The 10th Hour 12.30.11: Top 10 Games of 2011

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 12.30.2011

From Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3 to Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Battlefield 3 and more, 411's Armando Rodriguez counts down the top 10 games of 2011!

Welcome to the 10th Hour ladies and gents. I apologize for the lack of column last week, but a series of events almost ruined my Christmas. I won't get into details, but let's just say I have had much better Christmases. Anyways, since I didn't get a column in last week, I figured I owed you a big one, that's why I am starting this week with my Top 10 Games of 2011. You know, other sites treat you to dozens of Best Of articles before getting to the big one. Me? I will do it backwards! I will start with the big one and then get in a dozen Best Of articles as dessert.




The 10th Hour: Game of the Year Edition



10. L.A. Noire: L.A. Noire did a lot of innovative things that made it feel like a brand new kind of game. Sure, you had your action sequences that included gun fights and car chases, but I think these sequences felt more tacked in that anything. The meat of the game was conducting investigations and interviews, capturing the feeling of being a real detective through branching dialogue options and impressive facial animations made possible by the game's revolutionary motion capture technology. Although the game has room for improvement and is probably the least replayable of the games listed here, Noire deserves a mention for its uniqueness. Now I just hope we can get a sequel someday and that it builds on the strong foundation established in this game.

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9.Mortal Kombat: I will admit to being a huge Mortal Kombat fanboy, so it is only logical that this game makes the list. Mortal Kombat did feel like a reboot, getting rid of the overly bloated roster of characters and returning us to the original cast from the first three (and arguably better) Mortal Kombat games. Allowing us to relieve the original story with brand new changes (Cyber Sub-Zero!) felt really cool and I consider it the best Story Mode in any fighting game to date. Plus, the game went back to its 2D roots and its fast paced mechanics, something that I felt was missing from the 3D entries. Some things need to be fixed however. The lack of a run button was something that required some adjustment from long-time MK players, but with the fast-paced action made up for it. The bosses were cheap, but aren't they always? To me the biggest offender was the destruction of Shang Tsung, who can't morph anymore and feels like a really crappy character. But to me MK was the fighting game of the year and with Street Fighter going strong, Marvel vs Capcom 3 being really good and Soul Calibur V on the horizon; it is a good time to be a fighting gamer!

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8. Dark Souls: Dark Souls is a hard game. Even by the notoriously high standards of difficulty that old-school games had in the past, Dark Souls is still considered hard. Yet, it is this same high degree of difficulty that allows Dark Souls to produce moments that no other game can. The feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from finally figuring out how to traverse a specific section or defeat a particular monster is incredible. It makes all the frustration, the blood pressure climbs and the broken controllers worth it. Let me state that I hate hard games. I do! I play games to relax, not to be punished. Can someone tell me why I love this game then? I guess that the best explanation is this: In Dark Souls, epic moments and epic rewards are made by the player. It is not a scripted scene, it is not something that happens because it was meant to, and epic moments come from your patience, your skill and your dedication to mastering it. Every death is a learning experience that pushes you one step closer to completing your goals and when you finally do it provides a feeling like no other.

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7. Gears of War 3: Microsoft's biggest exclusive of the year unleashes what you expect: carnage, machismo and fun. Really, this could be the best B-movie of all-time with dialogue so corny it will make you roll your eyes, but the frenetic action and impressive graphics will keep you hooked. Gears 3 fills some holes in the overall story of the franchise while adding a better multiplayer package and a solid single-player mode that encourages experimentation with different weapons and tactics and awesome over-the-top set piece moments. Gears of War 3 is a homage to the crazy, over the top, machismo-fueled action movies from the 80's and it succeeds in creating an experience like no other, even if it's not for everyone. I have friends who hate the constant bromance between the characters, but it is hard to argue with the game's AAA-quality action. Let's hope this is not the last in the series.



6. Portal 2: Portal 2 did so many things right that I feel bad about it only being 6th on this list. First of all, the single-player campaign was ten times better than the already awesome original, with the excellent mix of puzzle solving, platforming and comedy. GLaDoS returned and managed to surpass her performance from the first game and Wheatley is easily the best new character this year. Then came the awesome cooperative multiplayer mode that we have wished for since the first game. Sure, it was a tad short, but it clearly became my favorite aspect of the game. PS3 owners even got the added benefit of a free Steam version, complete with the ability to transfer save files, something that could be an early precursor to both, the PS3/Vita relationship and future Valve titles working this way with the PS3 and PC.

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5. Battlefield 3: Maybe Battlefield 3 didn't win the sales battle, but it did win the gameplay battle. This is the year when Battlefield's powerful Frostbite Engine caught up with the classic gameplay of Battlefield 2 (instead of the solid but not great Bad Company series) and delivered the game BF fans had been waiting for. The single player campaign was more serious and had enough action and OMG moments to keep players glued to the screen. It was not at Modern Warfare's level, but it was close enough and with a few more improvements it can surpass Activision's juggernaut. But it was the multiplayer that took the cake. I will argue that Bad Company 2's multiplayer was already better than CoD, but BF3 took it to another level. It finally felt like a next-gen sequel to BF2, complete with the ability to go prone, the merging of the assault and medic class that resulted in better gameplay (and was taken from Battlefield 2142) and the trademark solid mix between on-foot action and vehicular mayhem. Things like scope glints, the effect of getting pinned behind a wall by enemy fire and how light sources really affect your vision are some of the realistic touches that set this game apart. While CoD was content with doing more of the same, BF3 went beyond the call to deliver a refined experience that surpassed Modern Warfare. Now the rest of the world needs to discover this.

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4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The Nintendo Wii's last hurrah turns out to be quite possibly the greatest game in the console's history. Skyward Sword is the first game in the series timeline and explores the creation of Hyrule as well as the origin of the Master Sword. It offers the finest example of motion controls in the console and at the same time creates the most strategic and challenging combat in series history. The graphics looked like a cross between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, with more adult looking characters covered with an almost comic book-like element to them. The effect is not as drastic as it was in Wind Waker, but it's notable enough to feel unique. Stuff like item upgrades also improves the overall formula. While I don't think it deserves a perfect score (few games do) it is still one of the greatest games released this year and perhaps in the entire series.

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3.Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: Another game that got perfect scores, Drake's Deception delivered more high-octane thrills and explosive summer blockbuster action than its predecessors. Not only did Uncharted boasted the best graphics in this console generation, with even more animations than ever before, but it filled in details in Drake's past and offered what felt like a satisfying conclusion to the series (even when I hope it's not). The mix of combat, exploration, puzzle solving and acrobatic navigation was there, so was the Indiana Jones meets National Treasure story, all the while showcasing a more human and somewhat mature side to Drake, adding a dramatic layer that the franchise (and the character) has sorely lacked. On any other year this game would have been my game of the year. But this year…..well…..just blame the dragons and the bat.

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2. Batman: Arkham City: Another game that would have been my GOTY any given year, Arkham City shocked me. Sure, Asylum was really good, but I didn't expect the sequel to take such a dramatic leap in quality. The game world was larger, which was a concern at first, but then I realized how easy it was to navigate and it became one of my favorite aspects. Cruising around the city-prison felt as awesome and liberating as it did in the glory days of Spiderman 2. The combat kept its mixture of hard-hitting attacks and quick counters that gave it a "brutal ballet" rhythm and feel, while tossing several new gadgets, moves and counters into the fray. Even the story, as somewhat convoluted as it was, was really good in a comic-book way and showcased enough characters from the Batman mythos to keep fans happy, even if some were criminally underused. Rocksteady also packed in enough trophies and riddles to keep achievement hunters happy and better still, they were challenging to acquire and fun to pursue. Batman could have easily been #1 because of how much I love it and how addicted I am to it, but then addiction I have to Batman can't compare to……

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1. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: I have spent 60+ hours with it and I haven't seen 30% of what there is to see. I have fought dragons, trolls and unimaginable horrors. I have also hunted game, cooked food, chopped wood, mined for ores, collected ingredients, crafted potions, enchanted items stolen everything that is not nailed down, bought a house and completed assassination contracts. I have also found sunken ships, climbed mountains and made random acts of violence a common occurrence. Sure, I have also endured a couple of hard freezes, witnessed a mammoth fall from the sky, a bandit get stuck to a wall and a dragon fly tail first. But who cares? I am willing to tolerate a few bugs, as major as they could be, for the freedom of choice and the multitude of things to do. Skyrim feels like a real world, more than a simple gaming space, it feels like a playground. Dozens of people can play it and have very different experiences. That's why it is my #1 game. I have only gone 60 hours in and seen about 30% of what there is to see and I am already thinking about how I will approach the game with a different character in the future. Skyrim is my #1 game this year and I am sure it will top the list for a lot of folks as well.

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I hope I get a ton of comments this week. I really want to see 100+ comments this week because I am sure that depending on your budget, console of choice and gaming preferences, your GOTY (and top 10 lists) will be different. Until next week!

Screenshots
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