Living LIVE News Report 01.02.12
Posted by Trace Aber on 01.02.2012
From Mortal Kombat and L.A. Noire to Deus Ex: Human Revolution and more, 411's Trace Aber counts down the top 5 games that released for the Xbox 360 in 2011! Check out the full article to see what made the list and why!
Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I'm your host for the evening, Trace Aber. I hope everyone had a safe and exciting new year's eve. I know I did, thanks to a very successful party I had. Nothing got broken, either! Though I did have a bit of a mess to clean the next day.
Not a whole lot has been going on in the world of Xbox news-wise, so this week I'm giving you my personal top five Xbox 360 games from 2011. Be sure to share your list below in the comment section!
Number 5: Mortal Kombat
I'm not typically a fan of the fighting genre, but I have always loved me some Mortal Kombat. Unfortunately, after Mortal Kombat 4 I quit playing as the world was getting old to me. The new characters weren't interesting enough, and even though they would add a bunch of new modes over the years, the core game felt too much like the same thing.
Except kicking Johnny Cage's ass – that never gets old.
Perhaps it was due to ignoring the franchise for so long or nostalgia kicking in, but I fucking LOVED the 2011 version of the series. The graphics are absolutely beautiful, the characters felt interesting, and the storyline was actually pretty damn good for a Mortal Kombat game. The challenge tower was pretty cool too, even if it did get a bit old towards the end. That being said, Mortal Kombat is my pick for best fighter of 2011, though I'm far from an authority on this.
Number 4:Joe Danger: Special Edition
This is the only XBLA title on my list, but it was one that took me by surprise. Comparable to Trials HD, Joe Danger was a much more polite version, but still one that provided plenty of challenge Even better, the "special edition" actually packed on quite a bit of extra content, including additional tracks and pro medals from the PSN version.
Cool Beans, indeed.
While 2011 was a great year for XBLA games, but Joe Danger stood out the most to me. It's a bright and colorful world with a unique charm to it that seems so simple on the surface but actually requires a lot of skill…and patience. Even better, you can make and share your own levels, essentially creating a never-ending game. Nothing wrong with that, eh?
Number 3:LA Noire
Some people might think that ranking this game at number three is a bit high, but to me there was nothing else out there like LA Noire this year. While the game was far from perfect, I had a blast watching the narrative unfold and the gameplay really gripped me. And the hats!
HATS!
To top things off (besides hats), the game featured some of the best looking faces in video games. The game's core mechanic of reading faces to determine if suspects were telling the truth may have been hit or miss, but I hope we see more games of this variety. If you enjoyed Heavy Rain you might feel comfortable with the investigation scenes, as they're extremely similar.
Number 2: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Having played the first Deus Ex over a decade ago, I was excited about the potential behind 2011's Human Revolution. I actually ignored a lot of the coverage prior to the game's release, as I didn't want to be spoiled on any of the story's details, something I rarely do with video games. My patience was rewarded with an interesting story and some incredible gameplay. A lot of games claim to offer you multiple methods of doing things, but Human Revolution's options seem to really standout from one another. You could run up with guns a blazin' or you could sneak around the building, sneak through a window, and kill everybody without being seen. Or you could just ignore violence altogether and simply grab the data you need.
I tend to choose the violent route.
It'd be a shame to ignore the game's absolutely stunning visuals, which rank up there with some of this year's best. Everything looked extremely slick, and the atmosphere created was very compelling. You could feel the difference between the feeling of your high-class apartment and the slums of the city. You're doing yourself a disservice if you haven't checked this out
Number 1: Skyrim
This shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that knows me in the slightest, as I was amped about Skyrim pretty much throughout all of 2011. I counted down the days, said goodbye to my friends and social life, and at midnight on 11.11.11 I finally held it in my hand. It may have been the most rewarding moment in my entire life. Ok, probably not that extreme…I was excited to play it, is what I'm saying.
Just so I could spend hours making potions.
The great thing about Elder Scrolls games is that they can essentially be played forever. There's so many different ways to play the game, whether you want to be a simple warrior, a battlemage, a thief, a stealthy assassin, a blacksmith, a cook, an alchemist, an archer, a fan of the flame, a necromancer, or any of the other seemingly endless possibilities. It's quite staggering, and that's not including all of the interesting ways you can use the game's freedom to complete missions in drastically different ways. Add a huge game world, tons of distractions, gorgeous graphics, and endless missions and you have an easy pick for 2011's game of the year.
The Digital Downloads Arcade Games
All Zombies Must Die! (800MP)
NFL Blitz [January 4] (1200MP) Games on Demand
Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($59.99)
Child of Eden ($39.99)
Wipeout: In the Zone ($49.99)
Resonance of Fate ($24.99) Demos
Rise of Nightmares
Gears of War 3: Shipwreck demo DLC
Forza Motorsport 4 January Jalopnik Pack [January 3] (560MP)
Signing Out
That does it for me this week. Be sure to check back next week as we discuss all of the latest Xbox 360 news, including releases, rumors and reviews! Also, don't forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that's going to be released soon drop me a line at traceaber@gmail.com and let me know. I'll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!
