Best of 2011: Games

[Ekkebus]

Listen to the podcast to hear any number of our opinions regarding this years best games. Post your own below!

edit: The play-at-home scorecard

The One That Got Away - (2011 game you most wanted to play but didn't get to)
Most Surprising Game - (game you loved that you totally didn't think you would)
Most Overlooked Game - (game you loved but noone else played)
Best Game Soundtrack (original)
Best Story
Best Character
Best Boss Battles
Best Remake
Best Sequel
The Pledge - (best new IP)
The Turn - (most disappointing game)
The Prestige - (best ending)
The X-strike Studios Prestigious Mass Driver Award - (most frustratingly annoying part of an otherwise stellar game)
The Wild Card - (a specific game or specific part of a game that you want to give an award for. ex: "Juese's 'FUCK what this game wants me to do, I'm doing THIS' Award")
Game You Most Want to See as a Movie
Movie You Most Want to See as a Game
Sweetest Ass - (female character you'd most want to bone)
Baddest Ass - (most bad-ass character or specific thing in a game this year)
Johnny Come Lately - (best non-2011 release that you played this year)
Funniest Game
Best Multiplayer
Best Shooter - (3rd person, 1st person, run and gun or shoot em up)
Best Action/Adventure Game
Best RPG
Best Downloadable Game
Best Portable Game
Best Movie of the Year
Top 3 Games of 2011

[Jakanden]

Game of the Year - Dark Souls!

[Wood]

I was thinking Dark Souls as well, considering I wrote that game a love letter on my website. Right now my biggest disappointment this year is The 3rd Birthday. I'm having a lot of issues coming up with a Mass Driver award though. Biggest surprise is definitely Corpse Party. Best re-release goes to Parasite Eve.

[Ekkebus]

I feel like I ended up underselling Dark Souls on the podcast or at least forgetting how much I really liked it.

[Wood]

I feel like I ended up underselling Dark Souls on the podcast or at least forgetting how much I really liked it.

Eh, best game really does go three ways as they're all amazing games for vastly different reasons, that is, Dark Souls, Catherine, and Skryim . Dark Souls really had it's hooks in me right before I deployed. It's frustrating I don't have a lot of time to polish it off, but it'll be around for me when I get back, and may force me to start it over from the beginning.

[Jakanden]

Ill add more once I actually listen to the podcast, but Game of the Year was easy for me so I got it out of the way. Also a list of what categories you had might be helpful =)

[Ekkebus]

Added the category list to the OP.

There really were a ton of excellent games this year and some categories were really hard to pick an outright winner for. I'm trying to put together my top 10 for the year and its so hard to order them. I have some iterations of the list that put stuff like Portal 2 or Dark Souls as low as 5th or 6th and that just feels so wrong.

[Jakanden]

The One That Got Away - None
Most Surprising Game - Saints Row: The Third
Most Overlooked Game - El Shaddai
Best Game Soundtrack (original) - Bloodrayne: Betrayal
Best Story - Uncharted 3
Best Character - Wheatly
Best Boss Battles - Dark Souls
Best Remake - Guardian Heroes (XBLA)
Best Sequel - Dark Souls
The Pledge - El Shaddai
The Turn - Zelda: Skyward Sword (Yeah I know I will get hate for this)
The Prestige - Assassins Creed: Revelations
The X-strike Studios Prestigious Mass Driver Award - Last chapter of Dead Space 2
Best Import Game (Wild Card) - Xenoblade
Sweetest Ass - Catherine
Baddest Ass - The Main Character (Saints Row: The Third)
Johnny Come Lately - None
Funniest Game - Saints Row: The Third
Best Multiplayer - Gears of War 3
Best Shooter - Gears of War 3
Best Action/Adventure Game - Dark Souls
Best RPG - Xenoblade
Best Downloadable Game - Guardian Heroes
Best Portable Game - Corpse Party
Top 3 Games of 2011 - Dark Souls, Portal 2, Saints Row: The Third

I also agree with Will's assessment of Hunted: The Demon Forge as being a great game that got unfairly crapped on in the reviews.

[Ekkebus]

Yeah, Best Sequel is something I definitely should have considered Dark Souls a bit more for. Especially the past few days where I've been watching wiL play through Demon's Souls, just the scope of that game is so much smaller compared to what they did with Dark Souls. Admittedly though there is a slight tilt to some awards as I try to talk up as many games as possible.

I"ve been hearing a lot about Saints Row: The Third in the last week, mostly from Giant Bomb but I think that's something I'll definitely be looking to give a rental in the next couple of months. Once I work down this pile of holiday leftovers anyway.

[Jakanden]

I made a thread about Saints Row: The Third when you do get around to playing it. I debated listing it as most overlooked but I think it a lot of people did play it (just no one on these boards).

[Juese]

You know what, I totally missed Guardian Heroes when I was checking for remakes. That said, after finding out there's only 2-player local, I'm pretty upset at it.

[Ekkebus]

If I'd known that I probably would have waited for a sale. Honestly, the lack of multiplayer features in that game outside of battle mode is the definition of Most Disappointing Game.

[Jakanden]

Errr what? There is online multiplayer. The only mode that doesn't have it is Arcade and I couldn't care less about that as I play story mode all the time. You can even set open invite so anyone can join your game at anytime.

[Ekkebus]

I know it has multiplayer. The problem is that you can't play 4-players in Story mode online or local.

[Reznor]

The One That Got Away - Shadows of the Damned
Most Surprising Game - Spiral Knights
Most Overlooked Game - Minecraft (At least around these parts)
Best Game Soundtrack (original): Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Best Story: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Best Character: J'zargo - Skyrim
Best Boss Battle: Fallout: New Vegas - Lonesome Road Finale with Ulysses
Best Sequel: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Turn - (most disappointing game): Duke Nukem Forever (I knew it was going to be bad, just not THAT bad!)
The Prestige - (best ending): Portal 2
The Wild Card, "Best Demo of a Mod for an existing game": Fallout: Mutants Rising. (Fallout 2 Total Conversion - The writing in the demo town completely feels like Black Isle Studios wrote it)
Game You Most Want to See as a Movie: Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Blade Runner style)
Movie You Most Want to See as a Game: Tron - As a MMO
Funniest Game: Portal 2
Best Action/Adventure Game: Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Best RPG: Skyrim
Best Downloadable Game: Minecraft