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With the end of the year closing in I thought it was time for a thread to discuss our favorite games of 2011. I'll throw up my ten favorite.
Child of Eden (360/PS3)
Coming in last but not least, Child of Eden was a worthy successor to Rez. CoE can be played purely for the wonderful audio/visual experience or you can take your time and learn the stages front and back for highscore gaming. There are also some nice unlockables in CoE such as art and music videos. On-rails shooters are so rare in this day and age of gaming, so I try support them whenever one is released.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection (PSP)
Take one of my favorite games of all-time. Redo the art, the translation, and the audio? All I can say is "thank you" to S-E for doing an amazing job with this re-re-re-rerelease. I'd almost go as far as to say this is my favorite version of the game. The battles load into memory as quickly as the cartridge version, the difficulty is scaled between the JP and NA versions of the original, and I love the new art.
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS)
For the first eight months of this was one of the few games worth owning on the system (aside from Zelda OoT). Having never played any of the previous iterations of SFIV this was a wonderful experience. The animation pops almost as well as SF:3S. But the thing I enjoyed the most about this version is how well it suits a casual gamer like me. The touchscreen specials and supers go far to make a gamer play for hell of it, without having to be heavily invested in the fighting system itself.
Pushmo (3DSWare)
A late arrivial to the list and my pick for "nicest surprise of 2011". Pushmo came out of nowhere to become the best puzzle game I've played since Peggle. Simple gameplay, wonderful level design, and gorgeous art combine into one hell of an awesome game. If you own a 3DS there's no excuse for not having this game.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (360/PS3)
Sony's legacy franchise makes its way over to a Microsoft console. I bought the collection solely for chance to play Peace Walker with a second analog stick, everything else is gravy. But what awesome gravy it is. Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, MSX-version Metal Gear, MSX-version Metal Gear 2 and Peace Walker. That's a tremendous package no matter how you slice it. Arguably the best compilation since Valve's Orange Box from a few years ago.
Uncharted 3 (PS3)
This game will probably score lower for me than it will for others. The ride was short and sweet. The cargo plane and the pirate tanker levels are two of the most memorable moments in gaming this year for me. But with a campaign clocking in at barely over seven hours and a multiplayer I don't care for I didn't enjoy Uncharted 3 as much as I did Uncharted 2. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Gears of War 3 (360)
DOM, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! DOM!!! NO!!! One of Microsoft's best third-party franchises comes to an amazing end. The campaign was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. The co-op and multiplayer are both awesome. And I always finding myself happy to see a major character die when a series meets its end. Well played, Cliffy B, well played.
Deus Ex Human Revolution (360/PS3)
Eight years was a long time to wait for the followup to Invisible War, but Human Revolution was worth the wait. DE:HR is the best stealth/action game I've played since Assassin's Creed II. Although, if you ask me, the gameplay is more akin to MGS than AC. Still the adventure of Adam Jensen was a highly enjoyable one. Lets hope that we won't have to wait another eight years for the next one.
Batman Arkham City (360/PS3)
Batman Arkham City accomplishes what's expected of a blockbuster sequel. Take what the first game did well, give us more of it, and put a cherry on top. Everything here was top notch. The gameplay, audio, voice acting, story and replayability are all quite excellent. If it weren't for the big gorilla in the room called Skyrim this would've been my choice for GotY.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360/PS3)
Oh baby, oh baby. I was late to the party with Morrowind. I bought the 360 specifically for Oblivion. Fallout 3 was a phenominal introduction to a series I knew nothing about. Skyrim is everything I hoped it would be and more. After playing it more than 350 hours since its release last month there's no doubt that Skyrim is my favorite game of 2011.
Child of Eden (360/PS3)
Coming in last but not least, Child of Eden was a worthy successor to Rez. CoE can be played purely for the wonderful audio/visual experience or you can take your time and learn the stages front and back for highscore gaming. There are also some nice unlockables in CoE such as art and music videos. On-rails shooters are so rare in this day and age of gaming, so I try support them whenever one is released.
Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection (PSP)
Take one of my favorite games of all-time. Redo the art, the translation, and the audio? All I can say is "thank you" to S-E for doing an amazing job with this re-re-re-rerelease. I'd almost go as far as to say this is my favorite version of the game. The battles load into memory as quickly as the cartridge version, the difficulty is scaled between the JP and NA versions of the original, and I love the new art.
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS)
For the first eight months of this was one of the few games worth owning on the system (aside from Zelda OoT). Having never played any of the previous iterations of SFIV this was a wonderful experience. The animation pops almost as well as SF:3S. But the thing I enjoyed the most about this version is how well it suits a casual gamer like me. The touchscreen specials and supers go far to make a gamer play for hell of it, without having to be heavily invested in the fighting system itself.
Pushmo (3DSWare)
A late arrivial to the list and my pick for "nicest surprise of 2011". Pushmo came out of nowhere to become the best puzzle game I've played since Peggle. Simple gameplay, wonderful level design, and gorgeous art combine into one hell of an awesome game. If you own a 3DS there's no excuse for not having this game.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (360/PS3)
Sony's legacy franchise makes its way over to a Microsoft console. I bought the collection solely for chance to play Peace Walker with a second analog stick, everything else is gravy. But what awesome gravy it is. Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, MSX-version Metal Gear, MSX-version Metal Gear 2 and Peace Walker. That's a tremendous package no matter how you slice it. Arguably the best compilation since Valve's Orange Box from a few years ago.
Uncharted 3 (PS3)
This game will probably score lower for me than it will for others. The ride was short and sweet. The cargo plane and the pirate tanker levels are two of the most memorable moments in gaming this year for me. But with a campaign clocking in at barely over seven hours and a multiplayer I don't care for I didn't enjoy Uncharted 3 as much as I did Uncharted 2. Maybe my expectations were too high?
Gears of War 3 (360)
DOM, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! DOM!!! NO!!! One of Microsoft's best third-party franchises comes to an amazing end. The campaign was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. The co-op and multiplayer are both awesome. And I always finding myself happy to see a major character die when a series meets its end. Well played, Cliffy B, well played.
Deus Ex Human Revolution (360/PS3)
Eight years was a long time to wait for the followup to Invisible War, but Human Revolution was worth the wait. DE:HR is the best stealth/action game I've played since Assassin's Creed II. Although, if you ask me, the gameplay is more akin to MGS than AC. Still the adventure of Adam Jensen was a highly enjoyable one. Lets hope that we won't have to wait another eight years for the next one.
Batman Arkham City (360/PS3)
Batman Arkham City accomplishes what's expected of a blockbuster sequel. Take what the first game did well, give us more of it, and put a cherry on top. Everything here was top notch. The gameplay, audio, voice acting, story and replayability are all quite excellent. If it weren't for the big gorilla in the room called Skyrim this would've been my choice for GotY.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360/PS3)
Oh baby, oh baby. I was late to the party with Morrowind. I bought the 360 specifically for Oblivion. Fallout 3 was a phenominal introduction to a series I knew nothing about. Skyrim is everything I hoped it would be and more. After playing it more than 350 hours since its release last month there's no doubt that Skyrim is my favorite game of 2011.
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