2011 Games of the Year

Well, it's the last day of 2011!  What a fantastic year for games!  And, since everyone loves lists, here comes the Games of the Year list!

30 Days of Gaming: Day 19

Day 19 - A Game Everyone Should Play

Wow...ummm, well?  I can always recommend Mass Effect, Borderlands, the Uncharted series and the Final Fantasy series.  Those are classics in their own rights and deserve to be enjoyed by almost everyone who plays games.  These either have amazing stories (Mass Effect) or superb gameplay (Borderlands) or a combination of the two (Uncharted and Final Fantasy).  

You can fight like a Krogan, run like a leopard...

The intrepid Vault Hunters of Borderlands

These are the games that anyone who enjoys video games should at least try.  I've not met many that dislike the rich fiction and amazing universe created by Mass Effect.  I know many people that lost hours to hunting loot on Pandora with friends in Borderlands.  Hell, even folks that don't like FPS games enjoyed Borderlands.  Then you have the summer blockbuster movies of Uncharted that allow you to play the explosive scenes and adventure about the globe.  And lastly, you have the deep mechanics, stellar stories and great worlds of Final Fantasy that keep even jaded gamers coming back.  All of these are brought up whenever I am comparing titles or looking to find a new game to run through.

Nathan Drake gets into so much trouble in Uncharted 3

Oh, Final Fantasy X, how I love you

Though, I think one that everyone needs to experience, not play, experience, is L.A. Noire. The story, the mental challenge of the investigations and the brilliant use of facial motion capturing lends itself to an experience like none other. L.A. Noire is, frankly, the next step for facial graphics and character interaction. It should be enjoyed by everyone at least once, if only to see the amazing tech and the story telling.  I know people get fidgety about the noir themes of the story, but the fact that it is such a great tale makes it one that everyone should buy into at some point.

Hero Cole Phelps of L.A. Noire

And last, but certainly not least, is that benchmark for all things Super Mario Bros. 3.  This game was the high water mark for the NES days.  Everyone I know that grew up playing NES loved this game.  It's still super fun, and it still has some of the best (if not the best) mechanics and gameplay of any 2D platformer.  I know that my daughter will play this gem (providing she's into games) because it is something that all gamers should play.

The amazing Giant World from Super Mario Bros 3

Review: L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire

PS3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, PC

Publisher: Rockstar Games

Developer: Team Bondi

Release Date: 17 May 2011

Can you read people? Can you, with only a glance, tell if someone is lying? What hides behind furtive glances and not-quite-meeting-your-eye looks? Great detectives and policemen do this routine every day. They work with witnesses and interrogate suspects to piece together what happened. Searching crime scenes for clues and confronting someone with facts that counter their lies is compelling stuff. It's an exciting battle of wits; where thoroughness in your preparation wins the day. This cerebral cat-and-mouse game is the basis for Team Bondi's and Rockstar's L.A. Noire. More detective drama than game it nonetheless takes players on an amazing interactive journey through the gritty and rough streets of a faithfully recreated 1940s Los Angeles.

This time, you are the law