Favorite Games of 2011 (Game of the Year) - Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

A Mario game is my favorite game of the year? Sure, why not. I mean, Skyrim was fantastic with all of its quests and all but it did feel like a chore after a good while of playing. Super Mario 3D Land excels at something that can be overlooked despite its general importance when it comes to interactive entertainment: fun.

Upon immediate bootup of the game, I was sucked into the charms of the game. Taking in all of the classic enemies, power-ups and scenery I knew from all of the classic games and seeing them brought back to life and made into something that feels fresh and new. Other storied franchises have attempted to do this very same thing but tend to rely a bit too much on classic elements, and are too scared to try some new stuff. A good mix of both is what's best, to bring in old and new fans alike. I don't know what gold blender Nintendo mixed the two in this time but the results are marvelous.

I'm convinced it's pretty much impossible for Nintendo to make a bad Mario game at this point. I know some agree or disagree on what's the best one, but isn't that like arguing which car is the best mercedes or which flavor of ice cream is best? I'll stop with the stupid analogies and just say this: There doesn't exist a bad Mario game, and Super Mario 3D Land is absolutely no exception to that.

If you had asked me back in November what my biggest gaming surprise was for the whole year? I'd have laughed and said Skyrim with a smile. I can't say that anymore thanks to Super Mario 3D Land and I don't think I'd have it any other way. If you have a 3DS, you owe it to yourself to own what I consider to be my favorite game of 2011.

Other categories should be coming up soon, so stay tuned! (If you want to, I guess)

Favorite Games of 2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)

I do have a somewhat storied history with the Elder Scrolls series. I played Morrowind and Oblivion both for probably a few hours each, and just found them to be incredibly bland experiences with weak combat gameplay. After Oblivion, I had sworn off the series because I had realized that they just weren't my style. 

Come E3 2011, I noticed that they would be having gameplay demos at the show. After watching that demo, I still had the sense that the game would play the same as Oblivion, but with new environments and enemies. Being unable to play it myself, I had no idea that I was wrong. 

After the game came out, I still had little interest until I saw that Redbox was offering it for rental for just a few bucks. I figured it couldn't hurt to just try it. If only I knew that a sampling would be my weakness, and that I'd be hooked on the game for a few weeks, much to my surprise.

The thing of it is, I can't really say what it is that I liked so much about Skyrim. I just loved it, and that's about all I can think of to say. The combat was definitely improved, but it wasn't what kept me hooked on it. I mean, yes, dragons are also very fun to kill, but that was also not what kept me hooked. 

I guess you could say Skyrim is greater than the sum of its parts, and just delivered an unmatched RPG experience last year. An RPG so good I'd play it twice? Possibly, and that's the true testament here. I'd call it 2011's biggest surprise if it weren't for my final pick.

My next post will contain my absolute favorite game of the year. After that, I may do some small category stuff if I feel like, but this feature is definitely winding down.

Favorite Games of 2011 Part 4 - Batman Arkham City

Batman Arkham City (Xbox 360)

Having loved Batman Arkham Asylum for its close quarters combat that was very tightly woven, along with villains that sent chills down my spine just listening to them speak. After hearing initially that Arkham City would be an open world game, instead of the tight corridor style in Arkham Asylum, I put off the game as more of a game that I would pick up 'on the cheap'. I am glad to say I didn't wait, and it was definitely worth it.

The open world aspects are more of an addition to what Arkham Asylum did, as you do travel from location to location but inside of these locales are the tight-nit spaces that made the first game fun. The superb combat is back with new abilities, and it's just overall a more entertaining experience.

A few of the villains I wasn't too excited about, and I felt Arkham Asylum did a better job at making the villains seem interesting, but the Joker in particular was even more sinister than usual. Ra's al ghul was a great addition with his supernatural powers that made for some very intense moments as well.

Catwoman was also fun to play as, with her whipping abilities anyway. While I didn't find her side story with Two-Face all that interesting, she was at least a nice change of pace from Bats.

Even after the game deleted my save (a known bug), I can still put this one near the top of my favorites list because everything else was done so well.