2011 gave the gaming community some really great games. Too bad where there is light there is darkness. This means we had some really bad games come out this year as well, and these games cannot be ignored. So let me give your our nominees for the worst game of 2011:
Duke Nukem: Forever
X-Men: Destiny
Thor: God of Thunder
Through out 2011 many good game came out. Then there were game that, while not bad, were not what we expected them to be thanks to hype or a previous game. So lets look at our nominees for most disappointing game of 2011:
Dragon Age II
Rage
Brink
So what's the fun of talking about the past if we don't at least glimpse at the future. So we all mentioned the games we most want to see in 2012, and voted on which one we can wait for the least. The nominees are:
Diablo III
Mass Effect III
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Bioshock Infinite
Darksiders II
OK, I will admit this seems like an odd category to have. But lets admit that we don't all have time to play a game right when it comes out. As such there was a majority vote to at least list the games that some of the staff did not get a chance to play until they were no longer eligible for the awards. These games are:
Rune Factory 3
Defense Grid
Mass Effect II
Fable II
No real award is being given hear, since none of these are eligible (as previously mentioned). But if you have not had a chance, give one of these a go.
Remember when all they NPC's spoke in text boxes if they spoke at all? That was a much simpler day, and sometimes still a better option (looking at you Metroid: Other M). But now with larger storage abilities and greater technologies our characters are coming alive. There are bringing emotions and urgency to our quests that did not exist before. I know I am more likely to complete quests a little bit sooner if the NPC actually makes me feel the urgency. To that we offer our nominees for the best voice acting of 2011:
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Portal 2
Dragon Age 2
There are two types of art in a game. The first is very obvious, without graphics you have no game. The second has become more vital though, and that is a soundtrack that brings the game alive. So to that we present the award of the best original music of 2011. Our nominees are:
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
It was a dark and stormy night; the sun had just crested the mountains; as you looked over the wind swept plains; without a proper atmosphere a game with great story and fantastic game play will not entice a player to keep going. As such we took the following nominees and rewarded one for the best atmosphere of 2011:
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Batman: Arkham City
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Humor can be great medicine. If you have had a crappy day it can uplift your spirit. It can help you realize things are not so bad. Without humor the world would be a very dull and boring place. As a result we felt the that there should be a reward for the funniest game of 2011. We choose from the following nominees:
Portal 2
Saints Row the Third
Catherine
Once upon a time there was a little game developer with big dreams. Every night he would code till he fell a sleep. While sleeping at the keyboard elves would come and remove the bugs from his code. This allowed the developer to create a fantastic game, unaware of the precious help he received. Despite perfect code the developer never let it go to his head, and as such he always retained the help he needed.
A story can uplift the soul and keep the mind interested in something for hours upon hours. Authors have become far more integrated in gaming as the years have gone on, and now we get to reward a game for taking a great amount of time weaving a majestic story. Our nominees are:
Catherine
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
Bastion
Many will say that there is more to a games graphics then how realistic they can be. Seeing as how we agree with these people we created a second award for graphics. This award is all about style, and how a game does not need ultra-realism to succeed, just great flair. The nominees are:
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Bastion
Rayman Origins
Little Big Planet 2
