Board 8 > zfs's Top 10 Games of the Year List -- 2011 Edition.

(+) Yeah! (+)

where are the writeups

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FF fans don't hang around the internet on a monday morning they are out doing shopping or asleep hungover from parties. They got lives. -The_Djoker

This list has Rayman Origins

This is a good list, despite the inevitable praising of the regurgitated garbage AC:R

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It will launch for $350 with some Wii Sports s***. I bet my life on it. Damn, that KoolAid guy is awesome - NGamer64

I really wish they'd release a Civ V expansion. that game is begging to be fleshed out the same was IV was.

5) Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax (XBLA)
Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: Marvelous
Release Date: June 29, 2011


There used to be a time when my most played genre was good ol' JRPGs. And then this generation happened. It started out strong - Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey are still my two favorite RPGs this gen - but the writing was on the wall when FFXIII took four years to come out. Since then, my preferences for RPGs has gone through a transformation. What I look for now isn't the same thing I looked for a few years ago. I'm less concerned with the stories and characters in JRPGs, and more about interesting worlds and gameplay systems. Some people will say WRPGs deliver on those in spades, but they don't really appeal to me in the same way. Dragon Quest is my go to RPG series today, with Final Fantasy having long fallen off the map.

Enter Half-Minute Hero.

My first experience with HMH was the Japanese demo on the PSP. I never got around to playing the full version, but tran has tried to get me to play it for the past few years. I finally bought the XBLA version recently and totally fell in love with it, as I figured I would. It's everything I could want from a JRPG and then some. The premise is incredible: you have 30 seconds to save the world from destruction. Each quest, most of which can be completed in under a minute, feature a new EVIL LORD threatening the world that must be stopped. HMH is high on charm -- it's totally self-aware and pays tribute to the genre while poking fun at it all the same time. One of the EVIL LORDS wants to destroy the world is a tree that's tired of his branches being chopped off. Another is CATS -- literally Zero Wing CATS. It's amazing.

Streamlining is what HMH does best. Battles take less than a couple of seconds at most, there are no menus to surf, and grinding from level 1 to level 30 might take only a couple of minutes. When you enter a battle, you literally only hold right until you win. That might sound weird, almost as weird as each stage ("Quest") taking 30 seconds, but it works. It's the most fun battle system ever, maybe. Yeah, it sounds like it might be repetitive and not very engaging, but it absolutely works. You even get a few party members along the way, though they're quick to leave and do their own thing after you complete the level -- which number to nearly 60 in the standard Hero 30 mode.

Half-Minute Hero is a game I would recommend to anyone, regardless of their feelings about the genre. It's a love letter to old school RPGs, and it's only $10 on XBLA, which is cheap enough that you can't go wrong, even if you don't get into it. The XBLA version has a new multiplayer mode, leaderboards, and a new art style that I love (some people don't like it, and you can get the pixel look just by going into the options). This could probably stand to be higher on the list, but I feel like I need to let it sit longer before putting it too high. If I'm playing any game on this list into 2012, it would be HMH, though. I've already taken the top time in a bunch of levels from fellow board 8ers! Good game.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

OmarsComin posted...
I really wish they'd release a Civ V expansion. that game is begging to be fleshed out the same was IV was.

Same. Civ V needs a BTS, something that takes it to that next level. I'm surprised we didn't hear anything last E3; I'm hoping that's still in the cards at some point.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

what civ 5 needs is another tt night

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boring and mundane signature congratulating SuperNiceDog
Now with more bold! Less Italics due to bold

It started out strong - Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey

lol

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FF fans don't hang around the internet on a monday morning they are out doing shopping or asleep hungover from parties. They got lives. -The_Djoker

we can't all be star ocean 4 !

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Bastion OST too good

(yes I know I'm late)

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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

as I was posting that I thought "I bet he makes fun of me for so4"

Thanks for not letting me down

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FF fans don't hang around the internet on a monday morning they are out doing shopping or asleep hungover from parties. They got lives. -The_Djoker

once you have put in the air that you enjoy so4 there is no going back

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

hey guys remember when HM picked Star Ocean > Pokemon that time

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"Why must we always choose between certain death and SuperNiceDog?"
"I'm in an epic battle to the death, FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!"

pokemon has always been the enemy.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

4) Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD (360/PS3)
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: November 8, 2011


It might be wrong to include a game from 2010 on a list for 2011, but much like with HMH, I never got a chance to play Peace Walker on the PSP -- mostly due to my PSP breaking, and having no desire to purchase another so late in its life. Peace Walker on consoles is the only way to play the game, anyway, as the newly added dual-analog controls are vital to its playability. It's clear that PW was always meant to be a console game as well. the production values are so far above your typical handheld release that it's crazy. There may not be any real-time cutscenes, with Ashley Wood's hand-drawn animations serving in their place, but it has all the bells and whistles of a full blown MGS title.

What I love most about Peace Walker, aside from it being another game starring Big Boss, is how much Kojima emphasis put on the game content. PW is without a doubt the most gameplay-centric game in the series, loaded with hundreds of missions and all kinds of different mechanics, including recruiting enemy soldiers, building a base (kind of like Suikoden, in a way) and researching new weapons / equipment. You can get lost for hours in game content that has nothing to do with the main narrative, and it's one of the reasons it's near the top of the series for me. Crouch walking and an over-the-shoulder aiming view are huge, too. Neither are new to the series (MGS4 introduced them), but they work so much better here. MGS has come a long way in terms of control in the past few years. Unfortunately, though, because we're dealing a portable game, some older mechanics, like crawling, were lost, but what can you do.

The story and characters are good, too, of course. I feel like Kojima finally found a good place with his writing for main characters in PW. Big Boss in Peace Walker is the best he's ever been, far better than either MGS3 or PO, and his portrayal stands strong as the best representation of a character in the series. He isn't stuck asking questions he already knows the answers to, and seeing his internal struggle with the events of MGS3 and The Boss's death was great. That particular part of the story sticks out as the most memorable, because it adds a nice personal touch. Whenever the focus is squarely on Big Boss, it's gripping. You still have the nuclear threat and politics, but I feel like those were secondary here. This game is about Big Boss from beginning to end.

MGS4 left a sour taste in my mouth that hasn't quite gone away, but Peace Walker was a much desired step forward. It fixed most of my problems with its predecessor, and refocused its efforts into what makes Metal Gear Solid good. I've noticed that when it comes to MGS, those odd numbered games hit all the right notes with me, but the even numbered ones tend to leave me wanting something more. Not sure how I'm going to feel about the next game because well



salute

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

REVENGEANCE

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thelefty for analysis crew 2008 imo -tranny
I have a third degree burn in flame-o-nomics -Sir Chris

man, that writeup makes me almost want to get the HD collection for peace walker, just for that mission variety you described. After playing MGS4 though, I find it hard to believe the mechanics could possibly be very good, I just feel like MGS fans have low standard when it comes to gameplay mechanics, so I can't trust them anymore!

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omg did u red text from last night dats so me LMAO : )
im not a slut i jus liek 2 haev fun LOL : )

MGS's mechanics are unique, and something you have to learn before they start clicking. That's the reason, I think, so many people don't like MGS's gameplay. It's definitely not standardized like other games. It depends on what you didn't like about MGS4's mechanics, though. I think PW is smoother all aroun, but it might have some issues that trip you up.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

MGS series gameplay is top notch. Just got done playing Uncharted 3 - great game, but if that's the new standard for stealth MGS5/6 can't come fast enough.

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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

Haha, yeah, Uncharted stealth has never been *that* great. It's a nice mixup, though. MGS and SC are still where I go for my stealth needs.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

The standard for stealth has been Splinter Cell since the original came out. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the first three MGSs, haven't played the rest, but Splinter Cell does stealth better than MGS

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"Anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers and hittin' the cemetery?" -Royal
"Oh sure, walk to the sun"- Guybrush

hell yeah DW7 reppin'

also i really want to get rayman but for some reason i can't convince myself that it's worth $60 or even the discounted $40 it's going for

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XS2 is the only good Xenosaga game - Lady Ashe

beat Uncharted 1 & 2 at the start of the new year, played only a little of UC3 campaign (caught up in multiplayer), so I can't really talk about that. But at least UC2 vastly improved stealth from UC1.

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http://www.freewebs.com/guessmyusername/CD1_joohee0924.gif

MGS is a different style of stealth than SC, which is more realistic, but both are enjoyable for their own reasons.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Man, there's no way I could Brotherhood #1 in 2010. Too much wrong with it, especially since Revelations is now exposing it's flaws.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

Personally of those 10 in the 2010 group, I like Nier and Yakuza 3 the most.

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I have no idea who you are, but I thank you for arousing me. - Beruga
Brawl FC: 3823-8243-5663

Revelations has flaws of its own, too. Brotherhood was a great time regardless of having some nagging problems.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

ZFS posted...
Revelations has flaws of its own, too. Brotherhood was a great time regardless of having some nagging problems.

But not nearly as great as Revelations or II.

Plus Rome is boring and way too big.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

Whoa, it definitely has more problems than II. Its highs are really high, but Revelations has made me realize how far off course AC's gameplay has ended up. There are a lot of bad ideas shoved into ACR that could have been cut. ACII is still the most ideal balance of gameplay, with the best start to finish story in the series. I can think of ways each AC game could be better, and they each do certain things better than the other.

Anyway, I'm not willing to get too negative about Rome, because I covered every inch of it when I played Brotherhood without getting bored! Still can't claim to have done that in Revelations.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Told ya guys MGS4 was dumb, but I got ragged on by you guys for it.

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Oh SuperNiceDog's doing it again dude.
SuperNiceDog, you ain't no pimp dude

MGS4 is awesome

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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.

There are a lot of bad ideas shoved into ACR that could have been cut.

There was only one bad idea, and that was the Tower Defense. And it was only bad because it didn't fit, not because there was anything really fundamentally wrong with it.

Everything else just added to the gameplay, The hookblade made traversal quicker, which at this point is a huge bonus since we've been parkouring it up for a while now. Bombs added a new approach to eliminating, confusing, and disposing of enemies with a multitude of different ingredients.

See, this is what I absolute love about the AC series (at least with recent entrances): you are absolutely never pigeon-holed into approaching something a certain way. Sure, there's follow missions, and in order to get 100% sync you might have to do "x" or not do "y." But at the end of the day, the game gives you complete free will on how you will approach a situation, and gives you a vast arsenal on how to do it. People argue that it eliminates a lot of challenge to the game, and I'd argue back that AC games were never challenging to begin with (other than the occasional tomb timed crap). I always felt the series was more about the experience than the legitimate challenge, and the challenge being in the bonus stuff (100% sync, etc.).

There's too many games that introduce a new mechanic, then force it upon you with no choice but to use it, whether you like it or not. AC is all about introducing new weapons to your arsenal, and telling you "have fun." To me, that's the sheer brilliance of the series. And Revelations gameplay is the culmination of that.

Also, horses sucked, too. The more I play Revelations, the more I look down on Brotherhood. When I first played it, I'd probably put it in my top 20 games of all time.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

AC2 is easily the best Assassin's Creed game. The rest are fine, but AC2 hit the sweet spot in nearly everything.

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"I can set you free, SuperNiceDog."
"My freedom was forfeit long ago!"

It's very, very close, but I'd give Revelations a slight edge over AC2.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

None of what you said applies to Revelations and not Brotherhood. I ignored most of the new additions to ACR, because they weren't so good in execution. Tower Defense is the only offensively bad one, but Mediterranean defense and recruiting Assassins lost something in the transition between the two. I'm not saying Revelations is a worse game, because I liked the story and characters more, and ideas like the Hookblade are great, but I sincerely hope AC3 focuses less on the sidequests and more on the core game. Those sidequests aren't, and never have been, the real appeal of the series. Revelations is bogged down in sidequests that aren't compelling, which is a real shame.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Oh man, I LOVE Mediterranean defense. I think I've got like 30+ Assassins trained at this point. And the Master Assassin missions were freakin' fantastic.

Also, Brotherhood fell on its face in terms of characters, story, and general setting.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

Setting was fine, Cesare was the best villain in the series, but the story itself and the overall cast was a bit lacking, yeah. The beginning and ending of Brotherhood were great, but the middle wasn't as interesting.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

From: ZFS | #136
Cesare was the best villain in the series

Man, it's sad to read this and realize it's right.

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SuperNiceDog bested me in the Guru, fair and square: http://i.imgur.com/fe05x.png
http://i.imgur.com/stNJf.png

The ending of Brotherhood felt horribly rush, especially when the Apple came into play.

The final scene was pretty good, I'll give you that.

Here's something I wrote earlier about the villains

*spoilers*










Each of the three games presented their villains in different ways:

2 gave you the maestro early on, while having you unravel the mystery along the way to the top. It’s interesting, because Rodrigo ordered the deaths of your family, yet you had to work your way up through the ladder to reach him and uncover the conspiracy.

Brotherhood was straight forward with you: here’s the main villain (look at the trailer), everything you do is working towards killing this man. That might sound like 2, but the key difference is Cesare was all up in your face about it, whereas Rodrigo operated from the shadows, and did more misdirection than direct involvement. Taking down Rodrigo was all about unraveling the conspiracy (plus fist-fighting the pope is awesome), whereas Cesare it was all about throwing him out of power. The fact that you finally killed him doesn’t hold much weight because he had already lost. Cesare had lost the moment he was dragged off by Papal guards, completely losing any satisfaction. Dispatching Lieutenants one by one to get to Rodrigo was far more satisfying.

Revelations is going a completely new direction so far: misdirection. Rather than having a shadowy figure pulling the puppet strings or a direct in-your-face villain, it’s all about introducing “potential villains.” And I personally love this approach. It changes everything about character interactions. Everything they say to each other, can be misconstrued as true sincerity, hiding an alliterative motive, or something else. In a scene early on, Tarik speaks freely about Ahmet’s ability to rule, and gives brutally honest answer to him. Ahmet becomes upset, but it begs the question: does Tarik seek to actively remove Ahmet as next in line, or was he just making a painfully obvious observation? Is he working for the Templars or merely preparing Ahmet for the criticism he will face? In a later sequence, when Tarik is revealed to be supplying a former man in line to the disposed Byzantine throne with weapons, Suleiman I orders the immediate execution of Tarik once Ezio finds and tracks him. Yet, Ezio is reluctant, almost believing that something is amiss. Is Ezio right here, perhaps Tarik is simply planning something against the Byzantines? Maybe Suleiman I knows about this whole thing and is sending Ezio into a trap by Tarik? Maybe it’s simple as Tarik is about to betray Suleiman I to the templars, or possibly Ahmet. And Ahmet and Suleiman I are on uncertain terms as well. Just look at their interactions while playing chess. Even Suleiman I is taking shots at Ahmet’s future reign. I have no idea WHO to trust and I love it. 2 was very straight forward that their villains were villains, and it was all about finding motivations. Now, we’re trying to piece together motivations based on actions with no set-in-stone allegiance, and it now makes every action come under a huge microscope. These stories always intrigue, especially when you look back and reflect on the actions AFTER everything is revealed.













*end spoilers*

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

LeonhartFour posted...
From: ZFS | #136
Cesare was the best villain in the series
Man, it's sad to read this and realize it's right.

I'd say Rodrigo is still my favorite, Brotherhood neutered version be damned.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

Top 3 soon.

Here's a mini-list of my most anticipated games heading into 2012.

1) The Last Guardian (PS3)
2) Tomb Raider (360/PS3)
3) The Last of Us (PS3)
4) Asura's Wrath (360/PS3)
5) Binary Domain (360/PS3)
5) Journey (PS3)
7) Halo 4 (360)
8) Street Fighter x Tekken (360/PS3)
9) Xenoblade (Wii)
10) Ni no Kuni (PS3)

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Rodrigo has always been the ultimate whatever. He does nothing to make me care about him.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

You should put Transformers Fall of Cybertron.

Just because of the trailer.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

nothing transformers would ever go onto a list

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Pokemon vs. Star Ocean vs. Transformers

Who do you choose

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SuperNiceDog is above the LAW:
http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/8/22/2094c2de-bae8-4f5b-9f27-67eaff0aaeaf.jpg

weird list. didn't expect much to be above Last of Us.

ni no kuni you ran out of games huh!

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add the c and back away
iphonesience

ZFS posted...
Rodrigo has always been the ultimate whatever. He does nothing to make me care about him.

Rodrigo is the ultimate bastard. The guy orders the death of your family, yet doesn't bother getting his hands dirty. He eliminates his own men, ascends a ladder of corpses to become the most holy man in the world (heh), and when he finally finds out he is not the prophet he believes himself to be, he decides to fist fight the biggest thorn in his side for the past 20 years. He's also 70 years old when he does this.

Cesare... man, Cesare's got some charisma, but he's too erratic for me to enjoy. There's no plan, there's no grand scheme, and he's too easily disposed of.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

ZFS posted...
nothing transformers would ever go onto a list

You are dead to me.

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TheRock ~ Slow dramatic zoom-pan. Doesn't phase the hooded man.

From: TheRock1525 | #146
yet doesn't bother getting his hands dirty

And this is what makes him boring.

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"I can set you free, SuperNiceDog."
"My freedom was forfeit long ago!"

There were actually a few more I could have thrown on there! Ni no Kuni actually looks like it could be the best RPG next year, unless we get something like that Time Travelers game on the 3DS or HMH2.

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"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it."

Also list needs more REVENGEANCE

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"So cold. I am always by your side."
"There ain't no gettin' off of this SuperNiceDog we on!"