Video Game Feature: The 10 Best Video Games of 2011

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

5. “Batman: Arkham City”
Company: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: October 18th, 2011
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Batman: Arkham City
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

This game was higher on my list, but I fell victim to one of the most INSANE glitches of all time, which occurred when an update patch deleted hundreds, maybe thousands, of saved games, including mine. Not only did I want to go back to finish a couple side missions, play some challenges, and do some Riddler trophy hunting, but I played a majority of the games on this list again even if just for a bit to reassess their place on the year. And I can’t deny that my thinking about this title will now be forever damaged by one of the worst gaming glitches in history (for more, check out this 21-PAGE thread). Before that disastrous day, “Arkham City” was easily one of my favorite games of the year, a dense, remarkable, incredible experience that has to rank near the top of any superhero game list ever made. This game puts you in the bat shoes of the Dark Knight, taking what worked about the first game and making it deeper, more challenging, and more entertaining. There’s not a single element of the solo gameplay in which the developers did not exceed expectations. Never repetitive, never dull, never even remotely disappointing… until your saved file disappears.

4. “Dead Space 2”
Company: Electronic Arts
Release Date: January 25th, 2011
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Dead Space 2
Photo credit: EA

The most unjustly-forgotten game on most best of ‘11 lists was also the most terrifying. Perhaps it was the early release date that allowed some gamers to forget about it or perhaps they’ve blocked out the experience like someone with P.T.S.D. would do. I know I have nightmares about that damn elevator sequence. Could the multi-player have been better? Undeniably. But this is a franchise that I’m not sure could ever support anything more than solo play. It’s a concept designed around being alone. Well, alone except for the moving nightmares coming to rip you to shreds and eat your innards. This is easily one of the most accomplished, mesmerizing, and enjoyable video game experiences of the year with some of its best set-pieces. I wanted a little more variety to the campaign, a little less linear storytelling to allow for exploration, but these are minor complaints. This is a game that I know I’m going to go back to and play again. And I’ll still be just as scared when I get to that damn day care from Hell.

3. “Portal 2”
Company: Electronic Arts
Release Date: April 19th, 2011
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Portal 2
Photo credit: EA

So original, so clever, so inventive, so unique — this game is an amazing achievement in gamer expectations. Critics are so accustomed to what to expect from most games that, when one throws them such a curveball, it can be a powerful experience. And “Portal 2” is the “Empire Strikes Back” of video games, taking the concepts, ingenuity, humor, and clever gameplay from the first, highly-acclaimed title and infinitely expanding on them. On one level, “Portal 2” is a puzzle game, but like none you’ve ever played. The game builds perfectly (thanks in no small part to great voice work by Stephen Merchant and J.K. Simmons), getting the player involved emotionally as well as intellectually. It’s one of the most well-paced storytelling experiences in gaming history. Yes, it’s a bit short, but every minute of it is fantastic. It has a feeling of depth, a fully-realized world with characters human and otherwise, and it’s easily the most original game of the year. Most of the games on this list have something to compare them to — “Battlefield” people bicker with “CoD” fans, “L.A. Noire” was compared to “Red Dead,” etc. But there is no parallel for “Portal 2” other than “Portal 1.” This is a franchise that stands alone, something increasingly unique in the world’s ever-cluttered gaming market.

2. “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”
Company: Bethesda
Release Date: November 11th, 2011
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Photo credit: Bethesda

Skyrim is one of the most fully-realized and remarkable gaming worlds in the history of the video game. It is a place that feels alive with activity, not just beyond the horizon, but WAY beyond it, into towns, camps, homes, caves, and places where pure evil is merely waiting for you and your silly spells. There be dragons out there. This is easily one of the best RPGs of all time, a title that allows for pure, incredible customization. It is very likely that no one reading this has had the exact same “Skyrim” experience as I have. There may be similar arcs, but there are subtle, important differences to skill sets, alchemy, items carried or dropped, side missions, etc. And there can even be major differences. Two people can have vastly different journeys through Skyrim. When’s the last time a game scared you into finding a place to sleep? When’s the last game a world was so believable that you felt the time of day and the rest level of your character mattered? It’s incredibly rare, even in the most acclaimed modern RPGs, to find levels of detail that add up in a more impressive way than they do in “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.” It’s the little things like the perfectly-rendered clouds, the animals on the path in front of you, or the sound of something stirring in the woods that add up to what is too often missing from the world of gaming — realism.

1. “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception”
Company: Sony
Release Date: November 1st, 2011
Platform(s): PS3

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Photo credit: Sony

The A-list blockbuster of the year happened to be a video game. The ship sequence, falling from a plane, escaping a burning building — if “Drake’s Deception” was a movie, Spielberg would wet his pants in admiration. Rarely has a game been as intensely driven and well-paced as “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception,” an absolute masterpiece of a game. In fact, the Hollywood blockbuster comparison doesn’t hold because this game is the kind of action-adventure storytelling that’s too often missing from summer movie hits. I was more engaged in the story of “Drake’s Deception” and its intense action, multiple twists, and satisfying ending than I was in nearly any of the recent Marvel films, the last “Pirates” movie, or nearly any other summer Hollywood CGI extravaganza. As much as I love games like “Red Dead Redemption” and even “Mass Effect 2” (my top two of last year and two games that revolutionized authorship in gaming), the type of gameplay challenge and the settings for them remained similar. “Red Dead” is a Western and “Mass Effect 2” is a sci-fi adventure. “Uncharted 3” is several games in one, but always in pursuit of the same incredible story. It is a rollercoaster with perfectly paced peaks and valleys. Strap in and enjoy the ride.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com