2011 Community GOTY

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by RandomRob

I think you're missing out

I know, but what can I do? I'll just have to let this one go.

Some eclectic choices on here so far; my choices are really mainstream in comparison (though I do feel a bit silly for putting Madden on there!).

Did you guys really enjoy the Yakuza games? I looked at my trophies for Y4 the other day. I played the game for 25 hours and got 2% completion. I know it is for refusing to do the minigames but still.

Best so-so game: Nier

Hahaha! I love it.

[Lammy742]

Gotta be Dark Souls for me. I couldn't stop thinking about playing it, even after I started Skyrim! Skyrim is now on hiatus while I finish NG+ of Dark Souls. Just an amazing experience all around from the level design to the art direction and the combat system. Once you get sucked into that world good luck getting out.

[ckzatwork]

Pedro

Did you try Yakuza 3? I find it funny that people talk so much about characters and narrative without mentioning this game. There's nothing like it. I started 4 but put it on hold.

I've now finished Dark Souls. I got the fire ending and can only think of getting back to it for NG+. I want to find the alternative routes, the missing covenants, the hidden NPCs. There are no other games who have that power over me. I thought I was going to feel exhausted after finishing it, but no. So, Dark Souls GOTY here too.

[Pedro]

ckzatwork

I played Yakuza 3 and 4. I got to 10% in Y3, mostly because I watched all the 'Previously on Yakuza..." videos.

I thought the Yakuza 4 format and story (4 chapters) was a huge improvement, and I found the characters interesting. I only got to halfway Chapter 2 though, I just got fed up of reading endless scrolling text about absolutely nothing.

[abfackeln]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Did you guys really enjoy the Yakuza games?

The combat is dated and there IS way too much unnecessary chatter, but Yakuza is one of my favorite games series. Yakuza 3 was my GOTY last year and this year Yakuza 4 is one of my top games.

Yakuza has a completely different vibe than any other game on the market. A brawler RPG set in the "real world."

Love it.

[crackajack]

games i played 2011.

GOTY
Super Meat Boy - Dark World

Runners Up
The Cat and the Coup (free! and just ~15 min long! try it!) <- this is my GOTY if it has to be a 2011 release
Everyday Genius: Squarelogic
Clickr
Beat Hazard Ultra
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best story: Limbo

Best atmosphere: Demons Souls

Best gaming environment: Brütal Legend

[strike]Most disappointing[/strike] worst story: Tidalis
Runner Up: Quantum of Solace

Best ending: Limbo

Worst ending: God of War 2

Funniest game: Brütal Legend
Runner Up: RUSH, Clickr, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Most aggravating bossfights: Demons Souls

Most disappointing bossfights: Demons Souls (especially Dragon God)

Best multiplayer, co-op: Dead Nation

Least playable at launch: Blood & Glory

Best (free) DLCs: the potato DLCs on Steam for some games when portal2 launched

Most annoying DRM: Relic online saying my key is used by someone else and lock the game from my account
(although i have to say service sent me another key really fast)

The 'what is the internet on about?' award for game everyone seems to hate but which I enjoyed quite a lot: Brütal Legend
no literal "hate" but people were more disappointed than it deserved.

The 'what is the internet on about?' award for game everyone seems to love but which I didn't get along with: Braid

Most angry words shouted at TV due to difficulty: vvvvvv
God of War 2 challenge mode
Super Meat Boy - The Kid
Demons Souls - Old King Allant (NG++) Maneater & Giant Depraved Ones (always) Flamelurker, Armor Spider & Tower Knight (@0) Old Monk (online)

Least interactive game:Bit Trip Beat

Biggest disappointment: Heavy Rain
Runner up: Demons Souls

(presumably) First game of 2011 I'll buy in 2012: Batman Arkham City (depends on SP DLCs...)
Runners up: Deus Ex GOTY/Complete

Pleasant surprises: the puzzle genre and The Cat and the Coup

Unpleasant surprises: Braid, Bit Trip Beat, Demons Souls

Worst game: Bit Trip Beat

Best so-so game: Blood Stone

Best game i hated: Demons Souls

Worst main character: Kratos (GoW1)

Best main character: Eddie Riggs

Worst characters in a supporting role: all the villains in Blood Stone

Best characters in a supporting role: the Glam Rockers in Brütal Legend

[gamevet]

I haven't played a lot of games that were released in 2011. The only titles I've played from this year are Skyrim, Crysis 2 (PC) and Modern Warfare 3. I've spent most of the year playing older titles like Starcraft II, Starcraft, Pinball FX2, Crysis (PC), Metro 2033 (PC), Killzone 3 and Fallout: New Vegas (360).

My vote has to go with Skyrim. I've put in about 70 hours so far, and I'm still drawn into the world Bethesda has created.

Second place goes to Crysis 2 (PC). Yeah, the story isn't all that great, but the way you go about killing enemies sets this game apart from your normal Call of Duty style of shooter.

Third has to go to Modern Warfare 3. I honestly don't think this game deserves to be this high up on anyone's list. It does nothing to improve upon the previous Modern Warfare, or Call of Duty games, and the story is pretty much been there, done that.

If I were to include a game that was released in 2010, I'd put Fallout: New Vegas in second place. It does everything I loved about Fallout 3, and offers much more to explore and do. I still need to put in another 20 hours or so, before I will finish this title though, as I've played 70 hours so far.

[dmarks]

GOTY - Alice: Madness Returns

Why? Old skool 3d platforming done right! Combat system intuitive, fluid but challenging. Plus, outstanding art direction and overall atmosphere.

Worst game of the year - Fable III

(2011 release on PC, although technically a late 2010 Xbox 360 game.)

One word: lazy. Combat system shallow, dungeon/field design one-dimensional, social interactions vapid, economy system tedious. Such a let-down since the premise (and first 2 or so hours) of the game was so promising.

[coyls3]

The first post has once again been updated with new standings.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by gamevet

Third has to go to Modern Warfare 3. I honestly don't think this game deserves to be this high up on anyone's list. It does nothing to improve upon the previous Modern Warfare, or Call of Duty games, and the story is pretty much been there, done that.

Does not compute...why is it third on your list then?

Crackajack, if someone was to try and define your personality from that list of games....well, I don't know if they'd succeed.

Most aggravating bossfights: Demons Souls

Most disappointing bossfights: Demons Souls (especially Dragon God)

Biggest disappointment: Heavy Rain
Runner up: Demons Souls

Unpleasant surprises: Braid, Bit Trip Beat, Demons Souls

Best game i hated: Demons Souls

Demons Souls - Old King Allant (NG++) Maneater

New Game ++ ???? You played through a game you hated three times? I put it to you that you actually loved Demon's Souls! You can't deny it.

Worst game: Bit Trip Beat

Haha, I won't object too strongly to this.

[Li-Ion]

Originally Posted by Pedro

New Game ++ ???? You played through a game you hated three times? I put it to you that you actually loved Demon's Souls! You can't deny it.

I think he just wanted all the trophies

[gamevet]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Does not compute...why is it third on your list then?

If you notice at the bottom of my post, that if I were to include games from last year, I would have put Fallout: New Vegas in my #2 spot.

I've only played a handful of games that were released in 2011. I'm still playing games that were released last year, because there were so many great games to play.

[crackajack]

Originally Posted by Li-Ion

I think he just wanted all the trophies

I won't deny that i love to spent time on hunting them, but

Forgot one category:
Worst game i loved: Demons Souls

It's just a game outside of the smooth standard. Many things were great, but so much stuff stuck in the 80s (year not score).

I'd say i loved some of the first hours, enough to overcome the next dozens of hours were i was kind of annoyed, then started to like it again better as soon as i started to play it as a grinder, liked the new easiness when playing NG+, since it was with Tendencies towards easy, hated the difficulty in NG++, since it had Tendencies set on hardest, liked again NG+++ although the last 10 hours were actually really just for the last trophies.

I guess i share the love so many players have for this game for the very same reasons but i also hate so much stuff nobody of the same group seems to care for. It's really one of the very few if not the only one were my opinion is split half in love and half in hate.
Enough hate to never touch Dark Souls or any direct spiritual successor, enough love to hope for a similar game, like eg. Dragon's Dogma, to be what DS did actually not want to be.

[Kin Korn Karn]

Okay, fine, if we have to vote now, then I guess it is Skyrim for me.

I don't have near enough time to play games now as I used to, so I have to be very discriminant about what I do play. It has to keep me coming back for all the right reasons.

Second place vote goes to Fallout: New Vegas.

Third place: Resident Evil 4 (yes that counts, thanks to XBL)

[frogofdeath]

Well I haven't played many games from this calendar year, so my choices are very limited, but here are two from me:

Most Overrated: Catherine - not a bad game, just not as good as some people made it out to be.

Biggest Disappointment: Kirby: Mass Attack - decent game, but then the game decided I had to go back and collect a bunch of stupid medals just to open the final level.