With 2011 at a close, good god, what a year it was! Right from the get go, there were plenty of fantastic games for just about every single system and genre possible. Though in my opinion, 2011 for me saw plenty of fantastic games that honestly really surprised me; that I wasn't expecting to be as rad as they ended up being. So it's no surprise it took this long for the list to finally start getting posted. That, and I had 40 games on the initial list that I had to trim down to 10. Wasn't at all due to work and/or laziness.

So once again, it's an unordered list, because I don't believe in choosing favourites.

AND HERE WE GO!

1. Portal 2

When Portal 2 got announced proper - you had to wonder to yourself, just how on earth could Valve top the original game? After all, it was just one concept spread across a couple of hours with a lot of great dialogue and plenty of memes. And sure enough - Valve gave you more of that, one concept, yet refined and improved on in sensible ways, added more puzzles, gave more great dialogue and started a few memes, added a co-op campaign that was surprisingly awesome...and sure enough, they were onto a winner.

For me, the games dialogue was what really sold me on the game. Compared to the majority of high budget blockbuster games, Portal 2 is a relief with its three main characters, all of whom written and voiced to perfection. There's not a single bit of dialogue that feels awful or typical of a video game. Well...maybe the memes, but that's to be expected.

Co-Op too, was something of a surprise. Taking place as a seperate story from the main game, the puzzles are deviously designed, with some interesting additions to the game like being able to see what your partner sees. Couple that with the ability to play the said mode with PS3 users, and it makes it just that more enticing.

Otherwise, Portal 2 is just a more refined version of its predecessor. If you weren't sold then, it's not going to sell you now. But for me? Absolutely bloody amazing.



2. Driver San Francisco

Ever since its inception, Driver has been a series that's had a really cool idea and presentation, but was never really the best game. So when a new Driver game got announced, you can imagine my apathy. And then the premise got revealed - your main character gets taken out at the start of the game, leaving him in a hospital bed. However, his spirit  then can take control of cars at will, and he aims to not let his injuries take the better of him. Stupid? Yep. But Driver San Francisco takes a concept that sounds stupid and makes it amazing.

It's mostly due to the 'shifting' mechanic (the aforementioned taking control of cars) which helps the already fun driving. For instance, there'ss a mission early on wherein you need to take down a bunch of racers. You could do it all by yourself, and it's certainly doable, but then you realize you can shift into other cars to help take down the racers. And there's nothing more satisfying than shifting into a semitrailer and smashing into the front of an oncoming racer, taking the bastard and some of his friends down. And it gets even more fun (and crazier) in the bevy of online modes.

And you know what also doesn't help? The fact that the game doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest. It knows it has an exceedingly stupid premise, but it just rolls with it into something beautiful. Compared to just about every other game with a story this year, most of which had an equally stupid or slightly less stupid premise, it has so much more fun and it's a blast to enjoy.

If anything, Driver San Francisco was easily the one of the most surprisingly good games that I've played all this year. Driving is fun, the story is stupid yet enjoyable, the shifting mechanic works...was not expecting the game to be as fun as it ended up being. So if you're after a less traditional driving experience that has a bit more cheese to go with a cool mechanic, Driver San Fran is your game.

3. Rayman Origins

One of the unfortuante casualties of this generation is the platformer. Whereas every second game released today is the same generic AMERICAN FUCK YEAR modern military shooter, platformers have been relegated to more obscure downloadable games. So it's always a delight to see someone try their hand at the genre, and even more so when its the return of a character that hasn't been seen in years - this is Rayman Origins.

On the outset, it's quite similar to something like New Super Mario Bros, in that it's a throwback to the 2D platforming days of old. Even to the point having the four player competitive/co-operative multiplayer of NSMB. Also doesn't hurt that there's a lengthy and quirky campaign to run through.

The real stars of the show though are the visual style and audio work. The art direction is amazingly distinct and perfectly evokes just what the game is, and animates beautifully. By far and away, it's the best looking game of the year. Hell, even the soundtrack is no slouch - it's wonderfully quirky and interesting, and a delight to listen to. And it's a shame that it's one of those games that people will ignore for one reason or another. So if you're one of those people that loves this type of game, or just itching for a new Rayman game, Origins if your damned best bet. One of the more underappreciated titles this year.

"Ever since its inception, Driver has been a series that's had a really cool idea and presentation, but was never really the best game."

A little more restrained in writing than on the podcast.

gamingeek said:

Is Rayman Origins on 3DS or what? I wanted to get it.

Not yet.