Game of the Year 2011 – 20-11

2011 is gradually becoming a distant memory, but before it’s completely forgotten we’re bringing you our Games of 2011 list. We’ve picked the 40 best after a fair bit of arguing. Over the next week or so we’ll count down from 40-6, then deliver our top five in video form complete with thoughts from each of us at VideoGamer.com. If you turn away in disgust at the sight of our faces, there’ll be a text Top Five too.

20. FIFA 12

“Forget what you know about FIFA,” instructed Tom in his 9/10 FIFA 12 review. “While EA has been keen to highlight how much of a change this year’s game is going to be over the previous iteration, there have quite rightly been some sceptics, confident that it’s just marketing speak covering up fairly minor changes. It isn’t just marketing. FIFA has changed. The King is dead. Long live the King: FIFA 12.”

19. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

“The Witcher 2 has one of the most alluring worlds of any RPG in the last decade,” said Emily in her ]9/10 Witcher 2 review. “Despite some shoddy architecture there’s a plausibility to the world CD Projekt has created. Regardless of some occasional wobbles this is one of the most ambitious, darkest, and legitimately smart additions to the genre you’ll have the luck of playing. Just get yourself a bloody decent PC.”

18. DiRT 3

“DiRT 3 is hard to pick fault with,” remarked Tom in his 9/10 review. “It’s got the looks, the style, the superb sense of speed, and spot-on handling model that blurs the line between sim and arcade. It also introduces Gymkhana and with it excellent potential for players becoming addicted to going for new high scores. What it doesn’t do is innovate in the racing game genre, generally making refinements where needed rather than redefining what’s expected in a modern racer. It’s at the top of the tree as far as rally racers go.”

17. Ghost Trick

“As a whole, though, it’s an elegantly crafted thriller that stands out as an original, charming and beautiful adventure,” said a gleeful Martin in his Ghost Trick review, before slapping a 7/10 at the end – much to the annoyance of Neon. “As an experience it’s well worth the price of admission, but sadly Ghost Trick lets itself down with its overall simplicity and the disappointment of its crucial final act.”

16. SpaceChem

“SpaceChem is a drug for puzzle fans,” said Martin during a round-up of the best indie games. “The idea is to create a circuit to guide elements from a spawning point to their destination, but with about a zillion other things to consider at any one time it’s much more difficult. The puzzles are absolutely devious, too, and actually getting to the end of the game is almost a Herculean feat, but the satisfaction derived from finishing each individual circuit is virtually unmatched. We love it.”

15. Bastion

“An experience just as memorable as any retail release this year,” gushed Jamin, in his review last summer. “It’s kind of upsetting returning to the real world after adventuring in Caelondia; without that velvety voice narrating what you’re doing, giving purpose to your actions, life isn’t quite so entertaining.”

14. Dark Souls

“Dark Souls isn’t a game you play for fun,” said Jamin in his 8/10 Dark Souls review. “It’s something you do to say you’ve done; like running a marathon or climbing Everest. You won’t enjoy it like you will other games, but you won’t forget it either, and you’ll be damn proud of yourself for seeing it through to the end.”

13. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

While not up to the standard of the incredible Uncharted 2, Martin still awarded the game a very respectable 9/10 in his Uncharted 3 review. He said: “Uncharted 3 is at its best when being guided by Naughty Dog’s meticulous hand. It’s a genuine adventure; strap yourself into the single-player campaign and it’s a white-knuckle ride with some of gaming’s most engaging characters. Uncharted 3’s trivial flaws are buried beneath a tidal wave of big-budget spectacle, and a genuine narrative warmth far beyond most blockbuster titles.”

12. Minecraft

We didn’t review Minecraft, but Martin did spend a week playing it and documented what happened. What did he accomplish in a week? Well, he built two houses, dug a cave system, and built a medieval tower. Tom Pearson has been VideoGamer.com’s biggest Minecraft fan, playing it most lunch times – he managed to build a lava fountain!

11. Mario Kart 7

“It’s not brave, it’s not innovative, but neither should it be casually dismissed as ‘more of the same’,” said Chris in his glowing 9/10 Mario Kart 7 review. “That winning formula has been prodded and poked and buffed until it gleams, leaving us with a game that is, at the very least, the finest Mario Kart since the original. For some, it might be even more than that.”