Game of the Year 2011 Part 1: The Runners Up

I'd almost given up on blogging recently. For some reason I had a completely unfounded lack of interest, which I pretty much can only attribute to lethargy, as I seem to spend most of my nights sat trawling various Cheezburger websites trying to fend off the will to eat my own face out of boredom, when such monotony could easily be avoided if I just put metaphorical pen to metaphorical paper and write something. So I am.

Traditionally my GOTY posts have come mid January, so I can hoover up the last possible contenders for the throne that I've missed over the year, but this time a few games that I have wanted to play have slipped through the net, some that I own but haven't had time to play yet (Rage, Splinter Cell Collection, Resistance 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, The Sims Medieval), and some that I've had my eye on but haven't had the cash to lay down (The Conduit 2, Halo: Anniversary, The Adventures of Tintin, X-Men: Destiny and BloodRayne, and I know there are some questionable titles there but I love an underdog). I doubt any of these games would have worried the top 10 though, LBP2 probably deserves to but with the time and effort I'm willing to put into it, I'll never see it to it's full potential. Onwards then, to the runners up.

29: Two Worlds II - Reality Pump - PS3 (360, PC)
Rumoured to be great, ended up a damp squib. An improvement over the first, but still borderline unplayable.

28: Hunted: The Demon's Forge - InXile Entertainment - PS3 (360, PC)
Attempts to fuse God and Gears, but fails to capture the strengths of either. Alright, not great.

27: LA Noire - Team Bondi - PS3 (360, PC)
This game had such huge ambitions, but failed to live up to them. The story is a shambles too. Technically incredible though, I'll give it that.

26: Killzone 3 - Guerrilla Games - PS3
What went wrong? after the awesome Killzone 2, this 4 hour long apology of a game failed to impress, with it's lacklustre set pieces and awkward attempts at humour. Good Collector's Edition though, admittedly.

25: Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition - Capcom - 3DS
As good as SFIV still is, it's not really any different to what we've been playing for the last two years, so I can't place this any higher.

24: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Relic Entertainment - PS3 (360, PC)
A better job at what Hunted tried to do, but the ridiculous method of self-healing and annoyance of the cockney Orks' repeated dialogue (Kill the Spice Moreens!) are a recipe for many a rage-quit.

23: Red Faction: Armageddon - Volition - PS3 (360, PC)
It saddens me to see the end of a series I've loved since it's beginning, and further so that it didn't go out with the bang it deserved. RF:A is alright, but just alright. The series didn't really need aliens to be fair.

22: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Sledgehammer Games - 360 (PS3, Wii, PC)
For someone such as myself, with no interest in the affairs of the military or online gaming, there is a limit to what I can get out of CoD. It was entertaining, with great set pieces and graphics, but forgettable and short.

21: Spider-Man: Edge of Time - Beenox - PS3 (360, Wii, 3DS, DS)
Fun but unimaginative, the game is mainly sticking to what it knows. Steeped in geekery and with some great storytelling, it somehow lacks the level of appeal that Shattered Dimensions had.

20: Dead Space 2 - Visceral Games - PS3 (360, PC)
Dead Space 2 is a solid game, and would probably score higher on a lot of lists. I just felt that it lacked the polish of the first one though, there wasn't the same sense of dread, and in giving Isaac a voice they exposed him as a bit of a whiney twat.

19: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Nintendo - 3DS
A timeless classic, but the 3D effects, motion controls and polished graphics can't hide the 'been there, done that' feeling.

18: Alice: Madness Returns - Spicy Horse - PS3 (360, PC, iOS)
Dark and thrilling, this game was a joy to play, and at times a bit disturbing. Think God of War with a dash of Silent Hill, and a good helping of Tim Burton and you're half way there. It's absolutely beautiful too.

17: Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Ubisoft Montreal - PS3 (360, PC)
A bit of a disappointment, but after Brotherhood I expected it to be. While there's no denying the fun to be had with the AC engine, the games are getting shorter and the story more shoehorned in. Here's hoping AC3 will return to what made AC2 amazing.

16: Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Eidos Montreal - PS3 (360, PC, Mac)
Great fun but a little too retro. Reminiscence of the first Metal Gear Solid and a lot of freedom in how things are done had me glued to the game, but stupid boss fights and outdated gameplay prevented me from loving it.

15: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - Capcom - PS3 (360)
Another great fighter from Capcom, I mean if these guys don't know it, nobody does. What let it down for me though was the dubious choice of characters. Not really the fan service I wanted, although Deadpool was a delight.

14: Dragon Age II - BioWare - PS3 (360, PC)
Although the gameplay was significantly improved along with the visuals, the signature EA dumbing down and an overall lack of story, not to mention re-used environments and continuity fails, keep this from the top 10. Very enjoyable, but lacking compared to the excellent original.

13: Pokemon Black/White - Game Freak - DS
Pokemon is what a Nintendo handheld is made for. It may have gotten a little out of hand now, with upwards of 600 of the little blighters to catch, but the magic of schoolyard collect-and-swap gameplay is still as present as ever, and the graphics have received a welcome overhaul. Easily the best DS title out there.

12: Duke Nukem Forever - Gearbox Software - 360 (PS3, PC, Mac)
What? My house, my list. You don't like it? Fuck off then! DNF, while not a technical wonder that pushes the limits of gameplay and visuals to unobtainable highs, makes this list simply for it's fun factor and nostalgia, taking me back to being a kid again, sneaking a go on Duke Nukem 3D to catch a glimpse of those pixelated boobs and hear those oh-so taboo naughty words. I just don't think the world was ready for you to return, Duke, despite being 14 years coming.

11: The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword - Nintendo - Wii
I wanted this to be in the top ten, because it genuinely is a great game. It's gorgeous, has the best use of motion controls I've seen and it isn't afraid to try something new, a rarity among first party Nintendo games. But the amount of 'collect all the x before y happens' bits, and repeated boss fights, there's no excuse Nintendo, and where you had a great 35-hour game, you could have had an unforgettable 15-hour one. Still, this is probably the best Zelda to date, one of the best Wii games for that matter.

So I aim to post the top 10 within the next couple of days, stay tuned!

Holy Unboxing, Batman!

Alright, it took a bit longer than 24 hours but anyone who's played the game will understand that my free time has been somewhat occupied since the game's release. Anyway, after the crushing disappointment of Arkham Asylum's Batarang and the fairly poorly presented UK Mortal Kombat Kollector's Edition, WB have delivered a belter here. I'll start with a 360° shot of the box.

 

Note the last shot of one of the side panels, the contents sheet can be removed to reveal another panel underneath featuring the same artwork on a plain white background, much like the opposite side with The Joker.

When the plastic sleeve is removed the four outer panels fold down to reveal the Kotobukiya-produced statue (Kotobukiya make all of the DC Direct collectible statues commercially available, which are often priced upwards of £100). The statue is really we presented, and it feels sturdy and well made. It's probably on a par with the Assassin's Creed II White Edition's statue. Also need to point out (I found out after I finished with the photos) that on the back of the standing panel, behind the back fold-down panel, is another piece of black and white artwork, this time depicting The Riddler.

The base of the box has a drawer in it that conceals the animated movie Gotham Knight on BluRay in a plastic sleeve. I haven't actually watched this yet on BD, but I've owned the film on DVD since it's release, and it's quite a good watch. Story wise it fits between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and it is comprised of six short movies written by different authors and drawn by different artists in a similar manner to The Animatrix, and all feature the legendary Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman, just as the game does. Not sure if the film is still on BD for the XBox360 CE, presumably it's just a standard DVD as you can't assume that all 360 users have access to BD as you can with PS3 users.

The standing panel houses the artbook, pictured above (more on that in a second) and various leaflets which are (pictured row by row, left to right) the health and safety leaflet for the statue (no joke, it even shows you where the sharp points are on the ears and gauntlets, as if you can't work that out for yourself), A download voucher for the 'Music inspired by' album (featuring original music from bands such as Coheed and Cambria and Panic! at the Disco, which I have yet to listen to but I will at some point), The Frank Miller inspired Dark Knight Returns costume DLC code for use in the game's Challenge Rooms, The Iceberg Lounge Challenge Rooms DLC code, The game's instruction manual, the Catwoman DLC code (which adds her as a playable character in the challenge rooms, and also adds four Catwoman chapters to the main campaign), And finally a code to get access to the closed beta of Gotham City Imposters, which looks shite, and some B:AC themed content for the game once it's released. I'll more than likely not use that, so if anyone wants the code give me a shout. I think it's format of your choice, because you redeem it on the game's website.

A couple of shots of inside the art book, good quality print and all. Had a flick through and then put it back in the box where it shall live on for all eternity, as with every other art book I own. I purposefully chose a page with The Joker's arse on it though.

This is my only bugbear with the set, the Asylum CE had the game in a cardboard sleeve which was the size of a standard DVD case, which stood out a clear centimetre or so above the rest of the PS3 games on my shelf. The City CE just houses the game inside the art book. Is it so hard just to include the case?

Finally a close-up shot of the statue, next to two DC Direct figures as a size comparison. Also unintentionally pictured is the Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Collector's Edition 'Statue', further showcasing what a failure that was in comparison. This is now where the statue remains, rightfully in front of the Asylum Batarang that so let me down two years ago.