Just when I thought that I'd limit my gaming to consoles for the entire year, I actually ended the year playing games on the Nintendo 3DS, heh. In a year filled with detestable shovelware knockoffs made for the smartphone gaming market, I still choose gaming on dedicated consoles & handhelds; besides, I hate games that require me to partially cover the screen with my fingers while pressing fake, drawn buttons. Where's the fun in that?
1.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [PS3]
It's no surprise that this is my Game of the Year, as it was developed by the same creative team that did my GOTY of last year,
Fallout 3. Hyped almost to death before its release,
Skyrim can be best described as the fantasy-medieval version of
Fallout 3, and it's everything that it was hyped about, and more. Taking place in a huge, open world that's a joy to travel in, you can practically do anything you want in
Skyrim--hell, you can even skip the main storyline altogether and just travel from place to place, meeting people and undertaking what appears to be an unlimited number of sidequests, with more promised as forthcoming DLC. There are companions to befriend, evil creatures and people to slay, and best of all--dragons!
2.
DC Universe Online [PS3]
The chance to be a unique superhero in the DC comics universe was just too irresistible for me, so I went ahead and bought this, which included a free, one-month subscription. It's the usual stuff you do in most massive, multiplayer online games--level grinding and participating in endless battles to earn experience points, sometimes along the iconic DC superheroes like the Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. But teaming up with other, real players online is a thrill, particularly when you have to defeat a band of evil villains. Recently, it became free-to-play, but bonuses have been retained for those with paid subscriptions.
3.
Limbo [PS3]
A previous release for the Xbox 360 system,
Limbo is a perfect example of a simple game that transcends into pure awesomeness with its concept and execution. Consisting of stark, black-and-white imagery that are mostly silhouettes,
Limbo's story is compelling and truly hard to put down. The graphical look alone is worth it, with superb use of lighting and ambient sound.
Limbo is proof that a 2D game with simple controls and no dialogue can still make a game stand out on a next-gen console.
4.
Dead Nation [PS3]
I always need a zombie-slaying fix, and
Dead Nation provided it in spades. It's brutal survival horror at its best, seen from a top down perspective and oozing with enough creepy atmosphere to make you literally jump at the shadows. And when the undead hordes attack in what seems like a nonstop frenzy of advancing evil, you'll be glad that you have an arsenal of weapons to choose from. Partnering with someone online is even better, and is highly recommended.
5.
Pushmo [3DS]
At first glance,
Pushmo looks like a rather simple puzzler, where you push and pull blocks to create steps that let you ascend to the top. But appearances can be deceiving, as it can be fiendishly complex, even in the early levels. And yet, it's so endearing and fun that it's difficult to quit playing. There's even an editor where you can create and share your own puzzles, as well as getting a virtually inexhaustible supply of new puzzles to play by scanning QR codes on web pages.
6.
Okamiden [DS]
The sequel to
Okami, my 2006 Game of the Year, is every bit as enchanting as the original game. Taking place months after the events in
Okami, the game introduces Chibiterasu, the child of the first game's lead character, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Chibiterasu is rightfully named, as he's probably the cutest and most adorable godling in white wolf form ever created for a game.
Okamiden retains most of the first game's unique graphical look and control scheme, and using the Celestial Brush has never felt more right using the stylus.
7.
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record [PS3]
More zombies, but this time they're swarming in a busy Las Vegas-like area, complete with shopping plazas and casinos.
Dead Rising 2 originally was released with a different lead character, but players wanted the return of original protagonist Frank West, so he was brought back in this enhanced version, complete with photography bonuses. Even better, there's a sandbox mode that dispenses with the time limit, so you can just run around and slay zombies everywhere without hesitation.
8.
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [DS]
This is actually a 2010 release, but I didn't have the time to play it until last year.
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is an adventure mystery that's quite rare nowadays in a crowded market of first person shooters and action games. The plot unfolds gradually and becomes more gripping and complex as the game progresses, with one simple objective: as one of 9 people who were abducted and brought to a strange location, you must work together to escape alive. Hard to put down.
9.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter [DS]
The
Professor Layton series continues with this latest offering of the usual puzzles and problems, but I didn't get this to solve puzzles--it's the bonus game included, called
Professor Layton's London Life, that made me buy this title.
London Life is a wonderful 2D, top-down RPG-ish game that lets you live out your life in Professor Layton's world. It's also rendered in the same charming 8-bit style as the Nintendo classic RPG,
Earthbound, which happens to be one of my favorite games of all time, so getting this was a no-brainer.
10.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky [PSP]
The only PSP game in my list, a sure sign that the PSP's lineup of games wasn't really that noteworthy for me last year. Even worse, this game was originally released in Japan in 2004, a good seven years ago, so it looks somewhat archaic with graphics that look that they were made for the PS1, heh. And yet, as far as JRPGs go, you can't get more typical than this. Storywise, it's riddled with cliches, but one advantage this title has is that the characters have their own charm and the dialogue is peppered with lots of humor.
When I was in college, I remember bonding with a group of people that I had really nothing in common with, yet we all eventually became friends and remain very good friends to this day. That's also what happened to many other people, including Dan Harmon, creator of the half-hour comedy series Community--he based the show's premise on his real-life experiences attending a community college, where he connected with a study group composed of people he had nothing in common with, yet ended up liking all of them.
