We take a look at some of the most kickass games 2011 offered us so far.
September onward, gamers will be buried under an avalanche of high profile titles all the way to 2012. But before you prepare yourself (and your wallet) for this barrage, we suggest you finish off your backlog as 2011 had quite a few titles worth checking out. Today we list out ten of the best. Crysis 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 8.5/10  Saving New York Crysis 2 may not have been the game to bring your uber powerful PC to its knees, but it sure was pretty. In fact, Crytek made the game highly scalable so even year-old PCs could enjoy Crytek’s version of post-apocalyptic New York in all its visual glory. The action, like its predecessor, was fast and satisfying, offering players a healthy blend of stealth and all out action. Sure, the painfully dumb AI did hamper gameplay a bit, but at the end of it all, lofty production values and solid gameplay across both single and multiplayer prevailed, making Crysis 2 a must-buy this year. Dead Space 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 10/10  No one can hear you scream in space Taking a gamble with new IPs in this day and age is a risky proposition, one that paid off real well for developer Visceral Games. Dead Space was a game that combined action and horror to near perfection, offering players a chilling ride, playing as an engineer forced to face his fears aboard a derelict ship. With the sequel, Visceral expanded upon what we loved about the first game, introducing some truly impressive set pieces along with a multiplayer mode reminiscent to the one from Left 4 Dead 2. Dirt 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 9/10  Getting DiRTy The Dirt series was Codemasters’ attempt to move from pure rally (the Colin McRae Rally series) to all-round off-road racing, which they did well in Dirt 2. But the fans still wanted rally, so in Dirt 3, it made a return and comprised 60% of the game, alongside the other event types from previous games. The responsive car handling, the well-designed tracks, the slick menus and the stunning EGO engine-powered visuals – all hallmarks of Codies games – were in evidence as well. The game also add split-screen racing and several fun online modes, making this one of the best off-road racing games ever. Fight Night Champion (Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 8/10  Lights out The Fight Night series was struggling, and EA had to take drastic measures to keep it alive. Fight Night Champion gave the boxing franchise a new direction, and it couldn’t have done a better job of it. While the roster of pro boxers from earlier games remained, the main focus of the game was its new cinematic story mode that included slick cutscenes, great characters, an engaging story, and some very intense gameplay scenarios that constantly kept you on your toes. Throw in a little bit of bare-knuckled, no-hold-barred brawling, and this game had everything a fighting game fan could want. Infamous 2 (PS3) Tech2 Review: 9.5/10  The Last Guardian It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly makes Infamous 2 a great game, because many of its core elements are carried forward from the first game. There aren’t too many sweeping changes this time around, but it’s the little things that Sucker Punch has done that together combine to make this one of the most fun games of the year and one of the best open-world games in a long time. The new city of New Marais has a ton of character, the missions (and side missions) are well designed, and the morality system, however superficial, works brilliantly. Infamous 2 doesn’t exactly break new ground for the franchise, but when it’s this much fun, who cares! |
Killzone 3 (PS3) Tech2 Review: 8/10  Go to Hell-ghan Killzone is one of the most popular first-party PS3 franchises; right up there with the likes of the God of War and Uncharted. After the success of Killzone 2, expectations for the next game were sky high, and Guerrilla Games didn’t disappoint. The explosive single-player campaign was packed with cinematic set pieces, massive bosses, large, varied environments, and lots and lots of intense FPS action. Of course, multiplayer is a massive draw in Killzone games too, and the developers rebuilt the multiplayer from the ground up, addressing the issues from Killzone 2 and adding more features and brand new maps, while keeping the signature Killzone experience intact. L.A. Noire (Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 8.5/10  It's a hard knock life In what can be described as a radical departure for Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire was a story-driven whodunit, where players spent their time solving cases as opposed to embarking upon killing sprees across urban America. The star of the show, without a doubt, was the game’s wicked facial animation system that tied into gameplay, allowing players to catch lying suspects based on their facial reactions during interrogations. The game was initially released on consoles, but PC gamers will also be able to have a go at it when Rockstar brings L.A. Noire to PCs later this year. LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3) Tech2 Review: 10/10  Awwwwwwww What started out as a cutsey little platfromer, became a whole different beast with LittleBigPlanet 2. While the first game gave players powerful tools to create and share their own levels, this time around, you can create whole new games of any genre within LBP2 itself, complete with cinematics, characters and narratives. These creation tools were also put to brilliant use by the developers themselves for Sackboy’s new story mode adventure, which as before, can be played solo or by up to four players in co-op. LBP2 is great for all ages, but don’t let the cute art style fool you; it’s a game that’ll challenge even the most seasoned gamers. Portal 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) Tech2 Review: 9.5/10  Two to portal Portal 2 was a tiny little game bundled with The Orange Box that garnered cult status thanks to its sharp writing, sarcastic humor and innovative gameplay. For the sequel, Valve turned it up to 11, with a fully fleshed out single player campaign as well as a separate and equally awesome co-operative campaign, in addition to some of the best voice acting we’ve come across all year. Portal 2 was also used to launch Valve’s online service, Steam, on the PS3, allowing cross-play between Portal 2 owners on PS3 and PC. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) Tech2 Review: 8.5/10  Don't mess with Geralt You probably wouldn’t expect a stellar RPG from a relatively unknown Polish developer, but you’d be wrong. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings greatly improved upon all aspects of gameplay laid down by its predecessor. You had gorgeous visuals, improved combat, and a riveting story that sucked you in till the very end. Be warned though; the game is not very noob-friendly and can appear pretty intimidating (even on normal difficulty) with its erratic difficulty and steep learning curve. But if you’re the patient type, there’s a vibrant, dangerous and exciting world ripe for exploration. |
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