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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

Was 2011 a creative regression for the video-game industry?

The 25 Best Video Games of 2011
Photo: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Giving our inaugural Best Video Games list a thorough once-over, the question that ultimately begs to be answered is this: Was 2011 a creative regression for the video-game industry? It’s a valid inquiry, as 22 out of the 25 titles we’ve named the year’s most valuable are either sequels, prequels, or another non-timeline-sensitive entry in an already established series (if you happen to acknowledge Child of Eden as a follow-up to Rez, then make it 23). I can recall an era where every new game was, literally, a legitimately new game, unveiling technology, characters, and gameplay that had never been seen before. Now, it’s as if the most direct pathway to a masterpiece for developers is an unwavering focus squarely on the refinement of their own past successes, adjusting and enhancing prior ingredients proven repeatedly fruitful in order to manufacture a regenerated end result that radiates ingenuity. What’s interesting about 2011’s gaming continuations is that, for the most part, they honorably cater to the idea that how longtime fans of the source material feel about the updated substance is far more important than the resulting economic gain. While it’s true that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 broke copious capital-making records, Infinity Ward received criticism from the masses for not altering the formula enough, so much so that the whole package feels like a mere upgrade rather than another groundbreaking experience. Yet the game still sold millions instantaneously, and despite the rampant shit-talking, it still found its way onto our list, because nobody can argue that it isn’t insanely fun to engage in. It’s truly a relief to know that the consumer still has some say in how a game is put together, even if they remain willing to shell out the cash for a less-than-satisfying final product.

Anyone who contests that nostalgia doesn’t play a substantial role in 2011’s most praiseworthy games is simply fooling themselves. Super Mario, Kirby, Rayman, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda—these are all beloved franchises that hold special places in the hearts of many. You could likely set the clock back 10 years and find most of our editors locked away in their rooms, devoid of adequate sunlight, attempting to defeat the final boss or collect every last item before they pass out from lack of sleep. This year brought back those treasured feelings of both frustration and elation, reverting grown men to fervent fanboys, as the classic meshed with the modern to give birth to a distinctive set of games that point the current decade in the right direction for a supreme proliferation of artistry. If nothing else, 2011 provided a crop of visually spectacular games. There’s not a single title on our list that could be considered homely in any respect. Three words do well to sum up the year adequately: All is well. Mike LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

25. Rage

Execution trumps originality in iD Software’s long-in-the-making Rage, a game that hews to an awfully familiar post-apocalyptic Fallout-style template in terms of story and environmental design, and yet nonetheless manages to thrive on the basis of its excellent gameplay, outstanding visuals, and expansive single-player campaign. While weapon-customization, item-upgrading, and other RPG-ish elements are rampant throughout, the game rests on the back of its straightforward FPS action, which is bolstered by diverse enemies that one combats in consistently well-designed, inventive battle arenas. The obligatory chitchat with other characters proves to be more of a chore than an enlightening means of creating immersion, and monotony does eventually creep into the action. But between the recoil-charged physicality of its weaponry and the sheer pandemonium of its many centerpieces, it’s a game that, while not the epic it aspires to be, delivers a wealth of visceral, nerve-jangling in-the-moment pleasures. Nick Schager


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

24. Bit.Trip Flux

While Suda51’s attempts to make gaming’s Never Mind the Bollocks got increasingly tedious this year, the Gaijin team created gaming’s Ramones Leave Home with Bit.Trip Flux, a self-consciously primitivist masterpiece that reaches back to the roots to create something unprecedented. At a quick glance, this is just good ol’ Pong with an interactive soundtrack. But the magic isn’t in the description, it’s in the experience, and Bit.Trip Flux is the most purely joyful gaming experience I had this year. The game’s enthusiastic screwing with the player induces the familiar forward lean of a gamer facing off with a designer, and as you’re tilting toward the screen, it yanks you in with a driving yet warm sound-and-light show to merge you and your Wii into a single musical cyborg. This may be the purest work of art that the medium has ever produced, an experience unimaginable in any other form, and it’s simply perfect beyond description. Daniel McKleinfeld


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

23. Super Mario 3D Land

Amalgamating design and gameplay aspects from nearly every Super Mario quest to come before it (with a firm emphasis on Super Mario Bros. 3), Super Mario 3D Land is an outstanding example of why Nintendo remains the best development team working today. Ostensibly without much stress or pressure from the surge of FPS and MMO mongers, the company is continually able to please their devoted followers and, at the very same instant, manages to entice digital-gaming virgins, be they six or 60 years of age. Showcasing stunning attention detail at every corner, an intuitive control scheme, colorful, ahead-of-the-handheld-curve visuals that make elegant usage of the 3DS’s autostereoscopic prowess, and a tremendous amount of fan service, SM3DL is not only a more than worthy successor to Nintendo’s current platforming high watermark Super Mario Galaxy 2, but a fine introduction to the franchise for anyone just breaking into the wide, wondrous world of video gaming. LeChevallier

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

22. LittleBigPlanet 2

A sequel to the lauded 2008 puzzle platformer, LittleBigPlanet 2 welcomed players back into Sackboy’s dazzling textile wonderland of cardboard-box fortresses, sentient calendar creatures, stickers galore, and obstacle-filled planetoids made of craftwork bric-a-brac. In terms of gameplay, the Story mode is as beautiful as it is varied. Mount a canine steed that shoots sonic barks, swing over pits of lava with a grappling hook, or gun down enemy spacecraft in a Gradius-inspired aerial shooter, which even takes on full 8-bit, old-school glory in one level. And of course, there’s the beloved Create mode. The level design game-within-a-game offers users an almost intimidating amount of creative resources to fashion their own LBP stages to share with the world. Some players’ brainchildren include Halloween-themed levels, stages that turn into hip-hop music videos, and levels that send Sackboy skydiving—all of which are as fun and wacky as anything in the already stellar Story mode. Bryan Lufkin


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

21. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland

Since the first Kirby game, 1992’s Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy, Kirby has been Nintendo’s perennially adorable puffball. He can also kick a lot of ass. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland reinstates the latter. Although 2010’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn possessed a delightfully inventive art style, it was a little too toothless of an experience for some hardcore platformer fans. Dreamland remedies that negative with its vibrant level design, easy drop-in/drop-out four-player options, and screen-clearing special attacks. So many games in 2011 push the player into a harsh world filled with shadows. Kirby’s dreamscape is a welcome antecedent. Instead of bombed-out landscapes and slate-gray corridors, it has DayGlo clouds and little winged orbs that flit about your head like drunken flies. It’s a game that harkens back to the golden age of platformers and slashes the difficulty for the Angry Birds generation. Nearly 20 years later, Kirby is still reveling in its own accessibility Kyle Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

20. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Within the first day of its release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sold over six million units, which meant Gamestops and mall parking lots across the land likely saw some light warfare of their own. Shattered sales records aside, MW3 delivered the classic, gritty, battle-torn mayhem fans of the franchise have grown to love and expect. The game offered some of the year’s finest in first-person shooting, and introduced a new, and challenging, Survival Mode, which pits you against an onslaught of increasingly formidable foes. And while the satisfying campaign lasts five hours, the reason the franchise is so successful is the tried-and-true multiplayer, which was brought back in full bloody force for the latest in the series. Sixteen battlegrounds, unlockables aplenty, and unyielding trash talk help made MW3 a must-own for war game lovers in 2011. Lufkin


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

19. Mass Effect 2

The Mass Effect universe was too big to stay confined to one platform, and with Mass Effect 2, Bioware finally let PS3 owners explore the galaxy on their system of choice. Gamers will probably be divided forever about whether this sequel streamlined or dumbed-down the combat, but the appeal of the Mass Effect series isn’t the fighting, it’s the world. Lots of design docs have concept art that seems straight out of OMNI magazine, but only Mass Effect 2 managed to implement that in-game, creating thousands of beautiful planets with obsessively detailed backstories for everything on them. Even more than the ambitious Elder Scrolls games, Mass Effect 2 realizes the potential of video games for executing the kind of rich world-building that fantasy and sci-fi fans love, and very much unlike Elder Scrolls, they tell the story with acting, writing, and direction that you don’t have to apologize for. McKleinfeld

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

18. InFamous 2

While Batman: Arkham City has rightfully dominated gaming headlines as a preeminent example of superhero-sagas done right, Sucker Punch’s sequel to 2009’s inFamous is no slouch in that department either. Bike-messenger-turned-do-gooder Cole MacGrath remains a reliably entertaining proxy for one’s superpowered fantasies; his lightening attacks, wall-climbing talents, and telephone wire-skating travel techniques combine to form an excellent skill set for the open-sandbox mission that this lengthy adventure throws its protagonist’s way. The choice in inFamous 2 to play as a hero or villain is again a serviceable if somewhat unremarkable gimmick, but Cole’s new abilities—upgraded throughout by completing missions and tasks—afford endless opportunities for all sorts of satisfyingly urban-warfare, mass-destruction craziness. Throw in a beautifully rendered metropolitan locale that teems with opportunities for squashing crime and/or causing trouble, via both the main campaign and numerous side quests, and the result is a follow-up that builds upon its ancestor’s thrilling sense of power and freedom. Schager


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

17. Catherine

Atlus’s much buzzed over title, Catherine, generated a fair amount of hype prior to its North American release in July. The infidelity-inspired anime-drama treatment of a puzzle game was certainly something new, and got a lot of people talking. We weren’t disappointed when the game hit shelves. It blended genres like puzzle and horror in a way that we can only hope will be oft-repeated in 2012 and beyond. Throughout the game, we were bounced between the moody storyline of protagonist Vincent, engaging barflies in conversation about his romantic woes, and his vaguely Escher-esque nightmare realm of survival puzzles. The pretty graphics, slick presentation, titillating storyline, and intriguing mélange of genres certainly made Catherine stick out as one of year’s finest games, as well as one of the most memorable. I mean, this is a game about a dude getting drunk and sexted by day, and then scrambling up a crumbling tower, in his underwear, in a frightening not-world by night. What’s forgettable about that? Lufkin


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

16. Battlefield 3

Modern military first-person shooters are often compared to flashy, albeit linear, theme-park rides. Trailing a generic non-player character into the war zone is mindless fun, but you know what’s coming around nearly every corner. Battlefield 3 isn’t entirely immune to the Call of Duty malaise, but its creators have avoided several of the genre’s niggling tropes. It’s another graphically impressive and thrilling single-player experience. Although that segment of the game hasn’t quite wrestled out of its genre straightjacket, the multiplayer portion of DICE’s latest delivers an incessantly enjoyable experience. The adrenaline rushes, rolling thrums, and unpredictability of a combat experience are bottled and released for the player. Overall, Battlefield 3 performs like a hard-edged war veteran. The epic online battles feel like they have real stakes and the well-balanced four classes from Bad Company 2 return for fans of the popular series. This amounts to a marquee game that shirks common misconceptions about a mega-popular genre and points toward a way that shooters can inspire once again. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

15. Mortal Kombat

Besides the superb HD graphics, spectacular gore, a great “best-of” character roster, and an excellent online component, NetherRealm Studios’s glorious reboot of iconic fighter franchise Mortal Kombat really transcends its competitors with an engaging, fully fledged story mode, retelling the narrative from the first three series entries from multiple perspectives. Beloved characters are dismembered and maimed in a lengthy, clever campaign with actual weight—a first for a fighting game. Borrowing and fine-tuning mechanics from current 2D fighting games, Mortal Kombat is accessible for those new to the genre but also deep enough to engage diehard fans. The extreme nature of the violence pushes buttons, as it should, but the game is both fun to play and fun to watch. Complete with a compelling Challenge Tower and extras alongside a traditional arcade mode, Mortal Kombat is not just an amazing fighting game, but one of the best games of the year. Ryan Aston

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

14. Rayman Origins

Who would have thought that the most graphically gorgeous game of 2011 would be a strictly two-dimensional side-scroller featuring Ubisoft’s limbless, all-but-forgotten mid-’90s, attempted Mario-killer mascot? Rayman Origins is truly a feast for the eyes, a meticulously crafted work of art that demands to be displayed in the modified museums of the future. Being hypnotized by the game’s engrossing exquisiteness is almost unavoidable, so much so that the steadily increasing difficulty level can soon prove to be a daunting challenge due to the ongoing onslaught of ravishing sights and sounds that slyly envelops the player. Vibrant, monumentally clever environments (the sand zone is built on reactionary didgeridoos, for heaven’s sake) do well to mask the skill level necessary to progress through the later stages; making your way through series creator Michel Ancel’s dreamy utopia of oddball flora and fauna is demanding without being a gamepad-shattering endeavor. Every inch of the game is embroidered with adoration for the medium, and, most importantly, it’s a refreshing respite from the current gaming generation’s countless blood-and-guts, brutal-assassination-is-your-only-objective titles. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

13. Pokémon Black/White

Plain and simple, Pokémon Black/White is the video-game equivalent of crack cocaine. Once you’re locked in the cycle of exposure, it’s impossible to escape. There are now 649 species of Pocket Monsters to battle, catch, train, and trade; developer Game Freak implemented a stroke of genius in allowing Pokémon from previous installments to become available for obtainment only after the main storyline is completed. In doing this, even the most familiarized player is able to partially relive the fresh experience of playing the earliest Pokémon chapters for the first time, and because of this, for rookies, it’s likely even more pleasurable. Pokémon Black/White is a remarkably refined RPG that amends just about every misstep taken by the previous Nintendo DS entries Pokémon Diamond/Pearl and the expansion, Pokémon Platinum. Game Freak doesn’t make these games with a profit in mind. From the outset, Pokémon has been about spawning and maintaining a colossal fanbase, and as long as Bulbapedia and 4chan’s /vp/ remain at the top of my bookmarks tab, I wholeheartedly believe that sentiment will never change. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

12. Saints Row: The Third

Dispensing completely with any notion of serious tone or narrative, Saints Row: The Third builds on everything that made Saints Row 2 the amazing alternative to the depressive Grand Theft Auto IV by being the single most ridiculous, hilarious, insane experience this medium has to offer. And it’s wonderful. The open-world game to end all open-world games, Saints Row: The Third is a joy to behold, offering the player a dynamic sandbox with which to cause havoc as the head of a fully customizable gang—who can be ninjas, or spacemen, or whatever—taking over the streets of Steelport with the most imaginative and creative implements of destruction conceivable. Its missions and optional activities are fun and varied, with a phenomenal character creator and an experience system that rewards play. Complete with excellent co-op and intelligent satire, Saints Row: The Third might be the most fun you can have playing a game this year. Aston


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

11. Dance Central 2

With Dance Central 2, “the only reason to buy a Kinect” became “a great reason to buy a Kinect,” and left pretty much every other dance game in the dust. Make no mistake, Dance Central 2 isn’t a casual-friendly party game; it’s a hardcore challenge, all the tougher for being full-body. Coordinating arms, legs, hips, and rhythm will demand skills most gamers let atrophy long ago, and there will be plenty of times you’ll curse the camera for denying you points that should rightfully be yours. But like the best music games, Dance Central 2 is ferociously satisfying to master, and just gets better the more you play it. If Harmonix can keep up the DLC, and even tie it into what’s hitting at the clubs, this may be the next great game-as-platform. But even if they never update it again, it’s the one I intend to spend much of next year playing. McKleinfeld

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

In the not-so-distant future, large corporations and multinational firms have developed their operations beyond the control of national governments, and human biomechanical augmentation is simultaneously rising in popularity across the world and being demonized for its role in changing humanity. Like the very best sci-fi, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is about ethics and consequences; this is a game that asks what it is to be human. The game presents both the rise of biotechnology as a means to advance human ability and the human experience, and the subsequent consequences on the world. Its layered narrative matches its deep multifaceted gameplay, set in a rich and atmospheric universe that feels not too far away from our own. Despite a slow start and occasional missteps (the much maligned boss fights were “fixed” for DLC), Eidos Montreal has created an engaging, compelling experience that does justice to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex series. Aston


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

9. Child of Eden

Developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has always pursued an aesthetic of the digital spiritual, finding transcendent beauty in vector math. In Child of Eden, he leaps past his previous games with an unprecedented visual fusion of the technological and the organic. This game will rightly be compared to synaesthetic masterpieces like Rez or Space Invaders Extreme, but it equally merits comparison to games like Zeno Clash or Final Fantasy XII, in which the appeal is a guided tour through a world you’ve never imagined, where it’s hard to say if you’re on water, land, or air, and where glowing whales sprout bioluminescent cacti among many other gorgeous and strange sights. In recent years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in the rail-shooter genre, as developers explore its capacity for immersive cinematic experiences—not to mention its easy adaptation to motion control. But Child of Eden does those action-movie simulators one better by taking you someplace you’ve never been and then delivering the best acid trip you’ll ever book. McKleinfeld


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

8. Resistance 3

The year’s finest first-person shooter came courtesy of the PS3-exclusive Resistance franchise—a considerable surprise given that the series’s previous two entries had been serviceable but unremarkable works of genre craftsmanship. This third go-round, however, is a superior slice of FPS gaming insanity, largely doing away with conventional cutscenes and unnecessary narrative convolutions in order to maintain primary focus on the title’s hectic, muscular, and satisfying warfare. Better yet, Insomniac mixes and matches various gameplay modes with aplomb, veering from stealth missions to chaotic battles with dexterity, thereby affording tonal shifts that keep the shoot-everything-in-sight action fresh. While enemy AI lacks consistency, the game’s gorgeous, highly detailed graphics add to the enveloping doom-laden atmosphere of a colonized Earth crumbling under the weight of alien siege—though finding opportunities to stop and admire the scenery amid Resistance 3’s blistering action is, ultimately, even more difficult than completing its sterling first-person campaign. Schager


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

7. Gears of War 3

A game that, like its predecessors, flaunts its aggro-manliness like a medal of honor, Epic Games’s gung-ho threequel breaks little ground but delivers the murder-mayhem goods like few other third-person actioners. Once again placing you in control of steroidal superhero Marcus Fenix in a battle against the Earth-invading alien Locust, Gears of War 3 is a polished piece of regurgitation, amplifying scope and scale while generally keeping things on a familiar, and still solid, duck-and-cover combat level (albeit with a greater, and satisfying, focus on hand-to-hand brutality). Despite its gameplay sophistication, a sense of repetition is persistent, and ignoring the superfluous story is, as usual, the key to fully enjoying this bloodbath. That task, however, is made quite easy by the game’s predictably outstanding aesthetic polish and borderline-frantic pace, all of which help contribute to making this third Gears of War go-round something of a franchise Ultimate Edition. Schager

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

6. Dead Space 2

Visceral Games aims for perfection, not innovation. Dead Space 2 has little that survival-horror players haven’t seen before, but it refines the formula to bone-cutting sharpness. Most notable is the canny pacing; monsters always jump out two beats before you expect them, providing more sudden shrieks than an anesthetic-free visit to the dentist’s office. That pacing is enabled by the game’s cunning level architecture, which functions both as a narrative element (the visit to Unitology headquarters reveals as much as all the tie-in comics) and as a subtly placed track that steers players toward precisely the right spot for a nasty surprise. They got the basics right too, with just enough enemy and weapon variation to keep you on your toes without overwhelming you with choice, a dismemberment mechanic that adds a lot of strategy to your running and gunning, and minimally intrusive cutscenes. Combine that with ooey-gooey visuals and solid-B+ writing, and you’ve got a perfect thrill ride. McKleinfeld


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim can be a broken game at times. Characters will get stuck in walls for hours. Horses soar high into the air. At one point, I saw a dragon skeleton lumbering in the middle of a tiny village. Every time I go back it’s still chilling there. Skyrim’s occasional brokenness is just another aspect of the series’s charm, though. There are endless ways to play through the game’s open world and the quest log will never be empty. For such a fantasy setting, Skyrim tries to mimic the delightful and sometimes mundane routine of real life. Skyrim is bursting with spirit and technique and a vigilant attention to detail. Bethesda doesn’t fret over the fact that you may never uncover that one treasure buried deep within a dungeon in the crook of your map. The game doesn’t mollycoddle and that’s why it’s so incomparable. Bethesda has finally crystallized their dream of crafting a world where any player could play as whomever they wanted, however they wanted. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

4. Uncharted 3

Given its knack for tactfully emulating cinematic flair, it’s a herculean task to not examine Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise as if it were a collective of big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, and, let’s face it, part threes usually suck all kinds of ass. There are some exceptions to this (Return of the King, The Prisoner of Azkaban, and Toy Story 3 spring to mind as uncontested examples), but I must admit that the stigma has proved quite the opposite when it comes to video games. Uncharted 3 succeeds across nearly all critical categories because, after two projects to fully comprehend the capabilities of the hardware at hand, Naughty Dog emerges as true masters of the TPS/adventure genre. From its polished graphics and the tight controls, to the sharp scriptwriting and spot-on vocal performances (and a drastically improved multiplayer to boot), Nathan Drake’s third, action-packed, surprisingly emotional exploit is an endlessly absorbing crusade that stands alongside any of the year’s finest entertainments, video game or otherwise. LeChevallier


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

In the five years since the Wii’s launch, few games have used the console’s motion-sensing capabilities as effectively and seamlessly as the latest in the 25-year-old Legend of Zelda franchise. Between the masterful storytelling of Link’s battle against Demon Lord Ghirahim and the pitch-perfect motion-control swordplay via the Wii MotionPlus, this latest in Shigeru Miyamoto’s definitive dungeon-crawler series proves why Link has a throne set aside for him in the Valhalla of video-game icons. Brandishing your sword and using new accessories, like the flying beetle, felt smoother than a Zora’s thigh, thanks to the game’s intuitive, natural-feeling controls. They bring out the best in the Wii, and are a great example of how motion-sensing has revolutionized the industry. Throw in complex puzzles, a sprawling world, and a beautiful soundtrack peppered with orchestral tracks, and Skyward Sword has become the gold standard not only the Zelda series, but games in general. Lufkin

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The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

2. Batman: Arkham City

Batman is an icon that finally received a just video-game treatment with Rocksteady’s classic Batman: Arkham Asylum. That Metroid-esque action-adventure title utilized its gothic environment to full effect. It’s even-better sequel, Batman: Arkham City, could have turned out to be just an open-world expansion of its predecessor’s formula. Thankfully, it’s anything but that. Exploring Gotham City’s quarantined ghetto is the game. The Dark Knight runs across snowy rooftops, dive-bombs off a gargoyle, only to grapple onto a shady-looking factory up ahead. Sure, there’s the formula of hitting a waypoint, entering a building, fighting through a horde of goons, and rumbling with a boss. The sinew between those familiar muscles is where Arkham City succeeds. Chase after every Riddler trophy or uncover Azrael’s furtive subplot. Or, just explore for exploration’s sake. The options are furtive and ingenious. The brooding, gothic quality that oozed out of Arkham Asylum’s pores is expanded and shot through with a new revelation: Batman’s ominous metropolis is the true star of Rocksteady’s excellent franchise. Lemmon


The 25 Best Video Games of 2011

1. Portal 2

Portal 2 is a masterpiece. Valve is the rare developer that completely understands the language of video games, using the medium to craft a compelling and enriching narrative experience that expands upon everything that made their 2007 hit exceptional. Once again, Chell finds herself at the mercy of psychotic AI GLaDOS, forced to take on ever more elaborate “testing” that comprises complex and satisfying physics-based puzzles while exploring the darkly hilarious history of Aperture Science. This world builds around the player, first as GLaDOS reconstructs her gorgeously detailed test facility following decades of neglect (the graphics are second to none, with every image beauteous and meaningful), secondly as the origin of the deeply unethical research corporation is revealed, headed by the increasingly insane Cave Johnson (voiced by a phenomenal J.K. Simmons). He’s just one of many memorable characters introduced across the involving narrative; Stephen Merchant in particular delights as insipid “Personality Core” Wheatley, the perfect antagonist and intellectual nemesis for GLaDOS. Beyond the wonderful single player campaign, a unique cooperative campaign offers an entirely new challenge working through intricate puzzles with a partner, continuing the narrative under the watchful, vengeful eye of GLaDOS. Portal 2 is a worthy sequel and the best game of 2011. Aston

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