Gamer Craze: Top 11 Video Games of 2011(Part 1)

It's that time of year again. That time where entertainment rules all and one form of entertainment rises above the rest and dominates, video games. I've always been a gamer and have always accepted the fact that they are one of my primary forms of entertainment. I wouldn't say I'm a crazy gamer getting 24 days of playing time on one game in a two month span, but I'm still more of a gamer than most people. The holiday season is home to new stellar game releases that after the announcements of them leave us in a state of awe. The year of 2011 left us with more games that left us in more awe than every before and has really gone without saying on one of the best video game years ever. I always questioned why my favorite games were always released in the fall, but never more than this year where it seems like every game of any value that would illuminate the screen of my television connected to my Playstation 3 would play. Maybe it's the fact that gaming companies are trying to make a quick holiday buck, maybe it's the fact that E3 the biggest technological announcement time is the summer, or maybe it's just many contributing factors, but by the end of the day we all know where avid gamers of the world will be, parked in front of their TV or PC.

2011 has had one of the craziest years thus far in terms of video games, I've never seen so many games that I wanted being offered to us at once and it being 2011 I wish to release my top 11 games this year. It almost seems as every big name game that I've ever truly been addicted to has been released or is still being released in the coming weeks, but all I can say is that it is one of the biggest years in gaming ever. Here are my top 11 games and a little blurb about each:

Honorable Mention: NBA 2k12

Yes, it's a sports game. Generic reproductions year after year, and we all know the reputation of games like this. The 2k sports production team has found a way to make a game that is a boring old reproduction into something that is totally worth while. This year NBA 2k12 has added a mode in which it allows you to step back in time and play as retro ballers. The only downside of this new game is that the NBA is in a lockout and the rookie players aren't in the game, it's the NBA 2k11 version game, but with new modes. I don't own this game, but I've played it and it's enough to say that it's a good game, and one of the best ever 2k sports games with maybe the exception of last years game.

Honorable Mention: Madden 12

Another sports game? Yes, you might think I'm crazy right now but two sports games is all I'm going for right now. As a sports fan and a gamer, the Madden series is one that never tends to fall short of my favorites list. This year they completely revamped the physics of the game, and it is in my opinion the best Madden (since 05') in terms of game play yet. Madden 12 added a lot of new features to make it more enjoyable, even though it is a generic reproduction of a game previously released, it is still the best sports game this year and is definitely worth a buy (if you buy Madden 12, don't buy another Madden for the next 4-5 years, you'd only be wasting your money).

11. Saint's Row: The Third

What was originally thought of as the parody of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, Saint's Row III has made more developments from the critically acclaimed sequel of 2008. Regardless the game is one of the largest games in terms of inappropriateness, it is a great game and once you get a little carried away can withstand in hours of endless fun.


10. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Who doesn't love Zelda? After waiting almost four years since the Twilight Princess, the newest and sixteenth installment of the Legend of Zelda is as fun as any of the others. This game was only released on the Wii, but features a lot of great additions compared to the 2007 installment of the Twilight Princess. As the Wii slowly declines, Skyward Sword is an exceptional game on a declining system.

 9. Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

I've always been a big fan of super heroes, no matter what it'd be. Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 gives you that experience in an epic street fighter way. It's not every day you get these villains fighting against each other.  I've played Marvel Vs Capcom 3, which was released earlier this year and it is truly an entertaining game. The ultimate edition which was released on November 15, 2011 plans on having more entertainment than every before with new heroes in the game and new features. The best part about this game is that it's debut price is only $39.99, which is $20 less than most debuts. Thank you Capcom games.

8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

What is considered the most anticipated video game of all-time, really tops the leaderboards of one of the years top games. Modern Warefare 3 is the third installment in the Modern Warfare series, but has a general feel of the second installment. It is a step up from Modern Warfare 2, but doesn't exceed much more than that to push its way up the charts.

7. Battlefield 3

How unoriginal of me to put Battlefield 3 right after Call of Duty: MW3. Battlefield was the game to get everybody going in the right direction this year. It did outplay Modern Warfare 3 in several aspects, but not enough to completely dominate over it or even put it off the list. Both are great games, and both are very playable games (for hours at a time) but Battlefield 3 has the slight edge in the first person shooter column this year.

6. Portal 2

The follow-up to Portal was definitely one of the very best games of this year. The stunning graphics, the captivating puzzle-like game-play, and everything that made the original Portal great was put into P2. P2 also did something no game has done before in that it allowed the platform gamers to download the PC version through Steam for free, which is exactly how I know this game is good enough to be on this list (thank you to my friend who gave me their Steam account for this very reason).


 You have the top 11-6 with two reasonable mentions. These are just some of the top games in my opinion of 2011. Stay tuned for the top 5 games of 2011. What will take #1? Will it be the much anticipated The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim? or perhaps Arkham City, or will it be one of the best third installments of game ever in Uncharted III, stay tuned to find out! Thank you for tuning in.