In accordance with Video Game tradition, I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favourite games of 2011. This was considerably more difficult than I had imagined. Not because there was so many great games to choose from, no. More because I didn’t get a chance to play a lot of the games I wanted to this year so there are quite a few titles that probably should be on this list that are not. Regardless, let’s count ‘em down!
10. Dungeon Siege 3
Obsidian’s entry into the action RPG genre for 2011 was the proof I needed that Blizzard’s Diablo 3 could actually work on a console. Sure, it wasn’t perfect but it was the first Diablo-esque game I’ve played on a console that really tried to make the game work right. Most other games in the genre always feel like PC ports, but not this time. Dungeon Siege 3 was a good game all around.
9. Dragon Age 2
Once upon a time, Bioware was synonymous with RPG. Personally, I don’t feel like that’s true anymore. You’d be hard pressed to actually find many traditional RPG elements in any of their recent games. That said, for what it was, I enjoyed my time playing Dragon Age 2. Sure the world was too small, and the environments were repeated far too often but they certainly made action-rpg combat more fun than it’s ever been before. I’ve heard that they’re planning some major changes for DA3 and I’m looking forward to them.
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Before we get into the meat of this paragraph, it should be known that I don’t really care for online competitive multiplayer. I’ve played exactly one round of versus mode in MW3 and I doubt a second is in my future. The campaign however was expertly executed and was a thrill from beginning to end.
7. Cars 2
I’ll understand if you haven’t played this, I’m sure the majority of people reading this are not into kids games. I’m going to say something very controversial now… Cars 2 is better than Mario Kart. When my son (4) wants to race, he doesn’t go for Mario Kart Wii, he pops in Cars 2 and shouts, “Speed. I am speed.” I knew I was hooked on this game when I started playing it after he went to bed. Night after night after night.
6. Skylanders
This game is far better than it has any right to be. On the surface it appears to be another cheap cash in from Activision but if you dig a little deeper you’ll find an enjoyable Diablo inspired adventure game with an honestly refreshing figure collecting hobby rolled into an experience that’s just as fun for me as it is for my 4, 9 and 12 year old sons.
5. Portal 2
Trying to explain a game like Portal 2 to someone who doesn’t play games is very challenging. “It’s a story based puzzle game where you navigate the environment using portals which are created via a portal gun that you are holding and there are lots of physics involved.” Doesn’t that sound fun? Science!
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex was a great game. Much like last year’s Borderlands however, it was a game where I often found myself thinking, “This is a good game but the next one will be way better”. Boss battles aside, this is a wonderful game with a great story full of twists and turns that had me coming back to it’s cyber-punk world every day until I had seen it through.
3. Forza Motorsport 4
If you’re a petrol-head like me (although I’m a small one admittedly), you’re not going to find a better racing game than Turn 10′s fantastic Forza Motorsport 4. There is so many things to do in this game you could easily, as I have, spend an hour playing the game without ever getting behind the wheel of any of the amazing cars the game has to offer. I f’ing love this game.
2. Gears of War 3
In my humble opinion (which is never wrong) there are only two game developer studios which have ever gotten co-op so completely right. The first is Bungie and the second is Epic (mega)Games. For a co-op gamer like me, the Gears of War series is a fantastic experience which I imagine is on par with Modern Warfare 3 / Battlefield 3 for the competitive gamers out there. I wish all game developers paid more attention to the games Epic makes rather than just their fancy engine.
1. Elderscrolls 5: Skyrim
Fus Ro DAAAAAH! As I’m writing up my this paragraph for my favourite game of 2011 (and quite possibly all time) I’m watching this amazing video below. It’s hard to put into words just how much I love Skyrim. At 160 hours in as of this writing, I’m completely and utterly looking forward to 160 more of exploring Tamriel’s northern country. Skyrim is more than a great game, it’s a milestone as important to gaming as the original Mario Bros. or Halo.
