I didn't feel comfortable making a top ten gaming list for last year until now, seeing as I still had several games to play. Now that I have played and finished most of the games I've wanted to play from 2011, I feel safe in finalizing a list of the best stuff I played last year. I want to start off by saying that I actually had a hard time coming up with ten games that I would consider best of the best from 2011, so honestly I felt like 2011 hasn't been gaming's strongest year. I feel this way mostly due to the amount of disappointments that have popped up within the year. Anyway, lets get this party started, shall we?
10. Rocksmith
I have to give props to any game that attempts to teach the player to play something as complex as the guitar and actually succeed in doing it well. We've had games like Rock Band 3 dabble in realism with the Pro Guitar which COULD help the user develop some real guitar skill, but I doubt it. Power Gig attempted to pack in a real guitar and teach gamers how to play a real guitar and failed horribly. Rocksmith was a pricey package, but the progression in difficulties, mini-games that build up fretting skills, in-game tutorials, and one of the best guitar tuners I've ever used, Rocksmith proved that a video game can really teach somebody something other than better hand/eye coordination. Lets not forget the strong soundtrack and great downloadable content support too!
9. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
Some may find it silly that I even played this game let alone add it to this list, but I can't help it! Skylanders was a totally enjoyable game from start to finish. Action RPG fans who aren't afraid to dabble in a children's game should really give it a shot. I've spend a ton of money collecting figures and even more time leveling up all of my characters and obtaining every achievement the game offered. Skylanders was easily the biggest surprise release of 2011 for me and I loved playing through it.
8. Rage
John Carmack (legendary Id Software developer and Doom creator) has caught a lot of flak from gamers lately. Just the amount of trashing he received for the lack of a flashlight strapped to a gun in Doom 3 was insane. While I never understood the hate for Doom 3, I certainly do not understand the hate for Rage either. The game did receive a horrible PC port and the graphics didn't quite deliver as promised, but Rage was a total blast from start to finish. The gun mechanics were tight, the work was fun to explore, and (most) of the enemies were a joy to be pitted against. As far as a straight-up shooter goes, Rage was probably the most fun FPS title from 2011 for me.
7. Mortal Kombat
Ed Boon (Mortal Kombat creator) really blew this one out of the park. I honestly didn't expect much out of Mortal Kombat since I didn't care much for the past four iterations in the series, but boy was I surprised. It takes a special game to make me care about a fighting game, but Mortal Kombat grabbed me and had me addicted for months. The story mode was easily the best single player mode ever for a fighting game, the cast of characters were great, the fatalities were brutally fun, and the fighting mechanics felt like I was back playing Mortal Kombat 2 again. Mortal Kombat is easily the best fighter to come out in years.
6. Super Mario 3D Land
The 3DS really needed a killer app, even though for me personally Ocarina of Time 3D was about as killer of an app as you can get. Super Mario 3D land arrived and gave gamers a reason to purchase a 3DS. I was a bit worried the title would have been rushed and sloppy in order to arrive on shelves quick enough to sell the 3DS during the holidays, but I was wrong. 3D Land's mix of old and new breathed some much needed life into the series. The game was short, but totally satisfying from start to finish and the unlockable challenge world made the game tougher for the hardcore crowd. Super Mario 3D land is a total joy to play and easily worth plopping down the cash on a 3DS.
5. Dead Space 2
Dead Space was a much needed new IP in a sea of sequels when it was released back in 2008. The game stole some ideas from a few games like Resident Evil 4, but mixed with the unique gun mechanics and fantastic atmosphere, it made the survival horror genre feel relevant again. The sequel fixed a few annoyances with the original and amped up the tension and atmosphere, making Dead Space 2 a sequel a game should have. Even though the gameplay didn't change much, Dead Space 2 just simply refined the gameplay and gave us a much better environment and story to experience and made it one of the best games of the year.
4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
You will find Skyrim on the top of most gamers lists this year, but not mine. Don't get me wrong, I loved Skyrim to death, but after putting so much time into Morrowind and Oblivion, I did get a big case of deja-vu here. Nonetheless, Skyrim is a very well design game with some amazing quests and a very memorable narrative that makes it easily the best game in the series. Skyrim also happens to be the best value of 2011 too, due to the sheer amount of content crammed into it's small 4GB size. No matter what kind of gamer you are, you will find something to love in Skyrim. The game really lasts about as long as you want it to with a fairly short campaign, but nearly endless amount of things to do afterwards. Skyrim is a no-brainer for any gamer.
3. Portal 2
Portal 2 is another huge surprise for me. I initially didn't pay too much attention to it due to the original game's short length and tech-demo-like feeling. Don't get me wrong, I loved the original Portal, but puzzle games typically fail to hold my attention for very long. Portal 2 showed up with an awesome story, hilarious cast of characters, clever puzzles, and one of the greatest endings out of a video game this year. The co-op mode was also very refreshing and a blast to play, making Portal 2 one of the most satisfying gameplay experiences of 2011. The design of this game was simply uncanny.
2. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Most people who know me will say "well duuuhh" on this one. I am a HUGE Legend of Zelda fanatic. The series is easily my favorite and two games in the series are in my top ten list of all time (Ocarina of Time being #1 and Link to the Past #5). I always get excited when a new Zelda title releases, but I was also skeptical since Twilight Princess didn't blow me away and the two DS titles were iffy. Skyward Sword totally blew me away in terms of game design, innovations in controls, and presentation. The story is every Zelda fan's wet dream and the cast of characters were fantastic. The only thing that prevented this game from taking the #1 spot for me was the fact that the game did change a few things that I felt would have been better left unchanged (like the more linear approach to an overworld) and the fact that I had to sometimes wrestle with the motion controls. Still, Skyward Sword changes the formula enough to make the game feel fresh while also feeling like a Zelda title while providing a pretty epic adventure to boot. I can already tell this is a game that will stick with me like several of it's predecessors.
1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Here is another game that took me by surprise this year. I wasn't expecting much out of Human Revolution since the game had some big shoes to fill and the last attempt at a sequel failed pretty miserably. Human Revolution totally lives up to the Deus Ex name by having an interesting cyber punk narrative, some of the best stealth mechanics to show up in years, some fantastic environments and art direction, and easily the best musical score out of any game this year. In many ways, I find Human Revolution a much better game than the original Deus Ex. Anybody who is a fan of classic sci-fi cinema (Blade Runner anyone?) will fall in love with this game. Yes, the game did have some horrible boss battles, but everything in-between those boss battles were some of the best gaming moments I had in 2011. Congratulations Deus Ex: Human Revolution - you are my favorite game of 2011.
Disappointments:
Some of you may be wondering, why big titles like Uncharted 3, Arkham City, and Gears of War 3 get total snubs on my list? I will quickly tell you why. Arkham City wasn't half as enjoyable as Arkham Asylum due to the environments being not remotely as interesting, some frustrating gameplay mid-through, and the fact that the campaign was so short and 60% of the game's content relied on finding collectibles. Uncharted 3 failed to live up to the excitement provided in Uncharted 2 until towards the end, and Naughty Dog's idea on how to challenge the player relied on throwing endless waves of bullet-sponge enemies and armored foes at the player while rockets zinged past you every second. I personally found Uncharted to be an exercise in frustration halfway through.
Gear of War 3 and Modern Warfare 3 were mostly been-there-done-that. I'm honestly shocked that Call of Duty still breaks these insane sales records while it fails to do anything remotely new every year. Dark Souls, while I respect, gets no love from be due to my hatred for cheap A.I, unnecessary difficulty spikes, and masochistic game design that sucks the fun out of gaming for me. Saint's Row: The Third is a really fun game that does a fantastic job of spoofing the genre and just letting gamers have fun; however, in terms of game design it fails to stand up to most games this generation and feels to simplistic in nature. Do I even need to go into Duke Nukem Forever?
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