2011 Had Games, and I Played Some
I hate that point in time when, as we’ve reached the end of a year, we’re asked to look back and give an overview of our favorite (and possibly least-favorite) moments. Don’t get me wrong—I always love giving my opinions on anything and everything, assured that people out there are desperately waiting to hear such things!
The problem is that I take these kinds of things far too seriously. Most normal people, I’m sure, throw together a rundown based on what comes to their head, or maybe they go back over a short list of titles they’ve written down over the months, and they see it as just another piece of work to be done. Not me. I obsess. I stress. I panic. What if I forget that one game that came out in, er—spring, I think it was! What if I don’t realize until the issue’s gone to print that I totally didn’t mention that other game that I absolutely loved! This isn’t just a simple end-of-the-year write-up—it’s a cataloged piece of history that will forever exist as what I unequivocally stated were the finest moments for me in the year of video gaming 2011!
That’s why I’m thankful Dark Souls released when it did. It’s fresh in my mind; it’s still clear in my head. It isn’t just the best game I’ve played recently—it’s also the best game I’ve played this year. How convenient that is! Other years, I might sit here and ask myself if it isn’t just a case of liking best what I remember best. This year, I have no doubt that isn’t the case. Dark Souls satisfies me on a level so few other games can, a fact I became more and more distressed by as the minutes flew by lost in its world. How am I supposed to go on to other games after this?
While I’m still trying to get over the euphoric high that the game’s placed me in, there’s one thing I do know for certain—Dark Souls is fantastic, and I’m so thankful we still have games like it. Without question, it’s one of my top three games of this generation, and a new addition to my list of all-time favorites.
This was more than just the year of Dark Souls for me, of course. It was also the year that one of my favorite gaming platforms was also easily the most overlooked. The popularity—or, should I say, lack thereof—of the PSP in North America is downright criminal. As somebody who still has love and passion for Japanese-developed gaming, there were so many good experiences on the PSP that went under-appreciated by anybody other than the hardcore this year. Of course, there was my personal pick for PSP release of the year—Persona 2: Innocent Sin—but there was also The 3rd Birthday, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, ClaDun X2, Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy, God Eater Burst, Ys I & II Chronicles, Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!, and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. So, so much quality gaming on the system. I just hope that once Sony’s next handheld comes out and players are looking for fun things to download while waiting for more proper Vita releases, at least some of those titles will get the attention that they deserved.
Another segment of gaming also brought me a lot of joy in 2011—one that also typically goes without proper mention or recognition. While Microsoft’s Xbox Indies project may flood the 360 with an ever-growing list of games that make your average throwaway iOS game look like the next great masterpiece, hidden among its farting Xbox Avatars and “massage games” are some wonderful hidden treasures that most gamers will, sadly, never find. This year, the one Xbox Indies release I couldn’t stop recommending was LaserCat—and that’s because it’s an homage to the super- old-school days of platformers that was crafted with fantastic control and gameplay. For me, LaserCat’s quite similar to Dark Souls in the way that it takes me back to those core gameplay elements that matter far more than million-dollar budgets or hardware- pushing graphics. Then there were Mimi in the Sky, Nyan-Tech, Wizorb, and The Tempura of the Dead—just some of the other Xbox Indies games that captured my attention and received my money in the course of the year.
More so than any definitive list that I could present, the thing I most want to say about 2011 was that there were a lot of great games that I enjoyed. I know that sounds like such a simple statement to make—but sometimes, in the craziness of what we do, and in the flood of games we’re exposed to month after month, that can also be something very easy to forget.
2011 had games. I played some. And, thankfully, in doing so, I found many that I loved.