Games of the Year 2011

A happy New Year to you all. Welcome to the darkzero Awards 2011, which has now reach its sixth annual edition – watch out Oscar! If you have not been with us in the past, this is the article where DZ staff vote (and fight) like they’ve never voted (and fought) before to decide the greatest of the great games for the year that has just passed.

This year, we totted up or Top 10 games of the year, along with six honorable mentions – which are amazing titles in their own right. To go along with the list, there are some comments from various members of staff voicing their opinion of the placing of the titles. Enjoy.

Chris: Skyrim, the fifth in the Elder Scrolls series. A series which has divided and united gamers alike, personally though I loved the visuals of Oblivion (its forbearer), but I never felt interested nor attached to the story. Skyrim for some reason though it utilises the same foundations in essence has had me hooked from the moment I created my character. The wonderfully varied soundtrack, the expansive vistas, and most importantly the feeling that although I may have been experiencing the same game as many others, this was ‘my story, my adventure’. I choose the direction I want to go, I decide when to progress the story. A game which makes me question ‘what-if’ and even mortality and the ethics of my actions. Very rarely does an interactive experience that a video game provides resonate in such a way, and when it does it is one that will stay with the player for a long time.

I am nowhere near finished in my experience of the world of Tamriel… but each and every moment I am there, from the ambient sounds of the wind blowing on the side of an increasingly snow-speckled mountainside, to the flowing of a stream as wild salmon swim against the tide. I feel just like the wild-salmon, swimming against the tide and forging my own adventure, my own mark, and each little moment though insignificant to many is so impactful on me. This is why Skyrim is my game of the year.

Chris: The game that finally made full use of the potential of the Nintendo Wii and it only took it five years. This potential was realised not just in the beautiful colour palette that took anime stylings and combined these with watercolours in such a beautiful yet opaque way, Nintendo also utilised the Wii Control combined with Motion+ (motion-plus) controls and created an experience that controlled intuitively and effectively. The opening two hours for me struck a chord in Zelda games that hasn’t been felt since I first wandered into Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time and surpassed it with aplomb. A wonderful game and one that is actually worth purchasing the console for alone.

Thomas: To me, Skyward Sword is not a perfect game. Looking back at my time with it I can see little flaws everywhere – that super slow opening hour been a standout. However, it is still a game I rate very highly, and it is easily one of the best I played this year. Perhaps it is because I have been part of the series for so long, but I find it very easy to forgive the few missteps the game throws up – as over the last 20+ years I have grown to learn what to expect from the series. However, Skyward Sword even upends that belief, as it quickly shows it is not afraid to mess with longstanding franchise conventions.

Sure, the motion controls are the standout change, but there is more on show, with a lot of the later game moments been nothing short of amazing. The dungeons in the game are some of the best designs ever seen in the series, and generally the game just seems better paced that many of the other 3D efforts. And if you have been with the series as long as me then the ending to this one is rather special.

Dominic: For me this game is a masterpiece, not just simply the best game of the year, but one of the best ever to be graced upon mankind. I feel that Ocarina of Time has finally been beaten with this latest adventure of Link. From the get go you are introduced to a brilliant art style that merges both the adult look of Twlight Princess and the more cartoon vision in Wind Waker. It’s a style that I hope Nintendo keeps when moving Zelda onto the Wii U as seeing it in standard definition is simply gorgeous, I can only imagine what that would be like in full 1080p.

It’s not just the graphics that are refreshing, what Skyward Sword does is promote the very reason why we should use motion control in games. The combat is masterful, so much so that I can’t imagine a Zelda game without it anymore. Being able to attack in eight different angles spices up the combat more than you could imagine, and Nintendo knows this since a lot of encounters are based around this new ability. After finishing this and playing other games that featured melee-based combat, they just didn’t capture me in the same way that the motion controls did in this game. To finish it off Skyward Sword has some of the best dungeon designs and puzzles EVER in the series. They are smart and aren’t just the old classic move blocks and light fires. Nintendo did well by celebrating 25 years of this epic franchise, and they did it by making this, one of the best games ever. Congrats Nintendo.

Thomas: Portal was almost perfect. It was funny, at times shocking, and filled with rock-solid gameplay – but most importantly it was a relatively unhyped release. Portal 2, on the other hand, had the full power of the Valve marketing machine behind it – making people crazy enough to go on a hunt to collect potatoes for a reason I still do not understand. With that in mind, even before release, it was obvious Portal and Portal 2 were going to be very different beasts. Where Portal reveled in minimalism, the sequel was filled to the brim with story elements. Where one built up to a shocking moment, the other is an adventurous rollercoaster of emotion as you are propelled from location to location.

However, even with all that changed the core gameplay of the series still shone through in Portal 2. The test rooms (and later non-test rooms) were all a fun to partake in. The story, as it unfolds, was a joy to witness, and the game was filled with little touches that, on the whole, made it feel special. There is even a co-op mode, which works amazingly well – even if working with four portals is a mindbender.

Dominic: This is without a doubt, in my opinion, the best western RPG to date. What’s surprising is that if you played the first Witcher game you might not have thought that CD Projekt Red could pull something like that off, this is their second game in the studio’s life after all.

With some crazy witchcraft they’ve brought us a game with a very interesting and deep story along, with choices in dialogue and quests that can’t simply be deciphered as “this is the good way” or “this is the bad way” unlike some other western RPGs of late. Gone is the strange rock, paper, scissors style combat of the first game and is replaced with a more streamlined, faster-paced combat that is quite challenging. Mix this up with some of the best graphics seen to date in both technical and art then you can see why The Witcher 2 deserves to be on any Game of the Year list, it’s just that damn good.

Chris: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a game which truly brings the painting to life. I am currently abstaining from playing the game as I source a new TV which will be suitable to showcase the visuals of this game, because quite simply it deserves nothing less than the very best possible. Visuals that will literally melt your face, gameplay which is essentially Bayonetta-lite. The quest which you are tasked; to round-up seven fallen angels and return them to Heaven at the behest of God makes for a thoroughly engaging and visually unparalleled experience.

Thomas: I was going to try and be eloquent here, but screw that. This game is around £10 in most places now, and it is amazing. You should buy it. Really. We gave it 10/10, remember! Go buy now, less thinking. Go now!!

Dominic: Every year there’s always one surprising game that pops up out of the whole pile of AAA titles on the market. Bastion is Supergiant Games’ first title and boy what an amazing way to start your company’s portfolio. What’s special about Bastion is how it evolves storytelling in video games. As you play, a narrator (and also a character in the game) speaks about the actions that are happening on the screen and the progress of the character, making for a unique and damn right cool experience as you play through the adventure. It’s not just a one hit wonder though as Bastion has GORGEOUS hand painted graphics and a brilliant soundtrack, that when all merged with the light RPG style gameplay comes off as sheer brilliance. The best downloadable title of the year.

Thomas: After following the Building the Bastion series over on Giant Bomb, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect from Bastion before I played it, but I was wrong. The game had a lot more to give than Supergiant Games showed in those videos – quite a lot more. At its core, Bastion‘s big feature is its narrator, a wonderfully voiced character that chronicles your adventures as you go. However, the game quickly evolves beyond that – introducing you to wonderful settings, showcasing a fantastic story, and offering you weaponry that is refined to a tee. I bought it on XBLA this summer, and since then the game has arrived on Steam and Chrome. Bastion is the best thing you can download on at least two of those three things.

Chris: Some have become tired of military shooters, and with good reason. There has been a persistent tone of ‘rinse-and-repeat’ that has tainted the military shooter this generation, especially with annual releases. Regarding Battlefield however the single-player was to me moot (and thus is not worth discussing), but it was in the multi-player modes where this game excels. Taking the first-person shooter onto a bigger battlefield (for consoles) and presenting you with a plethora of visuals and outstanding vistas that would not be out of place in any Michael Bay production. Luckily in this experience I was supported by my friends and it was ‘us’ as a team that orchestrated the visual-fest before our eyes. As far as online shooting games go, this year Battlefield took it for me and ran for the hills… complete with (bloody annoying) Tactical Light.

Dominic: Yes! I love myself some Demon’s Souls, and I was so chuffed about the sequel that bests the first game in every way. Gone are the level stages, instead Dark Souls implements an open world style environment where every location is connected in some way. The difficulty is still there, something that I wouldn’t want to change at all. But along with that are the improvements to the combat system and the online system, which was so unique in the first game. In this one you get to join clans and that clan affects how people will see you online, be it guarding forests for people who aren’t part of the forest guild, or just being a nuisance and sending enemies into other people’s worlds to steal their souls. It’s clever how it handles online, and in 2011 this was one of the true hardcore games. Goodbye to holding my hand.

Thomas: Dark Souls is a game that constantly tries to get under your skin, and feels like it relentlessly mocks you, yet there is something intangible about the game that makes you want to keep going back. I don’t really understand it, and to be truthful I don’t think anyone does. I just know I don’t want to let the game win, and I will go through hell to not break the promise. What makes it so special? That’s a mystery to me too, as I have previously given up on less challenge games without a second thought. Perhaps only From Software knows the right DNA to make such a game, as in the years since the ‘Souls’ series started no one has dared try and copy it. Dark Souls is a welcome and unique entry in the pantheon of gaming greats.

Dominic: It’s not often you can tell people that you played a game where you take on the role as a dead man after he is murdered. Out of all the portable games I managed to get through this year, this title from Shu Takumi (the dude who created the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series) is a refreshing twist on the adventure puzzle genre. If we had awards for the most imaginative games then Ghost Trick would easily make it to the top with its brilliant thought out manipulation chain reaction solutions. Add to this with solid characters with amusing personalities, fantastic music from the composer of Phoenix Wright, and the game’s slick 2D animations, and you’ve got yourself one of the best handheld games of the year.

Thomas: Missile is the greatest character in the history of video games. From him I learned that the only thing I’m really good at is… BARKING! There really isn’t much else in life!

Chris: People complain that the J-RPG is dead, that Final Fantasy has seen its best days, the Japanese had lost their creativity. Ne’er mind the fact many of these people were oblivious to the work of Sakaguchi-san and his Mistwalker team on the Xbox 360 (Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey anyone?), they were also oblivious (and so were Nintendo of America, who have yet to confirm publication of this game in the United States) to this wonderful RPG. With visuals that many did not think were on the console and a frankly stunning translation (including a truly wonderful job on the voice acting). This is an RPG which you should not only play if you have a Nintendo Wii, but you should play, period!

Thomas: This is quite simply one of the best J-RPGs I’ve ever played. Over all the years that I have been playing games, I only ever really loved two J-RPGs – Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger. To this day, I can read about, replay, and consume content from both those titles without tiring. Everything else, even though I enjoyed playing it at the time, was a level below those two. However, Xenoblade Chronicles is a game that quite easily joins that duo at the top of the mountain. I could spend paragraph after paragraph talking about the game and why I love it, but the best way to sum things up is to say it is a game that does everything near note perfect – sidestepping tired tropes that have held the genre back for years. Ultimately, in my opinion, that makes it one of the more exciting additions to the genre in recent memory.

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