4. Batman: Arkham City
I may of liked Arkham Asylum better, but this game is the best Batman simulation to date, it really makes me feel like I am Batman, I have all the tools to do the job, I have a big adventure to go on, I have a bunch of other villains getting in my way, it seems like a real Batman experience. To be clear, I am into comics, (into comics enough to feel I need to mention it when speaking about this game) not only do I pick up about a dozen different comics a week, I usually pick up multiple Batman comics a week... and Arkham City had all the fan service I could ask for.
I didn't think it was all perfect, but I enjoyed pretty much of all it. Rocksteady added about three hundred more Riddler Trophies than I care to catch, but I still find myself going out of my way to grab ones I know how to get to. I have enjoyed the games post release content as well. Adding Dick Grayson and Tim Drake to the challenge room chaos kept me punching bad dudes in the face for even more hours than I expected.
Starting the game as Bruce Wayne adds a much needed element to the video game Batman that has been previously ignored. It doesn't take long to go from cool Bruce to Batman, and when the transition happens you have a full grip of gadgets. Developer Rocksteady wastes no times reacquainting you with gadget/hand to hand combat and throws you into a legitimately great Batman adventures, peppered with interesting side quests that hash out some of the other villains in varying ways.
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
For a person who detested Oblivion, Skyrim was a revelation (will I pay off the use of this word?) for me in more way than one. Not only did I detest Oblivion, I just hated first person role playing games in general... Well now that I think of it, I -LOVED- Borderlands, but I think of that as more of a first person shooter with RPG elements.. Anyhow Skyrim totally changed my outlook on Bethesda-type RPGs with a tight combat system and rewarding progression (and I won’t lie, the beautiful scenery didn’t hurt).
Skyrim grabbed me tight for over seventy hours in only a few weeks. Every time I booted up the game there was always something new and cool to discover. I know some people knock Skyrim for “not having high highs”, which I do somewhat agree with, as there isn’t really a standout amazing mission you can point to while talking about Skyrim, but I have been completely satisfied by the consistent great missions bolstered by Bethesda’s Radiant AI technology (that so far doesn’t seem to just be bland fetch quest and bland fetch quest).
I feel like I do have to mention I am playing the game on PS3. At the point of writing this I’m 72 hours in with a 13mb save file and the game has worked just fine for me, though it really sucks that some peoples experience with the game have been terrible.
2. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Capcom improved the game that started my fighting game lifestyle. Though the business decisions behind releasing Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 twice in one year may be nefarious, the content has kept me coming back every week. I first picked up MvC3 because I was a comic fan and I wanted to fight people with Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man. Somehow my squad of Avengers were often decimated online, and even struggled against the AI controlled fighters sometimes. That gave me the idea to watch fighting game tournaments, to study the high level play and try to make it translate to my own game. So far that plan has gone nowhere, but it seems I watch another tournament every weekend, and not only am I entertained by the gaming, but also by top fighting game community personalities like Justin Wong and Marn.
Even though all my spectating hasn’t turned into mad skills with the controller, I can now hold my own online and the only single player content worth playing is the training mode. Nothing in gaming is as purely satisfying to me than winning a tough match against another human. Well, winning a tough match while wearing a sweet DLC costume is more satisfying, but I can’t explain that..
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is undeniably flashy, but at the core the game is all substance. The fighting system is solid, but assists and other tricks keep every match insane, which is the perfect combination to keep me playing.
1. Saints Row: The Third
The most fun I have had with a video game.. in ever? Like no other game I played this year, Saints Row: The Third starts out with the OSF (Oh shit factor) at ten, and keeps it there for the rest of the game. The game is highlighted with tons of memorable moments including a heist gone wrong, a royal rumble type showdown, and Giantbomb's Best Mission/Level of 2011 http://deckers.die.
I am always (well 97%ish of the time) having a great time with Saints Row, be it one of the fantastic main story missions, a random call from a homie that leads to wave based survival fire fights, tron-style racing, buying airports, making my look juuust perfect, or just spending money leveling up my dude... it is all fun. Which is something no other game has done for me and that easily makes it my 2011 Game of the Year.
image credit:
Batman: Arkham City and Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 - g4tv
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - grizzlygaming
Saints Row: The Third - gameinformer
