Tophat Gamer: GOTY Special

Ok, So I've finally gotten around to doing this (I had a mad pokemon marathon this weekend, so who could blame me?). In this final look at the year that was, I'll be revealing to you my best games of each platform, and my favourite game of the year.

BEST X-BOX 360 TITLE
This year, the 360 hasn't had the biggest library of first party games, so bare with me, as I add some 3rd party titles to the mix. On our 360's we raced some of the greatest vehicles ever made, and ended a war with our chainsaw bayonets. We fought in the interests of America behind the guns of soldiers, and shouted our way to the top of a fantasy world.
These are the nominees for best 360 game of 2011:
-Gears of War 3
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-Forza Motorsport 4
-Halo: CE Anniversary
-Battlefield 3

And the winner is:

Gears of War 3 isn't just a polished re-release of the game that came before it. It's a game that continues to surprise us, even after all we've seen from the franchise. The gameplay remains uber gorey, and the mechanics have been polished to a mirror shine. I was surprised to find myself caring so much for certain characters in this macho-man bro fest, but other gamers who played this title will agree when I say that a few moments really hit their mark perfectly. Gears is one of Microsoft's most solid titles, and its not surprising that Gears of War 3 was their best game of last year.


BEST WII/3DS GAME
The Wii didn't see as many solid titles as it did last year, but Nintendo as a whole had a pretty high calibre year, with their first party 3DS games, and the big release of their green clad hero on the Wii (possible the last huge Wii release before the Wii U). So here are the best Wii/3DS games released this year:
-Super Mario 3D Land
-Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
-Mario Kart 7
-Ocarina of Time 3D

And the winner is:

While I may not be the best person to talk to about, but you don't have to be a genius to see that Skyward Sword is a beautiful game. In contrast to the competitions greys and browns, this Zelda game has a vibrant, almost painting-like visual quality to it. I haven't played a whole lot of the game, but I've experienced enough to know that the motion controls actually work (for once), and people who I've consulted on my Nintendo award this year agree, Skyward Sword was the best.

Who knows, maybe the next Zelda game we see will be in glorious HD, and the game might surpass other games on the market with not only its visual style, but the technology behind it too.

BEST PLAYSTATION 3 GAME
The past year was set up to be the year of the big black behemoth, but hacking issues (among other things) stopped the consoles full potential from being realized. However, the PS3's first party library grew amazingly, especially when compared to Nintendo and Microsoft's efforts. Here are the best PS3 games of last year:
-Resistance 3
-Infamous 2
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
-LittleBigPlanet 2
-Killzone 3

And the winner is:
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Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception has continued Naughty Dogs tradition of high quality games, with a title that, surprisingly, stood proudly alongside the previous installment, and not in it's shadow.
The game looks and feels very similar to Uncharted 2, but the games story is, for the most part, slightly more engaging. The sheer amount of "holy crap, is this really happening" moments keep players on the edge of their seats, and these moments are strung together quite well (for the most part). This installation gives us more of the characters that we love, and teaches us more of their history together, and the whole story often hits an emotional mark that most games don't even bother aiming for.

TOPHAT GAME OF THE YEAR
The past year gave us a lot of solid, enjoyable titles to play through, of many different genres and styles. Platformers, both new and old stepped up to the plat, as well as arcade racers and sims, first and third person shooters, epic rpgs and slower paced adventure games. We have a diverse list of nominees this year, and here they are!

-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
-Gears of War 3
-Sonic: Generations
-LittleBigPlanet 2
-InFamous 2
-L.A. Noire
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-Resistance 3
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
-Driver: San Francisco
-Assassin's Creed: Revelations
-Batman: Arkham City
-Saint's Row: The Third

And the winner (my favourite game of 2011) is:

Batman: Arkham City had a lot to live up to. It followed up from 2009's Arkham Asylum, a game that proved all preconceptions about licensed property games being terrible, and quite frankly the best Batman game of all time. And as amazing as it sounds, Arkham City not only lived up to the standards set by Batman: AA, it surpassed them in almost every way. The strong cast of voice actors expanded with the infamous character roster, and the boss fights (one of Arkham Asylums low points) were drastically improved. Add in a sprawling sandbox full of gothic, slum character and a story with so many unforeseen twists, and you have yourself a game of the year contender. Add in Batman, and you have yourself a winner.

Well, 2011 was a hell of a year! I'm going to continue reviewing in February, possibly with the MGS HD collection, or maybe a 3DS game from last year. Have a safe new year people, I'll see you next time!

Best of 2011 Pt 2

Yesterday, I covered my picks for the best in a wide variety of gaming genres, and tomorrow I'll cover the best of the platforms, as well as my favourite game of last year. So today, I thought I'd take some time to reflect on the little stuff, the best characters, music, visuals and more. So lets get into it.

BEST MUSIC
Music is an oft overlooked aspect of the video game industry, with many gamers choosing to focus more on the graphics or the average play time on offer. What many fail to realize is that a games music can often set the perfect mood for a game's most amazing or tense scenes.

So here are my nominees for best music in a game:
-Assassin's Creed: Revelations
-Batman: Arkham City
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
-Sonic Generations

And the winner is


Batman: Arkham City is a fantastically atmospheric game, with a world that almost leaps from your tv and into real life; thanks in no small part, to the soundtrack. While the rundown streets and towers that extend into the endless night do convey alot of the games sinister atmosphere, it's the music that puts the final metaphorical polish on this work of art. The city-turned-prison feels all the more ominous when the expertly crafted score rumbles through the speakers, and though you may be the Batman, a chill might just run down your spine.

BEST LICENSED TRACK IN A GAME
Before I type the nominees for this award, I must say, some spoilers may be ahead. Licensed tracks can sometimes strike an emotional chord that a score just won't. For whatever reason, hearing a song we know and love might be enough to get your blood pumping, or to make tears form in your eyes. The nominees are:
-Mad World by Gary Jules- Gears of War 3
-Hero by Bonnie Tyler- Sain'ts Row: The Third
-A Little Bird Told me by Evelyn Knight- L.A. Noire
-Not Ready To Die by Avenged Sevenfold- Call Of Duty: Black Ops (Call of the Dead)
-Spectrelight by Mastodon- Resistance 3 Brutality pack

And the winner is:

Without wanting to spoil anything too big, the scene that this song plays in, under normal circumstances, would normally be pretty sad. Particularly upsetting for more seasoned Gears veterans. Then the slow piano intro kicks in and the tears start to form. And believe me, they shall form. I still can't watch the scene without getting misty eyed, and it's been 3-4 months now. Trust me when I say, it really hits it's mark, and the guys at Epic should be commended for the decision that led to the insertion of Mad World.


BEST MALE VOICE ACTING
Voice acting can make all the difference; it can make a bad script somewhat enjoyable, and a fantastic script truly amazing. The following list contains some of the best male voice acting talent of this year.
The nominees are:
-Carlos Ferro (Dominic Santiago); Gears of War 3
-Roger Craig Smith (Ezio Auditore); Assassin's Creed: Revelations
-Mark Hamill (The Joker); Batman Arkham City
-Richard McGonagle (Victor Sullivan); Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
J.K. Simmons (Cave Johnson); Portal 2

And the winner is:

While this may not be the most original part on the list, Mark Hamill reprising his role as the Joker is one of the most awesome sounding things that'll come out of a game from last year. The Joker was as twisted as ever in the late 2011 release, and Hamill played the hell out of the part. I think it's only fitting that his last time playing the clown prince of crime should also be one of his finest. The entire cast of Arkham City was amazing, but Hamill and Kevin Conroy really brought it home.

BEST FEMALE VOICE ACTING
The nominees are:
-Ellen McLain (GlaDOS); Portal 2
-Emily Rose (Elena Fisher); Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
-Sasha Grey (Viola DeWynter); Saint's Row: The Third
-Victoria Kruger (Isabela); Dragon Age II

The Winner is:

Once again, Ellen McLain shines in her role as the psychopathic, testing crazed living computer, GlaDOS; possibly the funniest character to ever be an antagonist in a video game. Let's face it, after the hit that was the original Portal, GlaDOS would never have sounded quite right with anyone elses part autotuned voice. And I doubt any other voice actress could get away with insulting players through every step of their journey, even when GlaDOS stops being an enemy, and has to rely on the player.

Few characters can deliver so many laugh out loud lines with such success, and it's for that very reason that I'm giving this award to the voice of GlaDOS. Plus, the woman knows how to sing a catchy theme song.

BEST SANDBOX
Gameplay mechanics are only as fun as the playgrounds we use them in, and as such, alot of the better games this year were in fact, sand box games. So here are the nominees for best virtual playground:

-Constantinople (Assassin's Creed: Revelations)
-Steelport (Saint's Row: The Third)
-Arkham City (Batman: Arkham City)
-40's L.A. (L.A. Noire)
-New Marais (InFamous 2)

And the winner is:

With InFamous 2, it would seem that the people at Sucker Punch had endeavored to make their new electric playground a much more bustling, living city than Empire City. And they well and truly succeeded. On top of that, there was always something to do, whether you're collecting blast shards, or fighting off large groups of mutant freaks and ice conduits at the same time.

As we all know, a Sandbox is only as good as the way you get around it, and ice-leaping, gliding, and parkouring around the city is infinitely more satisfying than commandeering a car and driving around, and it rivals the high tech gadgetry of the

Part 3 is tomorrow, where I reveal my picks for Best console games, and Game of the Year. See you then!!

Tophat Gamer: Best of 2011 Pt1

Well, the year is over, and it's back to "normal" work for me tomorrow morning, so what better time to do a recap of the year past, and share with you my picks for the best games of different genres, platforms and my favourite game of the year. So let's get into it!

BEST RACING GAME
This year has had a number of decent racing games, some of which are our nominees:
-Forza Motorsport 4
-Driver: San Francisco
-Mario Kart 7
-Motorstorm: Apocalypse
-Need for Speed: The Run

And my pick for best racing game of 2011 is:


Driver San Francisco may not have been the best looking graphics, or the most refined gameplay, but it did have one thing done quite well compared to the rest of the competition; Driver SF had a deeply entertaining story that not only kept the players interest, but also tied in with the title's new gameplay mechanic, shifting (which would have been cause enough for me to give the game a hearty recommendation). Driver: San Francisco breathes new life into a genre that generally relies solely on a highly repetitive formula.


BEST PUZZLE (ADVENTURE) GAME
This year was filled with quite a few puzzle and adventure games, but not enough for their own categories, so we've made one for both. Here are the nominees:
-L.A. Noire
-Portal 2
- Catherine

And the winner is:


L.A. Noire was one of the few new intellectual properties of last year, developed by a little known studio in Sydney, and backed by the video game giants at Rockstar, the buzz generated before its release guaranteed L.A. Noire's success. It's just too bad that the developer faced so much controversy after its release, surrounding their working conditions. But, back to the game: L.A. Noire mixes old with new, fusing the gunplay and vehicular chases reminiscent of GTA4, with the story heavy, thinking mans gameplay most common in the point and click adventure games of old. What we got was a tale of corruption and mystery in the underbelly of 40's Hollywood.


BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Not to be confused with Adventure games, Action adventure titles put players in the shoes of characters in amazing situations, often facing adrenaline pumping action (thus the title of the genre). These are the nominees for 2011:
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
-Assassin's Creed: Revelations
-Batman: Arkham City
-InFamous 2
-Saints Row: The Third
-Zelda: Skyward Sword
And the winner is:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a game of high pedigree. Naughty Dog is one of the most well known developers of this, and the last two, generations, and after releasing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in 2009, no one could have seen them releasing anything else quite as high quality. But they proved the naysayers wrong, and here sits Drake's Deception. Few games could have possibly matched the pulse pounding action scenes of Uncharted 2, but when the action flows from a burning chateau, to a sinking ship, to a crashing cargo plane (with only a few narrative hickups along the way) you start to get that Uncharted 3 is indeed a worthy successor to an amazing game.


BEST RPG
This year saw the release of some huge titles in the RPG genre. From Cyberpunk conspiracies, to Elder Scroll prohecies, to zombie infested tropical paradises, this year's RPG stable took us to a wide variety of locations and times, which were amazing. Here are the nominees:
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-Dark Souls
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution
-Dead Island
-Dragon Age II

And the winner is:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the follow up to the beloved RPG series, The Elder Scrolls. Skyrim follows the tale of the Dragonborn, a being with dragon's blood flowing through their veins, as they try to stop the end of the worlds of the living and the dead by defeating Alduin, the world eater. That said, however, Skyrim is one of the only games that allow enough freedom for players to ignore the story and truly roleplay as the character they want to be. Add to that an interesting and logical level up system, and you have not only the best RPG of the year, but one of the best games of 2011.



BEST PLATFORMER
This year saw the yet another return of everyones favourite plumber, as well as his blue, spiky rival and the little burlap boy that everyone loves. Also, some madness returned, I'm quite sure. Here are the nominees for best Platformer:
-LittleBigPlanet 2
-Sonic Generations
-Super Mario 3D Land
-Alice: Madness Returns
And the winner is:

Sonic Generations is a sonic fanboy's wet dream. The game merges the old styled gameplay from Sonics 1 through 3 with a highly improved version of the 3D gameplay from recent Sonic games, to provide us with a time twisting story of two Sonics, and their race to save their friends and come back from a bad run of games. Sonic Generations has tight gameplay and smooth visuals, and brings back the chubby classic Sonic we all kn ow and love, while dialling back the annoyingness of modern, thin Sonic.



BEST SHOOTERS
This year, we were saturated with Shooters, from Sci-Fi shooters to Warfare of the modern variety, both first and third person; 2011 was not short of shooting games.
Here are the nominees:
-Killzone 3
-Gears of War 3
-Modern Warfare 3
-Resistance 3
-Battlefield 3
-RAGE
-F.3.A.R.

And the winner is:

Gears of War 3 has nicely tied up the Gears of War trilogy, with tight gameplay and striking visuals that accompany a surprisingly well written story with plenty of plot twists to keep players interested.
The already amazing franchise already has story expanding DLC on the way, so fans can continue to explore the universe, while this trilogy is one of the first to be well and truly tied up.

Special mentions go to Resistance 3 for trilogy resolution and fire breathing shotguns.

TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE BEST OF 2011 PART 2