The 3DS was released this year. Minecraft came out of beta. The highest rated games were Batman: Arkham City, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Portal 2. Here's a list of what I put the most time into that year followed by stuff I played later and then a wish list.
Most Played in 2011:
Gears of War 3: I think it was that summer that I discovered Gears of War, probably when I was scouting for games to play for achievements. I picked up Gears 1 and 2 on the cheap and Mad Krammer [MK] and I ran through them co-op and then solo. We both got Gears 3 that holiday season and played it nonstop for three months, November through January of 2012. I especially remember the long PvE battle sessions we played together.
Bulletstorm: This was on my radar right away begin a fan of developers People Can Fly, but it was the over-the-top gameplay that made this a must have for MK and me. The electric leash mechanic that lets you jungle foes around and chuck them into spikes in the environment was endlessly fun. The dialog is totaly insane too, and we both still quote from this game frequently. The game has an attitude far beyond most games out there. Sarrano, who becomes the villain, delivers the most rediculous taunts. If you're a comics fan, you'll recognize Rick Remender as the writer on this game. A remastered version with Duke Nukem as a playable character and lines right from Jon St. John came out in 2017 and we played it all over again, now with new quotable lines to add to our banter.
Okaminden (DS): I was a big fan of 2006's Okami on PS2, so I was ready to purchase this day-one. I played through most of the game but got stuck somewhere and stopped. I really liked it but really wanted a sequel for consoles. I always found action adventure games on handhelds to be unpleasant to play. I like a big screen and a serious controller for these types of games. We never did get a sequel after this, which is a shame. HD Okami is available on all the consoles to this day.
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale (XLA, PSN, PC): I was excited for a Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance style action-RPG in the DnD universe and downloaded it day-one. I seem to remember some game ending bug that totally infuriated me about it, but I tried to beat this game, and put some time into it. I can't remember if it had co-op but I think probably not, which is another strike against this.
Duke Nukem Forever: Oh my, the Duke Nukem game in development hell for at least 10 years raises it's dubious head. Well, being a fan of the series, and glad that Gearbox Publishing took on the task of releasing what was made in those years, I got this day-one. Very disappointing ultimately, and I think I didn't even finish it, but I tried. Promises of a serious effort at a new Duke Nukem game have been going on ever since, but I think it will never happen. Duke's appearance in Bulletstorm is about the best we're going to get, I think.
Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon: I think a few years after EDF 2017 came out in 2006, I discovered this series, probably when buying games out of the bargain bins at GameStop. MK and I both got into the series and when EDF IA came out we jumped in. This one is by a US based developer, Vicious Cyclek Software, and has some differences in design and playability. In some respects it is easier but in others it is just as brutal as the other games made by Sandlot. I think we both didn't enjoy it quite as much as EDF 2017, but is was fun to play through co-op.
Bodycount: This was the spiritual sucessor to the great 2006 FPS Black by Criterion. Codemasters made Bodycount and it is good but not great. Destructible environments are the memorable feature of this game. It still had great FPS mechanics though. It just didn't quie hit the mark like Black did.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North: I was always on the look out for co-op games and this was a good one. MK and I ran through this hack-n-slash game all the way to the end. I tried to understand the story of this game, where it sits in the LotRs lore, but it's too complex for me right now. I have little interest in delving into the history of the elves again.
Stacking: I was always a fan of Double Fine since Psychonauts. So when they started to do smaller downloadable games, I was interested. This was a really fun game using the mechanic based on Russian nesting dolls. This developer is so darn creative. I love seeing what they're up to.
Played Later:
Skyrim: Only played a few hours but had the most memorable battle with a dragon I've ever had in a game. I still think about it from time to time.
Uncharted 3: I beat this game at sometime later. Dont' remember much about it except that it was good.
Rayman Origins: I discovered that I can like a platformer with this series. I love the visuals, music, humor and challenging gameplay. It's charm has won me over.
Minecraft: I reluctantly played this when it came to Xbox 360 in 2012. MK and I were soon hooked and we played countless hours in Survival mode over the years. We've beaten the End Dragon, see the End City and gotten every item you could get. We always aquired every achievement when a new version came down up until a few years ago when we kind of stopped playing it. Maybe we'll return.
Dark Souls: I've only tried this a few times getting a little farther each time. I find the rogue-like cycle of die and repeat a little annoying, but I'm slowly starting to tolerate it. One day, I'll get even farther in this game.
Dead Island: I haven't spent a lot of time in this zombie infested world, but I like it. Gameplay is fun. I'd like to play more.
Rage: I was excited for this IDTech 5 engine created game from ID. For some reason, I stopped playing mid game somewhere. I always want to return and finish it though. Love that wingstick weapon and the vehicles.
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure: The first Skylanders game, but I didn't get into this series until 2015 when Gamestop was practically giving away the figures and the fad began to wain. I really enjoy the design of the figures and the games are pretty fun, being a kind of simplified Diablo clones. They can get challenging though.
Killzone 3 (PS3): I played Killzone 1 to the finish with MK. Killzone 2 I think I tried but didn't finish and the same with 3. It's cover-based FPS style was a little more simulation based then run-and-gun which didn't appeal to me as much, but these games by Guerrilla Games look so darn great that I always get them and give them a try.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS): This was developed by members of the team that did XCOM, so I had to check it out. It's a turn-based tactical shooter like XCOM but in the Tom Clancy universe. It's darn good. Not my favorite setting, but great gameplay.
Akimi Village (PSN): This was NinjaBee's Japanese themed version of Kingdom of Keflings for Playstation. I discovered it later and had to play it to completion right away.
Disneyland Adventures (X360): Originally a Kinect game but now not. I've played this to nearly 100% and return to it occasionally. It's cool to explore the park as realistically rendered as it has been in this game.
Fortune Street (Wii): I love board games turned into video games. This is a video game inspired by board games. I need to play more of it. I like it.
Wish List:
Batman Arkham City, Dragon Quest VI (DS), inFamous 2 (PS3), Red Faction Armageddon, Resistance 3 (PS3), Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii).
Any thoughts?
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