Best of 2011: Nick's Picks - Part Six

We're almost done! We've marched all the way through my picks for the best games of 2011 and have almost reached number one! Here, in Part Six, we've finally cracked the Top Five!

If you missed the previous installments, check out Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five at the links provided.

5. The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (Team Ico)

I have stated before, and will continue to state until the end of time, that Shadow of the Colossus is the greatest game ever created. It was so far before its time in 2005 that it is still referenced today as one of the greatest examples that games can be art. Shadow manages to conjure all sorts of emotions, a feat made especially impressive by the minimalist environs and incredible graphical displays showcased in the game and the relatively simplistic gameplay. It's insane to imagine that such an impressive title was brought to us on the PS2, a platform that could barely support it.

And then there's Ico. Shadow of the Colossus was actually the spiritual successor to Ico, with similar themes and art direction shared between the two games. Sadly, Ico never met the public success that Shadow managed, but its critical success was at least as highly rated. A simple platformer that added an emotional twist with the inclusion of the girl you have to escort, Ico managed to summon emotions that other games had never accomplished before then, and Shadow merely carried on where Ico left off. Almost literally, in fact -- there are many theories that state Shadow of the Colossus is actually a prequel to Ico. But that's neither here nor there.

Lots of people have decried HD collections as mere money-grubbing and, for the most part, I would agree. But Ico and Shadow of the Colossus were games that were originally designed as high-definition titles; the technology available simply didn't exist at the time. Hell, Shadow of the Colossus was even supposed to be a 3D title early in its development, but the PS2 simply couldn't handle such a project. Both of these games were so technologically and emotionally advanced for the field of video games that it could be argued that they single-handedly helped push the envelope on the subjects of HD textures and 3D gaming.

Thus, when the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection was announced, I was immediately sold on the concept. This is how these games are supposed to be played, how they were supposed to be played at original release. And with Team Ico's next project, The Last Guardian, just around the corner (hopefully), there was no better time to remind the world of how important these games still are today.

4. Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady)

At the end of 2009, I had a hard choice to make. Which game was my game of the year? Batman: Arkham Asylum or Assassin's Creed II? Both were fantastic third-person adventure games that featured stellar combat and platforming (AC2 with parkour, Batman with his gadgets), both had intriguing and entertaining stories, and both had enough content to keep me engaged for hours on end. It was a tough choice -- one I still haven't made! Somewhat sadly (or perhaps not!), 2011 didn't have quite as difficult a choice to make but the return of Batman certainly was a welcome one.

All of the staples from Arkham Asylum returned: the stellar Freeflow combat system; the awesome and upgradable Bat-gadgets; the inclusion of all the greatest Batman villains (including their most recognizable voice actors); and an interesting and engaging story as penned by an actual comic writer. The only thing that was different was the scope of the world; as opposed to Arkham Asylum, which put Batman in the middle of an isolated island asylum, Arkham City has a scope similar to the Assassin's Creed games, sticking Batman right in the middle of a sprawling city and tasking him with traveling from one end to the other and back numerous times.

In some ways, I think the larger scope of the world was detrimental to the overall experience: where Arkham Asylum was a tightly packed package of incredible fun, Arkham City sometimes felt a little too open-ended. Perhaps that was simply a comparison issue but it's hard to say for sure.What I do know, however, is whenever I started to feel a little bored with the game, it would throw another twist or another boss fight at me that would make me sit up and take notice again. The highlight of the entire game -- perhaps the entire year -- was easily the boss fight against Mister Freeze, which was such pure genius it makes other boss fights seem utterly trite. (Though the entirety of the Iceberg Lounge mission was pretty damn fantastic as well.)

I still don't feel like I'm done with Arkham City -- I still haven't completed all of the side missions, even if I have completed the main storyline -- and I can't wait to get a free moment to get back to it. Rocksteady managed to give us a second title that made the industry take notice and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

3. Portal 2 (Valve)

I don't even remember when the original Portal came out (2007?) but, whenever it was, it was a turning point in the video game industry. Who knew that a small add-on title, a game attached to the continuation of the epic Half-Life 2 and the long-awaited return of Team Fortress, would end up making such a huge impact on both the public and critical masses. It was a puzzle game that changed the way we look at puzzle games and a technological marvel in terms of pathfinding. And let's not forget the amazing writing; everything about it was genius.

It was because of this that Portal 2 was so eagerly awaited by everyone in the industry. Who knew what the geniuses at Valve would do next? Given so much more time for development and so much more funding to create more intricate and incredible work, people were almost as excited waiting for it as they have been waiting for Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Almost.

So we waited and waited and, when it finally came, it was everything we were expecting and more. The brilliant puzzles were back, the fantastic and hilarious writing made a triumphant comeback (this time with the brilliant addition of the talented Stephen Merchant) and the portal technology went even further to impress the masses. There was a feature-length campaign, there was co-op, there was everything you needed to keep entertained with the game for endless hours. Portal 2 even marked the birth of a renewed relationship between Valve and Sony, something that no one expected.

All in all, Portal 2 would make a fantastic number one on any Game of the Year list, including mine. I played it enough to fall in love with it, fall out of love, and then fall in love with it all over again. I can count on one hand how many times that's happened with a game, and all of them are fantastic titles. But, sadly, I feel that there were two titles that were better this past year.

Well... Perhaps not "better". They were just more my speed, I guess. Let me explain:

2. Battlefield 3 (DICE)

I played Battlefield 1942, the original Battlefield, before I even understood the concept of multiplayer gaming. I played that game relentlessly, battling alongside and against AI-controlled bots, taking Omaha Beach or defending Wake Island for the -nth time. I could never the hang of flying the planes but I was a tank ace and a master of suppressing fire with the BAR. I loved that game to pieces.

It wasn't until Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that I finally played multiplayer, and it was then that I truly understood the brilliance of the game. It was one thing to play Battlefield alone with the computer; it's an entirely different thing to play with and against other people. Being able to intelligently communicate with your allies, create tactical plans and issue simple commands that your friends then actually carry out; this was the sort of shooter that I had been waiting for for years, and it had been hiding under my nose the whole time. Of course, there were a few small issues that I wanted fixed, but it was still a great experience.

Battlefield 3 is exactly what I wanted in response to those issues. There's something about being able to put a squad of friends together, each of us having different specialties, jumping in a helicopter and flying off to raid the enemy position with pinpoint precision. Having a friend sight up a sniper rifle to cover you while you lay down anti-tank mines; or moving down an alleyway, each of your squad covering their respective angles, making sure no enemies take advantage of your friends. Or even tearing apart cover from behind the barrel of an M10 battle tank, while the rest of my team rushes forward to capture the point; all of these things are how a game should be played.

Maybe it's because I'm such a sucker for cooperative gaming, or maybe it's because I love being able to involve tactics in my shooters as opposed to relying strictly on twitch reactions (I'm looking at you, Call of Duty); I really can't say why I love Battlefield 3 so much. It's gorgeous, it's amazingly fun, it's impressive in all manner of ways... I dunno why but I love Battlefield 3.

But it's still not my game of the year.


Come back tomorrow for my number one pick for the best game of 2011. You might be surprised at what I've chosen...

Now You're Just Somebody That I Used To Know...

So my favourite song of the last month has been "Somebody I Used To Know", by Gotye. It's a fantastic song, very catchy and memorable, with some great production values and a fantastic guest appearance by the incredibly talented Kimbra, my other new favourite artist. My gal Kait just talked about Kimbra, actually; check out her blog for more stuff about this fantastic new Australian artist!

For as good as Gotye's version is, though, last night I found something incredible. It's a cover of "Somebody I Used To Know" by a band called Walk Off The Earth. But... Well. It's hard to explain. Just watch:



So. Good. Ugh.

Best of 2011: Nick's Picks - Part Five

Here lies Part Five of my picks for the best games of 2011. I apologize for the lateness of this installation: busy weekend is busy! In case you missed them, here's Part One, Two, Three and Four. Enjoy!

9. Orcs Must Die! (Robot Entertainment)

It isn't often that a tower defense game can actually hold my interest. Probably even more infrequently than platformers, if that's possible, though always more frequently than fighting games. Of course, I usually resort to button-mashing in fighting games. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 certainly looks fun enough but I'm afraid I'd just get owned repeatedly because I don't have the memory for all those crazy combos.

Yet I digress. Let's get back on track:

Orcs Must Die! was the most entertaining tower defense game that I'd played since Plants vs. Zombies. And in a market that is seemingly inundated with tower defense games, I think that's saying something. The character that the game simply oozes and the art style that is equally hilarious and fantastical are brought together by a game that is very well-designed and requires just enough strategy to challenge you.

I think the best part is the humour, though. Your character will start every mission by making some sort of snide remark about his mentor, or the level at hand, or some idiotic comment that you can't help but laugh at. And then there's the comments he makes after certain kills. All of it together, with how stupid the orcs look and how awesome your own traps and guardians (which are much like towers from other games) appear, makes a fantastic game that you can keep coming back to.

8. Brink (Splash Damage)

People hated Brink and the only reason was because it was too unlike Call of Duty. There, I said it. People are afraid of change and people hate things they are afraid of. Thus, people hated Brink because it was different than the norm. And that simply boggles my mind.

Brink was pure genius. Besides the fact that this was an intelligent class-based and team-oriented shooter, there were quite a number of things Splash Damage did that other developers need to take notes on. For instance, the seamless transition between singleplayer and multiplayer. Or the addition of the SMART system (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain, for those unfamiliar with Brink) that emulated the parkour from Mirror's Edge but allowed you to shoot a gun at the same time. Or the fantastic art direction and storyline set as a backdrop to all the action.

I'm sure the success of Brink (or lack thereof) wasn't helped by the fact that it was released only a week before L.A. Noire, which was probably the most anticipated title of the year up to that point (seeing as it was released before Skyrim). Regardless, though, I feel like Brink didn't get given a fair chance. Everybody was so used to the standard "realistic" war shooter, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, that they didn't want to branch out and try something new.

Which is a shame, really, because Brink was certainly the most original and otherwise still one of the best shooters on the market.

7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)

Towards the end of the year, there was one word on everyone's lips: Skyrim. And with that word came four others: "Game of the Year". People were so impressed by the sprawling land that was Skyrim, and how each and every corner of the world held some sort of hidden treasure. How you could play the game for a week without sleep, all one-hundred-sixty-eight hours, and only barely come close to fully finishing the game. How you could play the game any way you wanted, becoming a lumbering brute or a nimble thief or a wizened mage or any combination of the three. Everything about the game was simply so fantastic that to think any other game in the past year -- nay, the past decade -- was better was nigh on blasphemy.

Of course, you may notice that I haven't even ranked it in my top five of the year. Unfortunately, there isn't a particularly easy way of explaining why.

It might be my relationship with the game, or with games in general. Don't get me wrong, I love RPGs. I love the prospect of being able to sink endless hours into a game. Except that my definition of "endless" is more like "around 50", and even that isn't entirely fair. I mean, I spent a lot of time on Fallout 3 -- and I mean a lot: I was playing that game about a year or more after it was released and I still hadn't discovered everything. I devoted about 80 hours over two playthroughs to both Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect (40 hours each playthrough), and about 30 to my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2. Yet I barely reached 20 hours in Skyrim before I lost interest, and I can't really put my finger on why.

I honestly think it might be because there simply isn't enough direction in the game. You can do literally anything you want, go anywhere you'd like, but there's hardly any reason to do so besides your own whims. Sure, there are quests that can have you trekking from one side of the world to the other, but when one of the biggest selling points of the game is that you can do things at your own pace, there's so little urgency that you don't feel like doing anything.

Dragon Age and Mass Effect are a far cry from being linear games but its always easy to figure out which quests belong to the main story and which are simple sidequests. Even Fallout 3 managed to make it clear which quest would advance the story and which was for fun. But Skyrim, much like Oblivion (a game I quit playing after three hours), leaves it entirely in the hands of the player to decide what they want to do. And, while I can appreciate that, it's not how I like to play games. I don't want you to hold my hand but I would rather you point me in the right direction than hope you figure it out.

I can't deny that Skyrim is a great game. But it just isn't the greatest game ever, like so many people have made it out to be.

6. L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)

As much as the controversy after its release was shocking, the experience that L.A. Noire offered remains one of the most memorable moments of 2011 for me. A sandbox-style game in the vein of Grand Theft Auto with voice acting and motion capture to rival the movies? A detective game that includes searching for evidence, interrogation and firefights? How does any of this sound like a bad idea?

Rockstar loaned its expertise on this title and it really shows: they're such a fantastic company and they never cease from producing expertly designed titles. This is the company that produced Red Dead Redemption, after all, a game that very easily was the best of 2010; it's almost a sure thing that anything they touch turns immediately to gold. And such was the case with L.A. Noire; the construction of 1950's Los Angeles seemed vibrant and accurate enough that it's hard to imagine there being any historical inconsistencies, and the gameplay was the same Rockstar goodness we've always enjoyed.

And then there was the acting. I don't care what anyone said about the uncanny valley when it came to this game: the graphics were incredible and the acting was Hollywood talent through and through.

L.A. Noire certainly wasn't without its own faults, most notably in the telling of the overarching story, but each individual case was such a fantastic tale that it was hard not to jump straight into the next one. The first act of the game, where you are working as a Traffic detective, was fantastic and the second act, which had you in Murders, was even better. Sadly, the game reaches its high point about halfway through and starts to decline from there, ending in an abrupt change of pace that sets up the fifth and final act. But the ride there is fantastic and made for an incredible experience, one that I'd like to repeat again soon.


Stay tuned tomorrow for the second-to-last installment of my picks for Best of 2011!

Best of 2011: Nick's Picks - Part Four

And so continues our saga of my picks for the best games of 2011. If you missed them, you should probably check out Parts One, Two and Three.

13. Minecraft (Mojang Productions)

It's entertaining to think that for the past two years the "It" game has been one that wasn't even officially released. Having only a November release in 2011, Minecraft seemed like it was in a perpetual state of Beta release. Not that it mattered: it still sold millions of copies and tens of millions of dollars (if not more) and people still viewed it as some sort of wunderkind, a prodigy of a game that was appealing beyond its concept.

Sadly, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Minecraft, though the latter half of 2011 was filled with more hate than love. Well, that might be unfair; I wouldn't say I hate Minecraft, I just have a hard time getting into it anymore.

But that's beside the point (and something I might very well go into at depth at a later date). This is a list of the best games of 2011 and Minecraft certainly deserves a spot on that list. A true sandbox game that makes other sandboxes look like tar pits, Minecraft is a game that provides everybody with the tools to do whatever they want. I have seen recreations of both real-world scale buildings and some of my favourite fictional locales, painstakingly rendered in block form via Minecraft. I have seen whole adventures played out on YouTube, and have even played through a few created maps myself. And, most importantly, I have lost countless hours to the construction of great castles and mines and towns and natural wonders, all trying to accomplish... who knows what?

There is no game that can provide equal parts satisfaction and frustration -- simultaneously, no less -- than Minecraft and that alone is reason enough to consider it one of the greatest games ever created, never mind the past year.

12. Bulletstorm (People Can Fly and Epic Games)


Like most people, I overlooked Bulletstorm when it was first released nearly a year ago. I wrote it off as just another game by the Gears of War folks, a company I respect but don't actively support financially. (It's not that I don't think their games are worth spending money on, I just don't have the need; without fail, my other friends will always pick up the latest Gears of War game and offer to play through the game with me, co-op style. But that's neither here nor there.) Of course, the inclusion of the people beyond Painkiller certainly piqued my interest, but only in passing. I looked at the press for Bulletstorm, read the reviews, and just wasn't impressed.

Well it's a good thing I changed my mind because I don't think I had that much fun playing a game in a long time.Sadly, I picked up the title on sale, so my money still isn't really going to the right people, which saddens me because, had I known how good Bullestorm really is, I would have gladly laid down the full retail price to enjoy it.

I think what put most people off of Bulletstorm was the fact that everything about it seemed gimmicky. While we have gotten used to the ridiculous "macho" dialogue of Gears of War, forcing ourselves to swallow it up even while we roll our eyes, Bulletstorm seemed ten times worse. Of course, without playing the game it's hard to realize that the intent of all that excessive testosterone and machismo is actually the developers posing a sort of satire directed at themselves. We were all worried that it was going to take itself too seriously but it's so over the top and ridiculous that you can't help but laugh at it.

And then there's the gameplay. The Skill Shot system is actually very well executed and encourages you to change the way you play the game, challenging you to accomplish that next elusive skill shot. It's a game that draws you in with the impressive visuals and keeps you fixated with its hilarious dialogue and compelling gameplay. If more games had such fantastic surprises included, the video game industry would be a much better place.

11. Jurassic Park: The Game (Telltale Games)

It's entertaining that the most voiced criticism directed toward Jurassic Park: The Game is that it is too much "interactive movie" and not enough "game". It's entertaining because that was a similar complaint of Heavy Rain but, at the time, everyone seemed to agree that Heavy Rain was a breakthrough moment in gaming. Sure, its gameplay might boil down to simple quick-time events but that doesn't mean that it isn't a compelling experience, nor does it mean that it's less of a game.

Jurassic Park: The Game is very similar to Heavy Rain in that each of its gameplay decisions are largely made through the expression of QTEs. There are some standard point-and-click adventure game portions that are more typical for a Telltale but, by and large, those are the weakest portions of the game. (Well, that and the fourth act, but we won't get into that right now.)

What Telltale has stumbled upon here is a better way to construct their games. Where their other games (Back to the Future: The Game and Tales of Monkey Island, largely) have clumsy controls that can sometimes break the immersion, Jurassic Park: The Game does a fantastic job of keeping the player involved throughout. And so what if most of the gameplay consists of QTEs? Heavy Rain won some Game of the Year awards for what it did.

Besides. It's a continuation of the story of Jurassic Park. How can that not be fantastic?

10. From Dust (Eric Chahi via Ubisoft)

It's hard for me to talk about From Dust, largely because I'm still not sure how I feel about it; it confuses me to no end. It was a game that instilled in me similar emotions as when I play Shadow of the Colossus but its hard for me to put my finger on exactly why.

At its most basic, From Dust seems to be nothing more than an environmental sandbox puzzle game. You have to utilize the elements and landscape to solve puzzles that will allow the villagers in your care to survive to the next map. Pick up lava, pour it into water, create stone. Pick up sand, pour it over rock, create grass. Pick up more lava, pour it over stone, create dam to block the rising tide. All of it is very simple in theory but its execution leaves nothing to be desired.

It's kind of hard to shoehorn From Dust into any particular category. It's part sandbox, part puzzle game, part God game, and its hard to imagine any of the constituent parts working without the others. And I don't mean that in terms of just this game; I mean in terms of those genrés. After playing From Dust, I look at games like Black and White and Populous and Darwinia and can't help but feel that they're lacking something. Maybe its the emotional connection that I established with this game; I really can't say. All I do know is that I loved From Dust to pieces.

I just don't know why.

I wrote a review of From Dust for Digitally Downloaded. If you're so inclined, take a read; I consider it one of my better reviews, and it might enlighten you as to my true feelings for this game.


Stay tuned for Part Five, which will be up tomorrow! Happy gaming!

Late Night Note

I just wanted to pop my head in here and let you know my plans for the weekend.

Basically, it boils down to this: My list of "Best of 2011" will continue on Monday! The weekend is usually fairly dead for the blogosphere so I figure my efforts would be best saved for the week. Fear not, though; we've only made it half-way through the list! Expect another three to four updates next week to round out my top 25 games of 2011.

Thanks for reading, everybody. Have a great weekend!

Best of 2011: Nick's Picks - Part Three

Welcome to Part Three of my Best of 2011 list! If you missed them, you should probably check out Part One and Part Two. Just in case you're curious...

17. Frozen Synapse (Mode 7)

Frozen Synapse is a title unlike any other that I've seen. It's a turn-based strategy tactical shooter, or maybe a turn-based tactics strategic shooter? Mode 7 called it a "Simultaneous Turn-Based Strategy Game/Turn-Based Tactical Game". The point is it's hard to classify. And that's part of the brilliance.

Where other games can so easily be shoehorned into a category, Frozen Synapse completely eschews definition. It's turn-based strategy, like Civilization, but focuses instead on individual orders given to individual units, sort of like the Rainbow Six franchise. It's a hybrid of so many different games, it's hard to truly explain what it is. I talked about it earlier in the year here, so take a read there if you need a refresher about what the game is.


It's an ingenious title that is truly original, and can provide endless amounts of fun. Because each map is procedurally generated, you can play hundreds of matches with no two being the same. And then there's the multiplayer capabilities; while most games require you to devote your constant attention to it -- even for long turn-based titles like Civilization -- Frozen Synapse allows you to start a match with someone, give your troops orders, finalize your turn and then leave the game. You could go days without returning, almost like you're playing by e-mail, before coming back to it to see how your troops fared.


Such creativity and originality is hard to find in today's market so it was so fantastic to see a game like this that was so easy to enjoy and easy to play. You really need to give it a shot, if you haven't already.

16. Magicka (Arrowhead Game Studios)

Need to blow off some steam? Want to play a game with a friend of yours whose been getting on your nerves a bit? Want to accidentally blow yourself up and then laugh about it for hours? You need look no further than Magicka.

Magicka is an interesting game in that it's a role-playing game that works best in short doses. It's hilarious fun, to be sure, but it can sometimes wear a bit thin if you play it for too long. That being said, the fun you can have when playing this game -- only with friends, mind you -- is often enough to keep you going simply for the sake of seeing who's going to kill whom next.

The concept of Magicka is that you are a wizard with power over the elements. You cast spells by combining these elements together, always with the intent of attacking a creature but sometimes creating unexpected consequences. For instance, you might think to combine fire and earth to create a fireball. You do so, charge it up and let it fly... only to have your friend step in the way at exactly the wrong moment and make you both explode simultaneously. And that's a tame example!

Perhaps its because of my unadulterated affair with cooperative gaming that I like Magicka so much but it since it was released in January of 2011, it has been my go-to game to play with other people. If we're not sure what we should play, I immediately propose Magicka and, more often than not, everyone agrees. The fact that the development team continues to create DLC doesn't hinder our devotion, either.

Also, this video makes my world.

15. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal)

Perhaps because of my age, I didn't discover the original Deus Ex until a long time after its release. When I did, the game had unfortunately aged to the point that I found myself hard-pressed to push myself through it. Of course, I did and was ultimately better for it; sometimes you have to look past the graphics of a game to fully appreciate its worth, and Deus Ex is a perfect example of this. It is a game that has remained a groundbreaking and stellar title, over a decade after its release -- a point that is without contention, as it is commonly ranks first atop lists of the best video games ever released.

Because of this pedigree, Deus Ex: Human Revolution had some big shoes to fill. While a sequel to the original had been made in 2003 (Deus Ex: Invisible War), it was met with middling reviews -- at least compared to the outrageous scores of the original -- and didn't bode well for the prospects of Human Revolution. Lucky for us, then, that Eidos Montreal managed to pull a rabbit out of their hat. Unfortunate for us, though, that they didn't reach quite high enough.

The best parts of Human Revolution are fantastic, full stop. The stealth is beautifully executed and the open-ended concept of each and every map allows everybody to play the game their own way. The story is nuanced and captivating and the characters are believable enough that you can truly identify with them. And the art direction and the graphics -- oh, the graphics -- are simply stunning. What turns out to be frustrating are things that a result of bad design decisions -- namely, the boss battles.

For a game that is so entirely based on choices, forcing the player into boss battles that require nothing more than filling a single target full of lead and shrapnel as fast as you can is so counter-intuitive it hurts. And don't even get me started on the still-picture cutscene endings. (Hint: It's almost as insulting as the three endings for Singularity, where only one ending actually featured a true cutscene.) How these issues slipped by the QA people, I'll never understand.

Still, the game was fantastic and drew me in to the point that I was noticeably upset about the failings the game had. How many other games can boast that sort of integrity?

14. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (Ratloop Asia)

Hey, look, another platformer!

Rocketbirds was another game that had some serious character. It actually reminded me of Red Johnson's Chronicles, actually, if only because of some of the sound and art direction, though the titles are completely different. For one, Red Johnson's Chronicles has you playing a PI investigating a murder. Meanwhile, Rocketbirds has you playing a Rambo-esque chicken on a quest for vengeance against a Stalin-esque penguin villain.

So yeah, not so much with the similarities.

Rocketbirds does a lot of really interesting things that most platformers don't. Like Shadow Complex, the game focuses on gunplay as opposed to melee combat, but Rocketbirds never takes itself seriously. You play a chicken, for cryin' out loud! A chicken who flies around with a rocketpack bigger than he is (hence the name), and is assisted by budgie and cardinal rebels. You even fight penguins dressed in Nazi garb, and the entire game is based around trying to track down a Communist penguin leader and put an end to the tyrannical rule of the penguin.

Don't let the hilarious premise fool you, though: Rocketbirds is a stellar game with balanced gameplay, gorgeous landscapes and fantastic mechanics. It switches between platformer and twin-stick shooter numerous times, yet the transition never feels jarring. The art direction is fantastic and the soundtrack is even better, and all for the bargain basement price that usually accompanies downloadable titles. It even has a separate co-op mode for those who want to play with a friend!

I was lucky enough to get to review this title for Digitally Downloaded; check out the review, if you're so inclined. Either way, though, don't overlook this game, people. It's simply too good to pass up!

Best of 2011: Nick's Picks - Part Two

Here's the second installment of my picks for the best games of 2011. If you missed it, check out Part One!

21. Outland (Housemarque)

It isn't often that a platformer catches my eye, never mind actually impresses me. Don't get me wrong: there have been some interesting platformers in recent years -- games like Braid, Limbo and Shadow Complex are all fairly basic platformers with their own twists -- but I haven't gotten actually excited about one since the days of Metroid.

Outland, on the other hand, got me very excited. I'm not even entirely sure why, really. I suppose the most obvious reason is probably because of how gorgeous the game looks, or the fact that the overall style and story reminded me of Shadow of the Colossus (a game I often herald as the greatest of all time). Of course, Outland doesn't do much to change the platforming idiom. It has all the platforming staples -- relatively simple combat, diverse enemy types, jumping puzzles, environmental hazards, moving platforms -- but the only thing that really differentiates it from the others is how it plays with the dichotomy of light and dark and the art style that reflects it.

The core mechanic of Outland is that you can switch your character between light and dark -- or red and blue, if you're a more literal person -- which proves necessary to both combat the enemies you face and to complete the jumping puzzles. You see, to battle dark -- or red -- enemies, you need to be attuned with the light -- meaning you have to be blue -- and vice versa. If you are attuned to the same color as the enemy, you can't harm them. Of course, they can't harm you either, which provides the game with a good deal of strategy -- knowing when to switch from light to dark and back again can mean the difference between life and death. The jumping puzzles working on the same mechanic: any blue environmental hazards in your way can only be passed if you are blue yourself, and the opposite for red hazards.

But it was the aesthetic style of Outland that truly captivated me. Just look at that screenshot! I mean, sure, the switching between light and dark certainly adds to that, but everything about the game is just innately gorgeous, and it's not because of photorealism or anything like that. In an industry that's so focused on making every game look as real as possible, the art style of this game was a much-needed breath of fresh air.

20. Red Johnson's Chronicles (Lexis Numérique)

Speaking of awesome art styles...

Unlike the platformer, I have played and loved numerous point-and-click adventure games. My very favourite was a game called Syberia, an absolutely gorgeous game with a strange and compelling story and an even better sequel. Sadly, point-and-click adventure games are a dying breed, which is a shame because they often feature the best stories. Luckily, 2011 was a great year for the point-and-click, with great titles such as Gemini Rue, Jurassic Park: The Game, Back to the Future: The Game and Red Johnson's Chronicles.

Red Johnson's Chronicles is an interesting title, to be sure. It's a PS3-exclusive title, which is extremely odd for this type of game, but it worked quite well for what it was. It was perhaps a bit simpler than your typical "find the pixel" title but it made up for it by including some ingenious puzzles and action elements implemented via quick-time events. I know lots of people decry QTEs but I think, used properly, they can really enhance your interaction with a title. Hell, Heavy Rain was basically all QTEs and it's definitely one of the best games released in recent years. Red Johnson's Chronicles utilizes them tastefully and skillfully and creates a better experience because of it.

Similarly to Outland, though, the initial thing that intrigued me about RJC was the art style. It's equally funky and awesome, with fantastic landscapes and a great art direction. The sound direction is almost the frontrunner for how awesome the game is, though; the soundtrack is fantastic and the voice acting is hilarious. And the plot, while simple, leaves you craving more -- not because it's lacking in anything but because it's simply over too soon.

My first review at Digitally Downloaded was actually for this game, so I'd suggest you give it a read if you want to hear more of my thoughts on it.

19. Payday: The Heist (Overkill Software)

The video game industry needs more cooperative games. Everybody is so focused on creating competitive multiplayer modes to tack onto singleplayer games that they seem to forget that playing games together with people is infinitely more satisfying than playing against them. Or, at least, it is to me and my friends. Dead Island, Left 4 Dead, Magicka, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, Gears of War, even the Spec Ops mode of Modern Warfare 3; we play those games because we enjoy playing together.

I think it was because of this that Payday: The Heist was so appealing to me. The model of the game is very similar to Left 4 Dead: you and up to three friends are pitted against AI-directed enemies who try to stop you from completing your goal. The difference is that, in Payday, you play a group of criminals in the midst of a heist (hence the name) and the AI-directed enemies are actually cops. Controversial? Probably. Fun? You better believe it!

By no means is Payday a perfect game: it's a little rough around the edges and the combat always feels a little sloppy (though that might simply be because I dislike controllers for FPSes, as opposed to the keyboard/mouse combo). But damn is it entertaining, and damn is it fun. Reliving the street chase from the movie Heat or playing the part of a criminal mastermind and pulling your own bank job; Payday never ceases to entertain and, thanks to the "AI Director", always remains a fresh and original experience.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised more companies haven't tried to capitalize on the successes of Left 4 Dead: the four-person co-op with an "AI Director" controlling when waves of enemies appear. It's a great model that could apply itself to many different sorts of game. I'm glad Payday capitalized on it, though. It's a great game to play with friends and a fantastic way to live out those bank robbery fantasies.

Not that I have any of those, mind you. Perish the thought.

18. League of Legends (Riot Games)

2011 is the year I got into League of Legends. Kind of, anyway. I certainly don't play it as much as some of my friends, who are so intense about this game that they've actually created their own team who play in tournaments and stuff. But I play enough to understand what I'm doing and have fun while I'm at it.

Of course, I'm sure the first thing people are going to call me on is that League of Legends was actually released in 2009. To those people I say: "So what?" Seriously, though; I didn't even know League of Legends existed until this year. And now I've plugged a fair number of hours into it, all in the course of about half a year.

It's a great game, a more accessible clone of DotA, and one that has the superb ability of letting anybody play the game the way they want. For those who don't know, each match you pick a champion to play, each of whom have their own abilities, and then try to destroy the enemy base before they destroy yours. It's a very strategic game, and one that requires good reflexes and a better understanding of how certain powers work. Each champion is styled in specific ways and each one is completely different from the others.

When I first starting playing, I played as a champion called Warwick, who is a werewolf. Every time you attack an opponent, you regain health, so he's very powerful in melee. From there, I tried a guy named Udyr, who is a shaman who can switch between different animal forms, each of which give him special abilities (Turtle gives him more health, Tiger makes you attack faster, et cetera). Lately, I've been playing a guy named Rammus, a giant spiked armadillo, who is best at taking lots of damage and distracting opponents so other people can get the kill. Each and every character plays differently and each one requires a fair amount of skill to master.

Truthfully, I'm a little hesitant to get into a game with any of my friends anymore -- they're all so much better at the game than I am that I'm worried I'd make myself look foolish. Still, it's a fun game to pick up and try every once in a while. If you ever want to play a match, look me up -- my username for LoL is Ragequilerus.

Long story.


And that concludes Part Two! Check back tomorrow for Part Three! Happy gaming!