Now it's time to continue on down the list and take a look at the games that made it into the top 5-3 places. These are some of my favorite video games of 2011 and if you are an avid gamer then every one of them is worth checking out.
5: Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
I'm sure many people will shrug their shoulders at Space Marine and dismiss it as nothing but a passable Gears of War clone.
I can certainly agree that Space Marine did not revolutionize 3rd person shooters in any way, but that does not mean that it is not a ton of fun.
Granted my love of all things Warhammer 40k may be influencing my judgement, however I truly think that the visceral combat that this game offered us is an experience that you can't find in very many other games of 2011. As I wrote in my review of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine it feels great to blast Orks to pieces with your hefty bolter from afar, only to then charge straight at the filthy greenskins and carve them to pieces with your whirring chainsword.
Even with my weakness for power armored Space Marines I can't overlook some of the issues with this game, though. Even though the combat felt pretty satisfying, the monotony of the gameplay did start to drag towards the end of the game.
I'd also really have appreciated less corridor shooting sequences and have had some more big battles to fight in, which would really have given us the chance to immerse ourselves into the role of a Space Marine in the middle of a large war.
Oh well, maybe something for the sequel I guess?
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| Just look at that screenshot and tell me that doesn't look fun! |
4: Gears of War 3
Speaking of games that are similar to Gears of War.. Gears of War 3 is one of those!
I skipped playing Gears of War 2. I found the first game to be enjoyable but ultimately somewhat forgettable. So it was more out of a sense of "I really should play this game" rather than "man, I can't wait to play this!" that I fired up Gears 3.
Luckily the game turned out to be incredibly well put together and I even became quite interested in the story and the characters, which is something that took me completely by surprise. While Gears of War 3 of course presents very good cover based shooting, this was something that I was expecting, but a good story that actually made me give a damn about these muscle monsters? That was unexpected!
I had a good time in the company of Gears of War 3, which you can also read about in my full review of the game. The 3rd person shooter genre has always been something that I have enjoyed but rarely where I've found my best gaming experiences. Gears 3 managed to really grab me in a way that these types of games normally just can't, so for that it deserves a high place on my list.
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| They may look like completely one dimensional stereotypes, but the game does a great job of making them interesting |
3: Dawn of War 2: Retribution
More Warhammer 40?! Yes, I'm afraid so. You see, I'm a big RTS fan and Dawn of War 2 combines a great RTS with a great setting, so when Relic released their latest stand alone expansion pack for the game I naturally gobbled it up like the Eye of Terror gobbled up Eldar Crone Worlds (errrm... that's quickly and voraciously to all the non-Warhammer 40k buffs out there).
The expansion contains a campaign that can be played through by any of the six factions that include 40k favorites such as Space Marines and Orks. The single player campaign uses the same mechanics as the previous Dawn of War 2 campaigns, in that it is mostly free of base and unit building (there is a bit more than in previous outings, tho) and instead focuses on you guiding a handful of units through various missions, picking up loot as you go along and leveling up and getting new abilities.
The multiplayer part of Dawn of War 2, which I've previously posted some video of, is incredibly deep and, like the single player mode, the focus is much more on how you use your units rather base building or just trying to zerg your opponent with sheer weight of numbers. It's without a doubt the most fun I've ever had in a multiplayer RTS (and I've had a lot of fun in multiplayer RTS's, this one time in RTS camp... oh nevermind). Multiplayer also makes for a fun spectator sport, and just watching top players fight it out is great fun.
Let me put it this way; I've currently played 461 hours of Dawn of War 2 according to Steam and I still feel like playing more of it. I guess I should probably take my own advice and do a check of the 10 signs that you may have played too much Dawn of War 2.
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| These Imperial Guardsmen are about to eat a ceramic knuckle sandwich |
Remember also that you still have a chance to vote in the "Reader's Choice" award in the poll at the top right corner of the site and let us know, what game you think is the best sci-fi game of 2011.
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