2011 proved a stellar year for games, as evidenced by our recent slew of awards, with our loyal readers awarding the prestigious Game of the Year accolade to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. And believe it or not, the staff here at PSU do actually get to sit down and soak up some quality gaming time now and then – when we’re not writing our arses off for the benefit of you lovely people, of course.
We’ve played some right corkers over the past 12 months, and with the working year coming to an end, the chaps at PSU Towers decided to put our thinking caps on and crown our favourite titles of 2011.
See below for our staff picks of the year.
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Rob Zwetsloot, PSU.com Staff Writer
LittleBigPlanet 2
Everyone gets something different from the LBP games – playing game designer, paying homage to a favorite franchise, etc. I like to build stuff, complicated machinery, and the additions in LBP 2 allowed me to make some incredible stuff that I could never have done in the first one.
You Don’t Know Jack
Unfortunately, as I live in Dragon Land, the original YDKJ series was never a thing over here. I’m amazed that without nostalgia, and without living in the States, my friends and I have got so much out of this amazing and witty quiz game.
Mass Effect 2
It might be cheating as I played this when it first came out in 2010, but as it was released this year on PS3 I can remind everyone that this is one of the most amazing games this generation/ever. And the sequel is out in only 3 months time!
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3
Remember, this is personal favorites. I have watched all 32 years of the Gundam franchise, and the amount of love and reverence poured into this game is mind blowing. The inter-franchise team-ups, enhanced gameplay, and gorgeous cel-shaded graphics check all of my boxes.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
You know, I thought Battlefield 3 would be my multiplayer pick for the year, so it’s such a big surprise to me that Revelations has taken it’s place. I’ve barely touched the single player due to this refreshing, balanced, and downright fun game of stabby-tag.
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Andrew Jerman, PSU.com Staff Writer
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex nailed everything I want out of a video game: extremely immersive world and atmosphere, enjoyable yet diverse gameplay, pretty visuals, and an amazing ambient soundtrack. Whether I was playing as an unstoppable terminator or a stealthy secret agent, I was always completely caught up in the game and found it surprisingly hard to put down.
Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm came out this year! I bet you forgot about that. Possibly overshadowed by sharing a release time with Killzone 3, Bulletstorm was easily the most unique shooter to be released in 2011. As someone who’s experiencing extreme shooter fatique, Bulletstorm was a crazy, shameless delight. What’s better than kicking dudes into cacti?
Saints Row: The Third
Like Bulletstorm, Saints Row knew how ridiculous it was and embraced that ridiculousness. Even more surprising was that between the VTOL jets, dildo bats, Sublime singalongs, and Luchadore gangs there was some really smart, clever humor. I’m eagerly awaiting any DLC Volition can crank out.
Batman: Arkham City
Arkham City may not have changed much from Asylum, but damn was it fun. While I felt a little overwhelmed by the volume of Riddler stuff this time, simply gliding around the city made the game worth more than the price tag. Mark Hamil’s Joker sealed the deal so well that I think he’s my new favorite.
Dark Souls
Like Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls is continuously cruel to me and yet I can’t seem to stop playing it. In constantly encouraging me to push myself, Dark Souls is either teaching me something inspirational or driving me mad.
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Matt Raspe, PSU.com Database Manager, Editor
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This game is without a doubt my most favourite game of 2011, which is a pretty big statement as when it was first announced, my feelings were pretty meh about it. The first teaser trailer didn’t really make me feel like I wanted to rush out and pre-order this game, but it was the second trailer that had me sold. Since it’s release, I’ve played for roughly 126 hours on two different characters – and still playing.
Killzone 3
Another game that I wasn’t terribly excited for when it was first announced, but as soon as the trailers started rolling in (especially this one), I couldn’t stop the nerdgasm. I literally watched trailers for this, over and over, until the day of release which saw me going to my local EB Games and demanding they give me my copy (okay, that last part is a tad exaggerated – but you get the idea).
Dead Island
Despite its major flaws, this is probably one of the most fun zombie outbreak simulators I’ve played to date. It could be mistaken for a sign of a psychopath, but many lols were had while throwing electified machete’s at the undead, running up to them and jump-kicking them in the face and through windows. Oh, such fun.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Once again, it was a trailer that won me over for this game. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for storylines that delve into humanity’s possible future, no matter how realistic or how cheesy they may seem. I regret not having finished DEHR before Skyrim’s release, but perhaps one day I’ll actually go through my pile of shame.
Armageddon Riders (PSN)
Armageddon Riders is a bloody, adrenaline packed zombie racer game that full of senseless fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to race around a dead city in a car with buzzsaws attached to it, disbmembering the dead as they speed past?
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Don Oliveira, PSU.com Editor
Dead Space 2
Dead Space is the new survival-horror king in my eyes. We’re still seeing Resident Evil and Silent Hill games come out, but in the last few years, the only game to truly get under my skin was Dead Space. I have so much love for Visceral Games, I can go on forever about it, but let me just summarize my love for Dead Space 2 in one sentence; when you went back to it in chapter 10. Mind blown.
LA Noire
If there was one game that got the short end of the stick in a lot of Game of the Year nominations, it was L.A. Noire—but not for me. By releasing L.A. Noire, Team Bondi–who have since disbanded—has raised the bar for artistic performance in video games. Cole Phelps’ story is one I’ll remember for years to come.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Fortune
What can be said about Uncharted 3 that hasn’t been already? Uncharted 2: Among Thieves blew everyone’s mind two years ago, which means that Naughty Dog would have a very hard time upping the ante again. Well, guess what? They have.
Portal 2
I played Portal 2 a lot. No, really, probably too much. I have dialogue from that game burned into my memory, not because I played it so many times, but because let’s face it—Portal 2 is probably the funniest game this generation. Why? Because unlike other games, it doesn’t try to be, it just is.
Batman: Arkham City
Oh boy, this one is a doozy. When I first heard that Arkham City would be open-world, I couldn’t imagine it. Now I can’t even imagine how Arkham Asylum wasn’t open-world. And that’s saying something. Oh yeah, the game is also incredible. I forgot that bit.
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Michael Harradence, PSU.com Managing Editor
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Having loved and played Oblivion to death back in 2006, my expectations were immensely high for the inevitable successor. Fortunately, I wasn’t disappointed. Skyrim is bigger, better and bolder in almost every conceivable aspect, from the gorgeous, sprawling landscapes, diverse quest lines to the streamlined combat and killer soundtrack. I had better say goodbye to my social life — i’ll be on this for months.
Dead Space 2
For me personally, the original Dead Space reinvigorated the survival horror scene after the genre suffered something of a lull following Resident Evil’s decision to have a love affair with action. For the sequel, developer Visceral Games upped the ante and gave us an all-out bloodbath while still retaining the original’s ability to instill that knot of dread in your stomach at every turn. Brilliantly-paced scares, horrifying foes, meaty weapons and a great story make for quite the compelling package.
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Annual sequels have something of a bad reputation these days, and in most cases, I can see why. However, Assassin’s Creed is an exception as far as i’m concerned. Revelations is a fitting end to the Altair/Ezio saga, and offers up everything that attracted me to the series in the first place. Namely, intuitive free-running gameplay, satisfying stealth kills, meticulously-crafted visuals and a gripping plot that has you hooked throughout. Sure, a few things are a bit hit and miss (den defence for example), but throw in a brilliant multiplayer component too and you’ve got the ultimate stabby sequel.
Mass Effect 2
Commander Shepard’s epic battle against the Reapers finally arrived on PS3 earlier this year with the sequel to the Xbox 360-exclusive original, it’s just as gorgeous as it was on Microsoft’s console. BioWare may have streamlined the RPG elements to offer a more user-friendly approach to character evolution, but it works for the better and makes things all the more less fiddly. Superbly-crafted dialogue and morality lie at the core of the experience once again, not to mention adrenaline-pumping combat and even more side quests to indulge yourself in. Sci-fi gaming has never been this good, and won’t likely be surpassed either — at least until Mass Effect 3 arrives.
Mortal Kombat
I’ve been a fan of Mortal Kombat since the mid-90s, and have been waiting for the day when Ed Boon and co decided to take the franchise back to its retro-fused, bloody roots. Fortunately, they did just that with this year’s eponymous reboot, bringing back everything I ever loved about the series. All the classic fighters are back, along with those iconic fatalities, stages and bone-crunching combos. Sure, it didn’t evolve the beat-’em-up genre in any shape or form, but it didn’t need too; Mortal Kombat merely wanted to remind us why we spent quid after quid down the arcades back in the early 90s. Above all, it proved that the series’ blood-drenched paradigm is as fresh today as it was two decades ago.
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Adam Dolge, PSU.com Executive Editor
L.A. Noire
It’s safe to say that L.A. Noire is the first game I felt comfortable to play around ‘old’ people, friends, family, and non-gamers. This was an absolute surprise for me and a game I’ll certainly play again in 2012.
Catherine
Man, did I love this game! It was such a change of pace from the typical games I reviewed in 2011. I loved the art direction, the story, and it sadly hit a lot of personal notes with its undertones of adulthood issues. This was a damn tough game too, something I think is lost in most recent gaming.
Rocksmith
I’m a music geek. In fact, before coming to PSU I wrote for a music magazine. So when it came time to review Rocksmith, I was really excited. While I enjoy other music games, Rocksmith was a total blast for old guitarists like me.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
As much as I want to show my originality, I can’t pass up Skyrim. With about 100 hours of actual gameplay invested into this massive RPG, how could I not say this was one of my favorite games from 2011? I do feel bad for those that are experiencing game-crushing issues, because this game is just incredible.
Dark Souls
Look across the board at the PSU staff and you’ll see one game popping up an awful lot, and that’s Dark Souls. The only thing to say about Dark Souls is that it’s mind-bogglingly enjoyable, difficult, beautiful, and addictive. One of these days I’ll master it, but until then I have 2012 to get some more practice.
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Steven Williamson, PSU.com Editor
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
I was tipped off recently about a great place to find some loot, but what was supposed to be a relatively straight-forward dungeon raid to earn quick cash turned into a five-hour stint involving Ancient Vampires armed to the hilt with magical spells, witches in the woods and a run in with a pair of giants. That’s the beauty of Skyim. Even if your intention is to play it for 30 minutes, you get totally sucked in. Not only is it one my favourite games of 2011, but one of my top games of all time.
Dark Souls
I thought I’d hate it and I did, initially. This is the toughest game I’ve ever played, but the reward for persistence is the satisfaction you gained from knowing that it took such a great effort and skill to complete a section or beat a boss. Dark Souls can consume you. I’ve spent nights struggling to get to sleep thinking about how I can beat certain enemies. When a game can do that to you, it’s captured your mind and soul.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
I love the spectacle of the Uncharted series and how Naughty Dog has built characters that you can really empathise with. Though I’ve slowly eased away from playing the multiplayer now, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the campaign and some of the set-pieces, or that feeling experienced from finally arriving at the lost city.
Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City is a class above many games in the action-adventure genre, marrying gorgeous graphics and strong level design with potent story-telling and a kick-ass selection of gadgets and moves. The starring role is undoubtedly the visceral combat system, but way beyond that there’s a lot of fun to be had out of solving Riddler puzzles or clearing a room by stealth. I love gliding around the city by night.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
This third-person platformer may have slipped by unnoticed by many this year, but its stunning level design, attractive art-style and visceral combat sucked me in immediately. In terms of design it reminds me of the brilliant Okami on PS2. It was real privilege to be lost and totally absorbed by the entrancing single player campaign and a real breath of fresh air in a year where a good chunk of games were so predictable.