Best of 2011

Considering that 2012 is here I thought it may be a excellent time for a quick ideal of 2011 list! Note that only games that have been released for the duration of 2011 are integrated (and not games that I have played last year). So without additional ado, here are my best picks from the past year (beginning in reverse order, to make issues fascinating!):

3 - Portal 2

What I liked the most about Portal 2 had been these little moments where you really felt immersed in the planet. For instance if you hesitate to follow Wheatly's tips and a make a not quite safe seeking leap down, he will try to persuade you employing hilarious quips. These (sadly sparse) moments developed this kind of specific connection to characters you seldom see in games. There also exists a really strong sense of place in Portal 2. I feel this is mostly created by how the dialog and environments come together and interact. Unfortunately most of this is in the initial third or so and the game becomes more and more drawn out for the duration of the end. There is also a lot of truly lackluster puzzle sections exactly where you are merely attempting to locate the right area to location a portal. In spite of these short comings, Portal 2 had me fairly engaged and proved to be 1 of the greater experiences of last year.


two - To the Moon
I think the most interesting aspect of this game is how it in some ways is a culmination of a 25 years JPRPG pixel dramaturgy. The emotional displays of the simplistic sprites are quite restricted, but are used to perfection and creates a really effective and mature narration. The game also feature extremely exciting take on puzzles and action. Sometimes it is attainable to make a decision how a lot challenge you want and at other occasions the activities are irrelevant and simply there to make you much more connected to the world. Unfortunately this is at its ideal at the begin of the game and it gets progressively worse. The end even contains a terrible action sequence.
What actually brings the game home even though, is how To the Moon manages to bring up mature themes in a way that is extremely rare in videogames. These play out in pretty non-interactive situations and hence are not any kind of revolution. But just seeing a game where the core experience is a meditation on really like, relationships, memory and what is truly essential in life, makes me genuinely content and hopeful.


1- Sword and Sworcery
This is by far my favorite game from final year. The videogame's sturdy concentrate on producing some thing that blends interaction, music and visuals creates a genuinely engaging expertise. This is actually a game that aims to take you inside a one more planet and it is all about living it alternatively of attempting to beat it. One more issue I actually liked about it is how the game does not force you into continuing playing it. Sword and Sworcery in fact explicitly tells you to take a rest and come back later in between chapters. In an sector where it is all about getting players hooked and by no means stop playing, this is extremly refreshing to see. Combined with this, the game also asks you to reflect upon it and encourages the player to not just have a shallow, addictive expertise. I truly hope to see much more of this! The game is not with no flaws of course. There are lots of problems with the usually annoying combat, repetitive puzzles, the twitter integration did not really feel required and some of the writing feels a bit as well quirky and lazy. Nonetheless, Sword and Sworcery is really the point and I urge all of every person to give it a go.


Now I am interested to hear which three games from 2011 were your favorites!