Before you say it I know this should have been posted in 2011 as this post will be about the year itself and what made it great. If any of you saw my tweets on New Years Eve (or lack of) you probably know what sort of standard lists are ahead but this will be a little expanded and will include all of 2011’s greatness and not just those that required an Xbox controller.
Film of the Year: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2
Notable Mentions: Drive, XMEN: First Class, Troll Hunter
Harry Potter came to a close this year with one of the most action packed outings in this magical series. The characters continued to fight Lord Voldermort while the world worried if this would do the final book justice (we all know part 1 didn’t). Thankfully it lived up to expectations and was played out very well from set piece to set piece the action was fast and fluid.
TV Show of the Year: A Game of Thrones
Notable Mentions: Chuck, Community, Breaking Bad
Of course the best TV show this year was far and away ‘A Game of Thrones’. The series follows the first book in the Song of Fire and Ice sage almost to a tee but gave the audience so much more. Character progression was carried out well and we all know that we will be watching the next series with just as much excitement. A Clash of Kings (the second book) is a fantastic read and I can’t see the next series failing to live up to the hype.
Underrated Game of the Year: Bastion
Notable Mentions: Pilotwings 3D, Brink
Bastion got a few great reviews around its release date in the summer but even though this brilliant action RPG has sold half a million copies that’s half a million too little. Everyone should own this games; its gorgeous, fun, has a great variety of gameplay and some of the best narration you can hear in any video game past or present.
Overhyped Game of the Year: Duke Nukem: Forever
Notable Mentions: None Come Close
Did you expect anything less? The game that took years to develop looked like it took about 5 minutes; yes this was Duke at his sexist best/worse but it was also a diabolical creation that no-one should spend £40.00 on let alone the £10.00 it costs now. Do yourself a favour and punch yourself in the face for fun instead!
Worse Game of the Year: Brink
Notable Mentions: Thor, Green Lantern, Wipeout XBLA
Yes 2011 was the year of the poorly created games. Unfortunately Brink actually looked like it was going to be ok but ever since the first previews started hitting the web people knew this was going to be diabolical. The AI was almost non-existent and even playing online didn't really help matters. The class system was average and never really gave the player the feeling that they were ever different to anyone else. Unfortunately this was one of the worst FPS of the year and of the consoles lifecycle - and to think this could have been great too.
Game of the Year – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Notable Mentions: Batman: Arkham City, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Trine 2, Dead Space 2
Skyrim is my favourite game of the year, and I'm glad it's popular because it means they'll keep making stuff like this. But I also hope it prompts a few people in high places to have a long, hard think about whether enough is being done to make our games work properly out of the box. It is much easier to lose a consumer than to attract one. Still Skyrim is a fantastic piece of work that shows exactly why it’ll top forums for the next few years, be played for the next decade and remembered even longer.
2011 was a great year to be a gamer and I for one will be playing the games that came out well into 2012 and possibly further. I had a great year on this site and memorable moments throughout - from queueing in the wrong place at the Eurogamer Expo to finally finishing that extreme achievement on Trials HD. Here's to a wonderful 2012... again!
What did you think of 2011? Do you agree or disagree with any of our awards?
