Advertisement

Article

5 games you might have missed in 2011

Christopher Park

Christopher Park

  • Updated:

2011 was an excellent year for gaming. Games like Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Dead Space 2 were fantastic. But these are all triple A games with massive development cycles behind them.

Smaller, but equally amazing games came out in 2011, but didn’t all have their time in the spotlight. These games may not be high definition or 100 hour experiences, but they are excellent examples of how independent games are becoming a great source for variety.

Here are five of these games that are worth playing:

Bastion

Loved by critics and players, Bastion is an action role-playing game. Instead of  highly detailed graphics like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim this game looked like a cartoon. The experience in Bastion is different because of the dynamic commentary that parallels the action on the screen. Bastion is both a throwback to old gameplay and a fresh feeling game in today’s market.

From Dust

I think in simplest terms, From Dust is a “God” sandbox/simulator. You manipulate the world from a first person perspective, controlling lava, soil, and water to create or destroy the world. Even though the game only has two modes (Story and Challenge), there are interesting mechanics in the gameplay that keep things interesting. God games have been out of fashion for years, so it was great to see one again of such high quality.

The Binding of Isaac

The Binding of Isaac showed that 2D games still had a place for current players. The dark and twisted plot surrounding the mature gameplay created a tense and frantic experience. Using old elements like hearts representing the life of Isaac and a huge variety of power-ups made the game instantly recognizable to older PC players. Add the randomly created levels and The Binding of Isaac’s multiple endings make the game readily re-playable.

Limbo

Even though Limbo released in 2010 for Xbox 360, a lot of players didn’t get the chance to play the game until 2011 when it came out on all platforms. The stark visuals may seem simple, but the gameplay experience is what sets Limbo apart from a lot of other platform games. Even Jon said “Limbo is a must play game. Scary, tense and dreamlike, there is nothing else quite like it.”

Minecraft

I admit that Minecraft was a huge game for 2011. Jon wrote a lot of tutorials about Minecraft throughout the year too. The game is the best throwback to 8-bit gaming in a 3D world. It’s an amazing achievement far a small team –  developing a great gaming experience that is accessible to millions. You may have missed Minecraft in 2011, so go and check it out now!

Christopher Park

Christopher Park

Latest from Christopher Park

Editorial Guidelines