I am sure there are some of you out there wondering what I think the top 10 games of 2011 are. Well wonder no longer!
Starting with #10
10./9. Orcs Must Die/Dungeon Defenders (PC)
Dungeon Defenders and Orcs Must Die share the 9 and 10 spots for the simple reason that they are very much the same game, but both deserve recognition for being great games. In each game you defend an area from waves upon waves of enemies and use traps and other such things to kill them. The main difference between the two is that Orcs Must Die is a single player game, while Dungeon Defenders has a multiplayer option. It is important to note that neither studio that created these games copied the game idea from each other, rather both studios saw the same niche their game could fit into and went for it. Both games are incredibly fun and hilarious, especially with Orcs Must Die. I highly recommend both of these games if you enjoy a tower defense-esque style game; specifically Orcs Must Die if you just want some single player fun, and Dungeon Defenders if you want to get some good time in with some friends.8. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
Assassin's Creed Revelations is (hopefully) the final game that deals with the Ezio saga in the AC game series. No offense, but I have had more than enough of that italian man. If you want to see my full review on Revelations you can see my review of it for November 2011. To that review I have found two things to add. The first, is that after some consideration, Revelations feels short. When I compared the amount of time it took me to finish Assassin's Creed 2, or even Brotherhood to how long it took me to beat Revelations, I find I spent much less time on this game. Second is that the multiplayer in Revelations is a huge improvement from Brotherhood, but it still has some kinks that need to be worked out, the main one being the match making. Games can just be simply annoying if you are around level 5 and you get matched up against of level 50s. Overall the game is still a fun game to play if you've played and enjoyed the Assassin's Creed series.
7. Little Big Planet 2 (PS3)
Oh LittleBigPlanet2, how you appeared then disappeared in my mind. Honestly, the reason for this is because I moved to Toronto and had less friends to play the game with. All in all though the game is still incredibly fun that shows you don't need a game to be violent in order for it to give you hours of enjoyment. Unfortunately I need to find all my gear for my sackboy again. I don't know what happened to him, but apparently my data disappeared...oh well, I shall have much fun running through all the levels again and working to get my gear. If you want a game for you and a bunch of friends to just sit around and have fun, I HIGHLY recommend this. LittleBigPlanet2 is definitely a fun game worth every penny I spent on it, and every second I spent playing it.6. Portal 2 (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
The cake is a lie. And that joke is old, dated and stupid. A while has passed since the original Portal came out, and its to be blunt, amazing. The worst part about Portal 2, is honestly that it unfortunately is going to be compared to the original Portal. The game is comical, fun, and full of many dramatic twists (some that are predictable, others that are not). The inclusion of a new villain to fight against makes Portal 2 feels like a bit of a different game, and not even Tetris can give me the puzzle fix that Portal 2 does. My only regret is that it seems all the really difficult puzzles were saved for the multiplayer, which I might say is equally as fantastic. The story for both single player and multiplayer are fun and engaging, and if you like a first person shooter game that doesn't involve you shooting people in the face, then this might be the game for you. This game did bring a really satisfying conclusion to the world of Portal.
5. Terraria (PC)
I am not sure how many of you may have heard of this game, but it is...simplistically fantastic. Terraria is an 8-bit sidescroller adventure game, taht is the easiest way to describe it. I have often heard people compare it to Minecraft, however there is a key difference. Minecraft is mainly about building things. Terraria is about exploring the world and finding many different things, whether it be special ores, world bosses, or floating islands. There is so much to find in Terraria, and add to it that you can do multiplayer with friends, and it makes for lots of fun. The most fun usually happens you get the item that prevents fall damage, don't tell your friends, then convince them to jump down a hole telling them they'll be able to survive. Needless to say they make a nice splat on the ground.
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel to the much earlier released Deus Ex. That game is based in the year 2027, during an age when cybernetic enhancements and body replacements have become commonplace in society. You can play the game as a gun totting psychopath, mowing down anyone who gets in your way, or try to be the stealthy infiltrator that gets in or out without anyone knowing. The game gives you a lot of options for what you want to do for modes of play, and the story line is full of intrigue. The fact that what you learn from people is also determined by what you say to them also adds more to the gameplay. You may not convince someone to tell you where the guy you need to find is, but after doing some searching you find him anyway and get the info you were after.
3. LA Noire (PC/PS3/Xbox360)
LA Noire by Rockstar takes the #3 spot of my Top 10 Games of 2011 because of its innovation into putting facial expressions and emotions into video games. While the technology used is far from perfect, it added a new view to video games. Perhaps in the future the technology will be further improved and we can start creating sci-fi, or even fantasy characters that show their own unique facial expressions to wow us. This added with the thrilling story line that is packed into LA Noire make it a thrilling game for any crime fan. While it is different from Rockstar's usual games (ie. Grand Theft Auto) they do not fail to deliver a game that is worth every penny, every second, and every thought you put into it.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC/PS3/Xbox 360)
Bethesda has been releasing amazing games for a long time, with the Elder Scrolls series, and of course the Fallout series. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim takes the spot as my #2 game of the year, not because its an awesome game, which don't get me wrong, its fantastic and I will get to the later. Skyrim gets the #2 spot on my Top 10 Games of 2011 list because it is breaking the mould. Most video game producers and developers seem to think a game needs a multiplayer component in order to sell. I have seen some games that have amazing first player, but seem to have multiplayer that was thrown in as a last minute thing in order to give the game a 'selling point'. Skyrim is strictly single player, and its sales can clearly show a single player experience is MORE than enough to make a game simply amazing. Add to all this the fact the Skyrim is an amazing open world RPG where you are able to do just so much, and you get something that can keep you entertained for a long time. If there is anything the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion taught us, is that Bethesda can make amazing RPGs that can still be amazing over the span of years, Skyrim only further proves this, if you like RPGs, you are seriously missing out if you do not get this game.
1. Star Wars: the Old Republic (PC)
Is it any surprise? My Number One Game of 2011 is Star Wars: the Old Republic by Bioware and Lucas Arts. I said on my livestream, and on air how much I adore this game, and while it is an amazing game it isn't the reason I have it as my Number One Game of 2011. Star Wars: the Old Republic is placed where it is because of what it has done for the MMORPG sector of gaming. When Blizzard created World of Warcraft they took systems from already functional MMORPGs and improved them. For years other companies have been trying to do that with World of Warcraft, but none until now have been able to push past Blizzard's cash cow and show how much further the MMORPG gaming genre can go. Can an MMORPG have a dedicated story? YES! Can an MMORPG have balance through limited creative, yet still have each character seem unique? YES! There are people who out there who say this is a World of Warcraft clone. I won't tell them they are wrong. Bioware and Lucas Arts took everything that was good with WoW and applied it to Star Wars: the old Republic, yet they also went and took all the problems with the game and improved them. While I doubt the game will kill World of Warcraft, it is a monumental step for MMORPGs. I look forward to the continuation of the game, and even the next MMORPG that comes out to challenge this one. If you like online games, or MMORPGs and want a fun and new experience, at the very least give this game a try, I can't say you'll have wasted your time, because you won't have.
Well those are my Top 10 Games of 2011. I hope you all enjoy playing your games, no matter what they are or what platform you play them on. I can only hope that this next year of 2012 brings us more gaming innovations, more technology, and most of all, much more fun.
-Adam Gadal