The 2011 Game of the Year is Dark Souls.
The runner up is a tie between Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
The master thread for all of these contests can be found here.

Ok, it's time to do a runoff vote.  Four games made the cut to the runoff round and they are joined by 2 more games.  First the four that made the cut:

Dark Souls (PS3/XBox 360)
While Demon’s Souls created a huge buzz, FromSoftware games really started to take off with Dark Souls.  Also, XBox 360 fans could experience these games as well.  Dark Souls initially scored an 89 on Metacritic, and it has sold over 16 million copies.  More importantly, it has inspired countless other games since its initial release in 2011 and has coined the phrase, “the Dark Souls of _______”.

Portal 2 (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Mac)
Everyone’s favorite cake-serving AI returns in Portal 2.  Portal 2 scored an impressive 95 on Metacritic and has sold over 8 million copies.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
The Elder Scrolls series takes things to the next level with Skyrim.  This hugely popular game scored a 92-96 on Metacritic and has sold over 60 million copies worldwide.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Depending on where you live, you might consider either this game or Xenoblade Chronicles to be the swansong for the Wii.  This game, which features motion plus controls, scored a 93 on Metacritic and has sold over 7.8 million copies across all platforms.

Here are the 2 additional games from "Other" votes:

Gears of War 3 (XBox 360)
This third installment in the Gears of War series scored a 91 on Metacritic and sold over 3 million copies.

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
The 3DS had a weak launch in the early part of 2011, but by the holiday season it was getting solid games like this one.  In fact Mario Kart 7 went on to become the best selling game on the 3DS with over 18.9 million copies sold.

Runoff voting for 2011 Game of the Year will end on Friday, Dec 1 at 11:59 PM, EST.

Games that didn't make the cut:

Minecraft (PC/Mac/Linux/Mobile)
Batman: Arkham City (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
L.A. Noire (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

Here are some other notable games for 2011:

Terraria (PC)
The Binding of Isaac (PC/Mac/Linux)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC)
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PSP)
Kirby: Mass Attack (DS)
Bastion (XBox 360/PC)
Forza Motorsport 4 (XBox 360)
Gears of War 3 (XBox 360)
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Battlefield 3 (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Wii)
Crysis 2 (PS3/XBox 360/PC)
Dragon Age II (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Mac)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3/XBox 360)
Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PS3/XBox 360)
Rayman Origins (PS3/XBox 360/Wii)
Rocksmith (PS3/XBox 360)
Shift 2: Unleashed (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Mobile)
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure (PS3/XBox 360/Wii/3DS/PC/Mac)
Trine 2 (PS3/XBox 360/PC/Mac)
Disgaea 4 (PS3)
Infamous 2 (PS3)
Killzone 3 (PS3)
LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
Pixeljunk Shooter 2 (PS3)
Resistance 3 (PS3)
Just Dance 3 (Wii)
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland (Wii)
The Last Story (Wii)
Pandora’s Tower (Wii)
Nintendogs + Cats (3DS)
Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Xenoblade Chronicles was my 2011 GOTY as a PAL gamer, but that originally came out in 2010 in Japan.

For me, each of the big three had one really excellent game in 2011; Skyward Sword for Nintendo, Uncharted 3 for Sony, and Gears of War 3 for Xbox. Which one was best tends to fluctuate; of the three I'd say Gears has best stood the test of time so I'll go with that.

Easiest choice in a while. Dark Souls is the best game of the whole generation, and one of the best games ever in general. Doesn't mean there weren't numerous great games released in 2011, like Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Arkham City, Human Revolution, Ni No Kuni, Trine 2, and InFamous 2, but Dark Souls stand far and above the rest.

I voted Other for Gears of War 3. Batman: Arkham City and Skyrim were very close behind, but Gears 3 was on another level!

Epic lived up to their name with this title lol. Everything was turned up to 11 and was such a fitting conclusion to an epic trilogy.

RIP Dominic Santiago

Dark Souls.
It's not as good as Demon's Souls, hell no, but it's also Goty for sure.

Terraria will probably get no love but it would be my second pick, such an amazing game.

Nothing I love, but some games I like. I enjoyed Zelda SS, Skyrim, Uncharted 3, Ni No Kuni and the Last Story. I probably lean Ni No Kuni ad the Last Story, so I'll pick Ni No Kuni.

L.A. Noire is my pick! One of the best games I played on the PS3 generation. I thought the story, the 40's setting, the interrogations and even some of the combat scenarios were all excellent. I just wish we could get some sort of sequel! Preferably in the 70's with the Zodiak killer lol

Dark Souls is really good too but, as much as I recognize that it was a step forward for this type of game, I've never liked it as much as Demon's Souls.

Arkham City for me. With Super Mario 3D Land, Uncharted 3, and LA Noire not far behind. Also special shout out to Sonic Generations.

Batman: Arkham City
One of the greatest games ever made!

Edit: Ocarina of Time 3D is my favourite of this year, but I decided against choosing remakes/remasters.