1:24 AM
El Jefe
And so another year draws to a close. As always, we take this time to reflect on the year bygone, set rather optimistic goals for the year to come, and drink lots of booze. I like to focus on the last of these three. Still, as a video game blogger, it's my duty (teehee) to look back on the games of 2011 to determine the best, the pretty cool, and the biggest letdowns this year. And drink lots of booze, of course. Can't forget about the booze.
Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
"Okay, we get it," you might say, "you're completely enamored with this game, blah blah blah." Well... yes. This is true. But in choosing my Game of the Year, I was careful to be as objective as possible. Still, Skyrim came out on top in my opinion. Let me tell you why.
Skyrim improved on its predecessor, Oblivion, in every way. We don't have to put up with ridiculous menus filled with twenty trillion keys, we can play our characters how we want rather than having to choose how we'll play at the beginning of the game, and dungeons are actually different from one another. People look nice instead of hideous, elves aren't just humans with pointy ears, and your character moves more realistically in third person view this time. Though there are still bugs, there are not nearly as many as there were in Oblivion, nor are they as serious (excepting, of course, the plight of PS3 players). Oblivion was a very enjoyable game; Skyrim not only fixed all of its problems, but evolved beyond them, redefining the direction of the Elder Scrolls series.
Furthermore, Skyrim is the biggest game I have ever played. Huge? Vast? These words don't do the world of Skyrim justice. I've spent an ungodly number of hours roaming around doing various quests, slaying various creatures, and poking around in various caves and tombs just for fun. There's just so much to do and so much fun to be had in Skyrim that it's hard to get tired of it. In summation, it's improved, it's vast, it's fun, and it lasts. Thus, it's my Game of the Year.
Runner Up: Portal 2
Shameful admission time! I hadn't played the original Portal before playing Portal 2. Startling, I know (though I went back to play it afterward). So I came to Portal 2 with fresh eyes, so to speak. In the early levels of the game, I had to learn to think in terms of portals, not the easiest of feats at first, but certainly fun. From then on, I was hooked. I feel that Portal 2 is a brilliantly designed game in both its gameplay and its storyline, and is thus deserving of the Runner Up title.
As far as gameplay is concerned, each level progresses perfectly in difficulty level. For noobs like me, this means the hold-your-hand, training wheel levels at the outset helps get players on their feet. From there, it introduces new elements and gradually challenges players to use these elements in creative ways to solve puzzles. It keeps players on their toes, it keeps them thinking, and it keeps them having fun. Crazy fun. And when it adds another two portals in the Cooperative Testing Initiative (cooperative campaign), things just get better. Even more puzzles = even more awesome.
Portal 2's story is engaging even if fairly simple. Characters like the gung-ho Cave Johnson, the rather dumb Wheatley, and of course our good friend GLaDOS kept me laughing with their hilarious quotes. Portal 2 gave me the sense that I was solving the puzzles for a purpose besides just having fun, as if I needed one, and I enjoyed that alot (more than I enjoyed that alot). To me, video games are about enjoyment, and to me, Portal 2 is distilled enjoyment. The only drawback is its low replay value. Still, it has definitely earned its Runner Up position.
Biggest Disappointment: Brink
When I first heard of Brink, it sounded like it'd be a pretty awesome game. A first person shooter that'd pit the haves against the have nots in a post apocalyptic setting, all centered around a fluid parkour-style movement system sounded quite intriguing and seemed to have great potential. And I'd still say today that it was an impressive concept. It was just executed in an astoundingly ineffective fashion. Here's why.
First, the story. Brink utterly failed at getting me to care one lick about either The Security or The Resistance (the opposing forces in the game). Missions in the campaign begin with a little cutscene that gives a vague reason for why the mission needs to be done, but it doesn't seem to matter much at all. The mission still feels like any other mission because they're all basically the same: go to objective, secure objective, go to next objective, etc. This sucks, but isn't a dealbreaker necessarily. What makes it especially lame, however, is that Brink had come up with a pretty novel environment and social situation, only to squander it with shallow asides hinting at what I assume was supposed to be an engaging story. That's disappointing.
It's hardly the worst thing about Brink, though. In terms of gameplay, I only saw one positive aspect: the parkour style. It's neat. It's kind of fun to slide around and blast people with a shotgun. But aside from that, Brink isn't enjoyable. The missions, as mentioned, are all the same. Furthermore, the objectives are plagued by chokepoints, making a boring entrenchment the only reasonable strategy for defense and a frustrated sigh the only reasonable reaction on offense. It's a quagmire, plain and simple. The AI (stretching the use of "intelligence") bots are incredibly stupid, more of a hindrance really than a help. Toss in the awful performance of the multiplayer system (the long waits for matches, the embarrassing texture-rendering issues, and the lag), and you've got one hell of a chore to do, just to get some experience so you can customize your male character's outfit and look cute. Hence it's my Biggest Disappointment of 2011.
Special Mention: L.A. Noire
To be honest, I didn't really understand the "Special Mention" category when it was first explained to me by the illustrious Outlaw, so I'm going to make it my own thing. I'm using it to highlight a game that did something I consider important to video games as a whole. That game to me is L.A. Noire.
L.A. Noire was a really fun game: challenging, engrossing, intense, and suspenseful. Sure, it didn't have much replay value, but it was great in its own right. What I really want to commend it for is its revolutionary use of motion capture technology.
This is significant for more than one reason. Obviously, it's visually stunning. To see characters with such level of detail in their facial animation is amazing. We've seen great animation work before, but nothing to this extent. But more than that, it grabs you and pulls you into the story. Seeing a twitch of a character's jaw as he tries to convince you he's telling the truth drags you past the edge of your seat and right into the shoes of Cole Phelps himself. This is what I want to draw attention to. L.A. Noire masterfully brought motion capture technology into the video game world and thus opened up a brand new level of immersion in gaming. For this, I believe it deserves special recognition.
Well, that's it for 2011. I'd like to wish you, dearest reader of the best blog in the galaxy, a very happy 2012, filled with plenty of awesome gaming. And booze. Can't forget booze. Cheers!
"Okay, we get it," you might say, "you're completely enamored with this game, blah blah blah." Well... yes. This is true. But in choosing my Game of the Year, I was careful to be as objective as possible. Still, Skyrim came out on top in my opinion. Let me tell you why.
Skyrim improved on its predecessor, Oblivion, in every way. We don't have to put up with ridiculous menus filled with twenty trillion keys, we can play our characters how we want rather than having to choose how we'll play at the beginning of the game, and dungeons are actually different from one another. People look nice instead of hideous, elves aren't just humans with pointy ears, and your character moves more realistically in third person view this time. Though there are still bugs, there are not nearly as many as there were in Oblivion, nor are they as serious (excepting, of course, the plight of PS3 players). Oblivion was a very enjoyable game; Skyrim not only fixed all of its problems, but evolved beyond them, redefining the direction of the Elder Scrolls series.
Furthermore, Skyrim is the biggest game I have ever played. Huge? Vast? These words don't do the world of Skyrim justice. I've spent an ungodly number of hours roaming around doing various quests, slaying various creatures, and poking around in various caves and tombs just for fun. There's just so much to do and so much fun to be had in Skyrim that it's hard to get tired of it. In summation, it's improved, it's vast, it's fun, and it lasts. Thus, it's my Game of the Year.
Runner Up: Portal 2
Shameful admission time! I hadn't played the original Portal before playing Portal 2. Startling, I know (though I went back to play it afterward). So I came to Portal 2 with fresh eyes, so to speak. In the early levels of the game, I had to learn to think in terms of portals, not the easiest of feats at first, but certainly fun. From then on, I was hooked. I feel that Portal 2 is a brilliantly designed game in both its gameplay and its storyline, and is thus deserving of the Runner Up title.
As far as gameplay is concerned, each level progresses perfectly in difficulty level. For noobs like me, this means the hold-your-hand, training wheel levels at the outset helps get players on their feet. From there, it introduces new elements and gradually challenges players to use these elements in creative ways to solve puzzles. It keeps players on their toes, it keeps them thinking, and it keeps them having fun. Crazy fun. And when it adds another two portals in the Cooperative Testing Initiative (cooperative campaign), things just get better. Even more puzzles = even more awesome.
Portal 2's story is engaging even if fairly simple. Characters like the gung-ho Cave Johnson, the rather dumb Wheatley, and of course our good friend GLaDOS kept me laughing with their hilarious quotes. Portal 2 gave me the sense that I was solving the puzzles for a purpose besides just having fun, as if I needed one, and I enjoyed that alot (more than I enjoyed that alot). To me, video games are about enjoyment, and to me, Portal 2 is distilled enjoyment. The only drawback is its low replay value. Still, it has definitely earned its Runner Up position.
Biggest Disappointment: Brink
When I first heard of Brink, it sounded like it'd be a pretty awesome game. A first person shooter that'd pit the haves against the have nots in a post apocalyptic setting, all centered around a fluid parkour-style movement system sounded quite intriguing and seemed to have great potential. And I'd still say today that it was an impressive concept. It was just executed in an astoundingly ineffective fashion. Here's why.
First, the story. Brink utterly failed at getting me to care one lick about either The Security or The Resistance (the opposing forces in the game). Missions in the campaign begin with a little cutscene that gives a vague reason for why the mission needs to be done, but it doesn't seem to matter much at all. The mission still feels like any other mission because they're all basically the same: go to objective, secure objective, go to next objective, etc. This sucks, but isn't a dealbreaker necessarily. What makes it especially lame, however, is that Brink had come up with a pretty novel environment and social situation, only to squander it with shallow asides hinting at what I assume was supposed to be an engaging story. That's disappointing.
It's hardly the worst thing about Brink, though. In terms of gameplay, I only saw one positive aspect: the parkour style. It's neat. It's kind of fun to slide around and blast people with a shotgun. But aside from that, Brink isn't enjoyable. The missions, as mentioned, are all the same. Furthermore, the objectives are plagued by chokepoints, making a boring entrenchment the only reasonable strategy for defense and a frustrated sigh the only reasonable reaction on offense. It's a quagmire, plain and simple. The AI (stretching the use of "intelligence") bots are incredibly stupid, more of a hindrance really than a help. Toss in the awful performance of the multiplayer system (the long waits for matches, the embarrassing texture-rendering issues, and the lag), and you've got one hell of a chore to do, just to get some experience so you can customize your male character's outfit and look cute. Hence it's my Biggest Disappointment of 2011.
Special Mention: L.A. Noire
To be honest, I didn't really understand the "Special Mention" category when it was first explained to me by the illustrious Outlaw, so I'm going to make it my own thing. I'm using it to highlight a game that did something I consider important to video games as a whole. That game to me is L.A. Noire.
L.A. Noire was a really fun game: challenging, engrossing, intense, and suspenseful. Sure, it didn't have much replay value, but it was great in its own right. What I really want to commend it for is its revolutionary use of motion capture technology.
This is significant for more than one reason. Obviously, it's visually stunning. To see characters with such level of detail in their facial animation is amazing. We've seen great animation work before, but nothing to this extent. But more than that, it grabs you and pulls you into the story. Seeing a twitch of a character's jaw as he tries to convince you he's telling the truth drags you past the edge of your seat and right into the shoes of Cole Phelps himself. This is what I want to draw attention to. L.A. Noire masterfully brought motion capture technology into the video game world and thus opened up a brand new level of immersion in gaming. For this, I believe it deserves special recognition.
Well, that's it for 2011. I'd like to wish you, dearest reader of the best blog in the galaxy, a very happy 2012, filled with plenty of awesome gaming. And booze. Can't forget booze. Cheers!
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