So what is everyones GOTY (Game Of The Year) for 2011?

[Malum In Se]

My top 3 would be:

1. Skyrim
2. Gears of War 3
3. Dragon Age 2

Honorable mention would Warhammer 40K Space Marine. The game was OK but I love the Warhammer 40K universer from the Dawn of War PC strategy game series.

[KOKitten]

My top 3 were:

1) Dragon Age 2 – I know many fans of DA:O were disappointed with DA2 but I loved it. BioWare has a knack for creating interesting and endearing characters and DA2 was no exception. In games such as ME 1 & 2, DA:O and DA2, your character and squad members have individual identities which can be fleshed out. Having a party member who has an opinion or some investment in the main conflict makes the story richer, rather than just bringing along a random dude to help you hack & slash.

The story unfolding over a definitive time frame, characters and lore appearing from DA:O, NPC dialogue differing based upon your protagonist’s alignment, improved party banter, and fantastic DLC all contributed to DA2 being my favorite game released in 2011.

2) L.A. Noire – Rockstar is another studio which I can count on for amazing characters. The protagonists in Rockstar’s games are complex characters. They’re flawed human beings yet you still find yourself liking them and supporting them. Cole Phelps is a decorated war hero and police officer who is haunted by his past. He’s not one to engage in unethical actions in his job but he engages in an act which is considered immoral in his personal life. Cole appears as a courageous, self-controlled individual yet from his memories we see he can be petty, cowardly, and doesn’t always keep his cool. Rockstar did a fantastic job evolving Cole’s character throughout the game.

The rendition of L.A. in the 40’s was stunning. It was a fitting location for the game. Like a Hollywood creation, events in the game showed that things are not often as they seem. People operate under a façade. A veneer of glitz covers the dirt underneath. Fantastic storytelling and presentation.

3) Gears of War 3 – I enjoyed all three Gears games. The second improved upon the first, both in gameplay and in the story, and the third improved upon the second. That’s something which can’t be said for all sequels and is a tremendous credit to the developers.

[KAZUYA]

Gears 3

[mikey mud]

Of the 2011 games I've played:

1. Batman: Arkham City. I played Arkham Asylum and Arkham City back-to-back, was very impressed by the first game, and really awed by how they made the gameplay even more addictive in the sequel.

2. NHL 12. Only minor improvements over its predecessor, my main gripes usually come in multiplayer modes, specifically in the painful matchmaking system which will pair our amateur (at best) team with Elite playoff champs more than half the time. Still, I think it's the best team sport video game out there (yeah, I know, I haven't played FIFA), and I can't put it down.

3. Dragon Age II. I really appreciated the streamlined combat and the graphical improvements. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the plot. This is the first Bioware game in which I avoided all the post-launch DLC.

4. L.A. Noire. My first Rockstar game. I think the studio came up a little short in their ambitions here. The city was pretty, but at the same time somehow lifeless. While the mysteries weren't very hard, I found the interrogation sequences either outrageously obvious or painfully misleading. However, no matter how hard one failed, you could move on. I found the 'detective' part of it somewhat disappointing. Loved the 'noire' feel and I even liked the twist in the final set of stories. Still, it comes up short because I feel it could have been much much more.

And, yeah...I haven't played Gears of War 3 yet. I'll get right on that after I play GoW and GoW2.

[bigstorm12]

batman: arkham city
skryrim

thats about it for what ive spent most of my time on.