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2011: Year in Review

Release Schedule:

1st Half2nd Half
  • Jan 4 - Lost in Shadow
  • Jan 11 - Ghost Trick
  • Jan 18 - LittleBigPlanet 2
  • Jan 25 - Dead Space 2
  • Feb 8 - About a Blob
  • Feb 8 - Stacking
  • Feb 15 - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
  • Feb 15 - Marvel vs Capcom 3
  • Feb 16 - Hard Corps Uprising
  • Feb 22 - Killzone 3
  • Feb 22 - Radiant Historia
  • Feb 22 - Bulletstorm
  • Mar 1 - PixelJunk Shooter 2
  • Mar 6 - Pokemon Black/White
  • Mar 8 - Dragon Age 2
  • Mar 15 - Yakuza 4
  • Mar 15 - Okamiden
  • Mar 22 - Final Fantasy Dissidia 012
  • Apr 19 - Portal 2
  • Apr 19 - Mortal Kombat
  • Apr 19 - Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection
  • Apr 26 - Outland
  • Apr 27 - Nin2-Jump
  • May 4 - Section 8: Prejudice
  • May 10 - Brink
  • May 17 - L.A. Noire
  • JUNE 6 - E3
  • Jun 7 - Red Faction: Armageddon
  • Jun 7 - Infamous 2
  • Jun 14 - Duke Nukem Forever
  • Jun 14 - Alice: Madness Returns
  • Jun 19 - Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
  • Jun 21 - Dungeon Siege III
  • Jun 21 - Shadows of the Damned
  • Jul 13 - Ms. 'Splosion Man
  • Jul 20 - Bastion
  • Jul 27 - From Dust
  • Aug 3 - Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
  • Aug 16 - El Shaddai
  • Aug 16 - No More Heroes: Paradise
  • Aug 23 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  • Sep 6 - Bloodrayne: Betrayal
  • Sep 6 - Dead Island
  • Sep 6 - Resistance 3
  • Sep 6 - Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
  • Sep 12 - Renegade Ops
  • Sep 20 - Gears of War 3
  • Sep 27 - Team ICO Collection
  • Oct 4 - Rage
  • Oct 4 - Dark Souls
  • Oct 4 - Spider-Man: Edge of Time
  • Oct 18 - Batman: Arkham City
  • Oct 18 - RocketBirds: Hardboiled Chicken
  • Oct 18 - Okabu
  • Oct 18 - Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
  • Oct 24 - Kirby's Return to Dream Land
  • Oct 25 - Pixeljunk Sidescroller
  • Oct 25 - Battlefield 3
  • Nov 1 - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
  • Nov 1 - Sonic Generations
  • Nov 8 - Call of Duty: MW3
  • Nov 8 - Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
  • Nov 11 - Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • Nov 13 - Super Mario 3D Land
  • Nov 15 - Assassin's Creed: Revelations
  • Nov 15 - Saints Row: The Third
  • Nov 15 - Rayman Origins
  • Nov 15 - Jurassic Park
  • Nov 20 - Zelda: Skyward Sword
  • Dec 20 - Trine 2
  • Dec 22 - Mighty Switch Force!

Personal Rankings:

ConsolesDownloadsPortables
  1. Alice: Madness Returns
  2. Portal 2
  3. Dungeon Siege III
  4. Batman: Arkham City
  5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
  6. Kirby's Return to Dreamland
  7. Mortal Kombat
  8. Shadows of the Damned
  9. Assassin's Creed Revelations
  10. Dragon Age 2
  11. Zelda: Skyward Sword
  12. Dead Space 2
  13. Resistance 3
  14. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  1. Renegade Ops
  2. Bastion
  3. Outland
  4. Bloodrayne: Betrayal
  5. Pixeljunk Shooter 2
  6. Soul Brother
  7. Mighty Switch Force!
  8. Eufloria
  9. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken
  10. Crysis
  11. Captain America: Shield of Justice
  1. Ghost Trick
  2. Super Mario 3D Land
  3. Pokemon Black
  4. Tactics Ogre: LUCT
  5. Radiant Historia

Showing 1-10 of 30 items

Alice: Madness Returns

1. Alice: Madness Returns

Score: 9.5/10

American McGee can think up some really creative, imaginative, and seriously, SERIOUSLY twisted shit. And it's not just the vision either...whether it's platforming around floating cards in the sky or dicing up samurai wasps, it doesn't just look like a dream, but controls like one too.

Portal 2

2. Portal 2

Score: 9/10

So how does one improve on perfection? Light bridges. Gel. Wave tunnels. And a wickedly-told story that builds upon the original. I can't believe I was even worried going in...I should have more faith in Valve. They know what's up. And I didn't even get to try co-op yet either (thanks, PSN).

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

3. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Score: 9/10

Caught me completely by surprise. I went in cold, barely knew anything about it, and came out grinning from ear to ear. Captivating story, fun dialogue, and clever (albeit fairly simple) puzzle gameplay. What a way to start the year.

Dungeon Siege III

4. Dungeon Siege III

Score: 8.5/10

A bit of a slow burn, but I was totally into by the end. Dragon Age 2 might have an edge in terms of story and characters, but to this game's credit, it's actually pretty strong here too. Combat's way more fun and addictive than DA2 though.

Super Mario 3D Land

5. Super Mario 3D Land

Score: 8/10

My first 3DS game and boy does it impress. The 3D effects really work well and the level design is worthy of the Mario moniker. It's not quite like the 2D or 3D Marios of past, but carves out its own distinct uniqueness.

Batman: Arkham City

6. Batman: Arkham City

Score: 8/10

There's nothing quite like gliding around Gotham City. The folks at Rocksteady have really outdone themselves, cramming yet again an insane amount of detail and love into their craft.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

7. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Score: 8/10

Uncharted 3 certainly has the "video" part of "video game" mastered, but unfortunately it's a bit lacking on the "game" side of things. The shooting and melee controls aren't very sharp and the difficulty can get downright cheap at times. The online multiplayer is still a blast to play though, especially co-op arena mode. EDIT: After the aiming patch, singleplayer controls like a dream now.

Pokémon Black/White

8. Pokémon Black/White

Score: 8/10

Holy crap, I haven't been this crazy about a Pokemon game since the Red/Blue days (which was well over a decade ago). Yeah, it follows the same conventions of all the million games before it, but it still somehow manages to feel fresh and stand out above the rest. It's got my favorite cast of new Pokemon to boot.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land

9. Kirby's Return to Dream Land

Score: 8/10

More Kirby adorableness with badass new powers and epic as all hell final boss battle.

Mortal Kombat

10. Mortal Kombat

Score: 7.5/10

The story mode actually turned out to be pretty damn amazing. I still think SSF4 is better technically, but MK easily outclasses it in personality and pure fun.

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