Renault on 24/12/2011 at 06:51
My oh-so-weak Top Ten - I really didn't play that many games from this year, still catching up from years past:
1. Dead Island - I can't believe I'm putting this here. While I was playing it, I kept ripping on how flawed it was, how awful some of the gameplay and mechanics and design and everything else were, but I kept going back. It was just too much fun, especially the city portion.
2. Skyrim - Should be #1, but I abandoned it (after 70 hours or so) once I started Dead Island, and for some reason haven't gone back. If I had any sense, this would be first, a fantastic game I look forward to returning to it soon.
3. Deus Ex 3 - Was having a ton of fun with it, but lost motivation at one point after having trouble with one of the middle bosses. EM did a pretty good job with this, although I'd say it was at best very good, not great.
4. Limbo - Very cool platformer with a lot of style, playing through this now.
5. Crysis 2 - Played for a couple of days, got distracted by something else. Really enjoyed the first game, so it's only a matter of time before I go back.
6-10 (tie):
L.A. Noire, Portal 2, Deadspace 2, Witcher 2, Terreria - Well, they all seem like good games, and I bought them...but never played them.
**Honorable Mention** - Dark Mod FMs - Fun to watch these get better and better as authors learn the editor and as more resources are made available. Over 15 missions released this year, which may not sound like much, but it's at least as long as one full retail game.
Shadowcat on 24/12/2011 at 12:08
I don't think I've bought many games that were released this year. I do have extremely high hopes for Trine 2, however, and Gemini Rue sounds rather decent, too. Scoregasm and The Binding of Isaac were both unexpected gems. Of the games I've played, Frozen Synapse takes the top spot (even if their post-launch priorities made me grumpy).
edit: Oh, Amnesia was this year? That was (mostly) awesome, so I'll make it first-equal.
Ringwraith on 25/12/2011 at 13:55
Instead of all the obvious games, I'll just mention Jamestown, which scratches my shmup itch better than anything since Ikaruga. Bonus points for having a great soundtrack and a story that's not worthless.
twisty on 26/12/2011 at 02:19
I've played a number of really good games this year, but as I'm the type of guy that usually gets into games a year or so after they've been released -- or a few months later, which often pushes the title into the next calendar year -- I can think of relatively fewer games from 2011 that I've played.
Witcher 2 - Probably the most beautiful game that I have ever played. The art direction, animations, story and characters all gelled together to make a believable and cohesive world that sucked me right in. There were a few cons however such as a very steep learning curve at the beginning of the game, some balancing issues, a number of odd gameplay choices, and an abrupt ending. Despite this, the Witcher 2 is a masterpiece and I look forward to seeing what other games that might come out of this series.
Portal 2 - A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle game with an entertaining and, at times, humourous story. The puzzles were notably easier than the first game however, but I loved some of the new mechanics such as the best use of fluid that I have ever seen.
DX HR - An awesome prequel and definitely worthy of the DX franchise.
Amnesia DD - I never actually finished this but enjoyed what I did play of it.
Incidentally, I just purchased Skyrim on the latest Steam sale. It's definitely a step back in terms of graphics and animations from the Witcher 2, but it will be interesting to see how it differs from Oblivion and Morrowind, which were two titles that I thoroughly enjoyed.
These best of year x threads are usually overflowing with responses
Scots Taffer on 26/12/2011 at 03:23
welp, on the basis of people's list I should be ok having just bought pre-owned LA Noire and new Batman Arkham City for less than $100! Happy me! :D
nicked on 26/12/2011 at 10:03
Quote Posted by Ringwraith
Jamestown, which scratches my shmup itch better than anything since Ikaruga. Bonus points for having a great soundtrack and a story that's not worthless.
Yes! Just bought this in the sale, what a great shoot em up! I'm a sucker for pixel art too, so this ticks all my boxes.
Shadowcat on 26/12/2011 at 12:19
Quote Posted by nicked
Yes! Just bought [Jamestown] in the sale
and by "the sale", I assume you mean (
http://www.humblebundle.com/) this?
henke on 28/12/2011 at 19:07
Thoughts on other great games of the year that I didn't include in the list because I'm playing them right now and haven't made my mind up about them yet
Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Bought and started playing this last night and I think I may have just passed the halfway point in the story mode. It's a reverse-tower defence game. Meaning that you're the attacker. You plan out your course of attack and then set your tanks and robots marching towards the enemies defences. The shooting and attacking is done automatically by your units, all you have to do is support them with repairs, smoke-grenades and decoys. As well as handling the picking up of supplies and re-routing your units when unexpected defences pop up in your path. The production-values are quite good, and the story is quite gripping, but I think it might be a very short game. And I can't imagine there's much replayability once you've beaten it. The gameplay is very fun and challenging actually AND simple enough to be played with just one hand, freeing up your other hand to munch on all that chocolate you got for christmas! Yay!
Off-Road Drive
Now this is a hardcore off roading sim. The kind that requires you to worry about gear-levels and differential locks and throws obstacles in your path that you'll have to deflate your tires to get better traction if you wanna get past. And if deflating your tires isn't enough you might just have to break out the winch and pull yourself loose from whatever ditch you've gotten stuck in. Also the mud and water physics are perhaps the most relistic I've seen in a driving game. I played a level yesterday where I had to climb a mountin. With a car. I'll replay that level and post a video of it sometime soon. It's so crazy that words just don't do it justice. Anyway I am enjoying this game very much, it's a nice change of pace from all the racing-games I've been playing lately.
Driver: San Francisco
This one is a lot of fun. The out-of-body mechanic is stupid but also so much fun to use that it just doesn't matter. I haven't played this for a week or so but I'll probably get back to it a bit after the Steam sale.
E.Y.E.
The shooting in this one is quite good and the leveldesign is mad, though mostly in a good way. But the story and the learningcurve is just exhausting and kinda off-putting.
nicked on 29/12/2011 at 06:58
Sorry, [Steam] sale. All the other games in the Humble Indie bundle I've either got, or am not interested in.
fett on 29/12/2011 at 14:08
Haven't played a lot this year but when I did it was:
1. Skyrim. What more could an Elder Scrolls fan ask for? Can't wait to see what they'll do with Dishonored.
2. DX:HR Despite the boss battles making me want to lobotomize myself, this was the most enjoyable stealth experience I've had since T2. Also gave me great hope for T4.
3. Mass Effect 2. Okay, I'm a bit late with this one, but I ended up liking it so much that I actually went back and replayed the first one. They have their flaws but at least they're not dumb.
4. Red Dead Redemption. Not as convinced as most that there's an actual story to drive this thing but the vibe and environment are a blast.
5. Portal 2. I think I prefer the shorter format of the original but how you really say anything bad about this game? Valve continues to impress.
