Farewell 2011 - Thanks for the Games

Alas, we have come to the end of the year. There have been a lot of good memories and bad memories in the world of gaming. I prefer to keep the good memories close as many others would do. We've gone over many games this year and have even decided which games made the honorable mentions list, but what games made my top three? There are quite a few to choose from, but here are the games that made the cut.

Never should a game be given an award for simply looking nice. It's gotta have a great storyline, wonderful character development, world interactions, decisions for the player to make, and then some great visuals. Games have come so far these days that sometimes we get blinded by one main point and forget to notice the other great points or even the steep downfalls. Rest assured that the games that made the list have something great all the way around, not just in one primary area.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Third Place.


Adam Jensen, you suave, shade wearing bionic man, you. When I heard a new Deus Ex was being released this year, I was incredibly pumped. The original quickly got reinstalled and played through to help with the jitters I was getting every so often. There was a bit of fear in me that Human Revolution could be a notorious disaster, but I held the faith.


Deus Ex: Human Revolution took us through a futuristic city which was on the verge of crumbling due to powerful augmentation companies. Adam Jensen takes the lead in investigating who is behind the attack on Sarif Industries. When his girlfriend ends up on the casualties list, he decides nothing is going to stop him in discovering the truth. It's a ride through a Detroit-based city to the tech powered country of China.


What made Deus Ex a success was the ability to craft your character from the ground up. There's definitely a handful of neat little abilities through out the game such as hacking, stealth, and social persuasion, but Edios doesn't forget to leave out the face smashing combat aspects such as a full on tank style of play to a shadow ninja stealth style of play. Human Revolution is a game where the character decides what type of person they want to be on their quest for both vengeance and truth.

Portal 2 – Second Place


The epicness continues as Portal 2 hit the stage in October. It had been around three years since the loveliness of GLaDOS graced us with her voice. There are new trials to go through with a great spin just as the first did. While I really enjoyed Portal, Portal 2 was sure to take what it had, and expand on it with greatness.




You thought you were free but sadly the craziness of unlimited tests continues. The factory is a complete mess but that doesn't stop GLaDOS from keeping a strict schedule. She has all of her little maintenance robots working overtime as the tests are built right in front of the player. To keep the game from having a stale taste and being too repetitive of its prequel, Portal 2 ensures to add new gadgets and mechanics that players will have to properly use in order to complete a test.


By far the greatest thing about Portal 2 is the constant interaction between GLaDOS, Wheatley, and Cave Johnson. This game knows how to keep players from yawning or becoming bored with long missions. There is usually a laugh around every corner or some bit of information that helps progress the storyline of Apeture. At times players want to simply complete a test in the hopes that they get a bit more dialogue from the voices booming throughout the enormous laboratory.


Portal 2 makes sure to give their player base every cent back in glorious game play. With the option of playing two players co-op mode, it's hard to find an end to this game. There are very few draw backs I found with Portal 2. My only complaint would be that some tests were just a tad bit too long. There could have been moments where Cave Johnson busted out, but it was eerily quiet. Without a doubt Portal 2 makes my list in favorite games this year.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – First Place


I was a bit skeptical about this game in the beginning. After my first hour within the world of Skyrim, that skepticism is no more. For anyone who has played more than ten hours of Skyrim, there is no need to elaborate on how amazing this game is. For you others who may not have totally enjoyed Oblivion, Skyrim takes a whole new direction in giant sandbox game play.


The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is as beautiful as beautiful can be. It's a tremendous step up from what Oblivion was. From the grassy plains of Whiterun to the snowy peaks of Dawnstar, Skyrim offers so much for players to adventure into. There are ruins to pick through and dungeons to get lost in, all with glorious enemies to encounter. Bethesda was sure not to leave any stones unturned in their journey for perfection.


The two greatest things about Skyrim is the ability to make your character what you want it to be, and the amazing storyline that it delivers. The choice is yours on whether you want to be a thief in the night, a heavily armored conjurer with magical weapons, or a dual casting wizard. You even have side skills that help enhance your character, such as blacksmithing, alchemy, and enchanting. There are different factions to join that may turn the tides of the story and foes to make as you ruin factions with certain groups. The main focus, however, is finding out how to save Skyrim from the sudden awakening of the many dragons who attack towns without mercy. It's almost as if you're part of an epic film the first time you manage to down a dragon.


There is just so much going on in the world of Skyrim that we can't go through every little aspect. The only thing I can tell you is to take my word and pick up this game. If you're any type of adventurer or dungeon crawling explorer and seek a terrific storyline, then you need to grab Skyrim. Don't worry if you haven't played through Oblivion; you can still learn the ropes through the world of Skyrim.