Review Showdown 2011: Which Games Reigned Supreme?

Now that we’ve reviewed all the games that will be released in 2011, it’s time to start breaking down the winners (and a few of the losers). Quite simply, this was one of the greatest years in video game history. We already anticipate that our debate over awarding our “Game of the Year” prize will be a long one, as several titles released in 2011 would have walked away with the award in a less competitive year. Read on to see which games won the highest accolades from Game Informer this year.

Big Franchises Deliver Big Scores

While everyone likes to champion the underdog, the fact remains that many big franchise are big for a reason. This year featured an almost unprecedented number of high profile sequels. Thankfully, many of these lived up to their predecessor’s standards of quality and – in some cases – even surpassed them.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, 360, PC) – 9.5
Portal 2 (PS3, 360, PC) – 9.5
Gears of War 3 – (360) – 9.5
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) – 9.5
Uncharted 3 (PS3) – 9.5
Battlefield 3 (PC) – 9.5 (PC), 9.25 (Consoles)
Forza Motorsport 4 (360) – 9.25
Gran Turismo 5 – (PS3) – 9
Bejeweled 3 (PC, Mac) – 9
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3, 360, PC) – 8.75

Absolute Perfection

While many games this year received high scores, and will likely be considered classics in years to come, only two games achieved perfection and garnered a perfect 10/10 from Game Informer. Interestingly, Batman: Arkham City, was part of franchise that had been video-game poison until Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum rehabilitated the caped crusader as a digital hero. On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword comes from perhaps gaming’s most critically acclaimed series of all time. It just goes to show you, it’s not where you’re from – it’s where you’re at.

Stellar Sequels

Sequels often get a bad rap among gamers. The tendency of publishers to stick with what works (and, more importantly, what has sold well in the past) is cited as reason why there isn’t enough innovation in the industry. While it’s true that we’d all like to see more new franchises and ideas, you can’t ignore the fact, many times, sequels end up bettering their predecessors by bringing and greater level of polish, sophistication, and yes, new concepts to a familiar brand. This year saw a host of well-made sequels, which garnered some exceptionally high grades from Game Informer.

LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3) – 9.5/10
Total War: Shogun 2 (PC) – 9.5/10
Killzone 3 (PS3) – 9/10
Crysis 2 (PS3, 360, PC) – 9/10
Saints Row: The Third (PS3, 360, PC) – 9/10
Dead Space 2 (PS3, 360, PC) – 9/10
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) – 9.25
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (PS3, 360) – 9

Fighting Renaissance

A few years ago, the fighting genre was on the ropes, suffering from a lack of product and a disinterested audience. Thankfully, the momentum gained by Capcom’s excellent Street Fighter IV in 2009 has carried on. This year, two more storied fighting franchises – Marvel vs. Capcom and Mortal Kombat – returned with highly polished new editions. Also, EA’s Fight Night Champion brought a cinematic touch to the boxing genre, winning critical accolades (and experience sadly paltry sales).

Mortal Kombat (PS3, 360) – 9.5
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3, 360) – 9.25
Fight Night Champion (PS3, 360) – 9
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS) – 9

New Franchises Shine Amid The Sequels

This far in to console generation, companies are generally focusing more on sequels and established franchises than they are on new IP. However, 2011 saw a few new properties that managed to hold their own against the biggest and best of the year. Notably, Epic and People Can Fly brought a gonzo action element to the shooter genre – though that game seemed tame in comparison to the all-out insanity that gamers faced in Grasshopper and EA’s Shadows of the Damned. From L.A. Noire’s big-budget historical drama to the outstanding downloadable games like Bastion and Outland, there was a lot of innovation to around in 2011. Sadly, not all of the developers and publishers behind this excellent work were rewarded. Shadows of the Damned sold poorly, Epic later admitted that Bulletstorm was not profitable, and L.A. Noire developer went into bankruptcy and has had its assets liquidated to pay off creditors.

Bulletstorm (PS3, 360, PC) – 9.25
Shadows of the Damned (PS3, 360) – 9.25
Bastion (360) – 9.25
Outland (PS3, 360) – 9
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3, 360) – 9
Rage (PS3, 360, PC) – 9
L.A. Noire – 8.75

A Banner Year for Sports

The divide between “hardcore” gamers and sports gamers is often perceived as wider than it really is. The fact is that sports games are some of the most complex and “hardcore” games in the market – just ask any novice digging through the complexities of a franchise mode for the first time. However, the perception that the same people that play Skyrim doesn’t enjoy sports games or Assassin’s Creed means that the sports category doesn’t often get brought up in “Game of the Year” discussions. However, as the games below prove, the sports genre had a great 2011, with games that can stand aside the best in any genre.

NBA 2K12 (PS3, 360) – 9.5
MLB 11: The Show (PS3) – 9.25
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (PS3, 360, PC) – 9
NCAA Football 12 (PS3, 360) – 9
FIFA 12 (PS3, 360) – 9
Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PS3, 360) – 9

Remakes, Reissues, and Re-imaginations

William Faulkner once wrote: “The past is never dead, it’s not even past.” In 2011, that statement held true in the video game industry. Taking the lead from Sony, which has done great work in retooling many of its past hits in high-definition for PlayStation 3 (a practice it continued with the amazing Team Ico and God of War: Origin re-releases), many companies are marketing their past masterpieces to a new generation of games. Some of these were once mega-blockbusters (like Ocarina of Time and Resident Evil 4), while others were overlooked gems (Beyond Good & Evil, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together). Oh, and, if you were wondering, we included Hard Corps: Uprising because it’s a new Contra game in everything but name.

The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3) – 9.75
God of War: Origins Collection (PS3) – 9.5
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (PS3, 360, PC) – 9.5
Resident Evil 4 – (PS3, 360) – 9.5
Beyond Good & Evil HD (360) – 9.25
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) – 9.25
Hard Corps: Uprising (PS3, 360) – 9
Tactic Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP) – 9
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, 360) – 9

High Profile Disappointments

As we noted above, this year saw a number of gaming’s biggest franchises come back to critical and commercial success. However, there were more than a few would-be blockbusters that came up short. From THQ’s overhyped Homefront to an uncharacteristically poor showing by Madden, 2011 was the wrong year to come to the table with a sub-par game.

Resistance 3 (PS3) – 7
Duke Nukem Forever (PS3, 360, PC) – 6.75
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the North (PS3, 360) – 5.5
Red Faction: Armageddon (PS3, 360) – 7.25
Homefront (PS3, 360, PC) – 7
Madden NFL 12 (PS3, 360) – 7.5
F.E.A.R. 3 (PS3, 360) – 7.75
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS3) – 7.75
Brink (PS3, 360, PC) – 6.75
X-Men Destiny (PS3, 360) – 7
Need for Speed: The Run (PS3, 360) – 7.75
Spider-Man: Edge of Time (PS3, 360, Wii) – 6.5
Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, Wii) – 6.5

The Worst of the Worst

This was a great year to be a gamer. But things weren’t all rosy. We wanted to spend our time accentuating the positive, but these stinkers deserve all the scorn you can muster – and more. Here are the absolute worst games of the year.

Babysitting Mama (Wii) – 3
Flip’s Twisted World (Wii) – 3.5
Steel Diver (3DS) – 4
Tron: Evolution (PS3, 360) – 4.5
Ghost Recon (Wii) – 4.5
Mario Sports Mix (Wii) – 4.5
Thor: God of Thunder (PS3, 360) – 4.5
Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PS3, 360, PC) – 4.5
Splatterhouse (PS3, 360) – 5
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D (3DS) – 5
Bodycount (PS3, 360) – 5
Rise of Nightmares (360) – 5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (PS3, 360) – 5.5