2011 HAS been a fantastic year for gamers with top releases hitting the shelves nearly every month. Here are five of my favourites.
Elder Scrolls VI: Skyrim (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
THERE is simply no doubt about the year’s best role playing game (rpg) with Skyrim so far ahead that there’s no point even considering anything else.
As an open world rpg it achieves a level of quality that’s not been managed on this current generation of consoles.
However, before the gushing praise continues it’s worth pointing out that a number of PS3 gamers have suffered considerable ‘lag’, or what the industry has come to term ‘rim-lag’, when their save file reaches a size of six megabytes.
Now my save file is well over the six mb marker and the performance does suffer but not in the extreme sense which has been reported on a number of games websites.
Developer Bethesda has pledged that the problem will be solved although as I write this the required patch is still to materialise.
Still if you own a PC or and Xbox the ‘rim-lag’ issue is not something that’s going to concern you and you can just get on and enjoy what will surely go down as one of the finest games ever.
The gameplay is a mix of combat, exploration, conversation, puzzle solving and questing, with your aim being to solve the riddle of why dragons, which were long believed extinct, have started reappearing and burning/freezing/tearing people alive.
While the game’s action is great there’s also the sheer joy that can be had from just exploring the massive and beautifully constructed world of Skyrim. There are numerous points at which you’ll simply stop dead and admire the scenery.
Make no mistake it’s a geeky affair but put that to one side and you’ll enjoy one of the best games ever made.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)
2011 saw no finer action adventure hit the shelves than the latest installment of Nathan Drake’s morally questionable treasure hunting.
Although its single player campaign is relatively brief, around eight hours on average, it’s like an updated Indiana Jones adventure with the production values to match.
The gameplay is neatly split between third person exploring (usually involving climbing, running and jumping) and combat (both hand to hand and gunfighting).
It opens with a spectacular bar room brawl and continues at a pace that doesn’t let up until the patience of even the usually unflappable Drake is tested to the limit.
The drama features rooftop chases, a fight on the cargo platform of an airborne plane, an escape from a burning mansion, leaps from horseback to moving vehicles and even a hallucinogenic saunter through a marketplace.
In terms of its genre the only game that comes close to providing the same experience is its predecessor Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
There are issues. For those who don’t like to be constrained then Uncharted 3’s linear nature will disappoint.
Personally that was never a problem because the story is so engaging that all that really concerned me was progressing to the next part.
Coupled with an improved and engrossing multiplayer element the Uncharted series deserves its place at the top of gaming’s festive table.
If you’re looking for a rollercoaster adventure with gunslinging and nail-biting drama in equal measure then Uncharted 3 is unsurpassed.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3, Xbox 360)
THERE’S no doubt that Modern Warfare 3 is a fantastic title and one that has proved hugely popular but for some reason this year has seen a bit of a backlash against the Activision behemoth.
It’s most likely because of the sheer success of the series - when something attracts that many fans it’s always bound to have a minority who dislike it.
However, there is an possibility that this is the third time in six years that Modern Warfare has hit our screens and that the trick can only be repeated so many times.
In terms of a single player campaign it’s like Modern Warfare 2 on steroids and is truly a bombastic success. If you’re after an all-action blockbusting brain dead first person shootfest then look no further, you’ve found your match.
The multiplayer, which we all know is the reason the Modern Warfare series has become so popular, is as much fun as ever with a number of new maps and a new perk and reward system which helps keep things as fresh as possible.
Modern Warfare is a great game and it has been a great series but future installments will need to consider more radical improvements and additions to avoid accusations that it’s become simply a cynical money making machine.
As it is the game is insanely addictive and beautifully fast paced making it the best on-line blast-fest available.
FIFA 12 (PS3, Xbox 360)
I UMMED and aahhed over including FIFA on this list and then realised that was mainly because I’m rubbish at it.
The series, which for so many years traded on the fact that it was fully licensed while its rivals were not, has now become the unsurpassed football simulation.
Younger gamers won’t be as familiar with simulation games which were all the rage in the 90s. They sought to take games away from the arcade and provide an accurate representation of whichever sport or activity they chose to portray.
The attention to detail in FIFA 12 pushes it beyond the pick up and play medium. In fact if you just pick it up and have the odd go every now and then you’ll be missing what makes FIFA great. Put the hours in, learn how to defend, feint and shoot with purpose and you’ll be rewarded with a football experience that’s second to none.
Visually it’s outstanding and the new player collision engine works superbly bar the odd freak out (although these are usually pretty entertaining).
As usual, and unlike its main opposition, the player lists are completely up to date and there’s a huge wealth of options.
If you’re after a football title then FIFA is rapidly becoming the only choice. Just don’t expect it to be easy.
Portal 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
PORTAL 2 stands alone in the gaming world, there is very little that matches its ability to tax the old grey matter and there’s certainly nothing on this list that comes close.
It’s an incredibly simple concept. You have a portal gun which shoots one orange portal and one blue one.
The trick is that if you step through the orange one you come out of the blue one - and vice versa.
What Portal 2 does is throw you into a room and ask you to get out of the exit. That exit isn’t always in the most convenient place but thankfully you’ve got your handy portal gun.
The challenges start off in fairly simple fashion but by the time you’ve gotten through a few levels then the difficulty really ramps up.
It really does require thought and there were many levels that left my head hurting from the sheer mental acrobatics required to make you’re way through.
The plot is simple but engaging and the real improvement over the first title (which was little more than an afterthought tagged onto the Orange Box) is in the characters and the voice acting.
An artificial intelligence being called GLaDOS is the reason you’re put through the challenges and she’s intent on getting you killed. Voiced by Ellen McLain her incessant barbed remarks are always entertaining and help add meaning to what is ostensibly a puzzle game.
Throughout your bid to escape you’re accompanied by Wheatley, voiced brilliantly by Stephen Merchant, and the dynamic is superb.
It’s completely different to anything else available but it’s also completely brilliant game and one that should be applauded for its attempts to try something new.