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[zankara]

1. Anno 2070 ; Fantastic game. I was initially unsure about the change in setting but ended up loving it.
2. Uncharted 3
3. Infamous 2
4. Dark Souls
5. Little big planet 2
6. Motorstorm Apocalypse
7. Dead Space 2
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ; PC
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
10. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

 

[Beernf]

1. Batman: Arkham City
2. Skyrim
3. Bastion
4. Portal 2
5. Infamous 2
6. Deus Ex Human Revolution
7. Dead Space 2
8. Resistance 3
9. Outland

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Why does it end so soon? What's the hurry?

 

[18-Volt]

1- Skyward Sword: Better than Twilight Princess. Not the LoZ I was expecting but way better all of the games I played in 2011.

2- Batman: Arkham City: Way better than first game in every aspect. Catwoman and Nightwing were great additions (though I was wishing them to be in first game)

3- Super Mario 3D Land: Best original handheld Mario? Best original handheld Mario.

4- Dark Souls: Another sequel surpasses the prequel. Easier as well.

5- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: Great graphics, astounding soundtrack and Sully.

6- Xenobalde Chronicles: Simply the best RPG of 2011, Monolith has done it again.

7- Rayman Origins: Ancel returns! Best part of this game was Globox himself, seriously.

8- inFamous 2: Not too innovative sequel but it had the greatest story of 2011.

9- Portal 2: Easier puzzles, pointless co-op are downsides but, Wheatley and all the hilarious dialogs makes it one of the Vavle's very best.

10- Pushmo: 20 hours and still counting...

Honourable mentions:
x. Alice Madness Returns
x. El Shaddai: Ascension of Metatron
x. Catherine
x. Mario Kart 7
x. Assassin's Creed II-3
x. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Dissapointments:
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Bethesda did nothing to make newcomers to like the game. Way too serious for my tastes.
Dungeon Siege 3
LA Noire
KH Re:Coded
Kirby's Return to Dream Land: Huge step back away from GoodFeel platforming goodness.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ; Brilliant game and makes me never want to go back to button controls for the series on consoles. Playing  this so soon after OoT 3D really highlights that. It isn't perfect as it does have some incongruous sections (silent realm, fetch quests) and some quibbles (intrusive hint system you cannot turn off or dial down, no options to speed up text etc.), but none of those really prevent it from taking my GotY award this year.

2. Radiant Historia ; Excellent, excellent game with an amazing albeit limited soundtrack. It was a close race between this and Zelda for my GotY. The story is solid and the interactions with the characters are intricate but the game does get a little samey at times with its desert setting and reprising of key story scenes. A bit more variety in the soundscape for some locations would have gone a long way as the time traveling mechanic has you revisiting and spending time in some locations a lot more than others, whereas some songs are heard once then never again. Finally, the battle system is amazing and can turn impossible challenges into cakewalks if you're able to take advantage of the battlefield.

3. Super Mario 3D Land ; This game becomes something completely different at a certain point and never looks back. It's only easy if you ignore every secondary goal and can become extremely hard if you're trying to get everything. The soundtrack is a bit bland after SMG1/2 and I was disappointed that they didn't reprise Gusty Garden in some way.

4. Pokemon Black/White ; It's Pokemon. Everything about this game was solid and very hard to find fault with. The thing that stops this game from reaching higher was (unfortunately) the setting I played it in. I got it at the same time as my 3DS and the whole time kept wanting it to be 3DS enhanced in some way or to have skipped the DS entirely. I hate it when people are down on a game for what it isn't, but there you go. Like all Pokemon games, it took the series forward in some ways, backward in others and stayed as archaic as anything in still other ways.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D ; I played this for the first time last year (I think). It was the GC port. Not a lot changed between then and now, apart from prettier graphics. It's a great game, but not very exciting GotY wise.

6. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars ; Got this at launch with my 3DS. While it was neat to see space battles and diorama set pieces in 3D, I wasn't familiar with the clone wars TV series, so the scenario left me a bit cold.

2010. Cave Story ; Excellent little game with a surprisingly dark story for something so deliberately cute. I loved the speed and how acrobatic the main character is, though some sections are too hard for their own good.

I played surprisingly few new games this year and could literally only really muster a list of six, some of which don't really deserve the points they'll get as a result, but whatever. I tend to be LttP a lot if the time.

 

[btkadams]

1. Pokemon Black/White
2. Uncharted 3
3. LittleBigPlanet 2
4. Motorstorm: Apocalypse
5. Portal 2
6. Infamous 2
7. Resistance 3
8. Killzone 3
9. Child of Eden
10. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

 

[krakov]

1. Dark Souls; Praise the sun!

 

[ashbash159]

1. Portal 2
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
3. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
4. Batman: Arkham City
5. Super Mario 3D Land
6. Dead Space 2
7. Battlefield 3
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
9. LittleBigPlanet 2
10. L.A. Noire

 

[SA-X]

1. Portal 2 ; What can I say really? This game has fantastic puzzle gameplay, level designs, pacing, atmosphere, story, characters, and co-op. Just a wonderful game and one of the few that legitimately deserve a perfect 10. Without a doubt my game of the year.
2. Frozen Synapse
3. Super Mario 3D Land
4. Mario Kart 7
5. Outland
6. Bastion
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ; I still can't stand the multiplayer or the campaign in this game. But holy crap the survival mode and spec ops challenges sure are fun to play locally with a friend.
8. Pixeljunk Shooter 2

2010. Super Meat Boy

My biggest disappointments of the year would be BF3 (console versions are shit), and Zelda which was a chore to play outside of a few interesting segments.

Pretty lame that we have to vote so early. I wish we could move the deadline to March 1st or something so those of us with lives outside of gaming could have more time to complete our lists (its not like there are a ton of big games coming out in Jan/Feb anyway). I'm pretty sure Uncharted 3, Gears 3, Deus Ex, and Trine 2 could all make my list but I haven't had time to play them yet. Ah well.

 

[jedimike]

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; By far the most immersive open world experience you'll ever want to play

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; I don't care what iteration of Call of Duty this is, it is the most balanced. I soak more hours into CofD games than all others.

3. Gunstringer; I'm the only person voting for this game and I'm probably listing it high to compensate for that. Regardless, it is a breakthrough game on Kinect and a blast to play with very high production value.

4. Forza Motorsport 4; best racer on the market. Couple it with a speed wheel and you can spend scores of hours immersed in racing.

5. Portal 2; best game to use both your mental and physical abilities. Great writing, lots of fun.

6. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012; A great improvement to the earlier version. Magic fans can't go wrong with this purchase.

7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution; Far more linear than I wanted but it in the series it is closest to the original.

8. Rage; Not exactly what I expected from Id. The graphics were amazing and the gunplay was tight. It's biggest problem was not the story or ending but the lack of an FPS multiplayer.

9. Joe Danger SE; I really wanted the new Trials to hit this year but Joe subsided my cravings. It should have been $10, but I think most people will find enough entertainment to justify the price.

10. Star Wars: The Old Republic; A game I've yet to play so I put it on the bottom of my list, but I've read enough about it and have seen enough impressions to know it is worthy of being on the list.

 

[chaosblade]

Will update this later with details and more games, but I can fill in a few for now.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles - I think other people have already said it better. All around great RPG, nailed just about everything. Looked great, was a joy to explore, the combat was fun, the story was interesting, and the soundtrack was excellent. Only real complaint I had was the some of the sidequest management.

2. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - Great RPG that keeps away from a lot of tropes or plays them a little differently than usual. Story was paced slowly, but was really good once it got going. Great characters too, especially Oliver.

3. Ys I & II Chronicles - I was actually pretty skeptical about this game, I knew it was old-school as hell and figured I'd find it boring, but it was anything but. Especially Ys II, fantastic game that I'd even put ahead of Ys Seven. And that soundtrack, best of the year for me, no question. (I notice this one is not on your list - it came out in February).

4. Dark Souls - While I felt like this was an upgrade from Demon's Souls (which I loved) I ended up not liking it quite as much. Not sure what it was about it, but if I had played more games from 2011 it probably wouldn't have made my list. Still, I can appreciate what it improved (despite what it broke) and am sticking it on here anyway due to a lack of 2011 games.

Will try to play before voting ends:
Portal 2 - I loved Portal, I'm sure I'll love this.

LTTP Vote:
Ys: The Oath in Felghana - Excellent game, easily my #2 for 2010 behind Galaxy 2. Falcom managed to create the perfect action RPG - twice (Ys Origin!).

Edit: Man, I've hardly played any 2011 games. Or even bought many. Guess that's what happens when you're always waiting for sales.

 

[GlamFM]

1. Portal 2
2. Dead Space 2
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
4. Crysis 2

 

[Liquid_Bike]

Here's my list might tinker with it later:

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim;
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution;
3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword;
4. Star Wars: The Old Republic;
5. Uncharted 3;
6. Xenoblade Chronicles;
7. Pokemon Black/White;
8. Batman: Arkham City;
9. Gears of War 3;
10. The Witcher 2;

 

[Earthpainting]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles ; Put more time into this than any other game this year, so it's only fair that it gets the top spot.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ; Quirks aside, it's been the most enjoyable Zelda game in a very long time for me.
3. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective ; This was probably my favourite experience of the year. Would have placed right at the top if it wasn't a little light on gameplay.
4. Portal 2 ; Starts great, comparatively weak middle and great ending. Had high hopes for it and I didn't walk away disappointed.
5. Super Mario 3D Land ; While I enjoyed this great, I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. It's done by the book, but the book still manages to entertain, so I won't complain.
6. Pokemon Black/White ; Some very welcome tweaks to the mechanics rekindled my interest in a series that was slowly fading into irrelevance to me.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D ; While I'm hesitant to put it on a GOTY-list, it still belong on here if I'm completely honest with myself.
8. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together ; This is probably the peak of the genre for me.
9. Professor Layton and The Last Specter ; Much like Super Mario 3D Land, it doesn't deviate much from the tried and true, but it's very easy to overlook due to the nature of the game.
10. Rayman Origins ; Well-crafted co-op platformer.

2010. Nier ; While not the most playable, beautiful or elegant game, it made up for it the rest with giving me a pretty unique experience that I won't forget any time soon.

 

[The Technomancer]

1. SpaceChem
2. Xenoblade Chronicles
3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
4. Portal 2
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
6. Pokemon Black/White
7. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

I am missing so many titles I know. Hopefully I'll make some changes to this list within the next week or so once I get a 3DS

 

[Electivirus]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; By far my favorite game of the year and my favorite Zelda game. A beautiful art style, motion controls that show just how well-done they can be with a traditional game, the best cutscene direction in the series thus far, and just the right amount of turning series tradition on its head to keep things interesting. An amazing game from start to finish, and in my book, it'll go down as the Wii's greatest.

2. Pokemon Black & White; It's freakin' Pokemon! But to be more specific, Unova's Pokemon selection is fantastic, and the decision to have those be the only Pokemon you see pre E4 keeps things fresh and interesting. Alongside that, the little tweaks to the battle system (60 FPS battles, no more weather interrupting every turn, triple/rotation battles, etc) are very, very welcome. Unova itself is also very well-designed, second only to Hoenn in area variety. Also, the soundtrack is PHENOMENAL. AND IT'S GODDAMN POKEMON.

3. Super Mario 3D Land; The perfect handheld Mario title. Bite sized levels make it the perfect pick-up-and-play game, and the fusion of 2D gameplay and the 3D plane makes it feel both brand new and familiar at the same time. That, and it has a surprisingly extensive amount of content for a Mario game, which is always a plus. The premier 3DS title and one every owner of the system should own.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles; The JRPG the Wii's always wanted. An expansive world not seen even on most HD console RPGs, a fantastic soundtrack, a bunch of very welcome time-saving features (change the time of day anytime you want, save anywhere, quick-traveling, etc) that get rid of the tedium that many other RPGs suffer from, an...interesting story, a great battle system...it's just amazing all around. And no motion controls, for you motion control-haters out there. With it finally getting a U.S. release, there's no reason for any of you to miss out on it.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D; The perfect remake. Redone visuals making it much closer to the official art, dat credits music, Master Quest being included (and being made harder than ever by the inverted view and Link taking double damage), the best 3D on the system at that point... also a must own for any 3DS owner.

6. Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy; One of the very few fighters (alongside the Smash Bros. series) that I've been able to fully enjoy. Whomever made the character animations (in battles, not cutscenes) needs to be given a medal for how detailed they are. And blending RPG elements into the game is a pretty big recipe for making me addicted as all hell. Add to that tons of content and a kickass soundtrack and we have ourselves a winner.

Also, I get to beat the crap out of Sephiroth. Teehee~ :3

7. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective; Initially, I was very hesitant on buying this game. Story-focused games have never been all that appealing to me, and its brevity made me very iffy on purchasing it. Eventually, however, I caved, and boy am I ever glad I did! Characters full of life (so to speak), whether it came from dialogue, or the incredibly well-animated sprites, or their backstories, etc. The story also had me sucked in from the very beginning, and the puzzles required some pretty big and inventive mental leaps at times. All in all, it's definitely my surprise pick this year.

8. Sonic Generations; Sonic the Hedgehog is back! Well designed (and gorgeous) levels from games past, the Classic and Modern stages both meld together quite well, the soundtrack (as expected from the Blue Blur) is absolutely ROCKIN'... though a subpar endgame and a rather lacking variety in the choice of levels (could've been a few less city-based levels) keep this from reaching the heights of my list, but what IS there is some of the best fun I've had on my PS3 this year.

9. Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded; Irrelevant story aside, Re:Coded probably has the best gameplay in the series yet. Yes, even moreso than Birth By Sleep, whose battle system it actually improves on in several aspects. Taking elements from TWEWY is probably one of the best things about it. The ability to change the difficulty and drop rates of enemies at any time means that the game is only as challenging or as easy as you want to be, and boy can it get outright ball-breaking at times. The reused worlds and music (though I still quite enjoyed them) are a mark against it, but I'll be damned if one of the most fun DS games I've played this year doesn't make it on my list.

10. Kirby Mass Attack; Combining Kirby with Lemmings is a winning formula, apparently! One of the best uses of the DS' touch screen around, and the music is also fantastic. The mini-games are definitely of note here, as each one is so complete and lengthy enough that they all feel like they could be separate games themselves! The main game is definitely one of the most difficult Kirby games around, and getting every medal + gold stars on each level can become quite the ordeal. :B

2010. Kirby's Epic Yarn; Adorable is the name of the game in this Kirby title. Every little detail is meticulously crafted to make it a living, breathing piece of artwork. It's fucking stunning. The ground bends beneath Kirby's feet, weaving yarn creates the illusion of quicksand, Kirby jumps rope with HIMSELF, cotton taking the place of dirt to tunnel through... the entire game is absolutely gorgeous on every level, and it puts a giant grin on my face every single time I play it. Good-Feel being the developer is appropriate on several levels. And the music is also amazing, the remixes of old classics even moreso.

 

[BY2K]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
2. Batman: Arkham City
3. The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim
4. Mario Kart 7
5. Portal 2
6. Dead Space 2
7. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
8. Super Mario 3D Land
9. Kirby's Return to Dream Land
10. Ocarina of Time 3D

 

[MasterShotgun]

1) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

This is almost exactly what I wanted in a Zelda game. Tons of puzzles of everywhere. More interactive combat. Beautiful art style. A good story with good characters. The list goes on and on. I'm going to do my

Spoiler

Hero Mode

playthrough soon, which I'm sure will bring an better challenge. Even though I found two major flaws (Fi not shutting her mouth and some padding in the game's length), but neither of them were enough to dethrone it as my GOTY for 2011.

2) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I had been in a gaming slump before this came out. I had only played Oblivion, so Skyrim was nowhere on my radar. I watched my friend play it some after he picked it up from a midnight release. It was love at first sight. I found myself downloading Skyrim from Steam at 4 o'clock in the morning. I hadn't realized it, but it was exactly the kind of game I was needing to play. I never felt like I was just chugging along a predetermined path. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. The world of Skyrim is so gorgeous. I love to find views that make me want to stare at them. I've now played more than 50 hours and I still want to play more. If it weren't for some horrible bugs, I might have put this above Skyward Sword.

3) Batman: Arkham City

Arkham Asylum was my GOTY 2009. Arkham City is better than Arkham Asylum. AA was great, but I prefer the large open environment in AC. Everything that was good about AA was improved in AC. Combat brought more variety in both Batman's moves and enemy types. Boss battles were actually fun, with

Spoiler

Mr. Freeze

being pretty ingenious. There were more Riddler challenges to complete (which I've yet to finish). Catwoman was a great character and felt good to play as. I hope Rocksteady goes on to become an even greater developer in the future. I bet they could do wonders if they created a new IP.

4) Portal 2

The funniest game of the year. The additions of Stephen Merchant (Wheatley) and J.K. Simmons (Cave Johnson) to the voice cast were perfect. Nolan North's performance as the defective turrets and personality cores were also wonderful. As for the game itself, it was finally a full length Portal. A lot of the puzzles were more linear than from Portal 1, but the whole game felt more like a journey. Co-op was also a great addition to the series that I hope to see expanded through more DLC.

5) Deus Ex: Human Revolution

This game came out of left field for me. I hadn't played the prior Deus Ex games, so I only had a few ideas of what to expect. I was shocked to see how open it felt. Being able to tackle a mission in multiple ways was something I hadn't really experienced in many games. I decided to play action stealth, although I definitely was not going for the Pacifist achievement. I got halfway through the game and put it down for some other game, but I believe I played enough to award it this position.

6) Super Mario 3D Land

Best portable Mario ever. Also best use of 3D on the 3DS. For the first time, it felt like the game was made for 3D. Being able to judge distances helped in landing jumps properly. I enjoyed that each world was not themed which led to each level feeling individual from all the others. The

Spoiler

Special World

added challenge to game, although it was still fairly easy to me. I beat the game 100% and still had close to 300 lives.

7) Bastion

First off, this game deserves best soundtrack of the year and best downloadable title of the year. I can listen to it for what feel like days. The game's visuals were also a treat. The hand drawn worlds were beautiful. The narrator was a neat idea that I would love to see used in other games. There needs to be a sequel in the future.

8) Saints Row: The Third

This is the most over-the-top game I've ever played. Any game that forces me to play a text adventure to advance in a quest deserves to make my GOTY list. While everything outside the campaign is fairly standard sandbox stuff, it's the main story that makes the game. Zimos the auto-tuned pimp had me in tears every time. Chainsawing luchadores at a wrestling match with "You're the Best" playing the background might be the single funniest moment in a game this year. (Portal 2 was just funnier overall.) I don't see how Volition can make the next game even more over-the-top, but I still want to see them try.

9) Trine 2

This game makes the list for two main reason. 1) I'm a sucker for physics based puzzles. 2) Trine 2 has to be the prettiest game I've ever played. The use of color everywhere hits all the right notes for me.

10) Mario Kart 7

I picked a good time to jump back into the Mario Kart series after being absent sent Double Dash. There's still some item spam, but everything else feels tight. The new tracks are great, and most of the retro tracks were great picks. It's Nintendo's first serious online title for the 3DS, and they seemed to have done a fantastic job with it. While the game itself is not a graphical showcase for the system, it looks super clean running at 60 fps in 3D.


x) Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm was such a guilty pleasure for me. I had too much fun with it to not at least mention it. It felt a lot like an arcade shooter mixed with modern design choices. It's also a nice showcase for Unreal Engine 3.5. I doubt it will get a sequel, but I think it deserves one (especially with the cliffhanger ending.)

Spoiler

Dick-tits.

x) Pushmo

Best game on the 3DS eShop by far. It's a fairly simple puzzle game that involves pushing and pulling blocks to reach a goal. Intelligent Designs executed the idea perfectly. I played the game for hours on the first day I bought it. Pushmo also lets users create their own levels, and then put the QR code for that level for others to download in the game. The |OT| for this game already has ton of mindblowing levels available to scan. For only $7, anyone with a 3DS should own this game.

x) Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

I wasn't expecting to add any late additions to my list, much less a PSP game. My brother just up and gave me his PSP for Christmas, and I immediately bought the number one game I wanted a PSP for. This game is freaking amazing. It's pure fan service, but I've made an exception in this case. I'm not going to get to play this enough in order to give it a fair judgement for the Top 10, but it definitely deserves at least an honorable mention.

2010) 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

I just bought the game yesterday, but it's already better than my other choice for 2010 (Heavy Rain). If I remember, I'll edit in some more thoughts once I beat the game at least once. (Multiple endings FTW.)

EDIT: I beat 999 a couple of days ago. It easily takes the cake for the 2010 award.

 

[Tain]

Does a compilation of "new" games, Orange Box style, count as one game or multiple? I think it should count as multiple, but I know Orange Box didn't back in '07 and I want to be sure before voting.

 

[Magnus]

1. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

2. Portal 2

3. Pokemon Black/White

4. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

5. Star Wars: The Old Republic

6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

7. Child of Eden

8. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

9. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

10. Catherine


2010. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

1. Tactics Ogre, because its tactics ogre.

 

[gibration]

1. Batman: Arkham City
2. Portal 2
3. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
4. Dead Space 2
5. LittleBigPlanet 2
6. Resistance 3
7. Mortal Kombat
8. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
9. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
10. Battlefield 3

 

[hyduK]

1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2. Dark Souls
3. Witcher 2
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
5. Portal 2
6. Batman: Arkham City
7. ICO/SOTC Collection
8. Shogun 2
9. Ocarina of Time 3D
10. Minecraft

 

[lostxii]

1. Portal 2
2. Shadows of the Damned
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
4. Catherine
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
6. Batman: Arkham City
7. Yakuza 4
8. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

 

[natethegreat409]

1. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
2. Dead Space 2


The only two games I've played through this year. Fuck college and work. =(

 

[Pand]

1. Portal 2
2. Xenoblade Chronicles
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
4. Skyward Sword
5. Bastion
6. Skyrim
7. Ghost Trick
8. The Witcher 2
9. Saints Row The Third
10. Rayman Origins

 

[jaundicejuice]

1. The Elderscrolls V: Skyrim - I put over 100 hours into this game over the course of two and a half weeks, I've cleared every major quest line, got every achievement and am slowly working through what remaining things there are left to do (a few unexplored dungeons, a few unlearned words of power, etc.). I can't wait for the expansion.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings; While the combat has some annoying issues, The Witcher 2 is a masterpiece of a game. Aside from being the most beautiful game ever made, it has one of the most mature and complex plots ever seen in the medium which sets Geralt's personal tale against a backdrop of political upheaval and a plan to destabilise regional powers through regicide. It's also a great example of choice and consequence done right, in that it doesn't spend any time moralising about your choices, and presents believable repercussions, intended and otherwise.

2. Saints Row: The Third; The funniest game I've played since No One Lives Forever 2, this game reminded me why I play games in the first place. A video game is an opportunity to do something virtually you could never do in real life; SR3 takes this idea and straps it on. From the first mission to the last it continually ups the ante, building to an insane and hilarious finale. Pure fun, with surprisingly witty writing and characters.

3. Dead Island; This really is a love/hate title, so I don't expect to rank very highly. It's not a game you play for the writing, it's a game you play for the personal narrative you build. Like a zombie outbreak movie, most of the protagonist's goals are as simple as getting fuel or supplies, but nothing is simple on an island full of flesh-eating monstrosities. As such, you'll play co-op with your mates and then spend hours talking about the little things which happened along the way.

4. Bastion; A very late entry. Usually I'm not a fan of experiences masquerading as video-games, but I make an exception for Bastion. The actual gameplay isn't spectacular, rather it's a quite basic ARPG a la Zelda, and it can often be clunky and unresponsive. Where it fails as a game, however, it succeeds a dozen times over as a work of art. The only game which has ever made me put my controller down in awe.

5. Portal 2; There's really not much to say about Portal 2. Hilarious and beautifully paced, it's one of those games I immediately started again after completing it just to enjoy it for a second time.

6. Alice: Madness Returns; American McGee called this game "a beautiful distraction" from making Facebook games with PopCap, which is probably the most impressive backhanded compliment in the history of games. The platforming is passable, though quite easy because of the double-jump and floating. The real star of the game is Wonderland itself, which continuously fades between horrifying and gorgeous. And the combat is pretty great too.

7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution; I never asked for this, but I'm glad I got it anyway. After a couple of runs you realise that the character progression is pretty meaningless, and that the choices you make don't really have a huge impact on the plot. Still, the actual in-mission sections embodied the spirit of Deus Ex extremely well, even if stealth was (even more) overpowered, and you couldn't murder any children.

8. Dungeons of Dredmor; This was a recent addition, but I'm really loving it. There's not a huge amount to say, it's a roguelike, it's hilariously well written and it's brutally difficult.

9. Batman: Arkham City; I didn't enjoy this as much as the first game, but it's a lot of fun nonetheless. While the lack of focus hurts the pacing somewhat, once you get out of the snow and into one of the buildings it starts to really shine.

10. Dead Space 2; It's pretty hard to explain why I loved this game so much without totally spoiling it. So here's a few adjectives: tense, brutal, unsettling. It also deserves a lot of credit for eschewing cut-scenes or QTEs in favour of limited-control sequences, because they manage to advance the story and do things which would be difficult with full-control while always creating the maximum amount of empathy with the protagonist. You know what eye mean.

 

[Windom Earle]

There were no REAL outstanding games for me this year.

 

[jgminto]

1. Saints Row: The Third
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
3. The Binding Of Isaac
4. Terraria
5. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
6. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
7. Portal 2
8. Gears of War 3
9. Frozen Synapse
10. Dungeons of Dredmor

2010. Deadly Premonition

 

[AgentP]

1. infamous 2
Favorite fanchise this gen gets a great sequel, just a near perfet game.
2. Portal 2
Awesome, funny and great gameplay. Got a free Steam code to boot!
3. Uncharted 3
The formula continues to pay, great story and smooth game play. Love the franchise.
4. LittleBigPlanet 2
A great sequel to a innovative and fun franchise. Tons of UGC and now Move support. The franchise I come back to again and again with different people.
5. Dark Souls
This game sucked me in, even with broken online, I managed to co-op the hard stuff. I have not finished, but after 35 hours I needed a break.
6. Resistance 3
One of the best SP games for any FPS. Played it back to back, love the weapons and variety. Miss the old R2 co-op though.
7. Killzone 3
My favorite FPS franchise, loved the game, played it twice in a row. Great graphics, sound and Move support.
8. inFamous: Festival of Blood
Just finished this and loved every minute. Can't get enough infamous.
9. Motorstorm Apocalypse
Crazy races, campy story. Good online, my favorite MS yet.
10. Crysis 2
Good FPS, but the suit powers were kind of game breaking, made it easy mode and the AI was dumb.

2010 LTTP: Costume Quest
Played this with the kids and we loved it.

Games I bought but have not played enough to judge from 2011:
Batman AC
R&C All4One
Dead Space 2
Dead Space Extraction
Rage
Dues Ex HR

Games I played but did not make top 10:
Mass Effect 2
Worse the ME1 which wasn't that great.
Skyrim
Oblivion 1.5, great to look at but has no soul. Not very fun either.
SOCOM 4
Started off like a great GRAW game, but the stealth and later misions got boring.
Test Drive Unlimited
Just not a good game, paid $40 for it

 

[snaffles]

1. Yakuza 4 ; Great characters, story, and battle system, as well as humourous side missions, this is the best JRPG series going at the moment.

2. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together ; Really well designed branching narrative that allows you to go back to pivotal moments in the story and play out what if scenarios based on the other choices you could have made. Along with nice art design, great music, and importantly a great battle/job system it really is a fantastic game.

3. King Of Fighters XIII ; Beautiful backgrounds, character art and animation, to go on top of the excellent fighting system, this is the best 2d fighter to come out this year.

4. Child Of Eden ; A fantastic albeit short journey through audio visual splendour, a wonderful successor to Rez.

5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ; The video game equivalent of a beautiful model who has decided she wants to be an actor, it is painful to sit through at times but you put up with it for the stunning visuals.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

1. Deus Ex - This game was such a absolute surprise for me. I got it on a whim and it was so refreshing.
2. Uncharted 3 - Not as genre defining as UC2 was but still a game in a class all its own.
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - This game would be number 1 if not for being such a damn glitch fest(Thats on 360)
4. Portal 2 - Fantastic. A little short but Valve really made something special here.
5. Gears of War 3 - Terrible story but still the best co-op experience you can get from any game.
6. InFamous 2 - The story was weaker than Infamous 1 but everything else about the game was much better. I feel like they really perfected the combat.
7. Resistance 2 - Better than R2 and definitely has some levels that hit a really high note.
8. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Gorgeous Gorgeous game but sooooooo boring.

 

[AngryMoth]

1. Portal 2 ; One of the few games I consider to be perfect. Incredible puzzles, great story and an unforgettable ending, not to mention the awesome coop. It feels ahead of its time in its ability to consistently nail highbrow humour, something which most games don't even attempt, and the puzzles strike a near perfect balance of difficulty. Flawless.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ; Possibly my favourite game of the year (certainly the one I've put the most time into), but I can't put it at #1 due to the bugs (I have a ps3 copy which was rough until 2.01) and just the general jank. After 100+ hours quests do get pretty repetitive, and I can't help but feel that they don't have the technology/budget to fully realise their vision. Still definitely one of the best games of the year.
4. L.A:Noire ; I've realised in recent weeks that many gaffers apparently hate this game, but to me its a flawed gem. They did an amazing job with the setting and atmosphere, and the absolutely mind-blowing technology leads to some of the best characterisation in the medium. The story and acting are top-notch, and I dug the feeling of it being an old school adventure game in a modern skin.
3. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ; I was expecting this to be my #1, but I was a little let down by the single player (just a little). The graphics and set pieces are mind-blowing and leagues ahead of anything else I've played to date, but I feel the game has fairly major pacing issues. They front load with story and puzzles, and save all the best set pieces for the 2nd half. I get the impression that a lot of stuff was cut from the 2nd half, the story completely drops off and several threads are left unresolved. The saver for me though is the multiplayer. I love third person games, and both uncharted 2 and 3 have absolutely nailed a feeling of controlled chaos which fun and extremely satisfying. Also it helps that I'm extremely good .
5. LittleBigPlannet 2 ; Had a lot of fun with this earlier this year. The single player was good, but the real fun is playing all the incredible levels uploaded by other users, which come in plentiful supply. You can get pretty crazy with the editor, which is surprisingly easy to use, although I do have to say though I still think it would be a better game with tight controls.
6. Infamous 2 ; The original infamous was a great foundation for the franchise, and 2 delivers in a lot of respects, but also takes some steps back. Presentation and story are still pretty bad, but its all about the gameplay. Melee combat is while still not great an improvement, and most of the new powers are pretty awesome. I had problems with the enemy design and variety however, and its still a mystery to me why they seem so set a painfully binary morality system. The ending was satisfying and surprisingly conclusive, so I hope to see Sucker Punch working on a new IP next.
7. Saint's Row: The Third ; Its lovably ridiculous and self-aware, whilst also being shockingly well made. Some of the most fun I've had this year, although it does make me feel a little dirtily for liking it .
8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Only my 2nd so I don't have necessarily have the patients to see through some of the legacy stuff. The first 5 hours were pretty tough to get through, but beyond that there are some brilliant dungeons, and the combat is both demanding and rewarding. Also I adore the art style.
9. Resistance 3 ; A refreshing return to a style of shooter which I'd thought extinct. Surprisingly good story and brilliant atmosphere make for the best fps of the year.
10. Yakuza 4 ; My first voyage into the Yakuza series (I'm learning japanese so I figured it would be good to immerse myself in the culture). The cutscenes are great and make me wish more of the dialogue was voiced. Still need to finish it but the story has been good so far. The side activities seem extremely trivial so I've pretty much been barreling down the main story. Combat is fun, but not as challenging as I'd like for normal difficulty so I don't really feel the need to get too deep into it, although it does seem like the depth is there.

 

[Card Boy]

1) Witcher 2
2) Deus Ex Human Revolution
3) Assassins Creed Revelations
4) Saints Row 3
5) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
6) Payday the Heist
7) Frozen Synlapse
8) Dark Souls
9) Magicka
10) Yakuza 4

 

[Astra]

I've played so many games from my backlog, I'm not sure what came out when, anymore.
I'll have to put together a rough list and double-check their release dates. I'm not even sure I played many games released in 2011.

Use this;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_video_gaming#Q1_January.E2.80.93March

Thanks, that'll make things easier.

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
2. Bastion
3. L.A. Noire
4. Rayman Origins
5. Portal 2
6. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
7. Mortal Kombat
8. Child of Eden
9. Rock of Ages
10. Battlefield 3

I've played so many games from my backlog, I'm not sure what came out when, anymore.
I'll have to put together a rough list and double-check their release dates. I'm not even sure I played many games released in 2011.

Use this;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_video_gaming#Q1_January.E2.80.93March

 

[ErasureAcer]

Only bought 5 new games this year not including DLC...

1. Battlefield 3
I will get 99 in every class!!!

2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
Enjoyed it so much I spent 50 bucks on extra courses

3. Catherine
Story got a little too wonky at the end but the gameplay was solid

4. Dark Souls
Amazing environment and seamless world but where's the story? A work in progress as I've yet to beat it

5. Uncharted 3
Bought it Day One and still in plastic. XMas gift to myself I guess.

 

[Anth0ny]

1. Zelda: Skyward Sword- Although disappointing in some aspects, Skyward Sword is still a fantastic game and deserving of game of the year.

2. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3- The most hype game of the year. Without a doubt some of the most exciting moments in fighting game history have occurred this year thanks to this game. Oh, and it helps that the game is fucking awesome too.

3. Pokemon Black/White- A much needed reboot of the Pokemon series. Far superior to gens 3 and 4 in every way, and 100+ hours were spent catching each and every new Pokemon in this game. Fantastic stuff.

4. Super Mario 3D Land- I was expecting something more like NSMB, and instead got something more like Super Mario Galaxy. I'm still not even finished, as this is one beefy game. Some of the later levels are absolutely crazy. 3DS finally gets a killer app!

5. Sonic Generations PS3/360/PC- Every since Sonic Heroes disappointed me, I haven't gotten my hopes up for a new Sonic game. This year, that all changed. The appearance of Classic Sonic and what looked like Genesis perfect physics was just too much to ignore. Hype was high, and believe it or not, the game did not disappoint. Although I've been more than vocal about my feelings on Modern Sonic, the Classic Sonic segments were incredible, and were alone worth the price. Best Sonic game since the Genesis era. Please, Sega, can I have some more sir?

6. Portal 2- Played Portal for the first time this year, loved it and wanted more. So I picked up Portal 2, and that was one hell of a good decision. Great puzzles, story and characters.

And those are the only games I've played this year that I think deserve votes. Damn you backlog!

OOT 3D should technically be #1, but that game was already released in 1998. It would be like nominating virtual console games imo.

 

[Dr. Malik]

1. LittleBigPlanet 2 ; Cute little big game with lots of replay value and content. I don't mind the 'floaty' controls, I actually like them and feel they add to the sackboy persona. The multiplayer is always a good time, who doesn't enjoy slapping a sackboy or decorating your buddy with stickers. Overall its a game that will never get old for me and therefore my GOTY

2. Uncharted 3
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
4. Infamous 2
5. Batman: Arkham City
6. Resistance 3
7. Pokemon White
8. Killzone 3
9. Mortal Kombat
10. Assasins Creed: Revelations

 

[Kazerei]

1. Pokemon Black/White. Yeah, it's the same formula with uglier Pokemon. But all the tweaks to the interface and gameplay are great. It's hard to go back to earlier Pokemon games after playing White. I've played this game more than any others this year.

2. Portal 2. Every aspect of the game was polished to perfection: the mechanics, level design, story, characters, presentation; it's the full package. Also has great replay value if you like speed running.

3. Mario Kart 7. The best of the MK series IMO. Lots of gameplay elements from previous games were tweaked, and some new ones added. Most importantly, the online system is actually amazing.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Another all-around solid package, and this game represents what motion controls should be (could still be better though). I loved the art style, music, and dungeon/boss design.

5. Batman: Arkham City. Soooo good. I feel so badass playing this game.

6. Forza Motorsport 4. Looks pretty and driving feels just right.

7. Dark Souls. Combat is deep and feels great. The RPG aspects are well thought out too.

8. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Innovative gameplay, compelling story, fluid animations. Yum!

9. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. It's like FFT but faster-paced and more user-friendly. Just what I wanted!

10. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked. I don't know how or why, but this game sucked 130 hours out of me.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Still got 3 games to finish, but I have a general idea of how my list will go. Will vote when I beat them.

 

[Majora]

1. Portal 2
2. Dark Souls
3. Skyrim
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
5. Zelda: Skyward Sword
6. Child Of Eden
7. Rhythm Heaven Wii
8. Batman: Arkham City
9. Mario Kart 7
10. Ghost Trick

 

[Snarfington]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; Beautiful game, well-structured, lags at parts but the overall package shines brilliantly. Fantastic.

2. Dark Souls; Played Demon's and Dark this year and both were amazing. Demon's Souls was above Dark Souls, but hell if Dark Souls wasn't a ride. Atmosphere and gameplay unmatched this year for me.

3. Portal 2; So full of character, class, and that typical Valve charm. Made me smile and furrow my brow the entire ride.

4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution; Deus Ex was an amazing game. This felt like Deus Ex to me. At last.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D; Great remake. Looked amazing in 3D and the gameplay enhancements worked great. Best version of the game.

6. The Binding of Isaac; Clocked so many hours on this it's silly. Loved swearing over the mic on Steam whilst my friend and I were both playing it. I'm going to fire this up long into next year, I can tell.

2010. Demon's Souls; Played it this year after immense GAF hype and the game drips atmosphere and I love it. You guys sucked me in. I love this game, I truly, truly do. Game of the generation.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

1. Uncharted 3
2. Infamous 2
3. Little Big Planet 2

 

[ASIS]

I would love to chip in but I still have 5 games that I want to play before I can truly construct a list. So I'm sitting this one out.

 

[Seda]

1. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together
2. Xenoblade Chronicles
3. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
5. Batman Arkham City
6. Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
7. Pokemon Black/White
8. Assassin's Creed Revelations
9. inFamous 2

2010. Fallout New Vegas

I guess that's it

 

[dreamahm]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
2. Super Mario 3D Land
3. MArio Kart 7
4. Batman: Arkham City
5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
6. Rayman Origins
7. Gears Of War 3
8. Forza Motorsport 4
9. Dead Or Alive dimension.
10. Zelda Ocarina of Time 3ds

 

[goldenticket]

Quick question am i able to vote for might and magic: clash of heroes (xbla). It came out this year but its a hd version of a ds game. Also in my 10 i plan to vote for the xbox indie block breaker / rpg wizorb is that cool? Thanks for doing all the work in the thread

 

[Bigfoot]

1. Portal 2 ; Amazing experience! Puzzles almost as good as Portal but with better story. Best writing and acting in the industry and very funny. Co-op challenge makes up for the easy single player puzzles and isn't just an add-on like co-op is with most games.
2. Batman: Arkham City ; I'm Batman! Enough said.
3. You Don't Know Jack ; The best party trivia game is finally back and is entertaining as ever.
4. Dead Space 2 ; Best UI in any game this year.
5. Bulletstorm ; Finally some creativity in the shooter genre and enjoyed the old-school feel (not every game needs cover).
6. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword ; Awesome dungeons.
7. Mortal Kombat ; This vote used to be for Uncharted 3 but the extension allowed me to play some MK. UC3 lacked something compared to the first two, and evening though it was still amazing I decided to knock it off the list instead of the 3 games below.
8. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary ; Still fantastic 10 years later.
9. Just Dance 3 ; Deserves a vote just for including a Robin Sparkles song.
10. Payday: The Heist ; Had a surprising amount of fun with some friends playing this game.

x. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception ; My former #7 vote but was replaced by MK thanks to the extension. Still a great game that needs a mention, but just didn't hit me the way the first 2 did. I think it could run in to the COD issue of "great but been there before" if they keep putting them out every 2 years.


2010. Red Dead Redemption ; Gorgeous game with great story and epic locals. Liked Undead Nightmare as well and co-op is great fun.