Games of the year 2011

2011 was undoubtedly one of the biggest years for games in a long time. There were sleeper hits, big blockbuster titles and lots of also-rans. In this article I am going to give you my Top 5 of the year. Purely my opinion, and is no way meant to offend or upset anyone, but lets hear your arguments for and against my picks.

5. Portal 2 - I absolutely loved this game. The humour was incredible, and the puzzles, mind-bending. I spent many hours trying to figure out some of the later levels, I would actually have to stop playing because of headaches. But these were minor blips in what was one of the biggest hits of the year. One of the best things about Portal 2 was the fact that at it's core it was a game for gamings sake, taking games back to the reason for their existence, having fun.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 - When Sonic Team announced they were doing a Sonic 4, I got excited. Sonic is the reason I play video games. And when Sonic 4 dropped on the PS Store and XBLA, I immediately handed over my cash and sped my way through a nostalgic trip down memory lane that was both fun and true to the 2D Sonic formula. I await Episode 2 with baited breath.

3. Infamous 2 - The original was (and still is) my favourite of the PS3 exclusives, so this one had a lot of living up to do. With lots of pre-production problems (character voice-changes and haircuts that the internet took offense to) lingering over it, the game was released to much fanfare and lived up to it. Everything that made the first one such fun to play was there, all the powers as well as some new ones, strong characters and a new city to learn, I was hooked. Absolutely fantastic game.

2. Saints Row: The Third - Over-the-top, brash, crude, childish.....Brilliant. This is the game GTA4 wishes it was. If you have ever played Saints Row 2 then you know exactly what you're getting yourself in to. But for the uninitiated, this is one of the most amazingly fun games you'll ever play. The story is plentiful and will keep you going for about 12 hours, but this game isn't about the story it's about thinking of the most craziest thing you can do, and doing it.

Oh yeah and the Penetrator baseball bat dildo.

1. Batman: Arkham City - One word - Wow. This game took everything Akham Asylum did and blew it up 10 fold. The story is strong, the action is free-flowing and much easier to control, the game is just beautiful. Well, as beautiful as a walled off criminal controlled city can be. All of the best villains from the Rogues Gallery are there, Penguin, Joker, Freeze and Two-Face. As well as some of the lesser known villains such as Calendar man.
The main story will last you just under 10 hours, with a second play-through required for 100%. The Riddler challenges make a return as well as a side story point in which he takes on a Jigsaw-esque persona, kidnapping police officers and forcing self-torture, that I found to be an excellent direction to take a character that was pasted on in the first game.

The Predator and Combo challenges make welcome return too, but this time with more characters to choose from like Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing.

An amazing game.


I have deliberately left out , Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3, Battlefield 3, Skyrim and Zelda because, let's face it, there is enough out there on the internet about these games.

William