Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, being sad about the Dallas Mavericks’ crappy start, being happy about the Los Angeles Lakers’ crappy start, or if Chris Jericho is the mystery man that will appear on the first WWE Raw of 2012, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Let’s do the game-of-the-year thing in reverse order. Usually, most outlets build up to it by going over different categories and capping things off with the game of the year. Today I want to hear about your favorite and second-favorite game of 2011. Later on we’ll discuss best graphics, best sound, etc. Kindly leave a comment with your choices and explanations.
As for me, there’s a ton I didn’t play yet so I can only talk about what I enjoyed, not necessarily the best game of 2011. I definitely need to put more time into Skyrim and pick up Arkham City (PR flaks never sent me a copy). Of the games I did spend significant time with, Dragon Age II was my second-favorite. I loved the storytelling and gameplay; unlike some players, the changes in game mechanics didn’t bother me at all. And as most of you know, I’m a total BioWare homer.
The top spot has to go to Portal 2. I was pretty much floored by the game on every level. The gameplay is inventive, the storytelling is humorous and witty, the graphics are great, and the sound design is the best I’ve experienced all year. Valve completely rocked this one and Eric Wolpaw is my videogame-writing hero.
Now it’s your turn! Please leave a comment with your 2011 game of the year and the runner-up.