The biggest games of 2011 summed up in 3 sentences or less !

Dead Space 2- Dead Space 2 brings back all of the perfectly fine tuned survival horror/rpg/shooter elements that the original damn near perfected 3 years ago. Regretfully however, the developers seem to have discarded all of the elements that made the story in the original game so intriguing, as the narrative woven throughout dead space 2 is completely forgettable. The driving emotional pull and mystery of the original narrative is missed for sure, but dead space 2 reminds us that the dead space games are the best survival horror games on the market.  - PLAT plus 0 STARS

Dragon Age 2- Taking many cues from mass effect 2, bioware has streamlined the Dragon Age experience in an attempt to make the series more accessible, and to be fair they mostly succeed. Many of the issues from the first game have been amended ( most noticeably the visuals) but unfortunately new problems have arisen where we least expected them to( the narrative ). The B level characters and storyline are incredibly disappointing, especially when compared to the epic storyline of the original. GOLD plus 1 star

 Bulletstorm- Best described as a linear Borderlands nugget (minus the cel shaded seasoning) dipped in gears of war sauce, and injected with  testosterone. Sound tasty? Well for the most part it actually is,as long as you can stomach the over the top macho bravado that permeates every inch of this fast paced shooter and just accept it as the big silly "dick joke"  that it is. Gold plus 2 stars

Pokemon Black and White- If you have ever played a pokemon game in your life then you know EXACTLY what to expect from pokemon black and white. The big draw here of course is all of the brand new pokemon. In fact you wont run into a single pokemon from past iterations of the classic franchise until you beat the main storyline(a feat that hasn't occured since the original gameboy pokemon games).  Pokemon black and white is a nice swan song for the DS, and will probably be remembered as one of the last great DS games before the dawning of the 3DS era. PLAT plus 0 stars

Portal 2 - The most critically acclaimed game of the year so far(an also probably the most overrated), Portal 2 proves that once again valve can do no wrong. Even though portal seems to stand atop its gaming pulpit and sneer at all of the lowly "lesser intelligent " games below, its hard not to appreciate the clever design woven throughout this game. The voice acting, the dialogue ,and the writing are all fantastic and those elements help rise portal 2 from the land of mediocrity. Gold plus 2 stars

 OUTLAND-  The best xbox live arcade game released in 2011, Outland is a visually striking platformer that stylistically resembles both the glowing color design contrasts of TRON and the vibrant lush atmosphere of Avatar. Visuals aside this games plays like a dream and progresses like a classic metroid game. The boss fights are out of this world, and the value here is just amazing. PLAT plus 0 stars

 LA NOIRE - Even if the vibe of the early 1940s makes you want to vomit, la noire is an impressive technical achievement. Featuring stunning facial capture technology, coupled with some of the finest voice acting in all of gaming. The actual gameplay however is deceptively linear , surprising concerning much of the games original promise of "open world case solving" and consequential decision making. Gold plus 2 stars

 Mortal Kombat- The shock value of the original games strong violent content may never be replicated, but thats ok when the game plays this good. I wasnt expecting much, but i must admit mortal kombat truly is one of the better fighting games released in recent years. Also its worth noting that mortal kombat features the most impressive backgrounds ive ever seen in a fighter! Gold plus 4 stars

Infamous 2 - I didnt think cole could become any less interesting of a protagonist, boy was i wrong. All the infamous gameplay you know and love is still here, but dont expect for the narrative to drive you in any way, shape, or form. Infamous 2 is still a "high quality" product , but it also tends to feel a bit like a lost soul trying to find its way.

Child of Eden- Marred by terrible progression system, child of eden is still worth experiencing simply for the unique nature of the experience it will provide you with. Best described as a rhythm/shooter , the music should be the cornerstone of child of eden, but unfortunately the soundtrack is simply "good" at best.  I often wonder how much a better soundtrack could have enhanced the entire child of eden experience, flaws and all. Gold plus 0 stars

I hope you enjoyed my take on the biggest games released this year. Its been a fun year so far, but the best games of 2011 are yet to come ! Have a great one !

morgan