Bytes & Flops 12.29.11: End of Year Awards/Wrap-Up!

Posted by Vince Osorio on 12.29.2011

Is Uncharted 3 the best game of 2011? Duke Nukem the most disappointing game of the year? Is Rayman Origins the most overlooked game? 411's Vince Osorio takes a look in this week's Bytes & Flops!

Some context first: I played a bit of two different games: The Bourne Conspiracy and Facebreaker, which I had planned to write about for two different reviews (mind you, this is before I played either game). I played Facebreaker for about an hour and a half and returned it in disgust. Bourne I played for a few hours, lost progress and gave up, deciding that it probably wasn't worth playing through again, especially with my backlog piling up during the holidays. I don't think either game is really worth talking about. Facebreaker is horrendous, legitimately one of the worst excuses for a fighting game I've ever played, and I've played both Killer Instinct titles. Bourne has some neat ideas, looks pretty sharp and stays true to the franchise's style, but is a bit too generic and simplistic to really stand out. Bourne might be a game to come back to down the line, but it's not really all that different from the James Bond games that Activision has been pumping out recently. Facebreaker might be a game to come back to down the line if you're in the hunt for a nice coaster for your new coffee table.

With that said, I have some exciting games to talk about come 2012, with features on two other Jurassic games: Jurassic: The Hunted from Activision and Jurassic Park: The Game from Telltale, plus stuff on obscure PC titles, some majorly hyped but majorly disappointing console games, and perhaps a visit with our good friend Francis York Morgan. Get hype!

Also get hype for the First Annual Bytes & Flops Awards for Achievements in Video Gaming which is coming to you, at full force, starting...NOW!




We're all winner!

And here we go:

Best Game of 2010 That I Didn't Get to Play Until 2011 for Reasons I Don't Particularly Care to Explain At This Moment

Runners-up:

Battlefield: Bad Company 2- The multiplayer game is as great as any Battlefield game out there, but it's the single-player campaign where this game truly, truly shines. I have yet to play a first-person modern military shooter (a lot of qualifiers, I know) that has made significant, funny and just altogether interesting characters that you want to root for. Just about every conversation amongst B-company is hilarious; BC2 is one of the only games where a debate about the correct pronounciation of "50 Cent" can be followed by a fairly remarkable conversation about the afterlife, all of this going on between skirmishes against hard-headed Russian foes. It certainly helps that the game is insanely polished and a blast to play.

You guys can have your Call of Duty or Homefront, but in all honesty, I just want to see Haggard, Marlowe, Sarge & Sweetwater again.

Red Dead Redemption- It might not be RockStar's finest title, but this open-world Western game is both engrossing due to its compelling story of John Marston (who might be one of my favorite RockStar protagonists ever) and because of the scope of the world. This isn't just the best Western game ever made, it's one of the best open-world games out there, period. Regardless of some uninteresting bit players (sorry, Abraham Reyes and Irish, you were no Brucie Kibbutz and Packie McReary), it's a hell of a game.

And that ending! What a payoff!

And the award goes to...

VVVVVV!



I don't think I can say anything else that hasn't already been said about VVVVVV. It's got style, paniche, a killer soundtrack and tight platforming gameplay. It's frustrating and utterly rewarding in equal measure. It harkens back to a time where you didn't need hi-tech graphics or detailed stories to be sucked into a game. The best part about VVVVVV, however, is that it's just sheer fun. Plain and simple. It'll put a smile on your face from beginning to end, and that's enough for me.


Best Game That You Probably Didn't Buy, and Shame On You For Not Doing So Because This Game Deserves So Much Better Than Sitting In The Bargain Bin Next To Unsold Copies Of Shaun White's Skateboarding and Barbie Horse Adventures

Runners-up:

Shadows of the Damned- You didn't buy this game, and that's unfortunate. But I don't particularly mind. It's a Suda51 title, it came out in the middle of a strong Summer period, and it looked a bit too tongue-in-cheek for most people. But you should still probably buy this game regardless.

Trine 2- Technically this isn't a retail game, but I'll throw it in here anyway. Yes, it's very similar to the first Trine game, but it's still gorgeous to look at and features extremely polished puzzle-platform gameplay. It came out after all of the big holiday releases, and you'll probably forget that it exists until a Steam sale comes along, but I urge you to check it out anyway.

Brink- Nah, I'm just kidding.

And the award goes to...



Rayman Origins!

Yes, I know releasing Rayman Origins the same week as Assassin's Creed Revelations and weeks after Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim, Rage, Battlefield 3 and every other blockbuster holiday title didn't do it good. Charging $60 upfront for what originally was going to be an episodic downloadable title didn't help. Just being a old-school platformer game coming out when new Mario, Sonic & Kirby titles hit the shelves didn't help.

But that doesn't make Rayman Origins any less worthy of your money. It's a beautiful, beautiful game with some of the best art direction I've seen on the consoles. And, guess what? It's a hell of a platform game to boot! This is the game that will remind you why you play video games in the first place. It's that good. I'll blame you when we get yearly, phoned in titles in established franchises because Ubisoft realized that taking the risk wasn't worth the money they'll lose in the project. And if we don't get another one of these titles, I'm blaming you.


Most Disappointing Game

Runners-up:

Duke Nukem Forever- Was DNF ever going to be a good game? Probably not, but what we got instead was a shallow, hollow and boring first-person shooter that offended more often than not. I give it the benefit of the doubt as a Duke Nukem fan, but Forever is just not a good game. Period. It's an important game in our culture, but that doesn't mean you should have to play it.

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2- The first BCR was a landmark achievement and, in my opinion, made the case for downloadable titles as a new medium for video games. As well as the game controls in comparison to the first title, BCR2 is a lesser game in every single way. The game doesn't look as nice. The soundtrack doesn't hit as hard. The level designs aren't all that interesting. The boss battles are a chore. It's an okay game on its own, but as a follow-up to one of the best downloadable titles this generation, it's a massive step down.

And the award goes to...



Catherine!

Catherine had everything going for it- the established Atlus pedigree, a twisted take on a love triangle, a remixed soundtrack. And just about everything came together for the game...except for the gameplay itself. It looks gorgeous, it's well-produced and has some fantastic music & voice acting, but the block puzzle gameplay doesn't hold up after the first hour, even though the entire game hinges on the strength of the gameplay. The story itself was a total letdown, taking some unlikable main characters and throwing in some anime nonsense instead of coming up with a logicial conclusion to the events. Catherine should have been a game-changer, and in some ways, it is, but as a game, it just isn't all that much fun to play.

Best Game From 2011 That I Won't Ever Play So Don't Ask Me Again

Runners-up:

Dragon Age 2- Yawn. I've heard mixed things about this one, so maybe it's a good thing I skipped it.

Gears of War 3 Nope, not gonna happen. Sorry. Ice T can't even help me now.

Star Wars: The Old Republic- Maybe when it inevitably goes free-to-play? Or maybe not, it's not like I play DC Universe anyway.


And the award goes to...


This might be awesome, but I have no idea.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!

Can't be less enthralled than another Elder Scrolls game. Seriously. It's probably awesome, but I honestly can't find myself interested in this title, no matter what. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and it probably will thrill me for hours on end if I let it, but I think I'll just stick to Dark Souls, thanks.


Worst Gaming Trend of 2011

Exclusive pre-order incentives- Still ongoing, still sucks. I'm ok with Amazon giving me $10 credit for pre-ordering from them though, that's fine. But damn you THQ for making Nick Diaz a pre-order bonus for UFC Undisputed 3!

Dubstep in game trailers- Stop it already, jeez. Seriously. Stop. C'mon.



"I took an arrow in the knee" jokes

I'll jam a god damn poison arrow in your throat if you keep making these stupid jokes.


And the award goes to...

Capcom for being Capcom!

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 getting released 9 months after the original game? Resident Evil Revelations charging a $10 premium over other 3DS games? Blaming fans for the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3? Typical Capcom bullshit. Typical. What an awful year 2011 was for what was one of the most beloved publishers out there. Here's to a much better, less abrasively price-gouging 2012...and to Super Street Fighter X Tekken: #Reload 6th Strike.





The Bytes & Flops Official Game of the Year for 2011

Runners-up: Trine 2- Hell of a game. It's more Trine, but that's a damn good thing.

Ms. Splosion Man- If there was a Funniest Game award, this would probably take it. It just so happens to be a fantastic platform game to boot.

Rayman Origins- An unusually strong year for platforming titles, and this was probably the best of them, if not the most gorgeous.

Sonic Generations- See above. Also, know that I'm a huge Sonic fanboy, and this game was like reliving revisionist nostalgic history of the Sonic franchise. The best Sonic game in nearly two decades. Amazing soundtrack as well.

Dark Souls- It's just like Demon's Souls! Which means it's awesome!

Mortal Kombat- Best MK ever? Fantastic DLC, by the way.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception- Gorgeous from a technical standpoint and as thrilling as the series has ever been. I would love to see Drake & Sully again at some point. But maybe not too soon.

And the award goes to...

Shadows of the Damned!


Leave the "big boner" jokes out of the next one, okay Suda?

A round of applause for what is the most bizarre, original and best game of 2011. It's sharp, extremely funny, well-written and a ton of fun to play. It brings you a world and characters that can only exist in a video game, and elevates the platform to new heights. As soon as I finished Shadows of the Damned, I immediately started another playthrough. If that doesn't make it Game of the Year material, then I'm apparently a crazy person.

Play it.

And that's all! Happy New Year everyone, and I'll see you all in 2012 for some Jurassic fun.