Spike TV’s annual Video Game Award show finally has its GOTY choices decided. 2011 has undoubtedly been an incredible year in gaming, especially in the last quarter with so many huge titles releasing mere weeks from one another. Many games are worthy of recognition, but only a handful can truly be considered game of the year material. Have those choices been made wisely though? To say yes, it goes without saying that a level of objectivity must be taken. So what made the cut, and which ones probably should have made the cut? Agree or disagree, whatever viewpoint you take here is the straight forward rundown on these five titles.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: This is a clear example of a franchise’s legacy carrying it to be eligible for this honor. The fact that this was decided before the street date has come is proof enough of this. The fact of the matter is this is Nintendo’s one and only potential in the entire year and being considered for GOTY is all but a given, lest one of the big three console developers be snubbed. Now this shouldn’t be taken as Skyward Sword is here without legitimate reason, but in retrospect the game could probably be a mere clone of a passed title of merit such as Majora’s Mark or the measuring stick itself, Ocarina of Time, and still be a contender. Needless to say I will not argue against Link’s latest adventure taking its place under the sun, but it definitely was a safe choice.
Portal 2: Already separate from the group because of its first half of the year release date, Portal 2 arguably has the smallest following out of the five. Not much of a mainstream title, it may seem like a surprise entry to many people. To the gaming elite however, this was a GOTY candidate mere weeks after it was released. Portal 2 provided several elements to prove it belongs here; namely being the most challenging and clever title in contention. An exceptionally fun co-op mode give it a feasible online mode without perpetuating the typical idea of a multiplayer function, and a single player that can make you bust a controller and also make you buy a new one for the sake of continuing on with the game until the end ascends Valve’s science darling into a well-deserved GOTY candidacy.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception: The blockbuster sequel virtually earned its spot here after Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was released. It seems to be the general consensus that going backwards from Naughty Dog’s huge 2009 GOTY winner would be near impossible once the formula was a proven godsend. Anticipation for the third installment has been strong ever since, and it’s easy to see why. Among Thieves gave gamers the most elaborate and balanced sense of narration and gameplay in any game to this day, and incredible movie like cut scenes and dialogue that put most Ben Affleck movies to shame…well the ones that weren’t already shameful. Drake’s Deception embraced this very formula and takes players on another roller coaster ride of near perfection. However, the one missing piece here might be the lack of drive to deliver something different. Shadowing its predecessor’s success is a safe move, and much like Skyward Sword, it could have easily gotten this game to where it is based on that alone. Legend of Zelda has its sole representation of the Nintendo brand to act as the failsafe, Uncharted however is one big fish in a pond of many other big fish. This year might prove that more is needed to continue being on top of the world.
Batman: Arkham City: The sequel to a game that many argued would have easily been GOTY in 2009 had it not been for Uncharted 2. If you ask this gamer, I’d tell you still to this day that Arkham Asylum should have been GOTY. Either way, Arkham City has exceeded everything Arkham Asylum did in every aspect. With an established name as opposed to being a breakout title, an award winning studio, and a wildly popular licensed IP, Arkham City might very well be an easy favorite here. Being multiplatform gives it a huge advantage and the hype generated for this title was easily shattered by the finished product. That alone is so rare in the industry nowadays, it’s easy to go from wowed to accosted by greatness. Technically perfect in nearly every way and offering the most value in terms of gameplay time only aside from the fifth game on this list, The Dark Knight is gunning even harder for the GOTY designation this year and it is well poised to achieve that.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Arguably the most anticipated title of the year on this list, Skyrim has the richest heritage aside from The Legend of Zelda, and offers a total gameplay time that can easily surpass the other four games combined. The Elder Scrolls already has a GOTY winner in Oblivion, and Bethesda’s fifth iteration was promised to surpass that in every way. The real scary thing about that claim is that it just about does it. Skyrim is a vast world with endless areas to find, endless quests to undertake, and endless ways to play. Improvements range from little things like being able to dual-wield weapons and spells, to significant areas such as customization expansion. Oh, did I mention dragons? Really big dragons that can mess you up good. In the world of western style open-world RPGs, The Elder Scrolls reigns supreme, and Skyrim is the new king of the castle. Fortunately for its candidacy for game of the year, RPGs are a pretty big deal in the gaming world. This one is a huge hurdle for the rest of the nominees.
So there are five great choices, no doubt carefully picked out of the pack. However, there are some games that many may say have been overlooked. If there could be six, seven, or even ten choices for GOTY each year, 2011 would easily be the year to justify that. Let’s take a look at a few of the games that deserve to be recognized and sadly will not be in this category.
L.A. Noire: Might as well been game of the year for the first half of the year. Even with Portal 2’s release only a month apart, Rockstar’s big title of the year was also easily its best yet. A coherent system which combined a need for keen detection, vehicular gameplay, and impressive narrative gave L.A. Noire a new and refreshing twist from Rockstar’s typical street mentality titles which put you in the safe role of someone who can raise hell. Even I expected being able to play as a cop to limit options to an unsatisfying minimum, but if anything that very change of pace is what ultimately gives this detective story its wings to soar. L.A. Noire was almost perfect, and despite the heavy hitting releases of the final quarter of the year should probably be on this list.
Infamous 2: A great example of taking an established formula for a game and skyrocketing it to greater heights while seemingly not really changing anything, Infamous 2 seems in every way its predecessor’s superior, but the only real explanation for it can be found in playing the game. Maybe it’s the new companion system or the stricter system put in place to push you in the direction of evil or good. Maybe it’s just being true to the open-world genre and letting gamers rule the streets with a sense of controlled chaos. Either way this was one of the best titles of the year. Uncharted 3 already snatches up Sony’s exclusive spot, and it’s hard to argue against Drake having it; Cole McGrath is no slouch however and with an increased amount of GOTY candidates, Infamous 2 would easily be here.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Obviously the VGAs air before the release of this game and therefore leaves this title out of contention. This is unfortunate however because BioWare really has an opportunity to steal the show in terms of presenting the most scene-changing title of the year. The Old Republic is poised to be the nail in the coffin of the era of World of Warcraft’s stranglehold on the MMO community. With so many subscribers already flocking away due to The Burning Crusade’s failure to reinvigorate life into Blizzard’s genre king, BioWare has been gathering an immense following and hype for The Old Republic; this is a deadly combination and we could easily see a change in the tides come December. Perhaps all this is talk and false hope, there is always that possibility. When you gamble with high stakes however, what stands to be won is always greater than what could be lost. Especially when you consider that developers have very little to lose when already fighting an uphill battle.
Post contributed by Matt J. Randisi. Questions for the author? Send an email to Mjrandisi@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SaveUsMatt.