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!

News Roundup: 25 December 2011

A day late from the holidays, but here are a few news stories that caught my eye over the week of Christmas.  See you all next week for the Game of the Year list!

Review: ilomilo

ilomilo

XBLA

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Developer: Southend Studios

Release Date: 5 January 2011

Best friends do everything together. Play-dates in the park, fishing, trips to the fair. All these things make memories that should last forever. But what happens when memories are fading and best friends begin to forget. Taking these surprising themes and mixing it with cutesy art and mind-bending puzzles, ilomilo is fun little DLG (downloadable game) for XBLA.

The strange world of ilomilo

Review: Bastion

Bastion

XBLA (reviewed), PC, Chrome Browser

Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Supergiant Games

Release Date: 20 July 2011

What would you do if you woke up and found that your entire world was in ruin? Floating above a destroyed world, all you know is that the world is gone, and moving forward is the only way to set things right. Thus begins Bastion, Supergiant Games' first entry and a show piece of Microsoft's “Summer of Arcade” promotion. The crowded XBLA scene has plenty of fun games, so what does Bastion do to stand out? Only everything.

Welcome to the end of the world

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

Review: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Wii

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release Date: 20 November 2011

Nintendo has made a fortune over the years between Mario and Zelda. The franchises newest entries are always eagerly awaited and fans flock to stores to buy them at launch. Zelda enters it's 25^th year with an entry built from the ground up for the Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Since this will be the swan song of the Wii, I figured it was as good of time as any to finally experience a Zelda title. So, having no nostalgia-driven memories of saving Hyrule, nor a deep seeded loathing of Gannon to spur me onward, I delved into Skyward Sword and the world of Zelda for the first time. The experience turned out to be one of the best I've ever played.

Link and Zelda, the beginning of the legend

Review: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

PS3

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Naughty Dog

Release Date: 1 November 2011

How do you follow up a nearly unanimous Game of the Year winner? Expectations are through the roof. Do you go bigger? Do you change it up? Do you leave well enough alone and take baby steps? The pressure Naughty Dog must have felt after Uncharted: Among Thieves won multiple Game of the Year honors (amazing considering it's a PS3 exclusive) must have been nearly crushing. Two years later, we have our answer. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is here and it doesn't disappoint.

Nathan Drake sets off on another adventure in Drake's Deception

Review: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

PS3

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Naughty Dog

Release Date: 13 October 2009

After a solid, if flawed, opening act, Naughty Dog brings a sequel that not only surpasses its predecessor, but damn near redefines the genre. Expectations were high, given the studio's pedigree, but I don't think anyone outside of the Naughty Dog office saw this coming. Among Thieves is not only worthy of the multiple Game of the Year awards it won, but it's a game that every PS3 owner should have in their collection. Simply put, Among Thieves is a classic.

That's a long way down...