Working Title 08.18.11: Working Title Halftime Awards 2011: The Winners
Posted by Jordan Williams on 08.19.2011
This is it! What games are considered the best (or worst) of 2011 so far? Only one way to find out. ALWAYS BET ON DUKE.
Waiting until the last minute since 1986
Welcome to the #1 Column to not only tear up a little while reading Iwata's State of the 3DS Address...but to also cry when Chris Masters was released from WWE...WORKING TITLE
It's been a pretty slow week in gaming so I actually don't have a lot of a pre-blurb to go on here. Especially because this is probably the last dead week of gaming before shit officially gets real in the fall...as for Working Backlog and why that hasn't returned...the short answer is that I haven't been playin' SHIT.
The long answer is that the games I HAVE been playing are so un-noteworthy that I can't even waste time writing about them. But if you want the quick and nasty version.
Final Fantasy XIII = 7 hours in and got bored, returned to GameFly.
Vanquish = 5 hours in and got frustrated by the retarded controls and camera...also bored. Returned to GameFly.
Street Fighter IV: AE = After pretty much learning all I can with Cody, I have moved on to learn another character. Hakan. My goal is to win at least two bouts with him at Evo2k12.
And now that that is out of the way how about we move to the main reason you clicked this link...
Working Title Halftime Awards 2011
IT'S TIIIIIIIIIIIIIME! After 3 weeks of me doing ABSOLUTELY nothing it's time for me to pick the winners of the Working Title Halftime Awards 2011! Here we are celebrating the best and brightest of the first half of the year to make sure that they do not get lost in the shuffle at the end of the year when the REAL heavy hitters come out to play.
And because all of the nominations are left up to little old me it is the only time you will see shit like Duke Nukem Forever nominated for Game of the Year. And since this is like the fifth time I have done this we all know the rules now. Whoever wins in their respective category is automatically nominated for the same award at the end of the year in the Year End Awards. Now that does not exclude other nominees...it just means the winner has a guaranteed slot. Also there's the copy and pasted rule below...
Games/Characters/Whatever had to come out in AMERICA by the FIRST WEEK of July to be eligible for Halftime Awards
So without further ado...LET'S GET MANLY.
The Kratos Award for Manliness
You know the award well; it's essentially the "Best Male Character" award with a very detailed equation which tests just how awesome the character is and divides it by the approximate amounts of ass he kicks. Last year's winner for the entire year was Kratos therefore he name was added to the award but now it is time for him to pass the mantle of manliness to a new badass. Who wins it this time?
Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage might be a joke in the MK Universe but that doesn't change the fact that his appearance in MK9 proved that he does indeed have the badassitude required to take the mantle of manliness. Not only does he end up being one of the strongest members of the Earth Realm Defenders (in his arcade ending) he is also one of the THREE that survive the events of the game.
Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem is honestly the reason why this award was created. When you think of a character that exemplifies manliness on a large degree Duke Nukem can definitely be considered the top of his class. But with his game finally coming out and everyone realizing that his gimmick just doesn't hold up in 2011...is it finally time for us to leave the memories alone?
Grayson Hunt
And if there was a Duke Nukem for this day and age it might be Grayson Hunt. He has the foul mouth and the bad sense of humor that makes him a star and he actually can do more things than the real Duke Nukem himself can...like KICK and hold more than two weapons. Just think about this for a second? How much more awesome would Duke Nukem Forever and BulletStorm be if it was instead called..."Duke Nukem in...BulletStorm".
Geralt (The Witcher)
But if you are one of the few people who need a little bit more...maturity when it comes to your manly men of awesomeness, The Witcher will provide just enough badassness for you while not making you feel like the douchiest frat boy ever to walk the Earth.
If you're into that sort of thing, I mean.
and The Manliest Man of 2011 so far is...
2011 Winner of Manliness (So Far)
DUKE NUKEM
What part of ALWAYS BET ON DUKE do you not understand? His game might've been shit and we might've waited too long for it but that doesn't change the fact that when you think "Manly Badass" the only two words that pop into your head are DUKE NUKEM. He drinks beer, bangs babes, uses...enhancement, and saves the world while doing it. Hate on Duke all you want...but never bet against him.
The Dormroom Dominator Award
Everything is better with friends. Food, drinks, sex, and even video games. So what game that game out so far this year is the best game to play with your friends? If you lived in dormroom what game would be dominating the TV much to the chagrin of your Jersey Shore watching friends? I'll give you a hint...it's not Brink!
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Controversy about the game being a paid alpha BE DAMNED. The game was still just as hectic as ever and just as crazy to play with a group of friend when you pass the controller. You COULD try to learn the intricacies of the game and get better at it...OR you could just pick the three characters you like the best and mash on the controller see the pretty colors, either way it was fun.
Brink
I told you already, it didn't win.
Mortal Kombat
You know...I think Mortal Kombat got nominate for just about every 'good' award this year. With that being said it doesn't change the fact that Mortal Kombat was a great game to play with friends. Even if you didn't know what the hell you were doing you just waited until you heard the word FATALITY and...you paused to look up the command for a fatality....then failed doing it a few times....THEN you pull it off and everyone is happy. Except the loser.
Pokémon White/Black
It's. Still. Fucking. Pokémon.
and The Dormroom Dominator so far is...
2011 Winner Dormroom Dominator (So Far)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
This was honestly a tossup between MvC3 and MK9...and for the purposes of the award which is the best multiplayer game and experience...MvC3 actually takes it. If you need more explanation look at Evo2k11 this year. MK9 is a great game and all, but MvC3 is a BLAST to play and a BLAST to watch. You might not have any Earthly idea what the hell is going on...but as far as a crowd pleasing goes all of the fatalities in the world can't make up for a flashy light show....even if it was a paid Alpha.
Not a Bang, but a Whimper Award
You've all had those games that are supposed to be great and good...but they ended up eating the fat long shit. Hell, this year has had a near RECORD number of them so far...but which one would be considered the worst offender?
Homefront
THQ bet the farm on this one and although it sold well enough to appease them it REALLY got savaged by the critics. This is just another reminder that if your military FPS game doesn't have the words "Call of Duty" or "Battlefield" in it you might just want to not even bother.
Dragon Age II
This one actually breaks my heart a little because I actually like Dragon Age 1 a lot...but to say that DA2 isn't a disappointment is just a flat out lie. While they did change some things for the better it in the end this game just felt rushed and the corners that were cut were FAR too many. It's probably the BEST game on this list...but it's still on the list.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
But wait! Didn't this game just WIN something? YES! But is this game on the list for a reason? ALSO YES! I am usually the LAST person who jumps on the "Paid Alpha" bandwagon, but the way Capcom handled the release and support for MvC3 is just inexcusable. If this was 20 years ago and we are getting a new cartridge then maybe that would be cool...but in an age where ANY and EVERYTHING can be changed or added doing patches and DLC...why in the HELL are the--Okay, I am going into a rant. The fact is they launched this game unfinished and denied it...while every game they released after it had features that should've been in this release.
Duke Nukem Forever
Really...what can be said about this game? It took 15 years to make. Went through countless legal battles, closed down like three studios and was the running gag of the gaming industry. And then it came out and...Wait. I'll finish this rant in a second.
and The Wimpiest Release so far is...
2011 Biggest Letdown (So Far)
DUKE NUKEM FOREVER
AS I was saying...AFTER ALL OF THIS TIME...ALL OF OUR HOPES AND DREAMS...the game fucking sucked. I might talk a big game about you NEVER bet against Duke and yadda yadda...but from a development standpoint and a fun standpoint this game should've just never come out. It played bad. It looked bad. IT WAS BAD. And while we can all sit here and say "Well, we knew it was going to be bad" we all didn't know it was going to be THIS bad. Hopefully they can do more with the Duke Nukem license in the future.
The Die in a Fire Award
And if you thought there was hate for the LAST category...here is the one we really REALLY hate. They are the things that grind our gears, they are the things that get under our skin...they are the things that deserve to DIE IN A FIRE.
Developer's Bad Excuses
"We can't figure out how to do a control scheme where he holds more than two guns." "The memory doesn't allow us to do a spectator mode." These bullshit excuses that they throw out for reasons why developers don't fix stuff nowadays is just flat out fucking SAD. I would rather you say "We needed to rush the game out to meet a deadline" than make up some damn excuse that just makes you look that shittier when someone in the mod community fixes it in two weeks.
Shao Khan
FUCK. YOU. SHAO KHAN
Nintendo Magic
Nintendo Magic...it's just something that irks me to death. Nintendo is arguably one of the best gaming...ANYTHINGS ever made. But over the last year they have resorted to their patented Nintendo Magic too many times and now it's finally coming to bite them in the ass. But what is Nintendo Magic? It's when for a full year you do absolutely nothing but make promises and then when times get bad you release one of your stellar first party games and POOF...everyone forgets about the horrible support you have for your system while they get high on Zelda Smash Fox Icarus: Brawl. Didn't work out too well with the 3DS, did it?
Hating Miniscule Moments of Innovation
Ironsights? Respawning Health? Patches? Somehow these things are three of the most hated things in gaming at the moment...and I can't understand why. But for the sake of keeping this short I'll go ahead and spoil something. This one didn't win. So moving along...
and the item that is most deserving to be broiled with our rage is...
2011 DIAF 'Winner'(So Far)
NINTENDO MAGIC
Let the Nintendo Hate continue! It's not even so much that I am hating on Nintendo...it's just that Nintendo is disappointing me SO MUCH with what it is doing that I can't even defend it anymore. They said they were not abandoning the hardcore, they said they would work with third parties, they said they would make themselves look worthwhile...and all we've got to show for it is absolutely nothing we haven't seen or played already. The saddest part of it all? The Wii U looks to be in the same disappointing boat.
The Sarah Kerrigan Baddest Bitch Award for Womanhood
It's time for the Queen of Blades to pass the award down to another fellow female ass kicker. She had a good run but now it's time to see who will take the crown into the End of Year awards for 2011. I'll give you a hint...she has boobs.
Chell (Portal 2)
For the men who love the strong silent intellectuals you have Chell, she might not have too many snarky comebacks but she will kick your ass at a game of chess.
Mileena (Mortal Kombat 9)
For the man who doesn't care about making out but instead wants a girl who will KILL EVERYTHING for you and still give you a teddy bear to cuddle with at the end of the day we have Mileena. Plus...she's rich and royalty. What can go wrong?
Trishka (Bullet Storm)
Like I said last time, she told you that she will KILL YOUR DICK if upon the first time meeting her. But not even counting that gem of dialogue she is actually a pretty badass character in her own right. You know that leash that Grayson got? She was a member of the team he took it from. So doing all of the crazy badass shit you do in Bullet Storm is her day job.
Isabella (Dragon Age II)
Everyone likes a whore. But you know what people like MORE than a whore? A whore who LIKES being a whore.
Phoenix (Marvel vs. Capcom 3)
When she was announced for Marvel vs. Capcom people balked at what she could do...and then they saw Dark Phoenix Rise and realized that she was quite possibly the strongest character in the game...and the cheapest. She barely missed being nominated for DIAF.
and the baddest bitch of 2011 so far...
The Baddest Bitch of 2011 (So Far)
ISABELLA
Like I said, everyone loves a good whore. But the sex appeal honestly isn't the reason that she won. Out of the list that she was the character that exemplified badassity the most. She can fight. She can talk her way out of anything and unlike the rest of the females on the list she had some semblance of a personality and a purpose. Not counting all of the whore stuff she did manage to sneak in and steal a relic from the most badass of badasses in the Dragon Age world...that's saying something.
The "Shit Just Got Real" Award
The game changers. The moments that went from fun time to go time. This is where SHIT. GOT. REAL.. I did the blurbs for them last time...so there aren't any more words I can use to describe them. So here is the list.
The Arson Desk (L.A Noire)
The Final Boss Battle (Shadows of the Damned)
The Tutorial (Fight Night Championship)
PS Vita - 250.00 USD. Nintendo gonna GET GOT.
and moment where shit. got. real in 2011 (so far) is...
The Realest Moment of 2011 So Far
PS Vita vying for Nintendo's throne
The PSP wasn't bad...but it wasn't good. But to say that the PS Vita didn't have me at least INTERESTED in Sony's handheld offerings this time around would be a giant lie. Sony seems like they are serious this time and know the market they want and KNOW how to stop it. Nintendo's 3DS isn't doing so hot and I think Sony would want nothing more than to steal that market from them. Well...that's if they can get passed Apple.
The Left Field Hit Award
Unlike the games that went out with a whimper there are always rooms for games that end up blowing us all away because they were so overlooked or otherwise unhyped that they managed to just destroy our expectations. Given how hyped everything is usually going forward these types of games are few and far between but they are still deserving of SOME praise.
Shadows of the Damned
Shinji Makami might not make the most playable games, but he does make some memorable ones. I think though that this is the first time that they managed to do both at the same time. The game might be a little on the short side and if sold like shit...but goddamn it was a fun ride to be on.
Tiny Wings
The most fun you'll have with one finger all year.
Terraria
The most fun you'll have with a game that everyone swears is like MineCraft but really isn't. I'll level with you...this one didn't win.
Mortal Kombat 9
Many people pointed out that the fact that this was nominated for Game of the Year as well as LFGOTY is a bit unfair and while I would normally say fuck that noise I am actually inclined to agree. So for that purpose I am actually going to eliminate this one from the running
and The Left Field Hit of 2011 so far is...
The Left Field Hit of 2011 So Far
SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED
This is the part where I write the blurb about the game and why it won...but you know what? This is also the part where I completely cop out and instead past a YouTube video explaining the best part of the game.
Workaholic's Choice Game of the Year So Far
And here it is. The big one. The big kahuna. The BEST/WHAT I THINK IS BEST/WHAT YOU DON'T THINK IS BEST GAME OF THE YEAR...SO FAR. Far too many times GOTY candidates have been released at the start of the year only to be neglected at the end of the year when the Fall Rush happens. But not this time! Not here! We will honor the best games of the year so far in the BEST way possible! With a gaming blog/column on an independent website ran buy a guy who is always late and fills up word counts with fucking cusswords. It's obviously the highest honor available
Dead Space 2
The first Dead Space was a great game, but as the "2" on the end implies Dead Space 2 was simply a better one. It fixed nearly all of the problems and made the game better for it. If there is a game that stands a good chance of being lost in the shuffle this year DP2 is definitely the front runner. Hell, I had to be sure the game came out THIS year in order to even be eligible.
L.A Noire
It seems like this game and the next entry are the two most controversial picks for GOTYSF. While L.A Noire might not've been on the level of Red Dead Redemption I still think to leave this off of the list of the best games of the year so far or snub it for a nomination is just plain crazy. It's been called skilless, a hidden picture game and incredibly linear...and that's true. But the fact of the matter is that L.A Noire is a game that manages to not only be serviceable games but its pretty much an experience. This game is not on the list because of what it does...it's on the list for what it shows us we CAN do with the technology we have now.
Mortal Kombat 9
Speaking of controversial...in what universe would a Mortal Kombat game be mentioned in a Game of the Year (so far) discussion? Yeah, it's a fighting game that wears the fact that it's ZOMG RATED M GOOOORE on its sleeve. But you know what? It's a fighting game that TRIES. Entry after Entry with fighting games we get the same shit where we have a bare bones ass story mode and it's all about the online/competitive play. And I am fine with that...because the genre inherently is a competitive genre. But the face that MK9 went out and made a story mode...and I don't mean a 6 round fight with a 30 second ending...but a legit STORY. I mean...FUCK! A STORY. IN A FIGHTING GAME...THAT'S MORTAL KOMBAT? Let's ignore the fact that they made a game the fighting community (as fickle as it is) can get behind and play...and they made something that isn't like the other market. It's come a long way and you know what? It deserves this nomination.
The Witcher 2
There is no way we'd be able to get away with this without mentioning the RPG crowd. Since Dragon Age II dropped the ball, I think it's time to recognize the other low fantasy game to see what the hell is so great about it. The Witcher is an RPG that doesn't play the RPG crowd. There isn't some cutesy kid character or some bishounen to fawn over. There isn't some highly animated spells and magic component to fuck your eyeballs into submission. It's a story about The Witcher. A private dick of the low fantasy age. It's mature. It's an RPG. And it's worth the time to play.
Duke Nukem Forever
ALWAYS. BET. ON. DUKE.
and The Game of the Year so far is...
The Game of the Year 2011 So Far DUKE NUK- MORTAL KOMBAT
Yes. You read that correctly. Mortal Kombat is game of the year so far. Do we blame it on the thin line up we had for the first half of the year? Do we try to belittle it and say it only won because it shocked us? Do we say it should've been L.A Noire? How about this. Mortal Kombat is the best game of the year so far. It has a great single player, a great multiplayer, a great presentation and whether we want to believe it or not...it deserves this. Now when it is all said it done will we look at this game at the end of the year stacked up against giants like Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and Gears 3? Probably not. But at least right now at this halfway point of the year Mortal Kombat can get the spotlight it deserves.
And there it is. No Working Question this week due to the time crunch. Next week we begin our look at the Big Ass Fall Line up with the return of HYPED. First up? Gears of War 3. Is it worth the hype or are we looking at another disappointment?
We'll see.
Until next time, I'm Jordan Williams and....BRRAPP BRRAAP!
