Blimey o’ Riley, talk about being spoiled. Out of all genres this year, I think it’s fair to say that the action/adventure scene has witnessed some of the most sumptuous software releases of 2011 – and that’s saying something considering the calibre of games out this year across the board. Sequels have dominated this year’s offerings, though the odd sprinkle of new IP here and there has kept things fresh.
Dead Space 2 kicked off the action fest with an adrenaline-fueled, pant-wetting romp that’s every bit as good as the original, while InFamous 2 plonks players in a sprawling sandbox featuring the same thought-provoking morality choices and lush visuals that made its predecessor so successful. Team Bondi upped the stakes with the long-delayed L.A. Noire, which became an instant hit thanks to its edge-of-your-seat narrative and meticulous, revolutionary MotionScan tech.
Towards the back half of the year, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron mixed gratifying combat with eyeball-popping aesthetics, while Batman: Arkham City took superhero games to a new level as The Dark Knight took on a whole metropolis teeming with nasties. Bringing up the rear is PS3-exclusive Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, a technical showpiece for Sony’s black box and a testament to developer Naughty Dog’s ability to craft cohesive, Hollywood blockbuster-esque adventures.
The nominees for Best Action/Adventure Game of 2011 are:
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Developer: Naughty Dog | Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Dead Space 2 Developer: Visceral Games | Publisher: Electronic Arts
InFamous 2 Developer: Sucker Punch | Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Batman: Arkham City Developer: Rocksteady | Publisher: Warner Bros.
L.A. Noire Developer: Team Bondi | Publisher: Rockstar
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Developer: Ignition Tokyo | Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
…and the winner is
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception with 41 out of 75 community votes
Developer Naughty Dog blew its contemporaries out of the water with 2009’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, leaving many clueless as to how they could possibly top Nathan Drake’s acclaimed adventure. And yet against all odds, they managed it. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception arrived on the scene with the hefty weight of expectation around its neck, but cheeky chappie Nate once again delivered the goods – and then some. Drake’s Deception has it all; scrumptious visuals pushing Sony’s black beast to its limits; a compelling narrative that keeps you hooked the second you take control of Drake’s chiselled features; brilliant multiplayer and eyeball-popping set pieces. Thought Nate’s train wreck in Among Thieves was good? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Sure, it’s a fairly linear affair, but so tightly scripted and paced that you won’t even notice. And let’s face it: when Indiana Jones himself has played and love it, you can’t really go wrong, can you?
PSU awarded Uncharted 3 a massive 9.5 out of 10 in our review, with our community scoring the game 9.8 out of 10.
We would like to congratulate the team behind Uncharted 3 for creating the best action/adventure game in 2011 as voted by the PSU community.