Your Top 50 Games: 2011 Discussion Thread

[Runa216]

Now we're getting to games I truly love!  Not to say I haven't been a fan of the previous games, but now we're getting to golden territory. Just wait till we get to the top 10!  pages of glowing praise abounds! 

 

38 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN) 

I still can't understand why there was so much controversy over the cellshaded graphics here.  the game's aesthetics were far and away better than basically anything else on the Gamecube (and would still be at home on the Wii), and it leant The Wind Waker a charm all its own.  Personally, I absolutely loved basically everything about this game, including the story, controls, gameplay, content, level design, and even the large amounts of sailing you had to do!  Nothing quite like kicking back and enjoying a moment as you go from one place to another, listening to the gorgeous score as a group of seagulls follow you.  Pure atmospheric goodness.  Aside from one part of the game I didn't care for (finding the Triforce Shards), I can't think of any one thing I  personally didn't enjoy.  This is my #3 zelda title.  

37 - Pokemon Black/White (DS)

If nothing else, the sheer amount of time I spent on Pokemon Black/White when I should have been playing other games (for review or just for fun) should be a testament to how much I love this series.  Furthermore, Black/White were, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the series thus far.  with something like 600 pokemon to collect, a massive world with TWO singleplayer campaigns, and all the trading and battling to be had...well, I can't imagine a much better time sink.  Hell, I probably spent more time just staring at Base-Stat charts on Bulbapedia than I do with most modern games, and that alone shows that Pokemon should earn the liftime achievement award of "Easiest to learn, toughest to master", because anyone can play it but there's just so damn much to it that even the most hardcore players will never master it.  I truly mean that, too.  Simple but deep. 

36 - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3/360)

yeah, I know that 'yearly iterations' are ruining the industry (my review of Assassin's Creed: Revelations helps to further this point), but as long as the content and quality are there, I have no problem paying for annual sequels.  Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is one such sequel.  A whole new town, new characters, new gameplay mechanics, a great story, and some of the best art design I've ever seen in a video game; this all makes for a truly great game in its own right, and yet it continued the story of the beloved Ezio in such a way that it's almost infectious. I do still think some of the climbing mechanics could use some work, but the full/partial synch mechanic really gave the game some replay value, and the property management subquest was a perfect way to keep yourself busy in between missions.  also: Assassin's Creed multiplayer.  Nuff said.