea holy shit) and Silent Realms (let the timer run out, it is fucking intense). And it's Zelda, come on now.

Anyway disregard everything I just said, as the fifteen points I'm giving this game are solely because of the Bombos and Armos redesigns.


10 Points: Professor Layton and the Last Specter

It's Layton! Also it Spoiler: doesn't end in the same exact plot twist as the first three games, so that's nice.


5 Points: Blocks That Matter

It's like Boulder Dash crossed with Tetris crossed with Minecraft. The game concept makes absolutely no sense, and there is no point in the game where it will ever make sense. If you can get past that, there are some pretty decent puzzles in there. Lack of checkpoints will infuriate you. Also, indie soundtrack of the year '011 (yes I've heard Bastion; it's good but you're wrong).


I was originally going to give this points and even wrote this up but whoops reallocated: Inside a Star-filled Sky

It's like someone took the soul of Bangai-O Spirits (choosing the right combination of weapons to stack in order to beat a stage), slapped it on a procedurally generated arena shooter, and made everything recursive. Unlike BTM, the concept will eventually make sense, but it'll take like 20-30 levels. Then after that it'll be another 10-20 before you hit anything approaching a challenge. It's infinite and procedurally generated, so you'll basically be playing the same few types of stages over and over again forever, but I had a lot of fun in short bursts.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Oh god I played like five games this year but I guess I can do one of these

Gears of War 3 - 40 points

YouTube Video

Gears of War 2? All is forgiven, Epic. We'll forget that travesty ever happened because god damn is this one just right. It's polished, it plays extremely well, and actually looks like some thought was put into BALANCING THE FUCKING GAME this time. Sure some things about it can be frustrating, but it's still a fucking blast to play so fuck you.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam: 3 - 30 points
It's fucking Gundam. I ain't gotta explain shit. And even if I did nobody here would understand why this game makes me scream like a Japanese schoolgirl.

Sonic CD (XBLA) - 20 points
Hey remember when Sonic games used to be good? Sega doesn't, but thankfully someone out there was dedicated enough to get the ball rolling on bringing one of the most interesting games in the franchise to the modern age. Plus you can play as Tails and that owns. Also

YouTube Video

Sonic Generations - 10 points
Talk about a game with an identity crisis. The modern levels largely suck, the classic levels are a fucking blast! I wonder why that is, hmmmmmmmmmmm

That aside, it's a very fun rental and can easily be blown through in the period of a day for those looking to relive the glory days of a long troubled franchise.

Most amazing jew boots

Barring a very last minute entry or two I'll be totting up the results tonight and will probably get the results post up tomorrow.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quick list, no time for talking.

30 - Dark Souls (being overlooked in here)
30 - L.A. Noire
20 - Portal 2
10 - MvC3 (or UMvC3)
10 - Rayman Origins (overlooked again)

Although 2011 was really packed so I have no doubt plenty of these are worth the praise.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Rayman was glorious, and Dark Souls was solid. Agreed. Rayman for best platformer of the year, no doubt.

FELIPE NO