411 Games Top 5 01.05.12: Week 147 - The Worst of 2011

Posted by Todd Vote on 01.05.2012

From the failure of Duke Nukem Forever and Sony's hacking debacle to Dragon Age II, the Nintendo 3DS flopping, Team Bondi going out of business and more, the 411 staff ranks its 5 worst things to happen in gaming in 2011!

Welcome to the first edition of the Top 5 for 2012. We got one final look back at 2011 this week. But first, feedback!


Comment Time with Toddo!

Since when was Robot Unicorn Attack a handheld game?
Posted By: Guest#4889 (Guest)

Since right about here! You can download it on any apple product from iTunes. It counts.

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal

At least one of these should have appeared somewhere.
Posted By: SHADE (Guest)

The only portable game(s) I play are Pokemon related ones.
Posted By: Guest#6593 (Guest)

I'll take the blame for this one. I was very unclear when I posted the topic last week, and forgot to include that I was looking for the best of 2011. How this is relevant here, is some folks did a list of the best of the year. If they would have thought I meant all time instead of 2011, you might have gotten some lists with Pokemon on them. Make sense?

I probably should've contributed my list to this discussion. Sorry!

5.Professor Layton & The Curious Village
4.Chili Con Carnage
3.The World Ends With You
2.Pokemon Gold/Silver
1.Lumines
Posted By: Vince Osorio (Registered)

Always next time. It's never to late to throw your name in the hat my good sir.

Tetris is still the king. Despite having tons of handheld games, the one i have played the most (on the can) is Tetris. Followed by Lumines, Space Invaders Extreme, and Pac Man Championship Edition.
Posted By: Mr. Ace Crusher (Guest)

I don't think you would find many to disagree with you on Tetris being the king of the handheld games. Back when I had a spinach screened Gameboy, Tetris ate up so much time and so many batteries. Tetris may be the king, but I'm not sure if I would classify it as one of my favorite games anymore. But that's just one guys opinion.

your lack of any zelda, monster hunter, mario kart, peace walker, wario ware (GBA or DS), KH: birth by sleep, god of war, and POKEMON just to name a few just makes your lists rediculous. And I know your guys' choices were opinion based but these are leaps and bounds better than nearly all choices you made. ugh...
Posted By: Guest#8634 (Guest)

So if there are 4 lists in last weeks edition, and not one of the four lists featured any of the games you mentioned, would that then throw your list under the bus as being the one that is ridiculous? YOUR opinion of what is leaps and bounds better than anything else is completely void of any relevancy, when we are doing lists on OUR opinions. In your opinion the games you mentioned are leaps and bounds better. Good for you. Perhaps, and I know this is a stretch, but just perhaps nobody who made a list feels the same way you did. Maybe, and again I am just grasping straws, but maybe all the games you mentioned fell in just under the top 5 + honorable mentions. Stop feeling like someone not liking the same thing as you makes you sick. Get used to it. The world is built on differing opinions. It's never going to conform to what you want.

LISTS!!!

I love handheld games, so I can make a proper list this time instead of one or two suggestions.

"Unfortunately, I mistakenly posted the subject as top portable games, and not top portable games of 2011, so some lists may contain some older games, my bad on that one."

Ergo, my Top 5 Handheld Games of 2011, not including remakes/ports. ;)

Hon. Mentions:
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS)- It didn't use any of the 3DS's unique features (aside from a token 3D effect), but that didn't make Julian Gollop's return to turn-based strategy any less addictive.

Aliens: Infestation (DS)- A lesson in how to build 'survival horror' tension in a 2D platformer.

Pullblox/Pushmo (3DS eShop)- The first must-have downloadable title for 3DS. Universal appeal, loads of content and loads of fun!

5. Kirby Mass Attack (DS)- Does for the touch screen what Skyward Sword did for motion controls. Vintage platforming with a casual twist, it's a must-have for all DS owners.

4. Monster Tale (DS)- Combines an addictive Tamagotchi game with an addictive Metroidvania game, and weaves them together seamlessly. The result is pure gaming crack. It's amazing no-one thought of this before.

3. Mighty Milky Way (DSiWare)- A DSiWare masterpiece. Few games can combine such precise touch screen controls with such challenging, brain-bending gameplay.

2. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)- Takes the '2D in 3D' gameplay style of Galaxy 2 and damn near perfects it. Finding secrets and easter eggs in this game is just as exciting as it was in the original Super Mario Bros games. Bite-sized format is perfect for gaming on the go, but 8 additional 'Lost Levels' worlds (along with finding all the Star Coins) will challenge veterans.

1. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)- This game takes all the good things from previous MK games while omitting all the bad things. It also adds great new features that improve the gameplay even further. The online features ensure that the game will get better with age as more players join up. It is the purest, most perfect Mario Kart game ever. If Mario Kart is meth, Mario Kart 7 is the blue meth.
Posted By: Guest#5567 (Guest)

Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Ages
Link's Awakening
Minish Cap
Phantom Hourglass
Posted By: Guest#0576 (Guest)

And the comment of the week:

1600 points card = Dungeon Defenders. Such an awesome game. If you end up getting it, let me know, and we can throw down together.
Posted By: Blottie (Guest)

I am a little leary of anything with the word dungeon in it. I will definitely check out a demo here sometime this week and let you know next week of my decision.  That's it for feedback this week. Keep it coming.



This week the staff takes one final look back to 2011. We are taking a look at the black eyes of the gaming community. Bad stories, bad games, bad choices with system launches. The staff is breaking down the Top 5 things we hated about gaming in 2011. Pretty cut and dry, so let's hop right into it .

Adam Larck

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mega Man Legends 3 - This would have been a great 3DS game from Capcom, but seems to be gone with the wind now.

5. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Reannouncement - When this game was first announced, it looked like a great use of Raiden and his sword, complete with tons of watermelon chopping. Now, it looks like a spinoff of how over-the-top Bayonetta was. You can definitely tell that Kojima has handed the reigns off on this one, but will you even be able to tell that this is a part of the Metal Gear universe when it releases? Only time will tell.

4. 3DS flops out of gate - Nintendo had high hopes for the release of the 3DS. However, none of the hopes were met when the handheld launched. The system had such sluggish sales that Nintendo even dropped the price within six months of release, something the company seldom does. Sure, the future will probably be better for the handheld, but the beginning has definitely been rough.

3. Bizarre/Team Bondi closing - There were a lot of closures last year, but these two stick out in my mind. Bizarre had quite a few good quality titles, including Blur and Geometry Wars, but Activision just didn't feel like sticking with them anymore. Team Bondi, on the other hand, seems to have been jerked around too much by its owner, leading to tensions between them and Rockstar and eventually being sold off. Best of luck to their former employees in the future.

2. Duke Nukem: Forever - This was basically an inevitability as a disappointment. The game had been in development for over 10 years and still had mechanics in it that were outdated. I'm sure Gearbox just wanted to purchase this to finally let fans see what had been developed for the game, but maybe it would have been best to let it die. The one shining spot here, though, is that it still somehow sold alright in the first month, meaning that fans of Nukem may even see a more updated version of the character, without a 10 year wait. However, that's all just speculation on my part.



1. Year of the hacks - Hackers got it in their head last year that it was a great idea to try and hack any and every company to compromise player information. Did this result in any changes? Not really. What it resulted in was gamers being unnerved that someone could have access to their personal info or credit card, and not trusting any company with their information anymore. Honestly, if hackers want to try and "prove" something, there's a lot better ways to do it than hurting the players more than the company.

Francisco Ramirez

5.Call of Duty MW3 VS. Battlefield 3 - I get it, I've seen Highlander, "there can be only one!" While the drama played out and shots were taken in the press, it left EA and Activision looking like over-hyped parents in a battle of "my son is better than your son". Sorry to break it to you folks, but both games play differently! I prefer the multiplayer component of Battlefield 3, but the singleplayer in Modern Warfare 3 was easily better. No matter what side of the fence you're on, 2011 proved that there was enough room for two AAA quality shooters in one holiday season.

4.2011's Biggest Letdown: Dragon Age II - Man was I looking forward to this game! The first Dragon Age was one of the better games I've come across, totally by surprise too. I honestly wasn't looking forward to it. So when I see there is a sequel coming my way the excitement builds! Then I get the game, I explore Kirkwall, all 5 areas of it. Then the Sundermount, and the Wounded Coast, and back to Kirkwall. Wash, rinse and repeat! Sure the action felt better, but the game felt miniscule compared to Dragon Age: Origins. Biggest letdown by far!

3.Capcom Mega -Woes - Wow, Capcom dropped the ball royally in 2011. First off, they let Keiji Inafune leave. Instead of working with him, they let one of the guys that defined Capcom just leave. In his absence two title's that had fans drooling over them cancelled; Mega Man Universe and what broke my heart, Mega Man Legends 3. Add to that the quick cash-ins related to their fighting games. We got Marvel VS. Capcom 3, seven months later, instead of some great DLC, we had to pay $39.99 for Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3. Not to mention Street Fighter IV saw a re-release as Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition in 2011.


Don't forget about Frank!


2.Duke Nukem: Forever - There was no way in hell this game was going to be great. It dropped, it made some money. I imagine it was more of a curiosity thing than anything else. Duke showed his age, and it wasn't pretty. This might signal the end of the Duke Nukem franchise, or maybe not.

1.Skyrim "Arrow to the knee" - 2011 has been hard to me gaming wise, my first born came in 2011 which means my gaming time has been minimal at best.Long story short, I still haven't played Skyrim. It sucks I know, what I have noticed though is the damn "arrow to the knee" jokes that have been everywhere in the freaking internet. Lo and behold, after some extensive google research, the jokes traced back to Skyrim. Damn you Skyrim! I can forgive you for the PS3 lag, but not the jokes!

And now, R. Lee Ermey

Dan Watson

5. R.I.P. Wii We should have seen this coming for a while but somehow it still was surprising to see that Nintendo had abandoned ship and set sail for WiiU after just a few years. The reason this is being listed as one of the worst is simply because how many people bought into the Wii and now can feel like they wasted $200 (initial price) to play maybe ten to fifteen good games.

4. Duke Nukem This is only on the list because the game didn't live up to the enormous hype that was behind it. Surely any game that takes a decade to release has to be the best game in the world right? Wrong, this was an average game that just couldn't live up to the graphics and new FPS games in the genre. It wasn't a terrible game, just not the game that everyone thought it would be.

3. Continued Rise of Tim Tebow Is it games related? Nope, not at all really. But I am going to include this in here because that is how much I am tired of hearing about this guy. I don't know him personally, and for all I know he is a great guy. I just am tired of hearing everyone say that all he does is win. Really, all he does is win? How about the last three games? Did he win those games? No, and I would be willing to bet all the money I make from 411 that this week he loses to the Steelers. He is not a good quarterback. I will give him credit though, at least he stands for what he believes in.



2. Another Microsoft Exclusive Gone Gears has ended and with that another Microsoft exclusive is gone. Sure they are going for the cash grab and bringing Halo back for another set of games but it just isn't the same. I really am starting to believe that my PS3 will get more game time in 2012 and the Xbox will begin to be phased out. All those achievements for nothing. Sad.

1. Sony Hack Speaking of PS3, without seeing everyone else's list I'd assume that this is at or near the top of each list. Sony's big setback this year was the fact that it had gotten hacked pretty badly. Bad enough that the system was basically useless for the better part of three weeks in most areas. Hopefully, each of the companies saw this and has bumped up their online security.

READER VOICE Lee Jones

5.3DS - Didn't do as expected. Resident Evil was a mistake. Needs good games fast.

4.Threequels - Far too many, gears of war, battlefield, cod, killzone, saints row, resistance, dirt, uncharted etc. But how well did Shadows of the Damned do? The fact that the 3s were good doesn't change a lack of new franchises.

3.Dragon Age 2 - I didn't mind it as much as most, really enjoyed Act 2s main story, but what was up with the environments? Opening a different route in a dungeon doesn't make it new. It lost far too much of what made Origins amazing and only added improved combat. And that 2nd act ending meant they had nothing to finish it so made up some crap for the finale.



2.Xperia Play - Long forgotten about by all. Even Sony given available games. Legally.

1.PSN hacked - This sucked some ass. I'm not really bothered about the PR job or the lost details (long as I wasn't targetted) its the not being online for frickin ages that hurt for me. I missed the odd game (I don't multiplayer much), I missed my friends, I missed store updates, especially my free(ish) Plus games, and not being able to sync trophies made me nervous. I'm a gamer, let me game in 2012 all year long.

What Toddo Plays:

Received an email from reader Lanoit about the problems I've been having with WWE '12. I couldn't figure out how to cash in my MiTB briefcase, he was nice enough to help me out with that, as well as offer some ideas. It appears the overall opinion is that you just have to wait for the game to drop you into a match for the titles. My method of just destroying every team on the roster has yet to bear any results. I'm about out of ideas, and ready to try the method of deleting all other tag teams but the champs, as I think was suggested by JT

Finally, I am completely finished with Saints Row: The Third. As I said before, this is sort of a big deal to me, since this is the first game of this type, I've ever been compelled to do everything in. The weird part is, I wouldn't even put Saints Row: The Third as the best game in the series, it comes in behind #2 for me. Maybe they just managed to hit the sweet spot where the extra stuff didn't just seem so overwhelming. Barring any campaign DLC, this is probably the last time you will hear about Saints Row: The Third from me in this column.

Borrowed Assassin's Creed 2 from my cousin. I liked the first game, but it got very repetitive early on. I never finished in during the time I had it rented for. I always planned to go back and finish that before moving on into the rest of the series, but it's been so long since I played it I figured "f*ck it". Might as well get into it, right? We'll see how it goes.

411 on Twitter!
http://www.twitter.com/411mania
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma

That's a wrap for this week, and we are putting the nail in the coffin of 2011. Got any horrible gaming memories from last year? Hell, share your good memories, I'd love to hear them. Next week we kick off 2012 a week late with our most anticipated lists. We'll see you back here in seven. Take care of yourselves.

One to Go On:
see more Very Demotivational