Top 5 Games of 2011

Ah, 2011… As we all know this year was pretty busy when it came to gaming. There were lots of great games, we got the Nintendo 3DS, it was the Wii’s final year as a main console, and we were given so much to look forward to! What was there to hate about this year? *Well, a lot I guess but like any year you’ll have your good points and bad points but I’m not here to dwell on the negative.

With that being said I think we can all agree that this year had a lot of great and memorable games that will keep us playing for a very long time… or at least until the highly anticipated games of 2012 are released. As a gamer this year was a lot of fun for me because there was just so much to look forward and so many games to play, especially as we reached the holiday season. But as always there were some games I enjoyed far more than others. What were these games you ask? Well, I decided to choose my top 5 games of 2011. It should be said that this is just my personal opinion and is not to be taken as fact. So if you see a game you liked that wasn’t on the list or you disagreed with something I put on this list, please feel free to put your own list down in the comments and stay tuned for later on when I release the “Best Games of 2011” countdown that was voted on by you guys. I should also mention that I do not own a PS3 and I just got an Xbox 360 for Christmas so games on these consoles will not really make too many appearances.  So, without further ado let’s get on with the countdown.

5. Sonic Generations/Kirby’s Return to Dreamland

Yes, I know the first part of the countdown and it’s a tie but just hear me out. When it came down to these two plat-formers I honestly couldn’t pick between the two because I had so much fun with both of them.  Sonic Generations was one of the best games I played this year and it really felt like it was a nostalgic love letter from Sega to Sonic fans young and old. With select old levels from nearly every Sonic game making a fresh new comeback it was hard to not have a fun time. While the game was exceedingly short and the story was kind of bland, but what else would you expect from a Sonic game, it may not seem like the game would be worth your time. However, this really isn’t the case. Being a Sonic fan myself I can say that it felt really good playing through levels from Sonic 2 again, it made me feel like  a little kid again and that in itself is enough to make me put this game on the list. So you can relax people, Sonic is finally good again… although in my opinion his games haven’t been really bad in years…

As for Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, this game too was a lot of fun and personally might just be my new favorite Kirby game if not high up on the list. This game was traditional Kirby through and through and I loved seeing that again after Epic Yarn. Levels were fun to play, mini games were really addicting, the visuals really stood out, and as an overall game I didn’t find it to be a “disappointment”… what now IGN? However, it did lack challenge and the game can be completed 100% in about 9 hours or so. Either way, these two plat formers kept me entertained with their classic charm and for that they deserve a spot on my list.

However, before we move on I feel that I should give special mention to Super Mario 3D Land as it was replaced in the tie for the Number 5 spot by Sonic Generations at the very last minute.  While I felt this was a really fun game I didn’t have as much fun with it as I did other 3D Mario titles and sometimes it felt way too easy. It also began to feel like I was playing another Galaxy game after awhile which was kind of a disappointment. By regardless, I still really like the game and it was a lot of fun. So consider it at #6 as an 

honorable mention. Now on with the show…

4. Pokémon Black/White

If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m a Nintendo fan and as such Pokémon has been a big part of my life and remains one of my favorite franchises and my favorite RPG. So when Pokémon Black and White came out this year I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and experience the magic of the Unova region. While the 3^rd generation of Pokémon remains my favorite if not for a biased nostalgic opinion, I’d say so far 5^th generation comes in a close second with Kanto trailing not far behind. This game really did live up to the hype. Environments were memorable, the Pokémon were designed amazingly this generation… well almost all of them… and the story. YES, you heard me right people, STORY in a Pokémon game. For the past few generations the Pokémon franchise has been trying to make a great story and I can honestly say that this one finally hit the mark. Honestly, I didn’t have a huge list of things wrong with this game but I will say that the endgame is a bit disappointing with its lack of rematches and Battle Frontier brains (though I suppose the Battle Subway counts but it’s not as fun…), some characters played way too big a role while others were completely unforgettable or unlikeable, and triples battles were completely unnecessary. I swear to God, Nintendo if you make a sequel to Pokémon XD and try to push triple battling on me for the whole game like you did with double battles in that game I will kill you!

Anyway, if you’re a big Pokémon fan this game is a must have. It will keep you coming back for more and will offer you hours of great fun… especially if you were crazy like me and tried to catch all 649 Pokémon.

3. Portal 2

Yes, I have a steam account and yes I like Valve games, my favorites being Team Fortress 2, the original Portal, and of course Portal 2. After the success of the original game fans were screaming at Valve to make a sequel. What we got was a yummy little cake known as Portal 2 and this was certainly not a lie. Portal 2 has everything to like in a puzzle game and just in a game in general. Portal 2 has smoother controls than Portal and also had far more challenging puzzles which if you haven’t figured out by now, I like a challenge and this was such a challenge. It also added in a few new concepts to the original such as the Repulsion, Propulsion, and Conversion gels as well as plenty of new hazards. The story in this game was amazing and kept the same dark charm that the original game had and expanded on it. At times the game was mysterious, dark, and even sad toward the end; yes you all know what part I’m referring to. And of course the reason I love this series is the dialogue with its dark and sometimes dry humor and this game certainly didn’t fail to give us that. Plus we had likeable new characters like Cave Johnson and Wheatley; I rest my case end of story—

2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Ok, be honest who all was surprised to see this come in at #2? This game was probably one of the games that had the most hype and to be completely honest I feel that it didn’t completely deliver. However, that doesn’t mean I felt it was a flop otherwise I wouldn’t have included it on this list or at least I wouldn’t have put it as high as I did. With this year being the 25^th anniversary to The Legend of Zelda series, Nintendo certainly did give us something to celebrate about. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was indeed a magical experience and certainly brought a lot to the series and to modern gaming in general. Most notably the use of Wii Motion Plus which allowed combat to feel like you were Link. Graphics of course were something of huge debate as they were back when Wind Waker was announced. I enjoyed the style that Nintendo gave to this game. It was a pleasurable blend of the expressive, colorful, and cartoony cel-shaded graphics that Wind Waker had but it also kept the darker and more realistic style of Twilight Princess. In terms of it being a Zelda game I felt the game did fall flat at parts but at other parts it soared… heh, see what I did there? Hehe, Soared? Haaaaaaa…. moving on. A few new items were added to Link’s arsenal while others made a comeback and dungeons, while I felt to be a bit short where enjoyable and to be honest it took me a long time to actually pick a dungeon I didn’t like (which is something I’ve always been able to do before in the past). I did like the story however I did feel that at some parts were lacking. This might be a bit off topic but I also felt that at times the Wii Motion Plus controls had a hard time responding to movements but when it did work well (which was most of the time) it worked WELL. And also at times I did have to remind myself that I was playing a Zelda game because some parts of the game just seemed like a really different experience than given previously (6 hearts at the beginning of the game is a good example of this). But what I really enjoyed was the music. Like the Galaxy series, Nintendo brought in an orchestra to perform the music for this game and I gotta say that was a great move on their part. Overall, I did like Skyward Sword… a lot… but it did have a few issues that put in a bit lower on this list for me. But either way, Skyward Sword was an amazing game that does deserve to be counted as one of the greatest of the year. But that only begs the question, what did I put at #1? Well you’re about to find out…

1. Okamiden

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. This game really is an amazing treat! Released in March of this year the sequel to Okami was I feel overlooked due to the release of other games at the time and of course the 3DS launch. And it’s a shame because this game really was an amazing experience. As we know Okami and Zelda share a lot in common so when it comes to what this game is like I don’t need to go into too much detail. The story of this game really was superb and much like the first game kept the mythological Japan motif going strong. It takes off 9 months after the first game and Chibiterasu, son of Amaterasu from the original, must save the land of Nippon from darkness once again while making plenty of friends along the way. This game really did have a story that kept you guessing and really kept you wanting more. At times I really lost myself in the atmosphere… It was funny, it was dark, the game made you feel anger and betrayal, and even sadness. As for controls I’ll admit when ever companies take their games off of a main console which has analog control, to a portable system with a D-pad it usually means trouble. This game did maneuver quite well but sometimes controls did feel off. Perhaps it would have been more suited toward the game and its style if they had waited to put it on the 3DS for its release. Regardless of that, for a DS game it had stunning graphics that were in the same style as its predecessor and of course like the original music is always a delight to listen to. A lot of characters from the first game return but also a lot of very enjoyable and likeable characters were added into the mix each with their own stories and traits which aid Chibi on this adventure. And of course new powers are a part of Chibi’s arsenal which I’ll be honest I did prefer the abilities in the first game overall but this one did have some unique ideas. Dungeons were pretty difficult but still remained a fun challenge. Overall, as a whole the experience you’ll get from this game is magical and it is a shame that it was overlooked by many because in my opinion this was the best game of the year.

Well, that does it for my Top 5 games of the year. Thank you all for watching and be sure to stick around for the next part of this video which features the games you all though were the best of 2011. Have a great New Year everyone and let’s look forward to all the great games we have to look forward to in 2012. Take care everyone, this is TheLightningspirit78, signing out.

Top 5 Games of 2011 -Viewer's Choice-

5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Portal 2, Mario Kart 7 -3 way tie-
4. Super Mario 3D Land
3. Sonic Generations
2. Pokemon Black and White
1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword