One of the best years!
Sonic Generations is in my opinion the greatest platformer ever made. Can't think of another game that has so consistently outstanding level design. Rayman Origins is another one from the same year that is also among the greatest platformers, and I actually prefer slightly to Rayman Legends. Portal 2 also almost got my vote, as I just think it has perfect game design, writing and pacing. But my vote went to Skyrim, open world RPGs are not my go to genre of games, but this showed how it is done! Could never get into Oblivion, but Skyrim made everything a bit more polished and approchable. I am fascinated that you can make a game with so many systems and not make it feel overwhelming, it does a great job encouraging the player to interact with the different systems and rewarding them for doing so, but also without making them feel punished if they don't. So many modern games throw in unwarranted upgrading and crafting systems that are just a tedious chore to interact with, but Skyrim does it seemlessly The open world is also exceptionally well designed. I think one of the reasons many newer open world games fail, is because the worlds just get bigger and bigger. Skyrim is the sweet spot.
Other noteable games:
L.A. Noire - perhaps Rockstars last masterpiece (though I might change my mind, as I am playing through Max Payne 3 for the first time now and I having a great time so far).
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Very good, although flawed game. It is a bit strange, as I think it is probably the only Wii title that really nailed motion controls beyond just waggling or pointing. But the motion controls are also the reason I am less motivated to play it again. The dungeon designs, story and art style are among the best in the series, but the game has a bit of a problem with pacing, it could have been shorter and it would have been better. Certainly an overhated game thoug.
Minecraft is really not my thing. Arkham City I only played a little bit, and for some reason I never played a From Software game period. Gears 3 is alright, but significantly weaker than the first two (and probably 5), the setting and tone just felt kind of bland. Finally, great kudos to Mario Kart 7, to get that franchise back on the right track :)

Other Forza Motorsport 4 Its still one of the best Forza Motorsport games and the only one for which I unlocked all the achievements. Also, still has a large number of cars that never reappeared in other Forza Motorsport or Forza Horizon games. From a technical standpoint, the most impressive game of 2011 is L.A. Noire the facial scanning was next level and they did a great job recreating post World War 2 late 40s Los Angeles. Also, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tales of Xillia should have been mentioned in the other game category.

Remarkable to see no votes for Uncharted 3; at the time, that was widely considered a GOTY frontrunner, interesting to see how attitudes have shifted over time.

Weird year for me. Zelda, while a massive step up from those DS abominations, still let me down and Uncharted 3 had bizarre aiming problems for me (I was fine with aiming in the other three), so I probably has the most fun with my 3DS this year between Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, so voted "other."

Yeah, it actually came in 4th place with critics that year, netting a total of 16 critic awards:

https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/2011/09/2011-game-of-year.html

I was sure I was going to vote Skyrim for this year, but I think I'll have to vote for Minecraft instead. Its impact is much greater, and it's a pretty great game too. I guess Dark Souls is another contender, but I haven't played it, and it's not the type of game I'd probably enjoy enough to vote for anyway in the presence of such competition.

You get extra points for noticing To the Moon's existence! I loved that game so much. I discovered it around the same as Dear Esther. I was in a mood. Someone important to me had passed away recently at the time. Games back then didn't often deal with loss in a very serious way. Those games helped me process...just things. Feelings. The weight of it. Desire to make something good out of it somehow and find a way to continue.

Which do you prefer between MK7 and 3D Land?

My vote goes to The Last Story. Skyrim was a close 2nd.

This is the hardest decision yet. Too many great and massive games came out in 2011. The runners-up list is filled with amazing games which are just as good as the nominees. Late 7th gen was the best time to be a gamer.

But, I had to choose Minecraft. It never gets old, like a fresh canvas to a painter. No other game is like it, unique and original concept yet totally immersive with an open world day/night/weather system. No game has made me go back to it for over an entire decade like that one. I've probably put more time into Minecraft than any other game in my life. I still play on it now, but on Switch.
If Minecraft wasn't in this list, I would have been a super hard decision. I probably wouldn't have chosen one, not even 'other' cos the nominees and other runners up are also extremely great games too. It's like a parent picking their favourite child in a family of 100.