Back at the end of 2010, a glance at 2011’s calendar either sent gamers into a fit of excited trembling or utter despair. How were we going to play all of these games? What surprises were in store for us? Which ones were going to be worth the money? Could the long-awaited sequels live up to the years of promise? At the beginning of 2012, we now have all of those answers and then some. And thus, the GamerSushi Top 10 Games of 2011 list is born.
It sounds like we’re using hyperbole, but we truly feel like 2011 was one of the greatest years of gaming we’ve seen in quite some time. That much is evidenced by each staff member’s ballot – the submissions we used to determine our final top 10 (and yes, your votes for Game of the Year counted as one of our submissions, as well) were wildly different and full of an astounding variety of games. One thing was certain – gamers had a wealth of choices last year, and everyone benefited from it.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the top 10 games of 2011. Enjoy, dudes.
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10. L.A. Noire
Team Bondi [Rockstar Games]
Take one part adventure game and one part hard-boiled detective story, mix with ground breaking facial animations and let it stew for eight years and what you get is L.A. Noire. Although the story took a bit of a nose dive in the last act, there’s enough 1940s investigation action here to make this game a hit. |
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9. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Ubisoft Montreal [Ubisoft]
Another yearly appearance in the top ten from this series means that the blistering pace kept up by Ubisoft seems to be paying off. Moving the action out of Italy, Revelations sees old man Ezio capping off his adventures in grand style and heaps even more improvements on an already addicting multiplayer mode. |
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8. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Naughty Dog Software [Sony Computer Entertainment]
Nathan Drake’s back for more after Uncharted 2 reached near-unanimous levels of critical acclaim. Uncharted 3 is a fast-paced adventure with gorgeous graphics, clever puzzles and the best voice acting in the industry. Couple that with some of the most likable characters to ever appear in a game and you can’t go wrong. |
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7. Gears of War 3
Epic [Microsoft Games]
While many three-quels trying to swing for the fences often find themselves in a lot of hot water with fans, Gears of War 3 represents perhaps the series’ best outing yet. The campaign never lets up in terms of its explosive pacing, and actually delivers a satisfying ending rather than leaving players hanging. Top that off with some multiplayer and the best co-op survival gameplay around in Horde 2.0, and you will have a game that you’ll be replaying well into 2012 and possibly even beyond. |
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6. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Eidos [Square-Enix]
We may have never asked for it, but this prequel to the legendary series took us all by surprise with its quality and attention to detail. Catering to a variety of play styles with great story and RPG hooks to back it up, this game had one of the most engaging single-player experiences of the year. |
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5. Bastion
Super Giant Games [Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]
Bastion was on our radar months before its release due to its appealing visuals, old-school style gameplay and the uniqueness of having a narrator describe your actions. Our hopes of this being a worthwhile downloadable game were surpassed as Bastion’s touching story and mind-blowing soundtrack make for the one of the best games of the year, downloadable or otherwise. |
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4. Portal 2
Valve [Electronic Arts]
Following up the legendary hit first person puzzler Portal would keep lesser developers up at night, but Valve rose to the challenge with Portal 2. While it’s hard to match a short, virtually perfect game, Valve gave a valiant effort with a script that was legitimately hilarious and engaging, returning to old jokes while paving the way to exciting new gameplay additions. And that’s not even mentioning one of the year’s best co-op modes – one that actually ties into the lore of Aperture Science. |
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3. Dead Space 2
Visceral Games [Electronic Arts]
Even though it was released in January, Visceral Game’s sci-fi horror sequel had the staying power to make it into the top three this year. A brilliant combination of combat, terror and storytelling, only a tacked-on multiplayer mode held this title back from greatness. |
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2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Bethesda [Bethesda]
Bethesda’s epic RPG series returns and the level of immersion (and anticipation) is at an all time high. Thankfully, Skyrim delivers. Improving on just about every facet of the series, Skyrim’s only flaw is the plethora of bugs and glitches and even that is not enough to hold it back from the runner-up spot. |
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1. Batman: Arkham City
Rocksteady [Warner Bros. Interactive / Eidos Interactive]
This game was an easy choice for GamerSushi Game of the Year. Not only did it exceed Rocksteady’s previous entry Arkham Asylum, it did in a way that would make the Caped Crusader proud. Arkham City is the kind of game that happens when story, design and gameplay all work together to become greater than the sum of their parts. Somehow, Arkham City doesn’t just put you behind Batman’s cowl, it makes you feel like Batman, all while experiencing what could just as easily have been a season of the beloved animated series. We can’t wait to see what Rocksteady is cooking up next – but we’ll play Arkham City while we wait. |
And there you have it. Which of these games have you guys played? How would you rank them? What games got shafted? What would you include in your own top 10? Go!
This is my list to a T, with the exception of LA Noire. A total let down almost as big of a let down as Fable 2.
I missed out on too many of the recent games to make a proper 2011 list. Although, Skyrim, Deus Ex and Arkham City would all be top contenders. Bastion and Portal 2 would be in the latter half of my list. Fantastic, games all year. We gamers really are spoiled aren’t we?
Ah, another snub for Dark Souls, far superior to Skyrim in my opinion (though I realize I’m in the minority), and The Witcher 2. I can’t say I’d put them in the top spot, since I haven’t played Arkham City yet, but of the games I’ve played, Dark Souls and The Witcher 2 at 1 and 2. I’d keep Bastion and Portal 2 on my list, and I just started Dead Space 2 ($5 on Steam), and am loving it so far.
[quote comment=”18544″]Ah, another snub for Dark Souls, far superior to Skyrim in my opinion (though I realize I’m in the minority), and The Witcher 2. I can’t say I’d put them in the top spot, since I haven’t played Arkham City yet, but of the games I’ve played, Dark Souls and The Witcher 2 at 1 and 2. I’d keep Bastion and Portal 2 on my list, and I just started Dead Space 2 ($5 on Steam), and am loving it so far.[/quote]
Witcher 2 was on my personal list, but I was the only one of us who played it, and I didn’t finish the campaign. Same deal with Dark Souls – it showed up on Anthony’s list, but the rest of us either didn’t play it or barely touched it. Think of this more as the top 10 that we could all agree on.
This is probably the best “best of” list I’ve seen for sure. I agree with pretty much all of your picks, although I would definitely put the Witcher 2 in the top 5 (I realize none of the GamerSushi guys have played it, but dammit someone get on that so you can explain to everyone else what they’re missing).
I definitely plan on playing The Witcher 2 when it hits consoles. I could just get it on the PC, but for games that long I tend to enjoy sitting on the couch more than sitting at my PC.
My nominees that didn’t make the final list: Sonic Generations, Final Fantasy Tactics iOS.
@ JJ and Eddy
I realize this is a cumulative assessment of the games, and I won’t always agree with these lists (such is the nature of year-end lists). Still makes me sad, though.
Also, I’m psyched about Witcher 2’s release on consoles since so many people will get to play this gem of a game that weren’t able to before. It should port perfectly.
Sorry for so many comments on this one. I just wanted to add that I know GamerSushi’s staff has other jobs to tend to and, unlike the huge gaming publications, you guys aren’t paid to play games (wouldn’t that be nice…), and so don’t get to play everything. This is especially true for games that take a lot of time to complete.
I don’t mean to sound like a curmudgeon about the list. Thanks for taking the extra time and can’t wait for future disagreements 🙂 (agreements, too).
I figured Arkham City would be No. 1. I heard A LOT of good things about it. I was definitely curious about The Witcher 2. I just read an article about it in Game Informer. Also, in terms of games for this year? Anybody else as curious and timidly excited about XCOM being brought back?
I’m happy with how the list turned out, even if two of my personal top tenners (InFamous 2 and Magicka) didn’t make an apperance.
If I had to do this again, I’d replace L.A. Noire with Sonic Generations, but overall it’s a good looking list. What a year.
I also own the Witcher 2, and I’ve only played 30 minutes of it. Once ME3 has come and gone, I’m going to play that bad boy.
[quote comment=”18551″]Anybody else as curious and timidly excited about XCOM being brought back?[/quote]
::raises hand::
YES! I’m not the only one. One of the cinchers was Sid Meier manning the helm for it. You know it has serious potential with the mastermind of Civilization.
[quote comment=”18550″]Sorry for so many comments on this one. I just wanted to add that I know GamerSushi’s staff has other jobs to tend to and, unlike the huge gaming publications, you guys aren’t paid to play games (wouldn’t that be nice…), and so don’t get to play everything. This is especially true for games that take a lot of time to complete.
I don’t mean to sound like a curmudgeon about the list. Thanks for taking the extra time and can’t wait for future disagreements 🙂 (agreements, too).[/quote]
No worries, my friend.
I am pumped for both Witcher 2 and curious about Xcom. Looks like a fun game.
I haven’t played about half of the games on this list (moneeey), but I agree with what places Skyrim and Bastion hold.
I don’t agree with LA Noire; I was severely disappointed with the game almost as soon as I started it. It was tedious, the open-world segments between crime scenes and interrogations were unnecessary, and the interrogation system (Truth, Doubt, Lie) was terrible; the options were way too vague since I didn’t know what exactly Cole was going to say. I’m all for praising Team Bondi’s work at recreating the 1940s and for making a game that didn’t involve shoo… a lot of shooting, but LA Noire just wasn’t that good.
I feel Call of Duty Black Ops and Halo Reach should be on this list around 7 and 8 because they were lots of a fun and surprisingly well made. I hated CoD and was getting tired of Halo when I got the games, but they reinvigorated my love for the series by being well balanced and full of new, well-implemented features. Halo Reach’s Forge mode was also a great boost to making creative Forge worlds easier.
Finally, Deus Ex Human Revolution seriously needs to be higher on the list, as much as that sounds like fanboyism. I think we all expected DXHR to fall a bit short of the genius and nostalgia of Deus Ex 1, and yet DXHR delivered and improved upon the original Deus Ex experience. That includes the ugly character models (lol). Eidos Montreal’s debut title was an outstanding gem that had some of the most fun stealth and option-oriented gameplay I’ve played in a long while, and the art design and atmosphere was truly unforgettable. It pleasantly surprised me, and it’s my game of the year. On this list, it deserves to be around 3 or 4.
EDIT
Herp and derp, then Cossack realized Halo Reach and Black Ops were 2010. Damn you, dyslexia.
[quote comment=”18557″]EDIT
Herp and derp, then Cossack realized Halo Reach and Black Ops were 2010. Damn you, dyslexia.[/quote]
Oh, man! I was going to deliver a scorching post pointing that out! DAMN YOUSE!
[quote comment=”18557″]EDIT
Herp and derp, then Cossack realized Halo Reach and Black Ops were 2010. Damn you, dyslexia.[/quote]
OPINION NULLIFIED
[quote comment=”18559″][quote comment=”18557″]EDIT
Herp and derp, then Cossack realized Halo Reach and Black Ops were 2010. Damn you, dyslexia.[/quote]
OPINION NULLIFIED[/quote]
C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER
SHUT UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE DEUS EX HUMAN REVOLUTION MORE, YOU BULLIES!
hahahahaaa