Games I finished in 2011
Here it is. For the second year in a row, my huge ass list of videogames I finished this year. Make note, this is in no way any sort of Game of the Year list. A lot of these games weren’t even released in 2011. This is simply a list of the games I played form start to finish in chronological order. I managed to put away 25 this year. How many did you guys complete?
Call of Duty: Black Ops - While I’m not the biggest fan of the more recent Call of Duty games, they never fail to be some of the most action-packed and well-paced shooters out there. Blops is no different. It’s pretty much on from beginning to end. While the shooting and enemy AI can grow tiring, the pacing is especially nice in Black Ops because of the way the story is structured. The game sort of just pulls you in and out of moments at will. A feature that helps lessen the monotony of shooting wave and wave of dude(s). Overall, a fun experience, but I found myself wishing Black Ops was a dumb action movie that I could just watch, as opposed to a dumb action game that actually required effort to play through. Oh yeah and Sam Worthington…what the hell, man?
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero - Case Zero is a perfect little $5 slice of a game series that I’ve never really understood. But, now I totally do. The idea of playing these games multiple times never made sense. Racing against a clock never made sense. But, now it totally does! I’m sort of convinced that playing the main game might ruin my feelings about the series at this point, but even after playing through Case Zero twice and planning to go back for a third run, I think I’m probably going to want to play more Dead Rising sometime soon.
Dead Space 2 - Dead Space 2 is exactly what a sequel should be. No more turret sequences, and a whole hell of a lot more stompin’ and cuttin’ limbs. The zero gravity sequences are more fleshed out this time and are probably some of my favorite moments in the game. I’m sort of just a sucker for space, but I’d be totally down with Visceral Games following up Dead Space 2 with a spacestation repair sim. There’s some surprisingly amazing dialogue, as well. I’m not crazy about the overall story, but the characters sort of behave like the main characters in Enslaved did. They’re just believable…and genuinely funny at some points. Also, just as much replayability as the first game. New game plus, sucka!
Torchlight - Torchlight is a way huger game than I expected. I started playing it as a quick break from Super Metroid and then ended up not playing any other games until I finished it and retired my first character. There’s a ridiculous amount of content here. I still sort of maybe wanna go back and play an archer. But, I’m not totally sure. This game really is all about the loot. There’s not a whole lot else there in terms of story or combat. But, DUDE GUYS LOOT.
Bulletstorm - This game definitely grows on you over time. Bulletstorm had me heavily uninterested until about the halfway point. The characters become more likeable, the story picks up, and combat turns into quite a bit of fun compared to your everyday shooter. This was another great weekend game. Probably didn’t spend more than 6 hours playing through it.
Crysis 2 - Totally unrelated to the quality of Crysis 2; this is another game that reminded me of how I really really really should be playing games in HD. I couldn’t read shit in this game. Same with Mass Effect 2 and a handful of other games from 2010-11. They just don’t format or scale text to be read in SD anymore. So, aside from my reading problem, this game looks gorgeous. Even on a console, even in Standard Definition, this game is pretty. I still don’t really know what happened with the story. I think I stopped caring after awhile. But, this was a really refreshing shooter in terms of world design. The tactical hud and semi-open world approach was a lot of fun. Combat itself was sort of whatever. When it came down to actually shooting dudes, I found myself wanting more. But the close encounter stuff is pretty great.
Portal 2 - Such a great sequel. I didn’t really have much faith that this game could top the first game, but man, it’s SO good. Even though I went into the game knowing exactly how to use a portal gun, in that portal frame of mind, there were still a ton of awesome moments of discovery just like Portal 1. The characters are fun and interesting. The whole world feels a lot more fleshed out than the first game. Can’t wait to check out co-op.
Tomb Raider: Underworld - I’m becoming a pretty serious Tomb Raider fan. No one really does exploration and platforming like these games do. However, the ever-present shitty combat absolutely kills what’s so great about this game. It’s totally unnecessary and clunky as hell. It really just gets in the way of my insatiable desire to raid tombs. Would it be ignorant to hope for zero combat in the TR reboot? Yeah, probably.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - This is another one of those weird games made to sell alongside the movie that doesn’t totally suck. In fact, XO: Wolverine is a pretty great action game. There’s a surprising amount of depth to the combat and upgrade system. And, despite a few repetitive boss characters, this is a non-stop thrill ride that was far more entertaining than the movie.
Singularity - This game did some pretty annoying things in terms of combat, but its worth getting over for a pretty interesting story. The rewind/fast forward time mechanic is pretty gimmicky, but the way it plays into the story ends up being pretty cool. I think I’ll always hold a grudge against this game for not letting me know early on that spending upgrade points on an accuracy-related skill would totally fix the horrible shooting.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare - This DLC pack is great. It was awesome getting to see all my favorite RDR characters in a silly apocalyptic setting. Some of the most annoying characters from the main game get killed off in really funny ways. Zombies change the combat quite a bit and there’s plenty of interesting sidequests. One of the best DLC packs I’ve purchased.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction - Conviction is most definitely a departure from the typical Splinter Cell formula. So, if you’re looking for a hardcore stealth military ops sort of experience, you may want to look elsewhere. Convictions MO seems to be making the player feel like a total badass. Which is great. Mark & execute, hand to hand combat, and cover to cover all feel really cool. This game was all about upgrading weapons, remote mines, and pistol head shots for me. Check it out especially if you’ve ever been frustrated with Splinter Cell games in the past.
Red Faction: Armageddon - Armageddon is sort of like that awesome kid in highschool who comes back after summer break and, instead of being honest with himself and embracing his inner coolness, spends all his time and efforts trying to be like all the other kids he admires so much. Those other kids names are Gears of War and Dead Space. I don’t wanna hang out with you anymore, Red Faction.
Bastion - What an excellent game through and through. It’s not often you play a game that completely sucks you in from every direction. Bastion is visually amazing, so well-written, voice-acting is probably one of the best of the year, and on top of all that, the game part of this game is so tight and polished that you never want to stop re-playing it. The music is great, too! Goddamit, Bastion! Stop being so GOOD!
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Probably one of the more forgettable games I chose to play all the way through this year. I’m not really sure why, though. This may be a result of it’s brevity. But, I think I was just expecting more. There are still some great puzzle mechanics that other games should take inspiration from. Some great boss fights, too.
L.A. Noire - While it’s hardly a videogame, L.A. Noire certainly contains some of the best storytelling I saw in 2011. It was refreshing to pause for second, stop shooting dudes, and get sucked into a gritty cop drama that required more thought than twitch reaction. I still think the facial capture stuff and open-world wasn’t necessary to make this a great game. Probably could have cut a good 3 years off the development cycle and maybe saved a company.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - This is a Castlevania game that I’d been meaning to get around to for awhile. It’s a huge source of inspiration for some of my favorite games of recent years (namely Shadow Complex) and is still superior in a lot of ways. If you’re a fan of the “Metroidvania” genre, as it’s come to be called, do yourself a favor and check out this genre defining classic.
Vanquish - Despite it’s incomprehensible storyline and desperate attempt to be accepted by the West, Vanquish is a pretty great third-person shooter. There are so many great ideas here that, if implemented into the next wave of shooters and action games, could one day be looked upon as serious game changers.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood - This game sold me on the series. After really not caring about the first two games, Brotherhood is the reason why I’m excited about playing more Assassin’s Creed games. The story hooked me, all the mechanics are fully realized, and hey, that multiplayer was pretty sweet, too.
Gears of War 3 - What a great way to end a series. There’s nothing radically different in Gears 3 when looked at next to its predecessors. But, it further polished an already extremely well-produced franchise. Some great emotional moments, too. In a Gears game?! I never thought I’d be saying that.
Costume Quest - Costume Quest is the beginners RPG. Assuming I have a kid who reaches a reasonable age to start playing videogames sometime soon. This is most definitely the first RPG I’ll sit him or her down with. That’s not to say it isn’t appropriate for adults, either. What it lacks in depth, it certainly makes up for in charm and a great art style. Plus, its convinced me that playing a Halloween themed game during Halloween is a worthy tradition.
Shadows of the Damned - Awesome writing and atmosphere crammed into a proven gameplay formula that I totally love? Sure, I’ll take that. Shadows of the Damned doesn’t do anything revolutionary in the world of third-person shooters, but it’s genuinely funny, has a great art style, and features some of my favorite videgame characters this year.
Catherine - I think I’d prefer an sans-gameplay version of Catherine. I love the story and characters. The music and art is great. But, man, that puzzle stuff just NEVER clicked with me.
Trine - Trine is the first PS3 game I’ve finished, like, ever. It’s also the most fun I had with co-op all year. Can’t wait to check out the sequel.
Saints Row: The Third - Saints Row: The Third is pure fun. In a world full of games trying to prove that they’re something to be taken seriously, this game completely embraces the medium and goes batshit fucking crazy. This videogame-ass videogame will probably be the most memorable game of 2011 for me. I’d tell you why, but I really don’t want to ruin the experience for you. It’s been said before, but, man you should really play Saints Row: The Third.
Original Post Date - 12/28/11
