2011 Games in Review
It's funny looking back at last year's list. Some titles turned out more exciting than I thought others less so.
Early in the year Bioware had the closest thing they've ever had to a flop in Dragon Age II. I didn't even end up playing the game. I was bored by the demo. Yeah, that's a good sign. Heavily criticized for it's more linear and generally less epic story, hopefully this was just a fluke because I'm still expecting great things from Bioware (but we'll get to that.)
At the other end of the year, Bioware did manage to release Star Wars: The Old Republic, its first MMORPG and it seems to be doing pretty well. I am only interested in the game passively as someone generally interested in the state of the gaming industry (and wondering if anyone can dethrone those smug guys at Blizzard from their World of Warcraft perch high atop a mound of cash). Reports from friends and acquaintances who've played the game seem very positive, but I'm still not buying something that'll cost me $60 up front, $15 a month after that, and gradually suck my life and savings away. Still sounds like drugs to me.
In April we got Portal 2 which I hardly need to comment on as both myself and Joshua have both previously talked about how awesome that turned out. What turned out less well was my 1# most anticipated pick, Crysis 2. I'm still kinda sore about that. The game had so much promise and while it definitely has its moments... well I just shake my head at the game's mention. Again, I've already talked about that.
Also filed under "Games, Extremely Disappointing Ones," are two shooters from old developers. Duke Nukem Forever, much to the astonishment of everyone in the known universe, did actually come out as scheduled. And it sucked. Is there really any surprise about that in hindsight? Like The Old Republic I was only interested in this game for its prominent status in the gaming subculture and not in the franchise or actually playing the game. As it turned out to be a perverse, unsightly mess, it did not change that initial outlook and I did not play the game though I certainly got a good laugh over how pathetic it turned out to be.
Rage, the other disappointing shooter in question, was far less funny and far more baffling. How legendary Doom developer id Software managed to turn out such a lackluster game after so much hype is... well, actually that's kind of reminiscent of Doom 3, isn't it? 'cept that game sold because it was from a franchise. Guess id's probably going back the their cash cow next.
A couple of games were ranked criminally low on my list in hindsight. The subtitled "sky" games as I like to call them turned out to excite me much more than I was anticipating. Both The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have thus far been fantastic. For all my skepticism of motion controls (particularly the Wii's) the latest Zelda title has convinced me that motion controls can not only work in some instances, but actually serve to make the game more fun. I'm looking forward to playing more.
It's a wonder to me looking back how I wasn't more excited for Skyrim. Although the game certainly has its flaws and drawbacks, I do not want the games industry to stop making games like this: games with immense freedom, immersion, player choice, and value. But this will probably receive its own review at some point.
Finally, Batman: Arkham City was ranked just about right. I just finished the game and I have to say it's mostly an improvement over Asylum. This will also receive its own review.
Now onto anticipation!
Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2012
5. Bioshock Infinite
2007's Bioshock is far from my favourite game. I found it a bit of a chore to play at times, actually. I also didn't find the system of switching from plasmid powers to guns very fluid. I just never got into the gameplay. What did suck me in (along with almost everyone else who played it) was the story and presentation. That was absolutely fantastic... except for the last fourth of the game or so.
With all those gripes it may be a wonder that I've chosen Infinite for this list. Here's the thing: I believe in developer Irrational Games' potential. Instead of the underwater city of Rapture, we now have a sky-bourne city called Columbia. We also have a speaking protagonist (imagine that!) as well as an interesting companion character with weird space-time fabric ripping powers... or something like that. Looks really interesting. Hopefully there's a great story like last time (and better gameplay) to go along with what looks to be a beautiful and unique setting.
4. Metro: Last Light
Metro 2033 was a surprisingly good game for most who picked up and played it. The post-apocalyptic shooter was set mostly in the Moscow Metro system with sections of the game taking place on the surface. It had a unique feel due to Ukrainian developer 4A Games and the fact that its story and setting were adapted from a novel of the same title. Last Light picks up after one of the two possible endings to the first game.
One of the most fun parts of 2033 was sneaking around enemy metro stations shooting out lights, sneaking up on guards and generally being a sneaky Russian ninja. Last Light looks like it's going to focus more on human-vs-human combat which was my favorite part of the first game.
3. Far Cry 3
During my E3 2011 coverage I highlighted this game as one to watch. Certainly the demos look promising. Far Cry 2 was a flawed game, but quite a bit of fun when you got past some of those flaws. If this game hones the story and the missions while still allowing for lots of freedom and choice along with a huge variety of weapons... well, sign me up!
2. Mass Effect 3
On my list for the second year running on account of being delayed is Bioware's Mass Effect 3, the (hopefully) epic conclusion of Commander Shepard's story. Will this game be fun? No doubt. Will this game be great? That's a lot more fuzzy.
Bioware had a few missteps last year with Dragon Age II being widely panned (for a Bioware game). The final Mass Effect 2 DLC "The Arrival" was also not well received. Plus there's the general pressure of the "third in series" ruining the whole thing. It's happened a lot with movies (we'll get to that) and it tends to happen in gaming although less so.
The story has been building and after Mass Effect 2's huge lack of plot I'm really ready for something significant to happen again. I hope there's not too much "go here and recruit these people" type missions because that's basically the entirety of the last game and I'm worried that might be sort of similar here.
The more I look back on the first two games, the more I'm impressed by ME1 over ME2 at least in terms of storytelling. Hopefully ME3 is a combination of ME2's improved mechanics with a ME1's wonderfully paced plotting.
The worst part will be having to buy it through EA's stupid Origin service...
1. Half-Life 2: Episode 3 / Half-Life 3
"What?!" you say. Half-Life 3 is coming out? When did that announcement happen? Well, sorry folks. It didn't.
It needs to.
I love, love, love, love Half-Life above all the other Valve games (even Portal), but even I'm worried that I'll start to not care about this series.
Fact: Half-Life 2: Episode 2 came out in October of 2007. Assuming Valve's been working on Episode 3 (or HL3, whatever it is) since then, I'll be be 5 years in development this October. It took 6 years between Half-Life 1 and 2, but in that time Valve developed an entirely new engine from the ground up as well as the Steam platform. Plus the company was younger, smaller, and less mature. Portal got a full sequel already. Given that information, it seems perfectly reasonable that Valve will either release the game this year or at least tell us when it's coming. Again, they need to.The biggest question is will it be the promised Episode 3 or is this a full-fledged sequel? I expect in either case the game will be longer than the previous episodic installments and we'll see at least one new major game mechanic. It seems we have a lot of story left before the Combine story-arc is over. Either way, that's my prediction crazy and unfounded as it might be. This year Valve will finally count to three.
Up next... My Top 5 Most Anticipated Films!
0 comment(s):
Post a Comment