Most impressive graphics
- Crysis 2
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Forza Motorsports 4
- Rage
- L.A. Noire
Being a car nut, I have to admit I may have been biased when choosing who would win this award. But anyone who played the game has to admit it looks absolutely fantastic, especially the Autovista mode, which is rather enjoyable on top of being very pretty.
And do keep in mind that I have only played console games this year. Maybe having a über-PC would have changed things, as user Youtube videos of Battlefield 3 and The Witcher 2 have thoroughly impressed me.
Best Action/Adventure Game
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- InFamous 2
- L.A. Noire
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Batman : Arkham Asylum
A pretty loaded category this year (as it is every year) with Zelda taking the honors. It's everything you expect from a Zelda game. Interesting characters, huge world, sheer diversity in places to explore and gameplay to exploit. A true Zelda game.
Best Sports Game
- NBA 2K12
- NHL 12
- Top Spin 4
Another potentially biased award, since I'm a basketball nut, so it would be logical for me to select NBA 2K12 as the winner of this category. In fact, the fact that I know basketball so well makes me extremely severe when judging a basketball game, especially one who is widely considered "realistic". 2K12 is not bad by any means, but there are too many flaws for such a "great" (according to reviews) game. NHL 12 on the other hand, is a fantastic game, as it has been since its '09 iteration. It might be a bit too hard to score on some occasions, but gaming sports experience doesn't get better.
Best FPS campaign
- Modern Warfare 3
- Resistance 3
- Crysis 2
- Rage
A few surprises this year in this category, most notably the presence of MW3, whose predecessor's campaign was a big pile of poop. But MW3's campaign was a lot better. I also thought, at the start of 2011, that Battlefield 3's campaign would be epic. It was not. At all. And finally Resistance 3, with its finely paced campaign with interesting characters and set pieces, stole the show. It was probably the most pleasant surprise of the year, and it deserves this award.
Best RPG
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- Two Worlds II
I'm usually not a huge RPG fan, but there's something about Bethesda's work that just ticks with me. I absolutely loved Fallout 3, which was probably the game I played the most this generation (about 200 hours). New Vegas was in some ways better than #3, but overall a bit less satisfying. Oblivion is widely considered a masterpiece, and even if I haven't finished it yet, I find it pretty good as well. But Skyrim is something else. The way it plays, the variety of characters and quests, the sheer size of it, everything is amazing. It might even challenge Fallout 3 as the best RPG (in my opinion) of this generation.
Best Competitive Multiplayer
- Battlefield 3
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Modern Warfare 3
- Killzone 3
- Resistance 3
In this year of high quality no. 3s (honetly shooter fans were blessed in 2011 and I haven't even tried Gears 3 yet...), one stood above the rest with its multiplayer. Battlefield 3, with its gigantic maps, tons of guns, aircrafts, tanks, jeeps, IFVs, to name a few features, absolutely ruled the year. And after seeing a few PC gameplay videos, I'm positive that the complete BF3 experience is even bigger and better that I ever thought.
Best Story
- Batman : Arkham City
- Portal 2
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
Most immersive game
- Rage
- Batman : Arkham City
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
A bit like Fallout 3, Skyrim captures the feeling of the world it's depicting. Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland really felt like a cruel, dangerous and desolate place with a plethora of intriguing places, interesting characters and many, many quests to keep you connected to the world. Skyrim goes the same way, with a world so alive and breathing, you feel like a part of something special.
Best voice acting
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Portal 2
- Batman : Arkham City
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- L.A. Noire
That's a very, very tough one. All of these games had extremely convincing voice acting that helped propel the story to another level. If I had to choose a complete cast, I'd go with Uncharted 3 or Batman, but one character simply dominated the scene in 2011, and that's Wheatley from Portal 2. Of course GlaDos and Cave Johnson were fantastic, as well as the "personality spheres" in the final battle, but man, that metal ball certainly made me laugh and wonder throughout the whole game. A remarkable job by Valve and its voice actors.
Best sound design
- Battlefield 3
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Portal 2
- Crysis 2
I've never realized how much sound design can affect the realism of game until I've played Battlefield : Bad Company 2 in early 2010. Of course I've known about the impact of well composed music and jingles in some games, especially in the long run (All of us know the opening-a-treasure-chest jingle in Zelda games or the 1-up in Mario games), but this was something else. The sound made by dropping bullets indoors vs outdoors, the whizzing sound of a distant sniper missing you by inches, the explosion of a rocket on a nearby tank. And Battlefield 3 took that formula and expanded it even further. It's just amazing to hear.
Best music
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Batman : Arkham City
- Gears of War 3
Video game music is nearly on par with the best Hollywood has to offer. Just play a bit of Uncharted and Gears of War and you'll feel like you're watching a $200M blockbuster. However, Skyrim's music was simply mind-blowing, starting with an absolutely superb trailer that sent shivers through your body. That's the definition of Epic.
Game of The Year 2011
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- Portal 2
- Batman : Arkham City
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- Forza Motorsports 4
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Rayman Origins
- Gears of War 3
Celebrating its 25th birthday in 2011, The Legend of Zelda clearly isn't showing signs of slowing down. It's simply amazing how a video game series can last that long with so many iterations without ever feeling old or déjà-vu. New items/weapons stand next to the traditional ones without feeling out of place, dungeons are as creative as ever, the music is fantastic, the gameplay - while taking some time to get used to - manages to keep you involved like never before, even without HD technology, it's a beautiful game, etc. It really has it all. Nintendo has mastered the art (as we've seen with Super Mario Galaxy and #2) of sticking true to its roots while always improving and innovating.
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