Another year passes! I actually played a lot more new games this year than I did last. So what came out on top? I couldn’t come up with a top ten but a top five was easy enough to start, and hard enough to finalize. And to add a little spice, I’m throwing in the top five things in gaming that disappointed me this year.
First, the disappointments!
The Five Biggest Disappointments in Gaming of 2011
5. The Xbox 360
After not touching it for almost a year I decided to sell it. This is the first time I have sold a console that wasn’t being replaced in some shape or form. It was just tiring owning a console that had nothing for me at all.
4. Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP
I’m partially convinced this was some big joke that I wasn’t in on. It is a pretty game. And that is about it. The combat is uninteresting, the puzzles are nonsensical and the dialogue feels like it is either trying to insult me or attempting to be hip. I can’t say I liked the game at all. However, the work behind it is impressive and I’ll be checking out any future projects from them.
3. Dark Souls
Sometimes games hold you by the hand far too much. From Software decided to not do that in this case. What came out was a game that many people seem to love but just required too time for me to get into. Which was a shame because the game was so interesting. But it eventually got to the point where I felt as if I was playing to spite the game, not for fun.
2. The 3DS Launch Lineup
The first time in years I didn’t buy a new system at launch. A Nintendo system at that. There was just nothing interesting at all. Crazily enough, it quickly turned around and has a nice little lineup now. Still, it was arguably one of the worst launch lists ever.
1. Sony
Goodness. What went right for this company in 2011? I don’t think I have to go through the list, but it is pretty embarrassing. And to top it off, I hear today that they support SOPA. It just wasn’t a pretty year for Sony and they are going to have to do quite a bit to make up for it.
Top Five Games of 2011
Yarr Matey, Not Everything Piratey is Poopdecky! Fifth Best Game of 2011
Dragon Quest Slime Mori Mori 3: Slimes on a Boat
What a surprise. Well, not really but yes. With One Piece creating pirate mania here in Japan I was a little disappointed to see the sequel to Rocket Slime would be essentially replacing tanks with boats. Not only did it work, it made the game much better with the open world exploration that naturally works with boats. A beautiful sequel.
Gonna Make You Wanna Jump! Fourth Best Game of 2011
Super Mario 3D Land
This game defined how 3D effects should be used on the 3DS. One cannot help but wonder how things would have been different had this been released on the same day as the 3DS.
Childhood Lost or Found? Third Best Game of 2011
Monster Hunter Tri G
Monster Hunter was this odd duck that I just didn’t get. Then I tried Portable 3rd. So why isn’t the HD version on my list instead of Tri G? Even though I have only put thirty hours into this I love it so much more. It is Portable 3rd to another degree. Maybe degrees even. I’m going to be getting many hours out of this.
Special Mentions Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Portable 3rd HD
These two specifically got me into Monster Hunting and I put over one hundred hours in two months. I needed experience players to get me into the game, but once I did, I was hooked.
Almost made it! The Second Best Game of 2011
Final Fantasy Type-0
What a game. I could love it only for the evolution of the ATB改 battle system, but that’s not all. It has a hell of a story going for it as well and it just oozes the feelings that a Final Fantasy game should while being original in its own right.
Special Mention Final Fantasy XIII-2
It was a magical year for Final Fantasy! Kind of. I did not have enough time to get into 13-2 but what I have played is great. Instead of going a different route like with 10-2, 13-2 improves on the original and adds some interesting twists. Had I gotten further it may have made it somewhere on this list.
OH HOW YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS:
The Book of Revenant’s Game of the Year 2011
Catherine
This game just succeeded in every category. But I’ve already gushed about this game enough. It was not only a wonderful game but has made me extremely excited to see what else will come from Atlus in the future.
