Gamedot’s 2011 review – News Editor
Gamedot’s News Editor Rachel Rees has taken some time out to reflect upon 2011 and take a peek into 2012. It is no secret that Rachel loves a decent RPG but will that have clouded her judgement when she chooses Game of the Year and Developer of the Year?
Whew! What a year 2011 has been. I can safely assume that the majority of journalists et al of the videogames industry are a little exhausted after the last few months. (I know I am) The choice and variety of games available has been like nothing I have seen for a long time, maybe ever.
Trying to think back through the games of 2011 is no easy feat. The absolute astounding brilliance of Valve’s Portal 2 in April was a definite high moment for me and a big contender for my personal game of the year. Then, suddenly I remember back to Bethesda’s Brink which was released just a month later and I am back to square one. It continues on like this through the months of Q1-3 with F.E.A.R 3 and Dungeon Siege III, then Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. The pattern suddenly breaks for me when October arrives with Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls. This epic masterpiece suddenly swooped in and sorted the women from the girls. Is it my Game of the Year though? Absolutely. That was until November rolled in.
Forget Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, I had played that game three years previously and it delivered nothing new as a point and click FPS. That maybe ever so slightly harsh, but Game of the Year needs to be setting levels of excellency and then blowing them to smithereens. Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is not only my Game of the Year, without any shadow of a doubt but a HUGE contender for the most astounding game, period.
Since my review, which can be found HERE, my evenings and weekends are spent either in The Ragged Flagon with the Thieves Guild in Riften, dragon hunting in the mountains or decorating my new house in Whiterun, Skyrim. I am wondering if Christmas could actually pass me by as the craving for my next mission is so consuming.
Choosing developer of the year was a tough call to make. Bethesda do continue to excel themselves when developing new and exciting gaming experiences for all; lest we all forget Brink, and then the downrightly devilish RAGE. The number of titles launched in 2011 is not just of massive quantity, but the quality puts Bethesda at the forefront of the RPG genre, and I can only imagine they will continue to lead the way.
Like Game of the Year; Dev of the Year should also be breaking barriers, creating new genres and even sub genres. The only developer that comes to mind when having a self-discussion about this topic is Mojang. The Swedish based indie development company created and released Minecraft in its Alpha version back in 2009. Since then, indie loving gamers have been downloading and immersing themselves in their sandbox creations, making Minecraft the biggest downloadable indie game ever. What an accomplishment that is for Markus Persson and the rest of the team at Mojang. Since Minecraft’s early Java script, the creative little number has been ported to iOS and Android, and is said to be released on Xbox 360 in Q2 2012. In one year (Dec ’10 – Dec ’11), user numbers have gone from 800k to over 4 million. A truly incredible achievement for all involved and what an inspiration for all new indie companies.
Game of the Year – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Developer of the Year – Mojang
A brief look towards 2012…
It is hard to say if 2012 will be as successful a year for game developer and gamers a like when compared to the mamouth 2011…. or do we say that every year?
2012 is looking like a year with a theme. ‘III’ or ‘3’ runs through the biggest releases for next year with Mass Effect 3 and its new multiplayer aspect, Max Payne 3 with its intelligent gameplay system and stunning graphics, and last but by no means least is Diablo III and its cult PC following. Out of the little list I have made there, Max Payne 3 will be the one I will be queuing at midnight to get my grubby mitts on.
So Sony are releasing the PlayStation Vita early in 2012, and with some well know titles being launched on the device alongside, the question that is nagging me ever so slightly is; ‘Will handheld gaming ever get back to the good ol’ days of Gameboy?’. I think not. With the massive demand for gaming on the go, the huge leap forward for mobile ‘phone capability and the ever present need for simplistic convenience, I can no longer see as many gamers reaching for a separate games device. The days of ‘Worm’ on your mobile ‘phone are over. Step forward Dead Space, Need For Speed and Minecraft: Pocket Edition (to name but a few) on the ‘PlayStation phone’: Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY or the ability to play XBLA games on a 4.7” screen with HTC’s Titan. I can only see sales of the PSV mirroring that of Nintendo’s 3DS, which have unfortunately not been the blistering white heat some of us expected. That absolutely has to be my disappointment of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I am not disappointed with the device, only the impact it has had on the market. Was it just too soon after the DS? Or is small screen 3D technology just something gamers are just not interested in? Find some of my views on the 3DS HERE.
Disappointment of the year – Nintendo 3DS sale figures.
The question doing the rounds at the moment at Gamedot HQ is whether any of these releases will be over shadowed by any new console announcements? All we have heard are rumours and hear’ say of an ‘Xbox 720’, with mock images and the usual media head spin but nothing near an official announcement. Maybe the months of 2012 will cement any gossip and squash any rumours. Only time will tell.
