It seems that almost every year the video game market is filled with more and more big named games. While new IP’s are few and far between, plenty of sequels abound this year. Unfortunately for me, I do not have the money nor time to play all the games that have come out this year. Some games, such as Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham City, are adventures that I want to experience but have not. As such, games in this category unfortunately cannot make my top list. Still there are other games that have come out this year that I have played but do not consider to be the best.
Games such as Sucker Punch’s inFamous 2 and People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm are still recommended but not to the extent of the top four. Still yet another group of video games exist consisting of big named games that I have no interest in playing. The most notable games in this section include Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and EA’s Battlefield 3. The simple reason is that I do not prefer realist shooters. If I am becoming immersed in another world, I would rather it not be the one I just left.
My favorite games of 2011 are put in this short list: Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet 2 (barely making it into 2011), Valve’s Portal 2, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3, and Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skryim. I will quickly make a note about each one of these for making it to the top.
LittleBigPlanet makes the list, even though it felt like an unnecessary sequel, for expanding upon the level creation. The game has the same charm of the original and is awesome to play with friends, especially non-gamers.
Portal is here for bringing back portal based puzzles and GLaDOS and adding new puzzle mechanics and memorable characters to satisfy any thirst left by the original. Uncharted makes the cut for feeling even more like a movie than its predecessor and looking just as stunning as ever.
And finally Skyrim is here for being a giant game with upgraded graphics, combat, and dungeon design. All of these games are awesome and each caters to a slightly different group of gamers. My personal favorite would have to be Skyrim for being such an immersive game. For more details, check my other articles.