Best of 2011: Games
Game: Batman: Arkham City
Genre: Action/Adventure
Studio: Rocksteady Studios

My personal pick for game of the year. When Arkham Asylum came out, it took everyone by surprise, first and foremost by being a good superhero game. Scratch that, a near-perfect superhero game. Rocksteady could’ve just put out another game almost exactly the same as Asylum, but they didn’t rest on their laurels. They upped everything. Story, missions, gameplay, you name it, they bettered it. While it’s not a game I find myself coming back to often, it’s a game I certainly couldn’t put down. They completely fixed the boss battles, with Mr Freeze being not only a standout of the game, but a standout of boss battles in general. If you only buy one game from last year, make sure it’s this one.

Best of 2011: Games
Game: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Genre: Action/Adventure 
Studio: Ubisoft Montreal

Assassin’s Creed was ultimately a huge let-down for me. The gameplay wasn’t great, the main character was a snore and don’t even get me started on those goddamn lunatics that push you around! Assassin’s Creed II was a huge step up. New, likable protagonist, hugely involving story and time period and perfect controls. Brotherhood took that formula, made some tweaks, and made it even better. So logic would dictate Revelations would be even better, correct? Well, in some aspects, it is. I can’t really get into Constantinople the same way I got into Rome, but I’ve actually only played around 2 or 3 hours so far, so there’s plenty of time for it to grow on me. I’m not a fan of crossing the river for every mission, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. The hookblade is already a blessing. Before I begin to ramble, however, the long and short of it is, even a half decent Assassin’s Creed game is worthy of a top ten mention, because the series has just become that good.