Top 11 Games of 2011

Jan 1, 2012

Hey guys, this isn’t a be all, end all list for the top 11 games for PlayStation Cast… since I’m sure Richard will have his own, but this is just my own opinions for the top 11 games released in 2011. Why top 11? Because I’m an over-achiever… that and 2011 had a ton of great games.

So! Let’s get started…

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11. Dead Space 2 – A huge improvement over the previous title, Dead Space 2 was faster, more visceral and much, much deeper than the original. You reprise your role as Isaac Clarke and this time he talks! Aboard a space station orbiting Saturn, it was once a research center and slowly adapted into a sprawling city once its original use had run its course… oh and the Necromorphs are back in full force. One thing I’ve always loved about the original Dead Space, and holds true for its sequel, is its a very believable sci-fi universe. The type of believability that makes you think we may one day do the things being done in these games… minus the alien viruses reanimating corpses that devour the living, of course.

10. Bulletstorm – Bulletstorm is another one of those FPS titles that’s worth playing and very far and few in between, this generation. It incorporates a number of things that work really well in first person and make for some very interesting ways to dish out the pain from decapitating enemies with ceiling fans to lodging their bodies into spiked walls – dubbed “Kill With Skill.”  – and featuring more than 150 different skillshots. What’s more is you could team up with a buddy to do the very same thing. Epic made me a fan with this game.

9. Crysis 2 – Beautiful. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this game… from its presentation to just how the game looks, its a beautiful game. Along with great action, a pretty decent story, fun multiplayer and a lot of variety in gameplay, its one of the few FPS games worth playing this generation. The Crytek suit is one nasty toy to play with, as well. At hand are multiple ways to take down foes from taking the stealthy approach, to walking in with armored skin and raising hell all utilizing the suits many tools and options. On top of all that, everything looks gorgeous as your suit’s HUD animates according to your actions, enemies put up opposition and explosions fill your screen – and oh, they will. Crytek did a great job with bringing this level of detail to consoles and quickly made me grab the first Crysis, off PSN, for $20 bucks.

8. inFAMOUS 2 – Sucker Punch’s follow-up to their electric super-hero adventure, inFAMOUS, was great. It built upon everything that was so well done in the original game and introduced a lot more. I had a few nitpicks with the pacing of the story and a few characters, but overall the game was a joy to play and finishes up the series nicely. Also, new to the series, is the LBP-esque creation tool that allows players to essentially create their own DLC and upload it for all to enjoy. From entire adventures featuring cutscenes to simple pick up n’ play missions, players are allowed to create an assortment of new content that adds a lot of life to an already fun game.

7. Portal 2 – I never got the chance to play the original Portal game, having only heard good things, so going into Portal 2 I was expecting great things… and got them. Never has such a small cast of characters had such a great impact upon a gameplay experience. Wheatley was hilarious, GLaDOS was every bit as antagonizing as I had heard and the turrets… oh the turrets. Its an incredibly simple game in concept and execution, but also very well done.

6. LittleBigPlanet 2 – Another game to improve upon its predecessor in every way imaginable, I think LBP2 also did every way unimaginable by players, to boot. LBP debuted as a platform game where one could create a variety of games reminiscent of the 2D platform games of olde, but Media Molecule took that a step further making LBP2 a platform FOR games where players can create tons of different games, not just levels, in a variety of genres including shooters, action and puzzle games. Along with an actual storyline that plays out with voice acting and cutscenes, all working with the creation engine available to all players, LBP2 quickly became one of my favorite games of 2011.

5. Mass Effect 2 – The one game I’d ever buy a 360 for finally came to the PS3 this year. While I missed out on the first game in the series, as a PS3 owner, BioWare more than made up for that by including every piece of DLC, up to the final expansion, on one bluray disc. The game had amazing art direction and style, making for a very believable and diverse sci-fi universe – the likes of which I only saw in Firefly before it. There were no stereotypical alien designs, boring scenarios or been there, done that escapades through space, here.

4. RAGE – The first id game I’ve ever played and I loved it. Halfway through this one I was already wanting a sequel. The vast open world was as beautiful as it was desolate in this interesting take on the apocalypse. Along with a diverse, and crazy, cast of characters that littered the wasteland, this game had a pretty damn good storyline and great gameplay, as well as a few fun online modes that strayed from the standard cookie cutter deathmatches of other FPS titles. I had very few complaints about this game and while other critics were all over the place with this game, it came very close to being my top pick of 2011.

3. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – It’s more Uncharted, what can I say? Drake returns for more running, jumping, shooting of unsavory types and near death scenarios. It builds upon Uncharted 2 in a variety of ways and is just as much an action paced thrill ride as it is an emotional thriller as it explores relationships that have been building since the very first adventure. I can’t quite say it had as much of an impact on me as U2 did, but the game was great nevertheless, for the character development alone. An Uncharted game is always extraordinary and U3 doesn’t sway from that trend.

2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – A huge improvement over Oblivion, Skyrim makes its predecessor look absolutely archaic. With streamlined menus, beautiful graphics and gameplay that works in both first AND third person (the latter of which being a train wreck in Oblivion), the fifth entry in the series ranks up there with the likes of Morrowind. Yet another game with a very well realized world, taking place in the titular region of Skyrim, you’ll find yourself traipsing across snowy peaks, green plains and lush forests while fighting off trolls, bandits and the occasional dragon or three. Speaking of, the dragons are awesome… only a few fights are scripted into the main storyline, but you’ll face them randomly while traveling – hell, you might even be in town stocking up on goods when one swoops down from the skies to terrorize the streets. Here, there be dragons… AND awesomeness.

1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution – This is the only one that isn’t in no particular order… Deus Ex: Human Revolution is my Game of the Year 2011. Its a rarity that I play a game back to back, and even rarer is when I do that five times in a row. DX:HR was an incredible game with a strong, well paced story,excellent script, intriguing characters all taking place in a realized and very believable vision of the future. With fun gameplay that changes dynamically to your playstyle you could go through this game killing everyone in your way or simply sneaking by every single hostile you come across, or a mixture of the two. The game is about choice, the consequences of your choices and watching all those consequences play out.

There were plenty more great games this year, but these are the ones that I felt were above n’ beyond the rest. With 2011 coming to a close, I’m increasingly hyped for 2012 with the likes of Jak and Daxter, Zone of the Enders and Devil May Cry HD Collections, the long awaited sequel Sly 4: Thieves in Time, Gearbox’s million gun shooter follow-up Borderlands 2, and breath of fresh air to the series and Platinum Games developed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as well as much, much more.