Top 5 Games of 2011

[fUNC]

My Q&D list:

1) Arkham City. No game kept me hooked from start to finish like this one did. From the gorgeous environments to the pitch-perfect voice acting, this was close to perfect. Had Robin/Nightwing been playable in Free Roam it would've been no contest.

2) Portal 2- I didn't spend nearly as much time with this game as I did with the others on this list, but that's only because what was there was as good as it gets. I didn't think a three-hour game could've produced a good 15-hour sequel, but this met expectations and then some. Valve is the Pixar of gaming.

3) Gears 3- On the other hand, nothing I played this year matches Gears for sheer content and replayability value. I've had some people tell me that it took them close to five months of playing this night in and night out to get the coveted Seriously 3.0 achievement, and I believe it. The only things that hurt it in my eyes were that the story line, while excellent, felt like more of the same, and Beast Mode needed either an Endless mode or about 40 more waves.

4) Dance Central 2- This game got me laid in Vegas last week. There's no way I'm leaving it off.

5) Dead Space 2- Riveting from start to finish. Not as scary as the first game (I saw it as the Resident Evil 4 to the first game's 3), but sheer scale and pacing it was pretty much unmatched. This also gets my nod for the best boss fight of the year, and the final battle literally has you battling for Issac's soul. I wish that the multiplayer had been fleshed out a bit more, though- zero achievements and a small handful of maps killed a solid idea that was obviously shoehorned in at the last minute.

Most Disappointing (Tie)

A) Goldeneye- As much as I appreciated the tweaks to the first game's maps and characters, at the end of the day it just felt gimmicky and dated. The fact that it began as a Wii title really shows, too, as it looks worse than some first-wave 360 titles.

B) Duke Nukem Forever- Even under the exceedingly low expectations I had, this game was just godawful. I had just replayed the now 15-year-old DN3D and was surprised at how well it had held up, but this tried to shoehorn newer conventions like regenerating health and limited weapon selection to a title that should've given them a middle finger and gone as over-the-top as it wanted. What a waste.

Best Classic Title That I Didn't Discover Until Recently-

Tales of Vesperia- Wow, how the hell did I miss this? The best kind of throwback RPG with an absolutely ludicrous amount of replay value. My first run took nearly 100 hours, and I still have two more to hit every achievement.
_________________

~Kyle~

Scorehero's #1 Chiefs fan and L4D2 player

[fUNC]

My Q&D list:

1) Arkham City. No game kept me hooked from start to finish like this one did. From the gorgeous environments to the pitch-perfect voice acting, this was close to perfect. Had Robin/Nightwing been playable in Free Roam it would've been no contest.

2) Portal 2- I didn't spend nearly as much time with this game as I did with the others on this list, but that's only because what was there was as good as it gets. I didn't think a three-hour game could've produced a good 15-hour sequel, but this met expectations and then some. Valve is the Pixar of gaming.

3) Gears 3- On the other hand, nothing I played this year matches Gears for sheer content and replayability value. I've had some people tell me that it took them close to five months of playing this night in and night out to get the coveted Seriously 3.0 achievement, and I believe it. The only things that hurt it in my eyes were that the story line, while excellent, felt like more of the same, and Beast Mode needed either an Endless mode or about 40 more waves.

4) Dance Central 2- This game got me laid in Vegas last week. There's no way I'm leaving it off.

5) Dead Space 2- Riveting from start to finish. Not as scary as the first game (I saw it as the Resident Evil 4 to the first game's 3), but sheer scale and pacing it was pretty much unmatched. This also gets my nod for the best boss fight of the year, and the final battle literally has you battling for Issac's soul. I wish that the multiplayer had been fleshed out a bit more, though- zero achievements and a small handful of maps killed a solid idea that was obviously shoehorned in at the last minute.

Most Disappointing (Tie)

A) Goldeneye- As much as I appreciated the tweaks to the first game's maps and characters, at the end of the day it just felt gimmicky and dated. The fact that it began as a Wii title really shows, too, as it looks worse than some first-wave 360 titles.

B) Duke Nukem Forever- Even under the exceedingly low expectations I had, this game was just godawful. I had just replayed the now 15-year-old DN3D and was surprised at how well it had held up, but this tried to shoehorn newer conventions like regenerating health and limited weapon selection to a title that should've given them a middle finger and gone as over-the-top as it wanted. What a waste.

Best Classic Title That I Didn't Discover Until Recently-

Tales of Vesperia- Wow, how the hell did I miss this? The best kind of throwback RPG with an absolutely ludicrous amount of replay value. My first run took nearly 100 hours, and I still have two more to hit every achievement.
_________________

~Kyle~

Scorehero's #1 Chiefs fan and L4D2 player

[Rikuthemaster]

I didn't get too many games in 2011, sadly. I only think I got about 4 games this year, but they were all quite good.

1.) Skyrim: I have 50 hours in this game, and I still have shit to do. That's a sign of a good game, I believe.
2.) Sonic Generations: Sure, the game was really short, but damn, this game was good. I like how they've perfected the modern sonic levels. I think I preferred these over the classic sonic levels. Speed Highway Act 2 was AMAZING.
3.) Pokemon Black and White: This was one of the better Pokemon games in a while. While I loved Heart Gold and Soul Silver because Gold and Silver were my favorite Pokemon games that ever came out (still are), it was nice to see a change of pace with Black and White. My only complaint was the lack of replay value. Once you beat every trainer, and beat Alder, there wasn't much else to do. Which was a disappointment. Just wish there were a few more things to do. :\
4.) Halo: Combat Evolved (Anniversary): I can't say much about this game because I haven't finished it, and sadly never played Halo: Combat Evolved, since I never had the original XBox growing up. I pretty much only threw it on the list because it's actually one of the few games I got this year. But from what I've played, it's pretty good!
_________________

Did somebody say [Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker]?

[Rikuthemaster]

I didn't get too many games in 2011, sadly. I only think I got about 4 games this year, but they were all quite good.

1.) Skyrim: I have 50 hours in this game, and I still have shit to do. That's a sign of a good game, I believe.
2.) Sonic Generations: Sure, the game was really short, but damn, this game was good. I like how they've perfected the modern sonic levels. I think I preferred these over the classic sonic levels. Speed Highway Act 2 was AMAZING.
3.) Pokemon Black and White: This was one of the better Pokemon games in a while. While I loved Heart Gold and Soul Silver because Gold and Silver were my favorite Pokemon games that ever came out (still are), it was nice to see a change of pace with Black and White. My only complaint was the lack of replay value. Once you beat every trainer, and beat Alder, there wasn't much else to do. Which was a disappointment. Just wish there were a few more things to do. :\
4.) Halo: Combat Evolved (Anniversary): I can't say much about this game because I haven't finished it, and sadly never played Halo: Combat Evolved, since I never had the original XBox growing up. I pretty much only threw it on the list because it's actually one of the few games I got this year. But from what I've played, it's pretty good!
_________________

Did somebody say [Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker]?

[buttfaceninja]

1. Portal 2- Fantastic plot, hilarious like no game before, and full new game mechanics make this not only one of the best sequels ever, but my personal favorite of the year. I played through it a second time after I beat just experience everything about again. Plus a genius co-op and free DLC, just how do you beat a game like this?

2. Xenoblade Chronicles- Even though this doesn't come out in the States till April, I imported it anyway because of non-stop praise from he press and the gaming community, and good lord does it deliver. This game redefines the JRPG and brings them into the 21st century. Taking place on the stationary corpses of two massive titans locked in place after duel death blows, the amount of land to explore is larger than any game world ive played (including Skyrim). So many conveniences are brought to the game like fast travel, 480 side quests, a streamlined interface, and many more things we tend to take for granted. Im at the 50 hour mark and still have some big story events to go through and numerous side quests to do. Despite such a long story, it never falters or drags, it is simply a large, epic game with incredible scope. If you've ever had an interest in Rpg, I cannot recommend this enough.

3. Uncharted 3- I love a big action blockbuster. The problem is that the movie industry has apparently forgot how to make them with interesting characters, well written diolouge, and a story that isnt insultingly stupid (im looking at you Transformers 2). Thankfully Naughty Dog know how to do this and make an exciting game. Despite feeling incredibly cinematic, you never feel like the game takes away your control. Thus being thrown from an exploding plane, trapped in cruise ship that is on its side and filling water, and many more intense set pieces make this a unique and exciting game to both watch and play. Plus unique multiplayer thanks to using its clever level design and climbing aspects from the single player. Just the complete package.

4. Batman: Arkham City The Batman mythology is rich with interesting villains like no other comic universe. So a game that has so many of them and manages to give so many of them center stage or at least shout outs is already a shout out in my book. But backing that up with terrific combat, a huge city to explore, and some clever puzzles using many of the unique batman gadgets, is just icing on the cake.

5. Dead Space 2 Intense, new, big action set pieces, and gross looking enemies out to tear out eyes and eat them are just some of the new things in this sequel. While not as scary as the original or as solid as RE4's shooting mechanics, its still a great game boosted by a much story thanks to having Issac talk and giving him a personality.
_________________

[buttfaceninja]

1. Portal 2- Fantastic plot, hilarious like no game before, and full new game mechanics make this not only one of the best sequels ever, but my personal favorite of the year. I played through it a second time after I beat just experience everything about again. Plus a genius co-op and free DLC, just how do you beat a game like this?

2. Xenoblade Chronicles- Even though this doesn't come out in the States till April, I imported it anyway because of non-stop praise from he press and the gaming community, and good lord does it deliver. This game redefines the JRPG and brings them into the 21st century. Taking place on the stationary corpses of two massive titans locked in place after duel death blows, the amount of land to explore is larger than any game world ive played (including Skyrim). So many conveniences are brought to the game like fast travel, 480 side quests, a streamlined interface, and many more things we tend to take for granted. Im at the 50 hour mark and still have some big story events to go through and numerous side quests to do. Despite such a long story, it never falters or drags, it is simply a large, epic game with incredible scope. If you've ever had an interest in Rpg, I cannot recommend this enough.

3. Uncharted 3- I love a big action blockbuster. The problem is that the movie industry has apparently forgot how to make them with interesting characters, well written diolouge, and a story that isnt insultingly stupid (im looking at you Transformers 2). Thankfully Naughty Dog know how to do this and make an exciting game. Despite feeling incredibly cinematic, you never feel like the game takes away your control. Thus being thrown from an exploding plane, trapped in cruise ship that is on its side and filling water, and many more intense set pieces make this a unique and exciting game to both watch and play. Plus unique multiplayer thanks to using its clever level design and climbing aspects from the single player. Just the complete package.

4. Batman: Arkham City The Batman mythology is rich with interesting villains like no other comic universe. So a game that has so many of them and manages to give so many of them center stage or at least shout outs is already a shout out in my book. But backing that up with terrific combat, a huge city to explore, and some clever puzzles using many of the unique batman gadgets, is just icing on the cake.

5. Dead Space 2 Intense, new, big action set pieces, and gross looking enemies out to tear out eyes and eat them are just some of the new things in this sequel. While not as scary as the original or as solid as RE4's shooting mechanics, its still a great game boosted by a much story thanks to having Issac talk and giving him a personality.
_________________

[buttfaceninja]

Accidental post
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[buttfaceninja]

Accidental post
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[82erkle]

1. Skyrim - Do I really even need to say why? This game is fucking incredible.

2. Arkham City - I played a couple hours of this while borrowing it from a friend. The graphics are absolutely incredible and its a very well designed game.

3. Uncharted 3 - Bravo, Naughty Dog. Your graphics have improved even more over the last Uncharted. Great storyline as always, I love these games.

4. Dead Space 2 - This game scared the fucking shit out of me. The storyline was weak, but these games aren't really about storyline. Can't wait for Dead Space 3 .

T-5. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 - Putting in Survival Mode was a good idea, and I felt like a badass when I killed Makarov. Some improvements in multiplayer, but I really believe this game is slowly dying.

T-5. Battlefield 3 - This game is definitely an interesting switch from the CoD franchise. I've really enjoyed this one. While I can switch to CoD and really fuck shit up by myself, This game is all about teamwork, and it's very fun to play with friends.
_________________

<--1st Ever

Rock Band Accomplishment Thread
Proud owner of over 2,500+ expert Rock Band FC's.

[82erkle]

1. Skyrim - Do I really even need to say why? This game is fucking incredible.

2. Arkham City - I played a couple hours of this while borrowing it from a friend. The graphics are absolutely incredible and its a very well designed game.

3. Uncharted 3 - Bravo, Naughty Dog. Your graphics have improved even more over the last Uncharted. Great storyline as always, I love these games.

4. Dead Space 2 - This game scared the fucking shit out of me. The storyline was weak, but these games aren't really about storyline. Can't wait for Dead Space 3 .

T-5. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 - Putting in Survival Mode was a good idea, and I felt like a badass when I killed Makarov. Some improvements in multiplayer, but I really believe this game is slowly dying.

T-5. Battlefield 3 - This game is definitely an interesting switch from the CoD franchise. I've really enjoyed this one. While I can switch to CoD and really fuck shit up by myself, This game is all about teamwork, and it's very fun to play with friends.
_________________

<--1st Ever

Rock Band Accomplishment Thread
Proud owner of over 2,500+ expert Rock Band FC's.

[Vampire-Jekyll]

Ok, I'll bite, seeing as how I made a mental Top 5 anyways...

5 - Dead Space 2

Since day one I've considered Dead Space to effectively be what Resident Evil should have become. The improvements made in this title were so subtle yet significant that when I went back to play the first one I couldn't understand why they weren't there in the first place. Also the online aspect wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and in fact turned out to be very enjoyable.

4 - Zelda Skyward Sword

It's Zelda... nuff said.

3 - Rayman Origins

Ok, I wanna take a moment here to say that Rayman Origins got nowhere near the praise it deserved. It's like if you took all the best stuff from the old Donkey Kong Country games and mixed it with the absurd/cute from Earthworm Jim/Yoshi's Story. The platforming is PERFECT and I haven't enjoyed a platforming title like this since... since... I don't think I've ever enjoyed a platformer as much as this. Do yourself a favor and at least try the demo.

2 - Portal 2

This game is like The Beatles. What can I possibly say about it that hasn't already been said. It was pretty much a shoe in for my personal GOTY until...

1 - Batman Arkham City

To be honest this game wasn't even on my radar, but my roomate was looking forward to it so about a week after he purchased it I decided to give it a shot. This game had everything I didn't know I wanted. What's more fun? Gliding around with reckless abandon? Solving Riddler's puzzles? Finding hidden bits and pieces of Batman lore? Enjoying the supurb storytelling? Getting my MGS-esque sneak on? Nope. It had to be the combat. Never have I encountered such fluid and engaging combat in a video game. And rarely do I ever encounter such a full package with in a video game.

Never did play Skyrim.
_________________

DLC Quickplay
RB3 Guitar Scores
Starpower Special Guest - Episode 10
Season 9 Standard Controller Champion

[Vampire-Jekyll]

Ok, I'll bite, seeing as how I made a mental Top 5 anyways...

5 - Dead Space 2

Since day one I've considered Dead Space to effectively be what Resident Evil should have become. The improvements made in this title were so subtle yet significant that when I went back to play the first one I couldn't understand why they weren't there in the first place. Also the online aspect wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and in fact turned out to be very enjoyable.

4 - Zelda Skyward Sword

It's Zelda... nuff said.

3 - Rayman Origins

Ok, I wanna take a moment here to say that Rayman Origins got nowhere near the praise it deserved. It's like if you took all the best stuff from the old Donkey Kong Country games and mixed it with the absurd/cute from Earthworm Jim/Yoshi's Story. The platforming is PERFECT and I haven't enjoyed a platforming title like this since... since... I don't think I've ever enjoyed a platformer as much as this. Do yourself a favor and at least try the demo.

2 - Portal 2

This game is like The Beatles. What can I possibly say about it that hasn't already been said. It was pretty much a shoe in for my personal GOTY until...

1 - Batman Arkham City

To be honest this game wasn't even on my radar, but my roomate was looking forward to it so about a week after he purchased it I decided to give it a shot. This game had everything I didn't know I wanted. What's more fun? Gliding around with reckless abandon? Solving Riddler's puzzles? Finding hidden bits and pieces of Batman lore? Enjoying the supurb storytelling? Getting my MGS-esque sneak on? Nope. It had to be the combat. Never have I encountered such fluid and engaging combat in a video game. And rarely do I ever encounter such a full package with in a video game.

Never did play Skyrim.
_________________

DLC Quickplay
RB3 Guitar Scores
Starpower Special Guest - Episode 10
Season 9 Standard Controller Champion

[Parama]

[Parama]

[Altruit]

My top five would have to be (in no particular order): Arkham City, Skyrim, Portal 2, Saint's Row: The Third, and Modern Warfare 3 (In a LAN setting or room with no fucktards playing on dial-up)

Honorable Mentions: Dead Island (for one playthrough), Battlefield 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Biggest dissapointment: Modern Warfare 3 in a non LAN setting or with some fucktard playing on dial-up making me get lag compensated so hard I want to cry. Lag compensation is the worst idea to ever come out of the CoD franchise, and I would happily rather deal with OMA/DC/Commando plus bitchscoping if my bullets hit things I pointed my gun at and I wasn't projected out 200 ms and shot before I walk around a corner.
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47|64|30|69|41|86|49|47|85|47|88
Full Series: 653/660

[00:23:13] <gerg> !8 MAH DICK IS SOOOOO BIG
[00:23:13] <ChanServ> gerg: Not on your life.

[Altruit]

My top five would have to be (in no particular order): Arkham City, Skyrim, Portal 2, Saint's Row: The Third, and Modern Warfare 3 (In a LAN setting or room with no fucktards playing on dial-up)

Honorable Mentions: Dead Island (for one playthrough), Battlefield 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Biggest dissapointment: Modern Warfare 3 in a non LAN setting or with some fucktard playing on dial-up making me get lag compensated so hard I want to cry. Lag compensation is the worst idea to ever come out of the CoD franchise, and I would happily rather deal with OMA/DC/Commando plus bitchscoping if my bullets hit things I pointed my gun at and I wasn't projected out 200 ms and shot before I walk around a corner.
_________________

47|64|30|69|41|86|49|47|85|47|88
Full Series: 653/660

[00:23:13] <gerg> !8 MAH DICK IS SOOOOO BIG
[00:23:13] <ChanServ> gerg: Not on your life.

[BrianBAM19]

I didn't buy a lot of games as a whole, so this list will probably seem a little silly. And no, I haven't played Skyrim.

1) Portal 2 - Everything great about this game has been stated repeatedly, and I'm going to echo it. I've also never had as much fun playing a game's co-op mode in my life(I co-op'd it with Confury). Great balance of difficulty and fun in the puzzles, and it was very, very enjoyable. The humor's just as funny as ever.

2) L.A. Noire - I absolutely loved the voice acting, the motion capture, and the overall feel of the cinematics. I felt the game was difficult while also enjoyable, and it reminded me somewhat of Phoenix Wright(which is not a bad thing at all to me). While certain events in the story rubbed me the wrong way, it wasn't enough to take away much from the game to me.

3) Sonic Generations - Although the final third of the game is foreign to me, since this is the first Sonic game I've owned on a console since Sonic Adventure 2(and the first, period, since Sonic Rush), that didn't stop me from having all sorts of fun with this game. There was enough of a difference between the original and new versions of the stages to make it fresh and fun, but still retained the classic quirks that each stage was known for. Sure, it might be little more than one giant nostalgia trip, but it's a damn enjoyable nostalgia trip.

4) Pokemon Black - Maybe part of the fun of this was racing DragoonKain to see who could beat the game first(even if I'm out $30 >_>), but I actually enjoyed the story to this one, strangely enough. I can't really explain why. Gameplay-wise, it's Pokemon, of course I'm going to like it. I didn't expect this game to bowl me over like SoulSilver did(now my favorite Pokemon game), but it's pretty damn good.

5) NHL 12/F1 2011 - Here's my curveball pick(s). I can't pick between the two, and I like both for very similar reasons: the story! *cough cough cough* I mean uh...enjoyable gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a lot of replay value. I can't really explain it.

There's plenty of other games to get around to(Revelations would probably be on here if I had time to finish it), but that's it for now.
_________________

KoE wrote:

<KoE> she wanted to put the BAM in brianbam.

[BrianBAM19]

I didn't buy a lot of games as a whole, so this list will probably seem a little silly. And no, I haven't played Skyrim.

1) Portal 2 - Everything great about this game has been stated repeatedly, and I'm going to echo it. I've also never had as much fun playing a game's co-op mode in my life(I co-op'd it with Confury). Great balance of difficulty and fun in the puzzles, and it was very, very enjoyable. The humor's just as funny as ever.

2) L.A. Noire - I absolutely loved the voice acting, the motion capture, and the overall feel of the cinematics. I felt the game was difficult while also enjoyable, and it reminded me somewhat of Phoenix Wright(which is not a bad thing at all to me). While certain events in the story rubbed me the wrong way, it wasn't enough to take away much from the game to me.

3) Sonic Generations - Although the final third of the game is foreign to me, since this is the first Sonic game I've owned on a console since Sonic Adventure 2(and the first, period, since Sonic Rush), that didn't stop me from having all sorts of fun with this game. There was enough of a difference between the original and new versions of the stages to make it fresh and fun, but still retained the classic quirks that each stage was known for. Sure, it might be little more than one giant nostalgia trip, but it's a damn enjoyable nostalgia trip.

4) Pokemon Black - Maybe part of the fun of this was racing DragoonKain to see who could beat the game first(even if I'm out $30 >_>), but I actually enjoyed the story to this one, strangely enough. I can't really explain why. Gameplay-wise, it's Pokemon, of course I'm going to like it. I didn't expect this game to bowl me over like SoulSilver did(now my favorite Pokemon game), but it's pretty damn good.

5) NHL 12/F1 2011 - Here's my curveball pick(s). I can't pick between the two, and I like both for very similar reasons: the story! *cough cough cough* I mean uh...enjoyable gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a lot of replay value. I can't really explain it.

There's plenty of other games to get around to(Revelations would probably be on here if I had time to finish it), but that's it for now.
_________________

KoE wrote:

<KoE> she wanted to put the BAM in brianbam.