Game Of The Year 2011 Front-Runner Is Portal 2
It seems unlikely that any current front-runner for Game of the Year will endure; the fall lineup is almost guaranteed to produce the ultimate winner. But then again, who knows? We've seen some pretty amazing titles already...
For the record, we really love a lot of them. I just adored L.A. Noire and I believe it might be the most innovative production of the year. Killzone 3 was a definite triumph, even if it lacked a bit of that KZ2 "wow" factor. And a recent PSXE poll showed the reader GotY favorite for the first 6 months: inFamous 2. Another game that rocked. Lastly, let's not forget the sports world, where MLB 11: The Show absolutely reigns supreme in the realm of simulators.
But our pick for the current GotY 2011 front-runner is the ingenious, addictive, and hilarious Portal 2. It's not quite as flashy as other games. There aren't any huge explosions or blood. It's not an endless graphical tour de force. And for the record, I am not a gigantic Valve fan, and I can't imagine why everyone is so enamored with that downright archaic Source engine that feels like a 1998 throwback. But it's plenty forgivable in Portal 2 because it isn't a shooter, and the mechanics work perfectly. The control is exactly as it should be and besides, the amazing puzzle design and fantastic voice performances carry the day.
As I said in the review, perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game is the following: puzzle titles can be iffy; the pacing is so important, and it can be difficult to get just right. But just about every last puzzle in Portal 2 is presented so unbelievably well that you discover the solution bit by bit. You take your time, attack the problem from a variety of viewpoints and eventually, you will reach your goal. Some will stump you, but most take just the right amount of time to solve. You're never overly frustrated and the satisfaction upon successful completion remains high throughout. The aforementioned voices are a huge bonus, too; gotta love those characters!
Anyway, it may be a strange choice but that's how we see things so far. Of course, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim still have to toss their hats into the ring...among others. ;)
Related Game(s): Portal 2
Tags: portal 2, valve, games industry, game of the year
8/10/2011 9:06:31 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (84 posts)
Claire C
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:05:07 AM
ace_boon_coon
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:40:18 AM
mastiffchild
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 11:41:06 AM
I thought the first game was cute but short and it got away with that by not being a full retail release and with the second they tried to ad value with co-op but even so the campaign's very short, the puzzles basic and too simple and once you've seen it you know the entire game so replay is totally pointless. to me it should only ever be up for rental of the year as , in no way, can I see a point in buying such a short, easily sped through game. No value imho.
I've enjoyed a lot of games a lot more than Portal2 this year but, it seems, there are some games people are just crazy about for reasons simply beyond my tiny mind. When I shell out for games I like to know i'm goinng to be picking them off the shelf again and again and I found more replay in games as seemingly short as Vanquish with leaderboards and so on than I do with Portal2-I just think it's fashionable to love the games and as a result nobody seems to be honest about their lack of replay value.
Underdog15
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:04:49 PM
I totally agree on the point you made about the subjectivity of GOTY.
What I do appreciate, however, are the sites that add a heavy dose of objectivity and support their stance well about their choices while contrasting them to other possible choices to further back their decisions up.
If you navigate back in time to when PSXE chose last years GOTY winners, I think you'll find they at least did well to establish objective points to support their decisions. The sites out there that can at least do that without overlooking obvious aspects of other games, deserve to be noticed when selecting their GOTY.
josephps3
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 10:00:24 PM
Reply
Lawless SXE
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:52:23 AM
Excelsior1
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:54:20 AM
i would rate crysis 2 over kz3 just becuase of level design alone. kz3 is too much sprinting down a narrow path until your next encounter that happems on tiny little maps. crysis 2 has more open and way more expansive levels. it makes kz3 feel like it's on rails in comparison.
my ps3 goty so far is mass effect 2. i know it's already won many goty awards on the 360 but it's certainly the most memorable game i've played this year. great story telling and characters. great value too. i spent many hrs doing lots of neat things off the main mission. very good game, and i think bioware did a good job with the port. i think it looks just as good if not better than the the 360 version. that never happens with unreal 3 based games so bioware deserves a lot of credit. me2 does deserve a nod for the worst way of handling the add on missions. ea essentially had an online pass for that. if you don't have that one time code and an ea account you are missing out on a ton of content that is advertised on the back of the box. the code serves as a key to unlock content already on the disc. boo.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 8/11/2011 1:57:22 AM
Beamboom
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 5:19:51 AM
Crysis 2 is the best shooter I've played on the ps3 so far. The campaign was one insane ride, and multiplayer in that game is excellent too! Very cool mp maps, and extremely well balanced features. Every detail is well thought out. Simple to grasp, hard to master. That's how I like it to be.
Last edited by Beamboom on 8/11/2011 5:29:22 AM
frostface
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 6:48:50 AM
Excelsior1
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 8:47:43 AM
Underdog15
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 8:57:20 AM
frostface
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:46:24 AM
Beamboom
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 11:13:12 AM
Underdog15
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:08:52 PM
One thing I do like about this site, however, is that multi-plats will be looked at. I believe last year they even selected a best non-PS3 game winner, which I certainly appreciated. I wouldn't be surprised to see a PS3 exclusive as the winner. Typically, the best any given system has to offer is one of their exclusives, anyways. And on top of that, I think PS3 exclusives are the best of the exclusives.
However, I fully expect to see games like AC:R given the nod for a nomination, as well. So I don't think it's just PS3 exclusives that will be looked at.
FM23
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:46:33 PM
sirbob6
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:52:22 PM
Beamboom
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 2:01:58 PM
@Underdog: I am actually not too convinced about the exclusives being that much better, really, but I know I am in the minority with that opinion (surprise surprise). So, yeah, since I am in the said minority I just expect the exclusives to get that "exclusive bonus" when the GOTY's are nominated. And, since it's not that many others to choose from, I assume kz3 are more or less guaranteed a nomination.
In my humble opinion the exclusives are a tad overrated. But that's just my opinion on that matter. :)
@sirbob: From what little I've played kz3 mp I it seemed to be decent. I can see why many enjoy it. But I don't think it is "award winning great", to put it that way. If I had to pick a mp game for 2011 today, it would have been Crysis 2. That game has both an awsome sp *and* mp, and that's pretty darn rare.
Last edited by Beamboom on 8/11/2011 2:27:14 PM
Excelsior1
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 2:13:50 PM
i want to be clear...i did enjoy the mp very much. we are talking about goty titles though so the sp campign has to be considered. i've heard people complain about the story. i say big deal about that. cod stories aren't exactly great either and it gets goty nominations all the time.
what i will call kz3 out on is level design and pacing. sprint down narrow path until next set of glowing eyes. it is on rails so to speak. i hate when i feel that in games. if that was done fror the move's sake that's just wrong.
sirbob6
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 6:39:08 PM
Yeah I did get the whole onrails feeling from this game. I was hoping that the jetpacks would help that out some but it failed. Only part that wasn't like that was when you are in the Exos, they gave enough room to properly flank the enemy from a lot of directions.
I really hope that the move had nothing to do with it because that means it could also do the same to Resistance.
AshT
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 2:23:46 AM
ace_boon_coon
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:42:29 AM
Spanky
Monday, August 15, 2011 @ 2:51:49 PM
Spanky
Monday, August 15, 2011 @ 2:51:50 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 10:06:41 PM
Reply
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 11:57:21 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 2:59:08 AM
CrusaderForever
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 10:35:30 PM
Reply
Bugzbunny109
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 11:12:21 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 11:51:15 PM
556pineapple
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:21:12 AM
LimitedVertigo
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:25:43 AM
Too much action and I didn't enjoy the storyline this time around. Also the random visions weren't my cup of tea. I still love the 1st one, actually played it a ton when I had my 360.
I agree pineapple about SH. I can't wait for the HD collection and still remember fondly my time waiting in front of BestBuy before it opened to get SH2.
WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 2:51:57 AM
And I liked Insidious, it used old school stuff from the excorcist days in more effective ways than it has been used in decades. Nothin' scares me, but that movie managed a few chills which is damn rare for me. Then again, a lot depends on you and the atmosphere plus frame of mind you are in at the time you watch such things.
Similar to games, I don't think I would have agreed that Resident Evil 4 was at all freaky or even Dead Space 1 had I played them during the daylight while people were up and about and kids played outside.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/11/2011 2:56:28 AM
Ultimadream
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 3:30:06 AM
As for the actual game... I have not been drawn in yet, the enviroment just screams out Alan Awake... and the enemies from what I have seen just look like victims which crawled out from a sewer. I will keep my eye on it, I'm just not getting my hopes up.
556pineapple
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 10:55:54 AM
As for Silent Hill, I also have my doubts, but I was reading about some of the mechanics in the game and they sound really interesting. For one, (if I recall correctly) you will be transported to the "Otherside" only when it rains. The rain is based on a random weather system so that adds a certain level of unpredictability to the game. I'm sorely disappointed Akira Yamaoka won't be scoring the game this time, but from what I've heard so far, Daniel Licht's score will add a tense creepiness to the game.
It sounds like they're really trying to bring the series to new places, which is something the American-developed games didn't do. I don't think it will be better than the Team Silent originals. I just hope it will breathe new life into a stale series, one that I care about.
Last edited by 556pineapple on 8/11/2011 11:06:10 AM
Bugzbunny109
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 11:11:09 PM
Reply
LimitedVertigo
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:04:38 AM
Reply
Geobaldi
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 5:20:33 AM
556pineapple
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:06:37 AM
Reply
But come on, if Uncharted 3 doesn't win game of the year, I'll be really surprised.
BTW, Source is loved mostly by the PC community because it's nearly open source. It's easy to mod it and create custom games to distribute via Steam. Pirates Vikings and Knights is a fun source mod. It also (usually) doesn't lose backwards compatibility when they update it, so older games will (usually) not have to be upgraded when the engine is.
Last edited by 556pineapple on 8/11/2011 12:14:31 AM
LimitedVertigo
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:09:27 AM
Beamboom
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 6:21:03 AM
bigrailer19
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 12:20:26 AM
Reply
Lawless SXE
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 1:58:40 AM
Reply
Ultimadream
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 3:26:38 AM
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Though I can't say anything against it, this year has had nothing really so far which I have really wanted, its all starts this month with Deux ex. I'm hoping the UK release date of Catherine is in October as I am very excited for that. I'm sure Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3 weill deliver too :)
___________
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 5:02:59 AM
Reply
played through portal 2 again this week, just the voice acting and the characters really are perfect!
wheatly and GLaDOS have to be the best characters ever put into a game!
even the guy in charge of the facility is pretty funny.
they all feel like they fit there place perfectly, not just thrown in there for the sake of the story, AKA uncharted.
best exclusive game id have to give to the witcher 2.
been so long since i had a traditional adventure game, so it was really nice getting back!
plus it was nice to see a PC exclusive actually take advantage of the platform, i mean the world is BREATHTAKING!
turn ubersampling on, and just gasp at the vistas.
though be sure to bring a bucket, saliva is not exactly the best thing for hardware........
most disappointing game so far has to go to infamous 2.
i was as giddy as a school girl when i got to meet the devs, and play it.
sadly that wore off about after 10 minutes of playing the final thing.
i have not had a game disappoint me this much since freaking GTAIV released!
god, i never thought id be saying that again.......
biggest we waited this long for this has to go to LA Noire.
fantastic game, but 1 it could be so much better, 2 should be so much better, and 3 just all the debacle surrounding the teams really disappointing.
i was really hoping this would take off, and encourage publishers to invest in developers here.
well there goes that idea!
Last edited by ___________ on 8/11/2011 5:06:39 AM
ace_boon_coon
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:51:27 AM
___________
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:55:57 AM
Beamboom
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 11:09:57 AM
Geobaldi
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 4:35:23 PM
The Witcher series leans more to the adventure side then the RPG side, but the RPG stuff is in there. Just not as deep as a traditional RPG. It doesn't detract from the game though, as that series is just amazing all the way through. It helps if you read the books in advance a little though so you're not completely lost.
___________
Friday, August 12, 2011 @ 10:16:17 AM
gets really hard quite early and you have to mix up potions and keep them with you to consume before battle.
have to give it a shot, just make sure you have enough time its a seriously long game, and you need a pretty beefy PC to run it.
unfortunately its not very well optimized and theres allot of bugs.
they released a new patch today but i have not downloaded it yet so im not sure if that has fixed everything.
gray_eagle
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 5:47:20 AM
Reply
Zorigo
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 11:19:47 AM
slugga_status
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 7:52:34 AM
Reply
Last edited by slugga_status on 8/11/2011 7:52:56 AM
Zorigo
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 11:17:08 AM
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and what with the inevitable quality of Uncharted 3, that will be the true game of the year.
Cabalavatar1
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 3:09:09 PM
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My vote goes to L.A. Noire thus far. But my wager falls on Uncharted 3, Batman: AC, or Deus Ex: HR (if these live up to their predecessors, that is) as the year ends.
Ars ragnarok
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 5:19:42 PM
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Ars ragnarok
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 8:44:33 PM
Reply
AbsoluteZer0
Thursday, August 11, 2011 @ 9:09:46 PM
Reply
If you disagree, I'm gonna burn your house down, with the lemons!!!
Dancemachine55
Friday, August 12, 2011 @ 3:11:03 AM
Reply
Geobaldi
Saturday, August 13, 2011 @ 12:20:04 AM

Portal 2









tayizfire
Reply
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 @ 9:53:43 PM