2011 Community GOTY Results!

ClockworkHouse wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:

1 - 5 Dark Souls
6 Rocksmith (Does this count as a game?)
7 Catherine
8 Saints Row The Third
9 Portal 2
10 Shadows of the Damned

ClockworkHouse wrote:

[*]Can I list a game multiple times so that it gets more votes? No. That's cheating.

Want to flesh that out into a top ten, or is that final as a top five?

Just count Dark Souls as number 5 and 1-4 as blank. That way he gets due punishment, as all of his games get less points because he tried to be a big cheaterpants.

Jeff-66 wrote:

Btw, I wanted to say that this might just be the best GOTY system I've yet seen. Excellent job on the rules and getting it set up. This style is far more conducive to this community, IMO, than a straight '2011 only' vote.

+1 I think this format is near perfect.

  1. The Witcher2: Assassins of Kings.
  2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  3. Portal2
  4. Battlefield3
  5. Renegade Ops (once it finally came out)
  6. Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
  7. Dead Space2
  8. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PC release in 2011)
  9. Minecraft
  10. Fallout:New Vegas

Games of not-2011 I want to give a nod to: Knights of the Old Republic 2, TF2

Also - A helpful guide courtesy of wikipedia

I think these are the only "new-to-me" games I played this year:

1. Batman: Arkham Asylum
2. Bully: Scholarship Edition
3. Assassin's Creed (the first game - I really enjoyed it so long as I played in short chunks)
4. LA Noire (Loved it - except for the interview mechanic, which dropped the game down at least 2 spaces here)
5. Frozen Synapse
6. Super Meat Boy
7. MLB '11: The Show

I may still pick up and play either or both of Bastion and Skyrim before the end of this year, so this list could change a bit.

I played the League of Legends beta a few years ago, but this was the first year I played the game since release. Eligible?

1) Skyrim - #1 by, like, a huge margin.
2) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The first half of this is amazing. It kind of peters out but that first half still puts it past Portal 2 which I loved. I'm on my third playthrough. I don't do that. Like, ever.
3) Portal 2
4) Terraria - I have no interest in Minecraft but I've put 40 hours into this and would have put in a lot more if other stuff hadn't come out.
5) Gears of War 3
6) Trine 2 - I'm only on the third level and I'm putting it this high up.
7) Brink - God I wish people still played this.
8) Back to the Future - Yes, it's the same Telltale formula but it's Back to the f*cking Future.
9) SpaceChem
10) Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Honorable Mention (games that I think are really good but I haven't played enough of):
Bulletstorm - Only a couple of hours in but it's a really fun dumb shooter that knows it's a dumb shooter. Dicks.
Dead Island - I was very skeptical of this when it came out. Gameplay videos didn't impress me at all. Then I bought it on sale. Only put four hours in but it's very satisfying.

Disappointments:
LA Noire - The technology was great. The writing and interview mechanic, not so much. Soooo many dead naked women.
Uncharted 3 - I was really excited for this game. So disappointing. Only like two or three puzzles and way too many shooting galleries. Even the story wasn't very good.

imbiginjapan: high-five for including Catherine!

I'm going to wait until near the deadline for mine. I hope to crack the plastic on both Dark Souls and El Shaddai, so that may change my order pretty drastically. I'd love to get Saint's Row 3 in there too, if anyone wants to let me borrow it....

ClockworkHouse wrote:
billt721 wrote:

I think these are the only "new" games I played this year

Good news! You can vote for any game that you played for the first time this year, whether it was released in 2011 or not. Did you play any games from your backlog that would change up that Top 7?

Pretty sure that's what he meant. He put the original AssCreed on the list.

1: Child of Eden
2: Dark Souls
3: Pinball FX2
4: NIER
5: Catherine
6: You Don't Know Jack
7: Skydrift
8: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
9: Outland
10: Split Second

Here's my list. I picked up Super Meat Boy during last year's holiday sale, but I really didn't get around to playing it until this year. There are lots of great indie games this year. If I had a chance to get around to playing Trine 2 or The Binding of Isaac they would probably be on this list as well.

1)Portal 2
2)Battlefield 3
3)The Witcher 2
4)Magicka
5)Terraria
6)Skyrim
7)Deus Ex: Human Revolution
8)Super Meat Boy
9)Dead Space 2
10)Crysis 2

Also, if I could I would put Team Fortress 2 on the list. I have probably played this more than any other game this year, and with all the new content being added it still feels fresh.

My list:
1. Portal 2
2. Tactics Ogre (PSP)
3. Frozen Synapse
4. Dark Souls
5. Child of Eden
6. Ilomilo
7. Crysis 2
8. Skyrim
9. Ghost Trick
10. Jamestown

Played 'em, but they missed the cut: Ascension (iOS), Trails in the Sky, Outland, Radiant Historia, Minotaur Rescue, Tiny Wings, Rayman Origins, King of Dragon's Pass, Bastion, Terraria, Out of the Park Baseball 12, Killzone 3, Sword & Sworcery, Little Big Planet 2, L.A. Noire

--

As a side note, this was a fantastic year for re-releases of amazing games, some of which could easily fill out a Top 10 list in their own right; Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Radiant Silvergun, Donkey Kong '94, Ultima VII, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Shadow of the Colossus, Mega Man X and Privateer all emerged on various platforms in 2011.

And that doesn't even include the "reinvention" of Tactics Ogre, which had so many great revisions and additions that it feels demeaning to simply call it a remake. If not for Portal 2's brilliant co-op levels, Tactics Ogre would have sailed into the top spot on my list, easily.

1. Skyrim
2. Portal 2
3. Saints Row The Third
4. Deus Ex: HR
5. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
6. Bastion
7. First Touch Soccer (also, it's recent f2p new-engine-but-not-quite-sequel Dream League Soccer, basically the same game) iphone
8. Glitch (sidescrolling animal crossing web browser based type game)
9. Dragon Age 2
10. L.A. Noire

If I'm honest, I play 7 & 8 more than anything else right now, but 8 is as much an excuse to hang out in a chat channel with people I know from metafilter as it is a game and 7 is largely because I have it with me all the time.

7 is not objectively as good a game as a console fifa or a pro evo (though it is better IMO than the mobile versions of those), but it's quite remarkable for something that I can have with me all the time.

I am really heartened to see all the love for Warhammer - I did not day one purchase, and have been holding off, but ordered it last night.

garion333 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
billt721 wrote:

I think these are the only "new" games I played this year

Good news! You can vote for any game that you played for the first time this year, whether it was released in 2011 or not. Did you play any games from your backlog that would change up that Top 7?

Pretty sure that's what he meant. He put the original AssCreed on the list.

Yeah, that's what I get for not reading closely enough.

Aaron D. wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

8. You Don't Know Jack

I know it doesn't have a chance in hell making the final cut, but damn I loved this game.

Yeah, I don't get t o play it as much as I would like. we save it for when friends and family or over so that we don't end up playing episodes with them that we have already seen. But it never fails to entertain. It's pretty much exactly what I was hoping for years go when playing it on the PC.

1 - Skyrim
2 - Dark Souls
3 - You Don't Know Jack
4 - Portal 2
5 - Magicka
6 - Bastion
7 - Hoard
8 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution
9 - Terraria
10 - Rock of Ages

Dyni wrote:

I played the League of Legends beta a few years ago, but this was the first year I played the game since release. Eligible?

I'd say no.

DSGamer wrote:

1. Saints Row the Third (360)
2. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together (PSP)
3. Dark Souls (360)
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360)
5. Metro 2033 (360) - First picked that up this year
6. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) - First played it this year after running through Idle Thumbs
7. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
8. Portal 2 (360)
9. Batman: Arkham City (360)
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP)

I'm surprised to not see Kirby's Mass Attack on here.

Jeff-66 wrote:

8. Bioshock 2 - Better than the original.

Agree completely. Had I finished this or Minerva's Den they would have gone on my list.

I have to do this when I get home definitely, but some thoughts:

Should Minecraft be considered a 2011 game now that it is "officially out?"
It is really tough to figure out where (and when) to place The Old Republic, since the pre-order launches are only going out now.
No Shogun 2: Total War love?

I would love it if we offered other categories, like "best graphics, music, character, story" Not that these need to be ranked, but if people can provide their personal awards, that would be awesome.

For example, I really liked Deus Ex: HR even though I wouldn't give it a GOTY award, but it absolutely had the best music all year for me.
Wheatley and Cave Johnson deserve a prize just for being who they are.

Budo, we're done here.

1. Magicka (PC)
2. Bastion (XBLA)
3. Skyrim (360)
4. Dragon Age 2 (360)
5. Battleheart (iOS)
6. Mass Effect 2 (360)
7. Desktop Dungeons (PC)
8. Atom Zombie Smasher (PC)
9. Six Gun Saga (PC)
10. Ravenmark (iOS)

The top 3 are in a tier above the rest, and aren't separated by much, but I valued the co-op hilarity of Magicka, and being able to play with 4 friends on the couch above the single player awesomeness of Bastion and Skyrim.

Boardgame of the Year: 7 Wonders. This would go in the #4 spot for me personally, but the list seems to be for videogames.
Narrowly missed the cut: Spelltower, Dungeon Defenders, Warhammer: Space Marine

I have a feeling that Ravenmark and Spelltower will move up further after I spend more time with them as I travel for the holidays.
I also picked up humble indie bundle #4 yesterday, but haven't had enough time to evaluate any of the games.

Budo wrote:

Should Minecraft be considered a 2011 game now that it is "officially out?"

Did you first play it in 2011, like the OP advises? Then yes.

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

Hmm, I'm only a hipster by default, then, since I'm grabbing a different AAA title to suck up the next year of my life

I wonder what the PBR of video games is.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:

1 - 5 Dark Souls
6 Rocksmith (Does this count as a game?)
7 Catherine
8 Saints Row The Third
9 Portal 2
10 Shadows of the Damned

ClockworkHouse wrote:

[*]Can I list a game multiple times so that it gets more votes? No. That's cheating.

Want to flesh that out into a top ten, or is that final as a top five?

Ha, I couldn't think of 5 more games from this year that deserved an award! I played a lot of older stuff this year but am not really inclined to bother figuring out where they'd go.
Those are my top 5 of the year, for sure.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dyni wrote:

I played the League of Legends beta a few years ago, but this was the first year I played the game since release. Eligible?

I'd say no.

DSGamer wrote:

1. Saints Row the Third (360)
2. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together (PSP)
3. Dark Souls (360)
4. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360)
5. Metro 2033 (360) - First picked that up this year
6. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) - First played it this year after running through Idle Thumbs
7. Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
8. Portal 2 (360)
9. Batman: Arkham City (360)
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP)

I'm surprised to not see Kirby's Mass Attack on here.

I wasn't going to comment on that, but it tumbled, yeah. It's still my favorite DS game ever. I stand by that. However, shortly after making that statement I got back into Tactics Ogre (30 hours in the last 2 weeks), Dark Souls and played Saints Row. Then when I reflected on it and tried not to just pick my favorite games "right now". But rather what were the games I liked best from this entire year. It's honestly been my favorite year of gaming ever. I finished more games than I ever have and there are tons of games not on that list like Game Dev Story and others. Kirby Mass Attack would be #12 if we went that high. Right after Game Dev Story.

1. Saints Row The Third - Pure, unadulterated insanity. Loved every minute of co-opping this.
2. Rayman Origins - Almost the perfect platformer. If you haven't bought this, you're a bad person who hates fun.
3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution - A worthy entry in the series and another great world with great characters.
4. Outland - Ikaruga meets a platformer. Amazing, everyone should be buying this.
5. Bastion - Practically tied with Outland but I liked its gameplay just a bit more. Also amazing, buy this too.
6. Skyrim - Not grabbing me as much as the others in the series did but still, what a world.
7. Portal 2 - Great co-op and funny as ever.
8. Battlefield 3 - Campaign was weak just like MW3 but also like MW3, the multiplayer is where it's at and this is far superior in my opinion.
9. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Biggest surprise. Had low expectations but it had amazing, visceral combat and was a gem on PC.
10. Trenched/Iron Brigade - Had amazing four player fun with people playing this. Itching for DLC.

Potential honourable mention to Arkham City. I haven't played much of it and I'm not going back to it until they fix the random save erasure bug on 360. I'd put in a couple of hours and it wasn't grabbing me for some reason. Had I played more, this might have made the list but not so far.

EDIT: Crap! Made an edit. Can't believe I forgot Rayman Origins!

mr_n00b wrote:

I wonder what the PBR of video games is.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by making a point of saying they only have PC games on their list).

FTFY.

DSGamer wrote:

I wasn't going to comment on that, but it tumbled, yeah. It's still my favorite DS game ever. I stand by that. However, shortly after making that statement I got back into Tactics Ogre (30 hours in the last 2 weeks), Dark Souls and played Saints Row. Then when I reflected on it and tried not to just pick my favorite games "right now". But rather what were the games I liked best from this entire year.

That's been the hardest part of all of this for me: thinking back over everything I played this year and picking what I had the most fun with. It's easy to get pretty myopic and just go with whatever is exciting you the most at the moment.

TrashiDawa wrote:

The best part of the GOTY voting is seeing who the gaming hipsters are (which is defined by not including Skyrim on their list).

I haven't bought it yet, so it's not on my list. Hipster accusation avoided.