RipTen Videogame Blog » Game-of-the-Year

The RipTen End of the Year Awards (2011)

Ripten Staff — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:30:21 +0000

You should have acted. They’re already here. The gaming world told of their return. E3 was merely a delay… ’til the time after PAX opened. When the scribes of RipTen would spill their own thoughts. Behold!!

Let’s get the fanboy nonsense out of the way first.

These are the best games of the year, by platform:

The Gears of War series is synonymous with the Xbox 360. If Master Chief is the faceless hero of the Xbox fanbase, then Marcus Fenix and company are the gritty, brutal, excellently detailed faces of it. We’ve given each iteration of the Gears series a perfect score because the quality of the games that Epic releases never cease to impress the hardened Xbox fanboys and newcomers alike. The graphics, gameplay and over the top attitude of Gears of War 3 is what makes it the showpiece for Microsoft’s gaming console, and the best Xbox 360 exclusive.

Nathan Drake is a man on a mission. A mission to prove that each chapter of the Uncharted series can push the PS3 to its limits and impress even the most jaded of console gamers. Naughty Dog not only excels at creating the most jaw-dropping visuals for the Playstation platform, but also tells stories that make us fall in love with their characters each and every time. They’ve once again succeeded at crafting an immersive world filled with action, adventure and intrigue that will keep us coming back to the wild world of Uncharted every single time.

Geralt of Rivia. A man’s man. A ladies’ man. CDProjekt’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s tortured protagonist is something literary fans dream of. A world torn from the pages of books beyond anything you could ever imagine. So richly detailed and magnificent to behold in every way that it puts games produced by legendary publishers to shame on a budget infinitely inferior. A game that improved upon its predecessor in every way. The deep and branching quest narrative combined with fluid combat and breathtaking visuals not only made The Witcher 2 one of the best RPGs of the year, but its rig-breaking technical requirements rewarded only those most dedicated to PC gaming. The world needs more developers like CDProjekt, and more games like The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

All we ever wanted since Nintendo revealed its motion controlled console was to swing our swords in the land of Hyrule. Twilight Princess gave us a taste of true motion controlled swordplay, but we wanted something entirely new. Luckily, the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto did not let us down. When Skyward Sword finally arrived on the Wii, it came with rich visuals, picture perfect controls and a story that made us fall in love with The Legend of Zelda all over again. A worthy successor to the Zelda franchise in every way, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword might be the best reason to own a Nintendo Wii yet.

Did somebody say Miyamoto? You betcha. We were all sad to learn that Super Mario 3D Land wouldn’t launch alongside the Nintendo 3DS, but when it finally arrived, we let them slide. A near perfect combination of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario 64, 3D land had something for everyone. Not only did it make great use of the 3D visuals and 3DS controls, but it has difficulty levels to challenge hardcore fans and please casual gamers alike. Is Super Mario 3D Land the best reason to own a Nintendo 3DS? It’s certainly one of them.

Nobody has pushed the envelope in mobile gaming quite like Chair Entertainment and Epic Games with Infinity Blade. Unmatched visuals and addictive gameplay provide a true console-quality experience on a mobile platform. With Infinity Blade II, everything was taken to the next level and we were once again floored by what these developers have made possible on a mobile platform and what the Unreal technology is capable of.

However, some of the best games of 2011 were download-only.

These are the year’s best downloadable games:

They changed the name to Iron Brigade, but that didn’t take away from one of the best downloadable titles of the year. Trenched was the first game to truly blend elements of Tower Defense and Action successfully. Not only that, it had tons of loot drops to further enhance your mechs and the full game was able to be played cooperatively with up to three other players. Combine those features with Double Fine’s signature comedic writing and you have an XBLA title to remember.

More of the same? Not exactly. Q Games not only added plenty of new content to their microbial sized shooter, they also added competitive multiplayer which made the game even that much more addictive and challenging. Rescuing survivors from puzzling alien innards has never been this much fun, and few PSN exclusives are this addicting. This is a game every PSN user should own, as well as pretty much everything else Pixel Junk.

The kid probably wouldn’t care if he got this award. Too busy rebuilding the bastion he’d be. What makes Bastion the best downloadable game of the year? Besides the fact that it was great on XBLA, PSN and PC, there was damn near nothing bad anyone could say about it. A perfect blend of hack n’ slash RPG gameplay topped off with tight controls and a story told by the coolest narrator this side of the calamity, Bastion is game that’s impossible not to like. Throw in a visually stunning world that comes together piece by piece and plenty of achievements for the hunter in all of us, and you’ve got the clear winner of downloadable game of the year. The kid should be proud.

We’re just getting started. Up next? The best games of the year, by genre:

Golden Joystick Awards 2011: The Winners

Sam Naylor — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:28:38 +0000

The Golden Joystick awards is one of the biggest award ceremonies in the games industry, and certainly the largest in the UK.

Though the games are nominated by gaming media types, the winners are all voted on by the public- so it surely gives the strongest indication of what really makes gamers happy. It’s hardly the Oscars, but nevertheless I’m at the show this year reporting live on the winners and other goings on.

The nominees for each award are listed below and when the show finishes I’ll update this post with the winners in bold. Let us know what you think of the public’s (over 2 million of them- a world record) decisions in the comments.

Update 15:00- Awards are about to start. Stay tuned! Seann Walsh off of Mock the Week and that is hosting.

Update 15:08- Seann Walsh doing gaming jokes. “Blowing into cartridges! Remember that?!” I wonder when modern gaming tropes will make it into the routines of TV comics.

Update 15:18- Angry Birds devs not able to make it. Possibly too busy trying to kill pigs. Those cold bastards.

Update 15:20- Battlefield 3 trailer, looks good but is far too loud. I certainly won’t be buying it because of that.

Update 15:24- Now they’re showing a trailer for Inversion, which looks like a shooting game where you can invert gravity. In fact, that’s exactly what it is.

Update 15:31- Sonic Generations trailer. It’s a 3D Sonic game with 2.5D sections. Sonic unleashed was awful, wasn’t it? And all those other ones after Sonic 3? Poor Sonic. He’s won an “outstanding achievement” award this year, too, despite being in no good games since the ’90s.

Update 15:36- Notch from Minecraft is on the screen thanking everyone for the award. Well, in a way.

Update 15:37- Skyward Sword trailer now. Looks good, and from what I played earlier it certainly should be.

Update 15:41- Innovation of the year winner: the Nintendo 3DS.

Update 15:43- Outstanding Contribution award is given to Sonic.

Update 15:48- That’s it and Portal 2 has won GOTY.

Best Shooter

FEAR 3
Brink
Crysis 2
Bulletstorm
Killzone 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Red Faction: Armageddon
Homefront
Medal of Honour
Singularity
Vanquish
GoldenEve 007
Dead Space 2

Best Action/Adventure

InFamous2
Shadow of the Damned
LA Noire
Yakuza 4

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Amnesia: The Dark Descent
LEGO Star Wars II: The Clone Wars
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Dead Rising2
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Deadly Premonition
Crackdown II
Mafia II
MGS Peace Walker
Epic Mickey
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Okamiden
Portal2
LBP2
Donkey Kong Returns

Best RPG [Role-Playing Game]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Dragon Age II
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Dungeon Siege III

Fallout New Vegas

Pokemon Black/White
Fable 3
Magicka

Best MMO [Massively Multiplayer Online game]

Rift

World of Warcraft (Cataclysm (Dec 2010))

Eve Online Incarna (Jun 2011)
Aion AION: Assault on Balaurea (Sept 2010)
Age Of Conan Updated May 2010
DC Universe Online (Jan 2011)

Best Fighting Game

Dead or Alive Dimensions

Mortal Kombat (2011)

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Fight Night Champion
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
Arcana Heart 3
EA Sports MMA
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011

Best Racing Game

DiRT 3
Motorstorm: Apocalypse
SHIFT 2 Unleashed
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Gran Turismo 5

nail’d
MotoGP 10/11 72/68
Test Drive Unlimited 2
F1 2010
Ridge Racer 3D

Best Sports Game

Top Spin 4
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
MLB 11 The Show
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
Virtua Tennis 4
NBA Jam

FIFA 11

NBA 2K11
NHL 11
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011
Kinect Sports

Best Strategy Game

The Sims Medieval
Total War: Shogun 2
R.U.S.E.
Pride of Nations
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2: Retribution
Civilization V

Starcraft 2

Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Best Music-based Game

Child of Eden
Dance Central
DJ Hero 2
Rock Band 3
Def Jam Rapstar

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Just Dance 2
Michael Jackson: The Experience
Singstar Dance

Best Free-to-play Game

Allods Online
RuneScape
Runes of Magic
Mythos

League of Legends

Dragonica
Black Prophecy
Bloodline Champions
Forsaken World
Zuma Blitz
Empires and Allies
Bejewelled 3
World of Tanks
EA Sports FIFA Superstars
Champions Online
CityVille

Best Mobile Game

Inifnity Blade
Game Dev Story
Backbreaker 2: Vengeance
Dead Space
Tiny Wings
The Heist
Hunters: Episode 1
Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting
Real Racing 2
Street Fighter IV: Volt
To-Fu: The Trials of Chi
Order and Chaos
Fruit Ninja
Cut The Rope
Feed Me Oil
NBA Jam by EA Sports
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
N.O.V.A 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing

Angy Birds Rio

Best Downloadable Game

Dead Nation
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
SEGA Rally Online Arcade
Auditorium HD
Outland
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Joe Danger
Frozen Synapse

Minecraft

Trenched
Gods Vs Humans
Hydroventure
DeathSpank
Bit.Trip Fate
Glow Artisan
Limbo
Stacking
Might and Magic: Clash Of Heroes

One to Watch

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Saints Row: The Third
Battlefield 3
Modern Warfare 3
Bioshock Infinite
Far Cry 3
Mass Effect 3
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Hitman: Absolution
Halo 4
Tomb Raider
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Super Mario (3DS)
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Guild Wars 2
Agent
Uncharted Golden Abyss

Ultimate Game of the Year

LA Noire

Portal 2

FIFA 11
Pokemon Black/White
Halo: Reach
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Bulletstorm
Killzone 3
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Total War: Shogun 2
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
DiRT 3
Rock Band 3
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Fallout New Vegas
Gran Turismo 5
Civilization V
Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

Rockstar Announces Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition

Chris Carlson — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:48:10 +0000

Rockstar Games have announced the Game of the Year Edition for Red Dead Redemption. This edition will include the full, original Red Dead Redemption game plus all free and paid downloadable content packs released to date, including the wildly popular Undead Nightmare single and multiplayer offerings, as well as all DLC originally released as pre-order content.

Undead Nightmare: The one-of-a-kind experience that pits John Marston against a sinister zombie outbreak, along with its Undead Overrun survival-based Multiplayer Mode.
The Legends and Killers Multiplayer Pack: Adds to the Red Dead multiplayer experience with nine additional active Competitive mode map locations tailored for multiplayer action, 8 playable characters from Red Dead Revolver, the devastating Tomahawk weapon and more.
The Liars and Cheats Multiplayer Pack: Massively expands Free Roam multiplayer with Multiplayer Poker, Liar’s Dice, Horse Racing with Combat and a slew of additional Gang Hideouts and Hunting Grounds. Plus it adds the action-packed Stronghold mode to Competitive Multiplayer.
The Outlaws to the End Co-Op Mission Pack: Six explosive and epic Cooperative Multiplayer missions to play with 2-4 players.
All the original pre-release pre-order content, including the Deadly Assassin Outfit, War Horse, and Golden Guns Weapon Pack plus the Hunting and Trading Outfits Pack featuring two additional outfits with corresponding gameplay challenges.
The Solomon’s Folly single player gang hideout and challenges (available for the first time on Xbox 360).

Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition will be available on October 11th for $49.99.

The RipTen End of the Year Awards (2010)

Ripten Staff — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:58:17 +0000

Holy shit, is it the end of the year already? Gotta admit, it’s been a pretty great year for games. That being said – it’s time to hand out some awards. We’ve got over 50. Come get some!!

Let’s get the fanboy nonsense out of the way first – here are the:

Best Xbox 360 Exclusive – Halo: Reach

Best Playstaytion 3 Exclusive – God of War III

Best Wii Exclusive – Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best PC Game – Starcraft II

Best Handheld Game – Professor Layton

Best Mobile game – Infinity Blade

There were plenty of big releases this year – but some of the year’s best came via download:

Best Overall DLC – RDR Undead Nightmare

Best Game (360) – Super Meat Boy

Best Game (PS3) - Dead Nation

Best Game (Wii) – Mega Man 10

Best Game (Multi-Plat) – LC & The Guardian of Light

While not every game can be the game of the year – It CAN be the best in it’s respective genre:

Best FPS – Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Best RPG – Mass Effect 2

Best Action/Adventure Game – Lords of Shadow

Best Stealth/Action game – Splinter Cell: Conviction

Best Adventure Game – Alan Wake

Best Racing Game – NFS: Hot Pursuit

Best Fighting Game – Super Street Fighter 4

Best Sports Game – FIFA 11

Best RTS – Starcraft II

Best 3D Platformer – PoP: The Forgotten Sands

Best 2D Platformer – Super Meat Boy

Best Music Game – Rock Band 3

Best Indie Game – Super Meat Boy

Best MMO Content – World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Most Addictive Game: Minecraft

But 2010 was not without disappointment – However, there were also some surprises:

Biggest Disappointment – Final Fantasy XIV

The Final Fantasy series just can’t catch a break – we almost voted Final Fantasy XIII for this award as well. How can you make a seemingly competent MMO (No easy feat) only a few years before, then churn out a completely broken and boring MMO experience only a few years later . . . it’s inexplicable and also inexcusable. Get your shit together Square-Enix.

Biggest Surprise – Bayonetta

Everyone expected Bayonetta to be either be a typical female character, designed by sexist pigs or a raging, feminist dyke. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Bayonetta was a sassy, yet classy female protagonist starring in a great game. Plus, her clothing is made of hair and turns into things!! I mean c’mon – imagine seeing that for the first time in real life. It’d be the biggest surprise of your life – just like how good this game was.

Some games get overrated – while some sadly, get underrated:

Most Overrated Game – Civilization 5

Who on earth keeps giving Civ V perfect 10′s? Did these people not play the previous Civ games? Civilization 5 is a great game, sure – but it’s certainly not the series best and was overrated by almost everyone.

Most Underrated Game – Splatterhouse

Everyone we know who owns this game – loves it. That includes both members of the RipTen staff and our readers. Sure – a brutal, bloody and metal old school brawler may not appeal to a large audience - But to under rate a game simply because you don’t fall into it’s target demographic is for lack of a better term – fucking stupid. Splatterhouse is by no means a perfect game, but for what it is, and whom it’s for – it’s a great game, and a bloody good time.

Many games wouldn’t be so great without their storylines – here are some of the year’s best:

Best Storyline in a Linear Game – Mafia II

Many people didn’t realize Mafia II was going to be a linear experience until they played it. However, even though some people felt duped by the games seemingly linear take on a very open genre – once they got into Vito’s classic mafioso story, they pretty much stopped caring about the game’s linearity. Did you like The Godfather? Goodfellas? A Bronx Tale? Then you’ll love Mafia II. It may just be the best mob movie you’ve ever played.

Best Storyline in an Open Game – Red Dead Redemption

John Marston’s tale of betrayal and redemption is something that not even the best westerns are made of. Rockstar has managed to drop the player into an enormous open world and yet tell a very tightly woven story at the same time. It’s a remarkable feat and one that deserves our praise.

However, a story is nothing without voice acting – for better, or for worse:

Best Voice Acting – Mass Effect 2

Mordin stole the show – hell, he almost stole the game. Not to mention Jennifer Hale as female Shepard owns the galaxy in a totally cougarlicious way. The rest of the voice cast was equally talented.

Worst Voice Acting - Metro 2033

Now, I understand that a game made by Eastern Europeans will feature some questionable voice acting – however, we’ve heard better Russian accents down in Chinatown!! Luckily the graphics (on PC) and gameplay in Metro 2033 were extremely solid – so nobody really noticed . . .except us. Is this award being given to Metro 2033 simply because we wanted to award this bad ass game with something for better or for worse? You bet your ass it is.

Sometimes, sequels are great – and sometimes, they’re not so great:

Best Sequel – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

AssCreeBro improved upon Assassin’s Creed 2 in almost every way. The great story, visuals and gameplay were all there, and they even added multiplayer that kicked ass. Bra-fucking-vo Ezio.

Worst Sequel - Crackdown 2

Yeah, they fucked this one up. Could have been a great sequel to a fun game – instead it was mediocre in every way. Fail.

The Return of Duke Nukem

This year at PAX, Gearbox Software announced they owned the Duke Nukem IP and would finally be releasing Duke Nukem Forever. A game that was lauded as vaporware of the year for over a decade. Some laughed, others cried – some of us kicked ass and chewed bubblegum as we actually played the demo. There’s no question that Duke is finally back – Hail to the King, baby.

But we weren’t the only ones with Duke fever. (Way better than Bieber fever) A small group of programmers has been given the go ahead by Gearbox to remake Duke 3D with the Unreal 3 engine and a short fan film was also made this year. I think it’s safe to say that Duke is back – in a big way.

Our editor even spoke with Gearbox about bringing back the Duke during PAX – Read the interview here.

Long before the days of multiplayer – games were single player experiences:

Best Single Player – Read Dead Redemption

What can we say about Red Dead Redemption that you don’t already know? It’s a great open world game featuring a great protagonist that could literally keep you occupied all year with the amount of content provided.

Worst Single Player – Metroid: Other M

Nintendo tried, they really did. Unfortunately, they failed. If it ain’t broke – stop trying to fix it.

Nowadays, many games are all about the multiplayer experience:

Best Multiplayer – Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam

Just when we thought the BFBC 2 multiplayer experience couldn’t get any better – they took it to Viet-fuckin-nam!! . . .and it did

Most Broken Multiplayer – Call of Duty: Black Ops

Don’t get us wrong, Black Ops single player is great and the multiplayer is a fuckin’ blast – especially with all the new modes – only problem is getting it to WORK!! See this, this and this for reference. /sigh

Now, we know THIS is the award you’ve all been waiting for so here it is, you fucking perverts:

Best Tits – Jen (Splatterhouse)

Yeah, They're Perfect

Best Ass – Miranda (Mass Effect 2)

"Yeah, Imma Tap Dat"

Sexiest Male Protagonist – Ezio Auditore (AssCreeBro)

"Mi Scusi!! You Want We Should Make Love Now or Later?"

Least Sexy Male Protagonist – Joe Barbaro (Mafia II)

"Who Da Fuck You Sayin' Ain't Sexy!?"

Sometimes it’s the little things like sound that make a great game:

Once again, Super Meat Boy takes home an award well deserved. The entire staff has this soundtrack and Danny B’s cool techno grooves are perfect for getting us through the work day. Uhn-tiss uhn-tiss uhn-tiss baby. Here are some of our favorites:

Now on to awards that really don’t fall into any one category – the RipTen Randoms:

The Masterpiece You Have Already Forgotten

Darksiders (Editor’s Choice)

Best Hero – Commander Shepard (Mass Effect 2)

Best Villain – Bobby Kotick (Activision)

The Best GOTY Edition – Borderlands GOTY Edition

The Game We Liked That Everyone Else Hated

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days

Funniest Game – Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue

The Most Polarizing Game – Alpha Protocol

Best Ending: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Best Game Featuring Nazi Zombies

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Best Companion Character

Boone (Fallout: New Vegas)

Best Use of a Shitty Old Game Engine

Fallout: New Vegas

Most Overlooked Game – Singularity

Best Reboot: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Game We Really Wanted to Come Out in 2010 but Didn’t

Gears of War 3

Best Random Use of the Trigger Buttons

(L2 To Smoke a Cig) – Vanquish

Most Mindless Fun – Splatterhouse

Game with the Most Potential Lost Due to Buggy, Unpolished Gameplay and Bland Visuals

(Insert Any Obsidian Title Here)

<3

If you’ve managed to get through the rest of our awards – congratulations – here is the one you’ve really been waiting for:

That’s right - it’s a tie. The RipTeam was deadlocked between Red Dead Redemption and Super Meat Boy. However, once we really thought about it – both of these games represent everything that is right about gaming today, and they both deserve to be Game of the Year.

Red Dead Redemption is a sweeping open world epic. On it’s surface it’s the Grand Theft Auto of the Wild west, but underneath you will find that it’s much more. Rockstar has managed to improve on a tried and true formula many thought they’d already perfected with Grand Theft Auto IV. What we got instead was a better game, one that not only looked and played better – but delivered more content per square inch than any Rockstar game that has come before. It’s a AAA title from a AAA developer and may be Rockstar’s best work to date. It’s well worth it’s full $60 price as it is truly a game that can keep you entertained all year long.

On the complete other side of the spectrum we have Super Meat Boy. A $15 indie title that may very well be the best 2D platformer of all time. Super Meat Boy is not so much the game of year in what it does right – which is everything – but in what it does wrong – nothing. Super Meat Boy is a perfect game. The visuals are perfect, the sound is perfect, the controls are perfect. The game is only as hard as you are skilled and you will never blame the game when you fail and will surely exalt triumphantly when you succeed. It pays just the right amount of homage to all it’s indie brethren and also to all the great games that paved the way for it’s existence. Super Meat Boy respects all the games of the past, while in itself re-defining the future of a genre that many thought had left no stone unturned.

So, there you have it. RipTen’s choices for the best and worst of 2010. Don’t agree? Too bad.

See you next year!!

2011: A Look into the Future of Video Games

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:25:14 +0000

As 2010 draws to a close, as we look back to all our favorite launches in what has been an awesome year, RipTen looks forward into the future to accurately* predict what’s going to be in store for 2011. So sit back and enjoy our thoughts on what we think is going to take off, what’s going to flop, and more importantly what’s going to be h to the o to the t – HOT.

*may not be accurate at all

We’re writing this with current knowledge, that meaning we’ve only chosen games we know are either slated for release or due for release in 2011. This is a two person editorial, with AA standing for Aaron Alexander, and BW standing for Bryce Wilson. This editorial doesn’t reflect the opinions of everyone on the RipTen Staff – just the ones down under.

BW: It’s the Cole-train baby! Yes, that world famous exclamation will be heard once again as Dom, Marcus, Cole and the rest of humanities scraps fight for our planets very survival. The main reason I’m voting Gears of War 3 for the Xbox 360 Best Game title is simply because of how amazing Gears of War 2 was. The story, the emotion, the gameplay, it all meshed to create one of my all time favorite gaming experiences. Hopefully it doesn’t get delayed into 2012 as it’s already teetering so close with its rough November launch.

AA: I’m voting Elder Scrolls: Skyrim as my personal Best Xbox 360 game of 2011. Why you may ask? Well there are several reasons, the biggest being a new engine. By using this I believe Bethesda will finally fix all the common complaints against the current Gamebryo tech, and make it damn pretty while doing so. Next is the all too common time Xbox 360 exclusive DLC, and this coupled with the track record of Bethesda’s DLC plans, the Xbox 360 version of Skyrim will no doubt be the premium copy to get. Oh, and its another Elder Scrolls game, which are usually pretty bitchin’.

Honorable Mention: Batman: Arkham City takes the honourable mention for Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011 as Rocksteady is bound to be incredibly motivated after the cult success of their smash hit; Batman: Arkham Asylum. Watch out for these guys as one of the best and upcoming studios the industry has to offer.

BW: I’ll confess right now, I’ve never owned a Playstation 3, however I can see from the trailers and concept art that Uncharted 3 is going to be the PS3 hypetrain of 2011. I briefly played moments of Uncharted 2, and as Aaron has stated below the gunplay and exploring was brilliant. Naughty Dog are excellent developers and I’m sure they will create one of the consoles best games, if not the best game to ever grace the Playstation 3.

AA: I picked Uncharted 3 as the best Playstation 3 game of 2011, simply because I loved Uncharted 2. The exploring, the gunplay, the banter between your comrades, everything about Uncharted 2 was amazingly well done and believable. The usual premise of a sequel is “Bigger and Better”, and I really hope this stays true when it comes to Uncharted 3, as it could easily have a promising shot at Game of the Year 2011. Naughty Dog are known for refining and improving their franchises over time, so I’m absolutely confident this game will be killer.

Honorable Mention: inFAMOUS 2 takes the honourable mention for the best Playstation 3 game of 2011. Instead of refining the wheel, Suckerpunch is set to re-create the wheel as we know it, following heavily remodeling and gameplay changes to the original.

BW: Originally my prediction was going to go to Diablo III. The dungeon play, the awesome story, it’s all so good. Even talking about it gives me a boner (EYOO!). However there’s another blip on my 2011 radar called Crysis 2. Crytek is back to make another amazing first person shooter and this time it’s set in New York City. I can’t wait to prance around in my nanosuit and destroy everything in my path. I hope there’s a lot of freedom of choice so you can approach missions in a number of ways. Another reason I chose Crysis 2 is because I know it’s going to be the primary PC benchmarking tool for the next 1,000,000 years with its graphics so sexy that they will melt your face, literally.

AA: Even though it’s not official, I’m fairly confident in saying Diablo III will be out in 2011. Further reinforcing my this belief is the fact that RipTen earlier reported a timetable showing various Blizzard projects and their dates, which later was confirmed to be real in a roundabout way. Whats more, Diablo III is rumoured to be coming to console, which is even more likely when Blizzard starts specifically hiring people with console experience. I tell you now though, you’re going to want to play this with a fucking mouse and keyboard. Diablo III belongs on a PC, and will most definately play bloody well. The footage shown so far is superb, the new (well, not you Barbarian) classes are a perfect re-imagining of older ones and the action looks super intense and gory. You get the impression that Blizzard made this first and foremost for Diablo veterans, and that is truly something to respect.

Honorable Mention: PC gaming is making a big come back, and one of the leaders at the charge is Defense of the Ancients 2. The original DOTA was a global hit, and now that Valve is backing the sequel you know it’s going to double the success that the original saw.

Best Wii Game:

BW: My Best Wii Game of 2011 is going to the Conduit II. The team at High Voltage Software really pushed the Nintendo Wii with the original game and showed that the console is capable of running a real first person shooter. The second time round the developers know their limits and will be looking to push them once again.

AA: The Legend of Zelda takes my Wii Game of 2011, as I am a giant fan of the series. The newest entry “Skyward Sword”, looks to combine aspects from the Ocarina of Time theme, with the Windwaker visual theme. With full Wii-Motion Plus compatibility, the swordplay should feel more intuitive then ever, and using the new (and old) gadgets should be a blast. Miyamoto has been quoted saying that Zelda needs to change, and if this indeed holds true, color me with excitement for this title.

Honorable Mention: Our honorable mention for the wii goes to De Blob 2. The first game was fun as it was colorful, and we cant wait to get into the city and paint the crap out of it.

Best Shooter:

BW: My Best Shooter award is going to Crysis 2, simply because I know both the gameplay and new setting is going to rock. I can’t wait to see the new changes to the nanosuit, and I am even more excited to see how much freedom we have as players in New York. And after seeing the newest trailer I’m also looking forward to some awesome slide and spray the shit out of everything that moves moments.

AA: Killzone 3 is getting my vote for Best Shooter of 2011, and from what I’ve seen and heard, well let’s just say Guerilla has truly outdone themselves. Killzone 2 had both a brilliant and breathtaking campaign, as well as a truly diverse and original multiplayer mode. If Killzone 3 truly built around improving the previous mechanics, it could be one of the greatest shooters ever made.

Honorable Mention: Duke Nukem: Forever, and it “fucking better be after 13 years”. One of history’s most iconic and storied games is finally (AND OFFICIALLY!) back and it’s going to make a big splash when it lands. Awesome gameplay, witty one liners and a whole 44 galleon drum of kick ass is bound to be unleashed upon gamers in 2011.

BW: My Best Platformer award goes to Little Big Planet 2. I’ve been following Sackboy (Such a weird name) throughout his development life in this sequel, and I know Media Molecule is onto something amazing. YouTube is already filled with hours of video footage of people making all sorts of games. I even saw a First Person Shooter game made inside LBP2 and it was awesome. Little Big Planet 2 has truly given creation to the player and I can’t wait to see all the wacky shit that the fans create. Also, little sack people dancing is distractingly cute.

AA: I don’t even know if Little Big Planet 2 can be qualified as a platformer anymore. It does have platforming, very good platforming at that, but the most interesting part about LBP is watching the community go completely apeshit as they make the most crazy and enjoyable levels as well as re-imaginings of current games. Little Big Planet 2 embraces this concept entirely, no longer is it just building levels, Media Molecule have said you can create entire games. LBP2 is very much a platformer at heart, and I’m sure Media Molecule will make some beautiful and smartly designed levels to quench any platforming desires you may have.

Honorable Mention: Although at its core Patapon is a rhythm based game, it does display platforming elements, and quite frankly we couldn’t really think of any other platformers coming out in 2011. I’m excited for the third game in the Patapon series and I’m sure it’s going to make for more addictive gameplay.

BW: My Best RPG award goes to one of the most true-to-it’s-roots RPG’s on the market: Diablo III. Blizzard is back with another installment in my favorite gaming series and I can’t wait to get my hands on this little gem. Like Aaron stated below, Diablo has always had brilliant character development and simple point and kill gameplay, but that’s exactly what makes Diablo what it is – amazing.

AA: Once again Diablo III finds itself in another “best” category, and this time it’s for best Role Playing Game. The Diablo series has always had a well crafted, dark, and brutal story which drives the gameplay, the gameplay being “click” on this critter and kill it. While it sounds simplistic and dull, Diablo has always had a great character progression system too it as well. Blizzard constantly patched Diablo 2 with balance changes to each class, and they of course will do so here. Simply put, Diablo II has already layed the groundwork for an excellent RPG game that holds up today, and Diablo III will take that existing concept and push it to the next level. In doing so, I believe Diablo III will be the definitive RPG experience for 2011.

Honorable Mention: Dragon Age II hands down wins the honorable mention for the Best RPG of 2011. Dragon Age II is set to see a refined experience plus an even more vivid story mode and fleshed out characters.

Editors Note: You Aussie arses forgot to mention The Witcher 2 – which will win probably every PC RPG of the year award. If it doesn’t I’ll give you both $20.

BW: My award is a bit of a curveball, even more so because the game I am awarding it to was just announced. My 2011 Best Action/Adventure award is going to the recently announced Tomb Raider game, simply because the premise and idea sounds amazing. Lara stranded on an island fighting for survival yet still learning who she really is? Talk about wow. I think Crystal Dynamics is going to carve an amazing story and an even more amazing set of new gameplay mechanics. I hope the survival aspect is tightly integrated and not watered down to a “go and get water every 6 hours” point.

AA: And another repeat offender shows it’s face, this time Uncharted 3. For Action/Adventure I find its hard to beat the example Uncharted 2 left us with last year. The game spanned across the globe, throughout ruins and ancient mechanical caverns, hell the adventure even finds its way into the mythical land of Shambhala. But it’s not just adventuring that sir Nathan Drake will do, no sir. After you’re done exploring these wonderous places, it’s then time to shoot your way out. The shooting was exceptional in Uncharted 2 with its solid cover mechanic, precise aiming mechanics and the weapons were a blast (no pun… whatever) to use. Nathan Drake eats, pisses and shits out Action/Adventure. And that’s that!

Honorable Mention: Although it met some mixed response at E3 2010, Zelda: Skyward Sword looks promising enough to receive an honorable mention. Established gameplay, memorable characters plus a franchise we all grew up with and love, that’s why Zelda: Skyward Sword is going to rock your world.

BW: As with Aaron, my Best Fighter award is going to Mortal Kombat 9. Holy shit, there’s seriously nine bloody games? And yes they’re literally bloody, and yes Netherealm is taking the game right back to it’s insanely gory roots. Wanna smash someone in the ribs then see their body shatter as you smash them in one hundred different spots? Well now you can thanks to the new X-Ray dynamic that they’ve implemented. It reminds me a lot of the game Nina (From Tekken) starred in. I can’t wait to play the finished product and I seriously hope this sells well because the team deserves it, and so does one of histories most established fighting franchises. GET OVER HERE!

AA: Fighting games are back thanks to the sudden rush Super Street Street Fighter IV gave the world, and with 2011 it’s definitely no different. However there can only be one Best Fighting Game (or so the magical RipTen future looking orb tells me), and while I’m sure most of you are screaming out Marvel Vs Capcom 3, my vote swings in the favor of Mortal Kombat 9. Mortal Kombat finally returns to its savage roots, with an all star cast, new lethal X-Ray moves and brutally insane fatalities, it’s truly the 90′s again. Mortal Kombat has been losing its way up until now, but Ed Boon and the guys at Netherealm have done a spectacular job retaining the classic gameplay of the original Mortal Kombat titles, whilst modernizing it to appeal to newer fans as well. I mean, you could throw a fireball, or you could rip some guys head off after smashing his ribs. Is there really a choice here?

Honorable Mention: Marvel v Capcom 3 is the clear choice for this honorable mention simply due to the epicness of the series. When you think about over 30 characters, a timeless rivalry and a game you know will come out with the goods, Capcom has once again proven they make the best fighting games ever.

BW: My Best RTS award is going to Chris Taylor’s Kings and Castles. Although there’s no 2011 release date set I’m quietly confident it will launch during Q4 2011 as the game just went into production after wrapping up pre-production in October. I like the fantasy based concept, and after watching 35 development logs over the pre-production time I am super excited to see Chris Taylor make another awesome RTS as I felt Supreme Commander 2 was a bit lacking and watered down. Also, in terms of graphics, this game looks amazing.

AA: Look, I’m not going to lie, I’m glad I’m already excited for Shogun 2 because if I had to name another RTS launching in 2011 I’d be stumped. Shogun 2 looks brilliant, the changes and refinements they’ve made impress me as a long time Total War veteran. The return to feudal Japan is an excellent choice and setting, and it really looks stunning in the new engine. If Creative Assembly really strive hard enough, Shogun Total 2 could be the culmination of all the series ideas and gameplay features, all in one beautiful looking war game.

Honorable Mention: Assuming it launches within 2011 Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm will undoubtedly make a splash in the world of PC RTS once again. Although it’s essentially an expansion pack, we’re just as excited to see the next chapter in the Starcraft universe.

BW: My best story award is going to Homefront, Kaos Studios upcoming alternative history first person shooter. A Korean based military has invaded the United States of America and now it’s up to you to take the fight back to the oppressors. How you may ask? Well you do so via a variety of guerilla tactics, military might and just a dash of luck. I think Kaos Studios are onto something amazing here and if the story is handled right it will be great. Plus it doesn’t help having CIA consultants on board to authenticate everything and make sure it sounds as real as possible.

AA: If trailers are anything to go by, then Best Story of 2011 is the upcoming Action/RPG; “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”. The original trailer played with ideas like corporate control, conspiracy, uprising, hell it’s enough to bring out the little freedom fighting nerd in all of us. The struggle for the main character will no doubt be adjusting to his new robotic bodyparts, of which he obviously doesn’t care for, “I never asked for this” we hear him say. The dark and subtle tones the trailer provides us with is amazing, and the game is perfectly structured to deliver a fantastic story. Here’s hoping it lives up to the weird cult following it has!

Honorable Mention: Mass Effect 3 is our honorable mention for the Best Story award. From the brief trailer things already look intense and down to the line, and I can’t wait to see what predicaments Shepard and his crew get into in the last installment of the Mass Effect trilogy.

BW: Once again I’m throwing another curve ball, and I’m behind this one 100%. My Look Out For award is going to I Am Alive, a relatively unheard of yet promising title developer by Ubisoft Shanghai. Set during a natural disaster ridden Chicago, the game sees you placed in a survival role where it’s you against everyone else. Players will have to survive amongst the rubble as they try to scavenge water, food and weapons. Players can navigate the whole city in their search for survival, but remember, there’s always someone else out there trying to do you harm. I can’t wait to play this game and I hope it’s worth the wait.

AA: I’m sure Bulletstorm will be popular enough, but I think it’s really worth keeping an extra eye on this game, assuming you’re Buddha and you have three. The game manages to capture that crazy Unreal Tournament 2k4 vibe, but brings it into a fresh modern shooter environment thats sure to be immensely enjoyable. The creative ways to kill and butcher your enemies, the Tony Hawk like score system coupled with People Can Fly’s history around the Painkiller series, is sure to equate to a killer combo that I believe will lead to one of the most enjoyable IP’s of 2011. Also, you earn points for shooting people in the ass!

Honorable Mention: L.A. Noire is really starting to ramp up its trailer and information output and as more and more media is released the gaming crowd becomes more enthralled by Rockstars crime thriller. Hopefully this is what Mafia II should’ve been.

BW: I’m quite happy to say that the Biggest Flop award goes to (Not our Editor; Dave Oshry – EYOO) Darkspore. Seriously, when during a brainstorming session was it decided that combining Spore and RPG elements was a good idea? Spore was fun, I’ll admit that, but at the same time it was a bit of a one trick pony. I can’t see Darkspore taking off, although I’ve been wrong before.

AA: The Biggest Flop of 2011 will undoubtebly be Final Fantasy XIV on the Playstation 3. When you look at how pathetically it’s doing on PC, and the fact it’s already delayed on Playstation 3, the chips are really stacked against this game. If it comes out, and does well for Square-Enix, well then consider my mind to be completely blown. I really don’t understand why Square Enix hasn’t already left this game dead in the water, though there’s something to be said for publishers/developers who stand by and support their product post launch.

Dishonorable Mention: Twisted Metal gets our Dishonorable Mention for the Biggest Flop of 2011. Car combat is a genre that has long passed its expiry date, and it seems the game is coming out as more of a fan service then a modern video game.

BW: I’m with Aaron in saying that Activision will quite clearly release another annual Call of Duty title, and for that same title it will go on to sell millions of copies. I’m a bit confused about the future of the series though, specially with Sledgehammer Games rumoured to be making a 3rd Person Shooter in the series. Oh well, hopefully the PC version isn’t as buggy as Treyarch’s latest installment…

AA: I’m assuming you know what Activison is? And I’m also assuming you know they like to put out a game entitled “Call of Duty” every year. I think I’ll go ahead and say, Activision will put out a Call of Duty title in 2011, and it will go on to sell amazingly well. That’s that.

Honorable Mention: Although games will sell well across the board, there is unfortunately a large majority of gamers who still buy The Sims games, and for that reason we’re nominating EA’s long running franchise for our Best Sales honorable mention. So far the game looks interesting and we’re collectively excited to see how it pans out.

BW: I think Hitman 5 will be 2011′s biggest announcement. The last installment in the game was amazing, and I spent hours finding out various ways to carry out each mission in the most silent and deadly way possible. It has been quite a while since we heard from Agent 47, but I’m making an educated guess that IO Interactive will announced Hitman 5 towards March of 2011 seeing as they’ve said the game has been delayed until Christmas 2011 “at the earliest”.

AA: The biggest announcement I can see happening next year is the next chapter in the storied franchise, Grand Theft Auto. Whether it be GTAV, or GTA IV: Vice City, it’s about time for Rockstar to unveil their latest GTA game. I’m willing to bet it will use the same engine, with some minor performance improvements, probably add planes (Personally I don’t think they’re needed), and a multitude of other new features. Earlier it was rumored that the next chapter could be set in Vinewood, as Rockstar Employees have been researching the Hollywood area. To me any Grand Theft Auto is good Grand Theft Auto! Well except for London, that wasn’t so great.

Honorable Mention: Aaron and I had a hard time deciding the ultimate receiver of 2011′s honorable mention for Biggest Announcement. I argued the new Splinter Cell game would be a big announcement whilst Aaron still holds onto his dear childhood and argued that Shenmue 3 would be even bigger. Help us decide by leaving a comment.

Well that’s our predictions for the year of 2011. Maybe you don’t agree, or maybe you do (we’d prefer the second!). Whatever the case leave us a comment below. We will be sure to periodically check back to this post throughout 2011 to see if any of our magical predictions are correct, and if they are, well we will definitely rub it in your faces!

All the Winners of the Spike Video Game Awards

Dave Ernst — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:35:05 +0000

Let’s face it. Today, all eyes were on Spike TV’s Videogame Awards. It’s announcements completely took over the Internets. While the event revealed some awesome games for the future, they gave awards to this year’s best.

Personally, I am very happy that Red Dead Redemption took home the Game of the Year. Stay tuned to RipTen, while we all fight over what should win Game of the Year and a bunch of other categories. Once all the staff can agree, we will be posting the results for your eyes only*

*and everyone else. you’re not special. why’s everything gotta be about you?

GAME OF THE YEAR

Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

BioWare

BEST XBOX 360 GAME

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST PS3 GAME

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

BEST Wii GAME

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo / Nintendo)

BEST PC GAME

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment / Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST HANDHELD GAME

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sony Computer Entertainment / Ready At Dawn Studios)

BEST SHOOTER

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision / Treyarch)

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)

BEST RPG

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER

Halo: Reach (Microsoft / Bungie Studios)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME

NBA 2K11 (2K Sports / Visual Concepts)

BEST DRIVING GAME

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts / Criterion Games)

BEST MUSIC GAME

Rock Band 3 (MTV Games / Harmonix)

BEST SOUNDTRACK

DJ Hero 2 (Activision / FreeStyleGames)

BEST SONG IN A GAME

Far Away by José González (Red Dead Redemption)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

BEST GRAPHICS

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Chengdu)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE

Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker / Amazing Spider-Man (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions / Activision)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE

Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty / Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

Costume Quest (THQ / Double Fine Productions)

BEST DLC

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

Limbo (PlayDead)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

Portal 2 (Valve / Valve)

Spike TV 2010 Video Game Awards Nominees Announced

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:23:13 +0000

Spike TV’s 8th annual Video Games Awards show has unleashed their official nominees for 2010. I’ll spare you having to visit the site to read them, because after a few seconds on the page I wanted to gouge my eyes out.

The designer must have been going for the “let’s make all the visitors scream in sheer visual pain the moment they gaze upon our new graphical headers” look. Seriously though, I know 3D is supposedly all the rage right now, but there’s no reason to mimic the look with web design. Ouch!

The two-hour broadcast set to kick off on December 11th at 8 p.m. ET will feature several highly anticipated premieres such as the Batman Arkham City sequel, a yet to be announced title reveal by BioWare, and a new THQ published gaming creation by film director and Academy Award-Nominee Guillermo del Toro.

Check out the list of nominees for each category below and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Game of the Year

- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- God of War III
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2
- Red Dead Redemption

Studio of the Year

- BioWare
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Bungie Studios
- Rockstar San Diego

Best Wii Game

- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn
- Metroid: Other M
- Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best Xbox 360 Game

- Alan Wake
- Fable III
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2

Best PS3 Game

- God of War III
- Heavy Rain
- ModNation Racers
- Red Dead Redemption

Best PC Game

- Fallout: New Vegas
- Mass Effect 2
- Sid Meier’s Civilization V
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Handheld Game

- God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
- Super Scribblenauts

Best Shooter

- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- BioShock 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Halo: Reach

Best Action-Adventure Game

- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- God of War III
- Red Dead Redemption
- Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best RPG

- Fable III
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Mass Effect 2

Best Multiplayer Game

- Battlefield: Bad Company 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Halo: Reach
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Individual Sports Game

- EA Sports MMA
- Shaun White Skateboarding
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
- UFC Undisputed 2010

Best Team Sports Game

- FIFA Soccer 11
- Madden NFL 11
- NBA 2K11
- MLB ’10: The Show

Best Driving Game

- Blur
- ModNation Racers
- Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
- Split/Second

Best Music Game

- Dance Central
- DJ Hero 2
- Def Jam Rapstar
- Rock Band 3

Best Soundtrack

- Def Jam Rapstar
- DJ Hero 2
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
- Rock Band 3

Best Song in a Game

- Basket Case by Green Day
- Black Rain by Soundgarden
- Far Away by José González
- GoldenEye by Nicole Scherzinger
- Replay/Rude Boy Mashup by Iyaz & Rihanna
- Won’t Back Down by Eminem

Best Original Score

- God of War III
- Halo: Reach
- Mass Effect 2
- Red Dead Redemption

Best Graphics

- God of War III
- Heavy Rain
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn
- Red Dead Redemption

Best Adapted Video Game

- LEGO: Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
- Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
- Transformers: War for Cybertron

Best Performance by a Human Male

- Daniel Craig as James Bond
- Gary Oldman as Sgt. Reznov
- John Cleese as Jasper
- Martin Sheen as Illusive Man
- Nathan Fillion as Sergeant Edward Buck
- Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man
- Rob Wiethoff as John Marston
- Sam Worthington as Alex Mason

Best Performance by a Human Female

- Dame Judi Dench as M
- Danica Patrick as Herself
- Emmanuelle Chriqui as The Numbers Lady
- Felicia Day as Veronica
- Jennifer Hale as Commander Sheppard
- Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman
- Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan
- Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson

Best Downloadable Game

- Costume Quest
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
- Monday Night Combat
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game

Best DLC

- BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den
- Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
- Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
- Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare

Best Independent Game

- Joe Danger
- Limbo
- Super Meat Boy
- The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Most Anticipated Game

- Batman: Arkham City
- BioShock: Infinite
- Gears of War 3
- Portal 2

Uncharted 2 Game of the Year Edition Coming October 12

Sam Naylor — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:39:41 +0000

After about a year and 3.8 million copies sold, it has been announced that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be getting a Game of the Year Edition on October 12.

The game on the disc is exactly the same (sterling work there, guys), but you’ll also get a “super voucher” which lets you download all of this off of the PSN:

PlayStation Heroes Skin Pack
UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack
UNCHARTED 2 Siege Expansion Pack
Currency Multiplier which grants Double XP up to level 10 in Multiplayer
Golden Guns option for the AK-47 and the 92FS 9mm pistol for use in Multiplayer
Early access to “Revenge” Booster – you still have to purchase it with in-game cash!
UNCHARTED: Eye of Indra – Motion Comic Bundle (which includes Episodes 1-4)
UNCHARTED: Eye of Indra – Rika Raja and Daniel Pinkerton Character Skins
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 1
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – Avatar Pack 2
UNCHARTED Avatar Pack 3
UNCHARTED Avatar Pack 4
Pinball Heroes – UNCHARTED for the PSP

Allegedly that content is worth over $35 (if you count list price as the true value of the products). Whether it’s worth buying the game all over again is up to you.

Bethesda announce Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

Sam Naylor — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:58:25 +0000

Similar to their earlier Game of the Year edition of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda have announced that a version of Fallout 3 that includes all of the DLC released so far in the price of admission. Undoubtedly this will be the definitive version, just as it was with the Oblivion GotY version.

The game will release on October 13 and will cost $60 for the console versions and $50 for the PC version. Bethesda have also announced that the DLC for PS3 is coming very soon. Broken Steel is coming on the 24th of September, followed by Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt on 1st October, and then Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta on the 8th. Good news all round, then.

Ripten’s 2008 Games of the Year

Ripten Staff — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:13:05 +0000

Unlike some other websites (we won’t name names, but let’s just say it’s all of them), the best time to proclaim the game of the year is not at the end of the year. How can you adequately compare all of 2008′s games when they kept releasing right up to the end of December? How can you publish a ‘Game of the Year’ article before the year is even over? Obviously, the best time to talk about the game of the year is in the last week of February. Obviously…

After much debate and a little bit of bare-knuckle fighting, we’ve decided to give you each editor’s choice for their personal games of the year, as well as our overall pick afterwards. Enjoy.

Rangebar’s Choice

Whoa, 2008 went by really fast. Taking a look back at a great year full of great games, it’s hard to pick just one game of the year, but I’ve managed to come up with one.

Some of my favorite games of the year have been Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Fable II, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Call of Duty: World at War and SOCOM: Confrontation. Oh, and before I go any further, sorry LittleBigPlanet fanboys, I just couldn’t really get into the game even after a few hours of playing it.

Yep, so those were some of my favorite games of the year, but if I had to narrow it down to one game of the year, I would have to go with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Why you ask? Well, it was the one actual game that just had me so sucked into the story, the amazing gameplay and beautiful graphics, that I ignored any other game that I might have been playing. With some of the other games I listed, I would play other games and go back to them, but with MGS4, it was that game and nothing else, until I beat it of course.

I’m not even a huge fan of the series, (I’ve never even played the third game in the series, and didn’t complete the second) but one of my favorite things about MGS4 was the ability to actually explain the whole Metal Gear story within the game and also gave me a different way of playing in which you didn’t have to be sneaky and quite all the time, unlike past MGS’s.

My Ripten Game of the Year goes to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

John’s Choice

Choosing a game to be the best of the year is a difficult challenge, and considering that most of the offerings out there generally tend to be mediocre at best, it made it even more difficult. How does one choose their own personal Gee oh tee Why? How much fun one had playing the game? Whether or not the technology was dazzling? Perhaps one should pick innovative games… hmmm. The mind is bottled.

After giving it quite a bit of thought, and a bit more thought, I finally decided to give my personal little imaginary trophy to…

Fallout 3!

There were a bunch of great games that were contending for the crown in my brain, but Fallout 3 is almost everything I’ve ever wanted in a game. Awesome combat, great story, kick ass RPG elements, and giant mutant fire-breathing ants! The only thing that could top Fallout 3 in my mind would be an MMO based around the Fallout universe, or maybe the next Star Wars MMO, but they don’t exist so I can’t exactly choose them, now can I?

I was bouncing around LittleBigPlanet for a bit, because as simple and as stupid as I thought it was, it really is a great game and probably the only PS3 exclusive that made me question my hatred for Sony. I also juggled around with Wrath of the Lich King because making WoW actually fun to play again was a feat in and of itself. Other contenders in the squishy grey arena were Warhammer 40k: Apocolypse (which is a table top game so I couldn’t really go with that I guess anyway, but you should see the awesome armies you can field now), Left 4 Dead, and Saint’s Row 2.

Oh, honerable mention to Rock Band 2. I’ve never EVER spent as much money on DLC as I have with that game and it just keeps coming. Harmonix just keeps making things more and more awesome without having to give up the awesome I had before, unlike the other music game that comes out with a different version every month. I never thought I’d actually witness a company more whorey than EA, but I guess anything can happen.

There you go, a little glimpse into the mind of John Landis, and you didn’t even have to get any snot on you. How much better can you get?

Sam’s Choice (tur hur!)

While the most obvious choice fro my game of 2008 would be Left 4 Dead (I did say it was one of the best games ever in my review), I do have a very special mention to give. If you want to know why Left 4 Dead is my game of the year, go read the review. The special mention goes to Metal Gear Solid 4,:Guns of the Patriots. As a big fan of the series, I felt this was a fantastic send off for one of the best characters ever, Solid Snake.

Sure, there are a lot of flaws to the game, but it’s juts one of those games that is so epic (and I don’t use the term lightly) that they can be overlooked. I really wanted Snake’s story to have a proper ending, and I don’t think Kojima could have done a better job. Now my only hope is that he doesn’t add more to the story when the inevitable Metal Gear Solid 5 comes along; MGS4 is a good point to end the series and start something new, I think.

Oh, and another mention goes to Team Fortress 2, even though it came out last year- I still play it almost every day.

For 2009, what I’m most looking forward to is Resident Evil 5. After playing it at the Eurogamer Expo, and being a huge fan of Resi 4, it seems like it’ll be similar enough to be great, but different enough to not be boring. Of course, the DLC for Left 4 Dead and TF2 will keep me playing those games (hell, I’d keep playing them anyway), and Bioshock 2 could be one to watch as well. While I don’t think it’ll match 2008, or even 2007, 2009 should be a great year; too many great games coming out to make a proper decision on which I want the most.

Jonathan’s Choice

Is the measure of a video game’s greatness how fun it is to play? Up until the past year I think i would have said yes. But in 2009 a few games appeared that pushed the medium in that they were both fun to play, and they left a profound, lasting impact. So this is my completely subjective list of games, some fun, some emotionally impactful, and some both.

5. Gears of War 2: This is just a fun game that does something that scores very high with me: bring people together. This generation of consoles does this particularly well and no game does it better over 3 modes of play (Horde stands out) than Gears 2.

4. Fallout 3: They wooed me at E3 and made me stop playing Fable 2, the other great RPG of the fall. I don’t know how Bethesda does it, but they can make 30 hours of gameplay feel like 10.

3. Grand Theft Auto 4: I was once on a TV production set where one of the actors had set up a PS3 and was playing GTA 4 on it. Slowly, cast and crew members, including the director, started to pull up chairs to watch GTA’s patented urban rampages, first on breaks then probably when they should have been making the show. From its themes to its realistic portrayal of criminal and immigrant life, GTA 4 may be first game to get a mature rating that’s actually, in many ways, mature.

2. Gravitation: The only game that’s ever really made me think about my life. It’s abstract, minimalist and indie to the core, but i haven’t been impacted like this by a video game in years, maybe ever. Every gamer should give it a look.

1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: This, being a completely subjective list, gives me the ability to choose the game that i really liked the most for the #1 spot. If your even a marginal star wars fan then you probably think that the concept of Jedi’s are compelling and the Force Unleashed lets you play as a cooler Jedi than any we’ve ever seen in the movies. “Knock yourself out levitating that cup, Luke, I’m going to pull this Star Destroyer out of the sky.” Awesome.

Chad “The Asshole”‘s Choice

Of the games I played in 2008, my favorites would have to be Gears of War 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. All three games captured my interest on different levels and exhibited the attention to detail and fun factor I look for in a top notch game.

Gears 2 offered up a gritty storyline, tons of fast paced action, and a smörgåsbord of multiplayer modes. Konami’s long-awaited MGS4 didn’t disappoint either as it entertained this gamer with a layered plot and stunning presentation.

Together, the two blockbusters above add up to days of non-stop gaming, but if that isn’t enough to quench your thirst for polygons, power up the PC and level yourself to 80 in Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

If you enjoy third person shooters, cinematic masterpieces, and countless hours of MMO gameplay, these three titles will carry you well into the new year.

My overall choice for game of the year, however, is Gears of War 2. Mad props go out Marky Mark Rein, Cliff Blaznats, and the rest of the team at Epic Games.

Dan’s Choice

What a year, and what a shitload of good games to choose from. From boning chicks in PC masterpiece The Witcher to boning chicks in Peter Molyneux’s brainchild Fable 2, how can you choose just one game as the best of the year?

Personally, some of the most fun I’ve had in 2008 has been in co-op play. Games like Rock Band 2, Saints Row 2, and Left 4 Dead kept me interested and having fun far longer than any singleplayer experience I’ve had. It’s quite a shame, then, that a fantastic game like Fable 2 managed to fuck it up so much — its co-op is essentially unplayable.

Even so, those multiplayer experiences haven’t yet been able to tell as compelling of a story or really get you involved in the world as much as an immersive RPG like Fallout 3 or The Witcher. The main drawback of these games, however, is that you will ultimately “max out” your character, beat the game, and have relatively little reason to start over again unless you absolutely must see how different decisions in the game would play out.

So, how do you choose? Which blockbuster game was the best of the year? Grand Theft Auto 4? Overrated. Gears of War 2? Disappointing. Metal Gear Solid 4? …what was that last one again? Sorry, I fell asleep.

Overall, the best game I’ve played in 2008 was… Fallout 3. Even though it’s only singleplayer and ultimately has an ending, I haven’t sunk as much time into any other game and still found myself enjoying it. I thought VATS would get old, but even after 100 hours, I still enjoy seeing slo-mo exploding heads.

I’m still stumbling across new things that I haven’t encountered before, I’m still finding skill books and bobbleheads to increase my stats, and I still have three downloadable content packages to look forward to (at least).

Fallout 3 gets my vote for Game of the Year simply because I’ve gotten the most bang for my buck out of that single $60 disc, and everything it does, it does well… except for the handling of sex, which is decidedly timid and outdated. Fallout 2 was more mature when it came out 10 years ago — I expect more from you next time, Bethesda!

So as you can see, there isn’t one game that our editors found to be the overall best game of the year. There really was no agreement amongst the staff for Ripten’s choice, so we’re declaring the 2008 Ripten Game of the Year to be a game that none of us picked.

Ripten’s 2008 Game of the Year, overall, is officially:

We still don’t know what Tera Patrick has to do with anything, but who cares?

We don’t care what anyone says, not even ourselves. It doesn’t have the best graphics or the best story or the most innovative gameplay, but Saints Row 2 is what games are supposed to be all about: fun. Saints Row 2 offered more than any other game in 2008, and that makes it our Game of the Year. For reals.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Beats Little Big Planet for Ripten Readers Game of the Year

Ripten Staff — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:09:13 +0000

Looks like Ripten readers love them some PS3 exclusives, because Metal Gear Solid 4 put down Little Big Planet by a razor thin margin to win The Ripten Readers Game of 2008. Thank you all for your well thought out and fun comments, you guys really did do us proud and just reassured us that we have the best readers on the entire internets.

Congrats to you, Cody Segraves for winning our best comment contest for your well thought out explanation of your admiration for Valve’s Left 4 Dead, you’ve won a 60 buck game of your choice. Also, congrats to DavidGX for coming in second place, and yes, I know we were only supposed to pick one prize winner, but we liked your impassioned comment about Gears 2′s chainsaw bayonet so much we decided to pull together and send you a used copy of The History Channel Presents: Civil War: A Nation Divided for the Xbox 360. Thousands of bayonets for a bayonet aficionado!

Cody Segraves and DavidGX, email your mailing addresses to Jzungre@ripten.com to collect your games.

Ripten Readers’ Choice: Game of the Year Nominees

Ripten Staff — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:26:43 +0000

2008 was a big year. There were so many great games released that it’s incredibly hard to decide which one deserves to be the Game of the Year… so that’s why we’re going to make you do it. Have a gander at our nominees and let us know which game you think deserves top honors. Additionally, we want to spark some debate as we also want to know which of our nominees is least deserving of Game of the Year.

The best commenter (best arguments, most interesting or humorous comments – as decided by Ripten staff) will also be rewarded with a super awesome prize: a free game! Let your voice be heard!

Our nominees are:

Left 4 Dead

Metal Gear Solid 4

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Grand Theft Auto IV

Fable II

LittleBigPlanet

Fallout 3

Gears of War 2

Not satisfied with our picks? Well, make your case for your Game of the Year and why we should have included your game instead of one of our nominees. Write-ins are acceptable (obviously, since all votes are technically write-ins).

GTA4 Wins VGA Game of the Year

Dan Landis — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:53:10 +0000

Live at the SpikeTV Video Game Awards, the winner for best game of the year was just announced. The title for 2008 now belongs to Grand Theft Auto IV. Among the nominees, GTA4 also won Best Action/Adventure Game, Gears of War 2 won Best Shooter, Metal Gear Solid 4 won Best Graphics and Best Original Score, Media Molecule won Studio of the Year, and Fallout 3 won Best RPG.

Great job, SpikeTV. You have firmly secured your status of being full of shit by selecting GTA4 over any of the other nominees. Even though I expected this from you, I held a small candle of hope that you would pick a game that actually deserved it. I demand a recount!

Video Game Awards to Have Big Suprises and Exclusives

Jonathan Zungre — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:45:09 +0000

Spike TV’s Video Game Awards are tomorrow night at 9 pm and ready to reveal more world premiers than, um, E3. GTA: The Lost and Damned, God of War III, Watchmen… I can’t count the number of games I’m dying see on one hand, plus there’s going to be a “special” Gears of War 2 announcement. Hmmmm…

6^th Annual Celebration To Include Mind-Blowing World Premieres Of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, God Of War III, Brütal Legend, Fight Night Round 4, Mafia II, Terminator Salvation, Uncharted 2, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, A Special Gears Of War 2 Announcement And Other Surprises.

The best part is that it seems that Spike TV has listened to the cries of gamers after last year’s VGA’s and took the emphasis off of celebrities and spectacle and put it back where it belongs: the games.

Sessler vs. Pereira Live Game of the Year Debate

Dan Landis — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:50:37 +0000

Well, here it is. X-Play’s Adam Sessler, after being challenged on his Game of the Year pick of Fable 2, goes on Attack of the Show to debate the GotY live with Kevin Pereira, the man who called out Sessler and said that Fable 2 was “a terrible, terrible choice”. Video follows.

Wow, that was weak. I expected a little better than this. I mean, they only talked about Fallout 3 versus Fable 2, and Kevin made such ridiculously stupid “points” that it almost wasn’t even a debate. Sessler won by far, but that still doesn’t mean Fable 2 should have been game of the year. What do you all think?

Source: G4

Sessler Responds to Pereira Game of the Year Challenge – On Like Donkey Kong

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:23:23 +0000

It’s on like fucking Donkey Kong. In case you missed it, Dan Landis originally reported on his “favorite” G4TV personality — Kevin Pereira — who issued a challenge to Adam Sessler over his selection of Fable 2 as game of the year.

Well, it didn’t take long for Sessler to chime in with a response. Hit the jump for a few choice words of wisdom.

Kevin Pereira Calls Out Adam Sessler over Game of the Year Choice

Dan Landis — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:51:22 +0000

Kevin Pereira, co-host of G4′s Attack of the Show, apparently did not agree with the X-Play choice of Fable 2 as the Game of the Year, citing LittleBigPlanet, Fallout 3, and Left 4 Dead as better choices. At the end of this evening’s show, in fact, Pereira called out Adam Sessler specifically and demanded he defend his choice and said X-Play’s choice was “a terrible, terrible mistake”. Video follows.

While I don’t think it was that bad a choice, I personally would have picked Fallout 3 over Fable 2, but Sessler has a good point in that Fable 2 is much more accessible to a wider audience. And I think Kevin Pereira is kind of a tool, so I’m not quick to want to agree with him on anything. Let’s just see what happens when these two clash.

Call of Duty 4 Crowned King at Interactive Achievement Awards

Dan Landis — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 23:31:25 +0000

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was just awarded Overall Game of the Year at last night’s 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Show. See, we were right!

In addition to Game of the Year, Infinity Ward’s hot little number also called in an airstrike on Console Game of the Year, Action Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play. Activision rejoiced at the kill streak and called in a helicopter.

Robin Kaminsky, Activision’s executive vice president of publishing, had this to say:

“It’s an honor for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to be recognized by the Academy as the best game of 2007. The team at Infinity Ward is committed to delivering groundbreaking entertainment to gamers worldwide and all of the awards are an acknowledgment of their talent, dedication and hard work.”

Jason West, studio head and project lead at Infinity Ward, added:

“We’re thrilled and truly appreciate that our efforts have been recognized by the Academy, especially with the incredible competition this year.”

Apparently, the competition wasn’t as great as we all thought it was. In fact, Call of Duty 4 topped the 2007 sales charts as the number-one, best-selling game worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Chart Track, and GFK Group. The game sold in excess of 7 million copies, even though it was just released in November.

ActiBlizzion has effectively entered Prestige Mode, as I’m sure they are planning on doing this all over again in 2008 with titles like Guitar Hero 4, Tony Hawk 481 (or whatever number they are on now), StarCraft 2, and of course, Call of Duty 5.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review

Patrick Steen — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:27:29 +0000

It would be predictable for this review to start with, “The Playstation 3 needs some killer A-class games to justify its price tag, and Uncharted is it.”. But I won’t (even though I ironically just did start with that…hmm), because it simply isn’t true. No one game should justify the purchase of a console, but Uncharted is a AAA title and it should tempt you to buy a PS3. Naughty Dog’s first PS3 game is the definition of epic, and will make you say “wow” out loud more often than a pubescent teenager in a strip club.

The Naughty Dog team is known as one of the most technically proficient developers in the industry, pushing each of Sony’s systems to it’s limits. From Crash Bandicoot on the Playstation to Jak on the Playstation 2, Naughty Dog have always been at the top of their game. However, it is only with the arrival of the Playstation 3 that they felt they could fulfill their desire to create believable human characters in a realistic setting.

Through this new technology, Uncharted promised to bring a human intensity and realism never seen before in a video game. And though some may insult the game with “Dude Raider” catch phrases, I’d say it just about delivers on its promise.

Uncharted tells a compelling story of an ordinary man (not a buffed up, heavily armoured blokey bloke that is so common in games these days) in extraordinary circumstances, that’s not only set in the jungle, but in a pre-Incan temple, derelict U-boat, abandoned Spanish colony, and more.

The lead, Nathan Drake, believes he’s the descendant of Sir Francis Drake and in search for proof, things go awry. In discovering a 400-year old clue in Sir Francis Drake’s coffin, Nathan finds himself on a hunt for a fabled treasure, but instead ends up stranded on an island hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and out-gunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.

Sounds like a pretty great blockbuster movie plot, doesn’t it? It also sounds slightly generic, but the way the story is delivered in cutscenes and during gameplay is spectacular. Heavenly Sword started to perfect the way a story should be told in a game, with very expressive, life-like characters, but although the facial animation and performances were stellar in that game, the delivery in Uncharted is even more immersive.

Here, the cutscenes aren’t a side spectacle from the game, they are more embedded into the gameplay experience. Much of the story is told while you’re in the game, since you are accompanied by Elena and Sully who provide incidental chatter as you traverse (with accompanying facial animation), smoothing off the transition from cutscene to gameplay.

With characters so endearing that deliver witty one liners (“This is like looking for a bride in a brothel”), a sound track to rival the movies, and a story that twists and turns like the best of plots, this game is going to drag you through at a hell of a pace. And trust me, you won’t be kicking and screaming.

While we’re on the subject of the game’s pacing, lets just say that Naughty Dog’s age and expertise shows here. It might be a bit over the top to say that Uncharted is the best paced game you’ll play this year, but Uncharted is the best paced game you’ll have played this year. Starting the game, the narrative and gameplay build up is quite gradual, leading you through the story with platforming and simple puzzles, but then things pick up. From here on in, lengthy and exciting gunfights are built up to a crescendo and then reigned back by rest periods of exploration, cutscene, or a simple puzzle.

Plus, when you think things are starting to get a bit similar, Naughty Dog will throw you into a completely different environment, or into one of the vehicle sections in the game. The level design here is second to none. Each environment is so well designed and varied that most developers would be happy to use just one of them for their whole game, and as you get to the latter part of the game you may be able to think of some games that do indeed take this design philosophy (Gea…Resi… ok, no names).

But Naughty Dog has created such a wide variety of environments, from jungles, to forts, underground caverns, to… well we’ll keep that a secret – you’ll want to shoot through them just as much as sit back and marvel at them as Drake places his hands on his hips (I looked for a picture of Drake with his hands on his hips, but no can do, so this will have to suffice).

As for the graphics, let’s get some minor criticisms out of the way first. The framerate is generally very stable, and even surprisingly so when other games on the market struggle to keep up with lesser graphics, but there are a few moments of tearing. Now, my advice to you is to play the game in its intended 720p resolution, rather than the later added 1080i (to aid those with televisions that don’t support 720p), to make these moments of tearing few and far between.

Second, at the beginning of a couple of the levels there is some texture pop-in. This means the high-resolution textures haven’t loaded onto the objects yet, and “pop” onto them. I shall now tell you why this doesn’t really matter. It could be criticized as something that takes you out of the game, but since the game’s environments are so detailed and compelling, they usher you back in oh so very quickly, making you forget it ever happened.

Plus, there is no loading in the game. Zero loading, nothing at all after the initial load. Want to skip a cutscene and carry on playing? You’ll be put right back into the game environment. Keep on dying? Well you’ll respawn at a handy automatic save point, immediately. So if we have to suffer a little bit of texture pop on a couple of the many levels, then so be it. I’ve seen worse.

Moreover, the textures in the game are a step up for consoles. Every surface is painted with a collection of distinct textures, meaning a wall not only has a brick texture, it has a dry moss texture, a shiny painted surface, sections broken off revealing the cement below, and it’ll look wet if it’s by water. The wet effect is very convincing for the game’s visual style. This layering has in a sense been done before, but not to this extreme, or with such a strong artistic vision.

You see, before Uncharted most textures would reveal a repeated pattern when you get up close, making all textures very similar and even pixelated when you got closer. But Naughty Dog went to the trouble of painting all their textures by hand (usually textures are photographic based) creating as many as possible so they could layer them on top of one another and make every section look unique. Oh and a common cop-out by developers is to have low-resolution ground textures, but not here, they are just as good as the rest.

Uncharted has great textures. So what? Well Gears of War is lauded as a graphical show piece mainly due to both its artistic vision and its high resolution textures. Uncharted, however, trumps Gears of War, for the sheer amount of unique texture surfaces, even when in similar dark sections.

Uncharted also has the best graphics you’ve ever seen on consoles for many other reasons. Your HDTVs are going to be flooded with water– the best looking and moving water you’ve ever seen. Naughty Dog put a hell of a lot of effort into this, and it shows. The reflections and the movement of the water when Nathan is swimming in it makes you want to lick your television, though that’s because of Nathan and not the water (Ooh, Saucy).

Oh, and Nathan gets wet quite realistically, with only the parts of him that touch water getting wet. It must be said though that the water splashes don’t hold up as well as the water itself, looking more like 2d sprite effects, something which Naughty Dog should tackle in their next game.

What helps make the water and everything look so good though is the lighting. Watching the reds and oranges of a sunset glint on the water and merge into the reflections of the green jungle is a triumph of modern graphics engines. The lighting continues to impress in the jungle, filtering through the many leaves and foliage, casting shadows on the forest floor.

Shadows that are crisp like potato chips, unlike other games that have jaggy or flickering shadows. And since the jungle is living and breathing, the plants and trees sway in the wind and cast moving shadows over the ground and Nathan himself. All this is a marvel, and continues to impress even in the tombs, where torches and flames create ominous shadows over ancient carvings.

When we look to Nathan Drake we can see an “every man” character, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that gets dirtier throughout the game. His clothes wrinkle dynamically to his movement and heavy breathing, and his face animates realistically during combat, from fear to anger.

What makes him an every man? Some might say that if Drake can scale walls, wield an AK-47 and kill pirates with relative ease, that he can’t really be an every man? However, the description seems to influence his character design, his dialog, but mostly his movements, which see him stumbling during platforming and combat.

Naughty Dog’s animation system really comes up trumps here, with Nate changing from state to state fluidly. Drake has over 3500 animations that really bring him to life and make sure you seldom see him perform the same action more than once. For example, throughout the game you’ll be taking cover, which will never induce deja vu because Drake has a multitude of cover positions.

What makes the animations even more impressive is that Naughty Dog can layer animations on top of one another. This means that when Drake is running he can dodge bullets, jump over obstacles, reload and show fear on his face all in one smooth movement. It’s very satisfying and convincing during combat and traversal, putting Uncharted at the top of the animation game, alongside Assassin’s Creed.

One minor problem with Drake’s animation is that he begins to move slightly before his walking/running animation has started, giving the impression that he’s stepped on a banana skin every time he sets off. However, this isn’t too noticeable unless you’re looking at his feet, which you won’t be.

Onto the most important factor of any game – the gameplay. Everything makes or breaks right here. And I’m glad to say, Uncharted makes it and wraps it up in a badass bow. The main bulk of the game is combat, which takes the form of cover-based shooting. Drake can take cover behind objects by pressing circle (the same button for rolling), so it’s both easy and intuitive. You can roll into cover, and from cover to cover, which all happens quickly and as expected.

Once behind cover you can aim and shoot at the many enemies. It’s also possible to shoot blindly, meaning Drake just pops his gun over the cover without looking. This is also helpful in run and gunning if you don’t feel you have the time to aim – taking on more prominence later in the game.

The shooting mechanics work gloriously well, with the level design helping enormously, since there’s a number of ways to kill your foes depending on your tactics. The AK-47 does feel slightly underpowered, but as you move on through the game, the guns increase in power and usefulness. There will be a lot of encounters, but what makes these fire fights so compelling is the enemy and companion A.I.

The pirates have been on the coffee that’s for sure (apart from the fat shotgun guys). They’ll take cover like you, and if you hang back too much they’ll either come charging after you, or they’ll throw a well placed grenade to flush you out. You’ll be on your toes the whole time, but the key to success is locating all the enemies, and being mobile. Don’t be passive, you must be active.

With the A.I. being so clever, and incredibly active in Hard (and Crushing), each firefight is going to play out differently – especially when you have a limited amount of bullets. You’re going to have to make sure you down the pirates quickly just so you can get their ammo to kill the rest.

Much of the game also sees you with Elena by your side, who isn’t a slouch. She’ll down enemies when your firing skills are lacking, and she’ll even push you forward if you’re being a coward. There’s many a time when you’ll shout “Elena slow down, you’ll get killed”, when actually she’s got herself into a much better position than you have.

To up the variety, Drake can also melee using a number of combos. Brutal combos, pure punch ups, and even stealth kills that come in very handy when you want to get your Metal Gear on. You couldn’t really ask for more, except for maybe the ability to whack enemies round the head with a stick or crowbar.

In our demo preview we mentioned that Drake cannot crouch. This is true, but generally isn’t a problem. The reason being that the combat sections are so fast paced and there’s always high and low cover to hide behind, that you seldom feel the need to squat, except perhaps when you’re on higher ground. Naughty Dog should definitely consider including this ability in their next game – as crouching and crawling through tight spaces would also increase Drake’s exploration and platforming capabilities.

It is these capabilities that make Uncharted such a well paced game after the action packed combat sections. These platforming sequences are compelling, accompanied by sweeping camera angles that induce vertigo and a sense of urgency. Although engaging and accompanied by spectacular views and stellar animation, this traversal can be a tad simplistic. Drake generally won’t miss a jump, and the traversal’s difficulty doesn’t really ramp up as the game goes on.

A similar concern can be placed towards the game’s few puzzles, which can be solved with a glance at Sir Francis Drake’s notebook (a nice addition). I myself would prefer a bit more difficulty in these sections, but then again this would conflict with the action pacing of the game. Furthermore, what makes you want to replay the game is the combat, and having to traverse some lengthy areas that throw you to your death would make you turn the game off quicker than you can say “Spaniard”. Thus, learning from the school of God of War instead of Soul Reaver for puzzles, and from Ratchet and Clank instead of Prince of Persia for platforming is fitting for the game, but I wouldn’t mind more challenge here. Moreover, the games finale could have been more epic if it incorporated some platforming to continue the battle, since it feels slightly simplistic, but I’ll leave that for you to discover.

The few vehicle sections in the game are generally impressive and satisfying. A Jeep chase is fast and exciting, with some of the most impressive visuals in the game (and thus of all time) as the trees fall down on your pursuers when you shoot at their trunks (the tree’s trunks, not your pursuers…there’s no time for swimming unless you’re Drake and sadly you don’t get to see him in his trunks).

The jet-ski levels are also godly to look at, with moving water reflecting the surrounding buildings, but when you have to stop to aim your weapon and avoid fuel barrels, the pace is not as exciting. Although being in control of both Drake (driving the jetski) and Elena (wielding the gun) is important, the ability to shoot whilst moving might have helped here, something which is solved in the final very creative jetski section. Nothing like this has been seen before and should be praised for what it does. Sadly, both many others (myself included) presume that you still have to stop to shoot in this chapter also, until we slip our finger across the shoot button. A signpost might have helped here.

What of the replayability? For a single-player game, this is the best you’re going to get. Naughty Dog has outdone themselves, giving you everything you’d want for your hard earned monies. The adventure lasts around 10-15 hours depending on how much you gawk at the environments, and even then the game underestimates how much time you’ve spent on your run-through.

To bulk this out there are four difficultly levels, which increase the A.I.’s cleverness as you move to Hard, and then to the insanely difficult Crushing. There are then medals to earn, such as 100 headshots, or 5 stealth kills, in addition to 60 treasures hidden throughout the levels. These can be a bitch to find, but when you have a llama or monkey rendered in real-time to show off for your troubles, who can complain?

To top this off, the medals and treasures tot up a score that will unlock new character skins, new rendering modes (black and white, an amusing next-gen mode), art work, behind the scenes films, and options to slow everything down, speed it up, or mirror the world. This latter option will mirror the levels (and cutscenes – nice touch Naughty Dog) making them almost brand new – creating an extra challenge after you’ve completed crushing, since the cover and enemies will no longer be in their expected places. All in all, the longevity for this single-player game is immense.

Before we conclude, lets make this very clear. This ain’t no Tomb Raider! Drake isn’t Lara Croft. He can’t do somersaults, doesn’t have disproportionately large knockers (oh well), and he doesn’t suck at shooting. The perfected cover mechanics displayed in Uncharted put it so much above Tomb Raider in this area, that mentioning them together just doesn’t make sense. The isolation felt in Lara’s world, isn’t felt here. You have companions, you have non-stop action, and you have a likeable character, with the English taking their rightful place as the villain, not the protagonist (that’s coming from a Brit). Plus Drake is far more attractive *wink*.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune succeeds in so many ways. It has the best console graphics to date, gob-smackingly good cutscenes, a modest yet twisting plot, an incredible soundtrack, perfect pacing, and combat that you’ll want to keep returning to. Only the simplicity of the platforming and puzzling, as well as the slow paced jetski levels hold it back from being a true masterpiece.

But if you don’t play this game, you really are missing out. You need to buy this game…right now. Because with games struggling to hit the wow factor this generation, Uncharted is one game that surely does, and should definitely be in your runnings for Game of the Year. So long, and make sure to mind your head on the way out. Drake, you devil you.

(Check out some more of Richard Diamant’s artwork for the game here.)