AWARDS SEASON: BEST GAME OF THE YEAR 2011

Overall winner

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Honourable mentions

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Dark Souls

ASSASSIN'S CREED: REVELATIONS

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THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM (2011) REVIEW

Engaging, enchanting and exceptional.

PC and PS3 versions reviewed.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open world RPG published and developed by Bethesda for the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

GAMEPLAY
Now gameplay is something Bethesda have improved over the past Elder Scrolls titles from Morrowind to Oblivion and now given it a further upgrade in Skyrim. While It may not be the best combat system I've ever used it still gets the job done and serves up an interesting perk system to add to the experience, but I believe Bethesda have focused more on the exploring part of the game which I have no problem with, it offers something different to the so linear games we see dominating the market these days.

Continuing on gameplay, you can almost pick up and use anything in this game from buckets to tiny pieces of chalk, this is another great boost to immersion in this game but comes at the price of a few bugs here and there.

The menus in this game do what they're supposed to do and arrange the categories of the game nicely, it can be a pain to go through if you have a full inventory though. Loading screens are nicely thought out with facts and lore to slightly enhance the experience, perhaps one of the downsides though is how long some loading screen can be for consoles.

The game is packed full of things to do and places to see, the in-game world is massive and full of secrets to find. It's easy to say your just going on for a few minuets but then finding yourself still playing after unintended hours.

STORY


GRAPHICS

The graphics, while not among the best of 2011 are still very strong and only help in immersing you into the world of Tamriel even more, from the snow covered shores to the dark caverns under the ground. The variety of things to see is rich as well whether that's waterfalls, mountains or old ruined forts. The world really feels alive and handcrafted. If you own the PC version of the game you can even improve the graphics further with the help of the brilliant modding community. 

SOUND
The Soundtrack to this game is simply a masterpiece from the familiar Jeremy Soule. Just strolling in the plains or fighting in one massive battle, the music is always keeping touch with what's happening on the screen. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back or slowly walk around to absorb the fantastic world and brilliant ambient music. Jeremy Soule has truly outdone himself with these sweeping scores.

VALUE FOR MONEY
As for the game being worth the price tag, I couldn't recommend any game further more then Skyrim, no other game can come close to the 600 hours I spent in this game and it could be a while before another does. 

OVERALL
In my opinion Skyrim is the best Elder Scrolls game yet, improving on everything it's predecessors got wrong and pm right. 
While I doubt we will ever get a "Perfect Game" I believe TESV: Skyrim is the closest we may see for a while, I've loved my time in it and can't wait to see what Bethesda have to offer for TES6 so that's why I'm giving Skyrim a 10 out of 10 - I was wrong. There actually is a perfect game, it's called Okami.

CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3 (2011) REVIEW

All style, no substance.

PS3 version reviewed.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first person shooter published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward in collaboration with Sledgehammer Games for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii & PC.

This review has some spoilers!

GAMEPLAY

The same as MW2, ignoring any innovations BO made, a case in point being diving into prone, which you could do in BO, is no longer an option. You would think Infinity Ward could at least implement some minor upgrades from Treyarch's instalments, instead it seems they want to ignore that another developer is at least trying new things with the franchise.

Another such example is the playable character, one of the great parts about BO was that the protagonist actually had a voice, while here you've been reverted back to random goon with no voice what so ever. The main character you'll play as is Yuri, who won't talk at all, but the moment you play as someone else and he's around he will talk. Why do that? What does that achieve? There are so many moments where your character could have said something and they don't, it's infuriating.

There is a tacked on survival mode that seems to have been created in the hope or replicating Treyarch's zombies, however this mode is just a generic horde mode. You get better guns, the rounds keep going and more enemies spawn. There is no story or anything to try and make the experience more memorable.

The AI teammates are pretty useless and only really seem to be there to trigger events, I'm not sure they even really help you take enemies down either, more so just watch and shout things at you. I can't even really remember any of the characters who were introduced, not that any of them really mattered anyway.

The multiplayer maps are bland, boring and uninspired, none of them are memorable and they grow stale pretty quickly. They're really disappointing in comparison to some other games in the series too, such as MW1, which had great maps by the dozen, all with different ways to come out on top. With MW3 most the maps can pretty much approached the same way with the same load outs. Where's the fun in always using the same gun, rather than having to switch from an assault rifle to a shotgun because of the advantages you will gain on the map.

A lot of the game seems to be a copy and paste from MW2, killstreaks are mostly the same, many guns feel the same, even some maps seem to carry a resemblance.

If you've seen the trailers and seen the car chases or submarine rides, thinking they look like cool additions to the game, then you'll be disappointed to learn that all those things are pretty much just part of scripted sequences or tired turret sections. Even the most destructive moments of the game all happen as you simply watch on. I'd go as far to say that this game feels like a Hollywood action blockbuster that has little heart and only wants to show you explosions. You would have thought the game would at least let you have some leverage in that regard.

STORY

The only real story going on in the game involves Price and Soap going after Makarov, the rest of the characters are just shooting things really. There isn't really much to say about it, you just go from A to B trying to track him down. There is the whole back drop of World War 3 too, but you'll never really learn much about that, because something of that scale certainly deserves little attention. The most you'll really get about the whole World War 3 thing is that Russia has invaded much of Western Europe and the USA, so get moving soldier. What I'm saying is that all the other levels outside the Price and Soap ones are pretty pointless.

The previous Modern Warfare instalments are infamous for certain events that take place during the story and stirred up controversy, MW1's nuclear weapon and MW2 "No Russian" level certainly put the series in the limelight, however what you thought of either doesn't matter, the fact is that they did add to the story in both games. MW3 again tries to catch those controversial headlines with a gas attack happening in France. The problem with this is that it doesn't add to the story at all, it's an obvious attempt at grabbing headlines.

GRAPHICS

Looks pretty much the same as MW1, it might even look worse than BO. Considering how much the franchise brings in a year, you would think that the graphics could be improved.

SOUND

Brian Tyler's soundtrack does its job, although I'm not sure you'll remember any of the themes for long to come. Voice acting and SFX all seem fine and in order.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The only thing that has advanced from Modern Warfare 2 is the story, everything else is pretty much the same as the previous instalments in the series, if perhaps even worse. If you're up for more Modern Warfare then this game will probably do, however if you feel like you're growing tired of the franchises repetition and seemingly backwards steps, then this won't be worth the money.

OVERALL

Modern Warfare 3 loves to show you spectacles, but rarely really lets you take part in them, and I think that sums the game up quite well. It has a lot of flash, but doesn't really expand upon that. There is no innovation over either of its predecessors and it even takes numerous steps back from Black Ops. Unless you're a big fan of the series and aren't getting tired of the same old formula you should ignore this one.

UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE'S DECEPTION (2011) REVIEW

PS3 exclusive.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an action adventure game published by Sony and developed by Naughty Dog for the PS3.

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OVERALL
While Uncharted 3 is another great addition to Naughty Dog's impressive collection, it feels more like a side step rather than the next step big step forward.

DOCTOR WHO: THE ADVENTURE GAMES (2010) REVIEW

An adventure not worth exploring.

PC exclusive.

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games is an adventure game published by BBC Multimedia and developed by Sumo Digital for the PC.

GAMEPLAY
Bad controls

Awful AI

Very basic stealth and a few puzzles, that's all the game really comprises of

STORY
A few interesting ideas but incredibly lacking for Doctor Who standards

GRAPHICS

Actually looks alright when you consider the budget the game was probably given

SOUND
Murray's Gold Doctor Who soundtrack is fantastic, however you will get bored of hearing some of the songs repeating in this game, especially the one that plays every time during stealth segments.

VALUE FOR MONEY

As a free game you could understand its flaws and failures, but now they're charging for the game, and this game is far from being worth £15.

OVERALL
The only redeeming quality to this game was that it was a free Doctor Who game that tried something that wasn't browser based or the unmentionable Return to Earth game for the Wii. However it was only free in the UK, and is now only available for £15. Even when it was free only the most die hard Doctor Who fans should have even fathomed playing this, and even then it would probably have best been advised against.

It's a shame really because you can just imagine the potential that the Doctor Who licence could have if the BBC weren't so strict with it and let a developer really go crazy with it. Sadly, as long as the BBC continue their practices with video games this probably won't change.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH (2011) REVIEW

Nice idea, not great execution.

PS3 version reviewed.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a hack and slash RPG published by Warner Bros. and developed by Snowblind Studios for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

GAMEPLAY
Combat is decent, should be satisfying to hack and slash fans

Empty dialogue tree that will always lead to the same outcome

Switching characters takes too long

Bosses were really easy, except the first one, it's not like you even have to think about how to combat most of them, I found most of them could be finished pretty quickly by ranging them at the start until you run out of arrows, before being able to move in and use the old hit and dodge combo. Most of the bosses seem to keep a similar move set through the fight too, so they don't really require much thinking or change in strategy.

While plenty of the levels look nice, the dull feeling the game gives off is odd, as I'm not sure how they managed to do that with the LotR licence. Perhaps it's because every level feels so linear, you really are forced along a small narrow path for most of the game rather than being able to even slightly explore your surroundings.

Online can be messy, if you can actually find someone to play with

STORY
The characters are really boring.

GRAPHICS
The eagles and dragons look great

Everything else looks okay

SOUND
Not really that memorable but it does sound a bit LotR-esque at times, so in that regard it's alright.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Around 12 hours for main story

OVERALL
War in the North fails to stand out in a busy market, leaving little reason to play it, releasing next to huge games that will cater to similar crowds, such as Skyrim. It might be worth giving a go if you see the game on sale and enjoy the world of Middle-Earth, but don't expect anything special.

BATTLEFIELD 3

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PAYDAY: THE HEIST

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PC version .

Payday: The Heist is a first person shooter published by Sony and developed by Overkill Software for the Playstation 3 and PC.

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MINECRAFT

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A GAME OF THRONES: GENESIS

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DARK SOULS

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PC version.

Dark Souls is a RPG published by Bandai Namco and developed by FromSoftware for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

GAMEPLAY
Excellent world design with inter-connected world, and obvious cues paid to Legend of Zelda and Team Ico

Great depth and variety of classes and skills with nice and challenging boss battles, Ornstein and Smough a particular highlight.

STORY
Deep lore that asks you to explore it

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ARTORIAS OF THE ABYSS EXPANSION

THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS

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L.A. NOIRE

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CRYSIS 2 (2011) REVIEW

PS3 version reviewed.

Crysis 2 is a first person shooter published by EA Games and developed by Crytek for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

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HOMEFRONT REVIEW

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PS3 version.

Homefront is a first person shooter published by THQ and developed by Kaos Studios for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

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