Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2011

By Eurogamer staff Published 31 December, 2011

Hole in one.

Was 2011 a great year for gaming or wasn't it? Regardless of where you stand on that particular debate, it's been responsible for some of the medium's finest efforts. Going through our Games of 2011 has provided some heartening reading, and the likes of Bastion, Quarrel and Clash of Heroes HD go to show that when it comes to "Actual New Games" we've had our fair share over the last 12 months.

But it's the sequels and new instalments in long-running series that have, perhaps predictably, taken the limelight, and they've presented fascinating insights into how different developers approach the sometimes sticky business of iteration. Eidos Montreal pulled off a commendable balancing act with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, managing to replicate the 1999 original while offering an entirely new vision, while Nintendo once again revived and renewed its two most well-worn mascots with the dizzying one-two punch of Super Mario 3D Land and Skyward Sword.

Elsewhere, Dark Souls spread the punishing formula of its predecessor over a wider, more intricate world - and Skyrim trumped its own forebears by creating the most sumptuous and expansive world that the Elder Scrolls have ever unfurled in.

But our own game of the year was the only one blunt enough to carry its sequel status on its sleeve - though the game in question was bold enough to tinker with the very idea of what a sequel can be. And it had to really - what emerged from the test chambers the first time around flew close to perfection, a brilliantly judged and refreshingly small slice of first-person puzzling. Following that up felt like madness, but the result was a giddy and intoxicating madness that was the work of an undoubtedly special developer.

And so, for the third time in the 12-year history of Eurogamer, the honours go to Valve for Portal 2, our Game of the Year 2011.

The Courtesy Call

Tom Bramwell made the step up to become Eurogamer's operations director this year, but that didn't stop him from reviewing the likes of Rage, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Need for Speed: The Run. Because it can't be fun times every day.

"When I look back at this year, the thing I can't help but fixate upon is that some of the magic has disappeared from gaming," says Tom, "Less than a decade ago, Half-Life 2 was able to introduce revelatory new graphics, physics, AI and narrative (remember the scene where you play catch with Dog?) all in the space of one game. These days, I rarely get the same feeling of staring at a new dawn as I once did peering across the oppressive landscape of City 17. Inventing new genres and revolutionising existing ones has grown so much harder that few have the budget or talent for it.

"There are a few exceptions, however, and Valve is perhaps the most obvious and - thanks to Steam - likely to be the most enduring. One of perhaps only two massive studios to Never Make A Bad Game (the other one is Blizzard), the Seattle developer hasn't released anything with quite the same impact as Half-Life 2 since 2004, but it has gotten better at what it does with every release, whether that was telling a story in Portal, making a competitive game entertaining for everyone in Team Fortress 2 or getting complete strangers to have enormous fun working together in Left 4 Dead.

"Portal 2 is almost boringly brilliant at times. It tells a story with a clear beginning, middle and end, it makes you angry and happy and sad and it makes you laugh out loud, it conveys increasingly complex gameplay ideas without confusing you, and of course you never look the wrong way. What I particularly like about it though is that it tells you pretty much everything you could want to know about the Portal facility and its history, but it remains mysterious and interesting beyond its magnificent final sequences. (And I haven't even tried the co-op, which is supposedly amazing).

"When I finished Portal, I remember thinking that it was admirable in that day and age to make a game that wasn't designed to be a multi-game series or, ugh, a "franchise". It was a complete game. It seems weird to say it about a sequel that seemed so unnecessary until around a year ago, but Portal 2 is much the same. The great thing that both situations have in common is that you know, should Valve one day return to Aperture Science, it will be worth the wait. Portal and Portal 2 are the first games in the same series to both claim Eurogamer's Game of the Year, but I doubt they will be the last games made by this wonderful developer to do so."

The Return

Christian Donlan is engaged in a vicious duel to the death with Simon Parkin for the title of 'nicest man in videogames', yet he still finds time to write lovely things about games such as Super Mario 3D Land and Animal Crossing.

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"The puzzles were great," snarls Christian, "but I mainly love Portal 2 because of Aperture Science, a place where hubris has brought brilliant men to their knees, and corporate euphemism has evolved into something truly ghastly. Vast, echoing, and capable of endlessly resculpting itself, it's a weirdly convincing glimpse into a post-human future: part CERN installation, part nuclear bunker, and part Ikea warehouse. It has the best Really Big Doors I've ever seen in a game, and its air of expensive desolation seems like a good fit for a world still reeling from the bizarre collapse of the bond market.

"I read Michael Lewis's excellent book The Big Short recently, which explores the insane and cynical decisions that led to the financial crisis, and the characters and the terminology all reminded me of Aperture Science. If anybody's ever going to make a great game about mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps, it's probably going to be Valve. And it's probably going to have GLaDOS in it."

The Itch

Oli Welsh is Eurogamer's reviews editor, and when he's not busy hammering the '8' button on his keyboard he's writing about such as Blizzard or Zelda.

"I laughed," laughed Oli, "I laughed at the self-aware, silly wit of "Press Space to Speak". I laughed at the balletic, multidimensional slapstick set-pieces of co-op. I laughed when I followed a tangled thread of logic through to a spectacular stunt, like dropping a river of goo from the sky by switching off a tractor beam - amazed and gleeful at the wordless cunning the designers had shared with me. I laughed at the squabbling voices in my head and the animated tics of the psychotic robotics. I laughed at the moon.

"I laughed because I was really enjoying myself. The original game was an ascetic taskmaster, but this long and loving sequel reinvented itself as the consummate great entertainer. There were more intricate, expansive, innovative or all-consuming games this year. There were even more sophisticated ones. But I don't think any others, not even the great Nintendo comebacks, dared to be this much fun."

The Reunion

Simon Parkin is most probably better at Street Fighter than you. He's also quite good at unearthing fascinating untold stories in gaming.

"It's gaming's oldest trick: the mute protagonist, allowing us to project our own thoughts, words and humanity onto the blank slate avatar," says Simon, "But Portal 2's silent heroine Chell invites us to identify with her in deeper ways. She is the white-collar worker in all of us, awakened to the corrupt, abusive system in which she operates in the first Portal, before raging against that machine in this sequel.

"That her weaponry is wits, not bullets, places her closer to us still. She relates to our menial desk jobs better than any Gordon Freeman or Master Chief ever could. Those armoured warriors are metaphors for our night fantasies, gung-ho heroes who shoot first and ask questions never, thoughtless yet cathartic lightening rods for our daily frustrations.

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"Chell, meanwhile, is our daytime fantasy, sticking it to the man with silent, determined quick-wittedness, watching the perverse system crash down about her as she prods at it, not content till the entire corrupt operation has been sucked into space, the void where it belongs.

"Fitting, perhaps, that Portal 2 should be game of the year in which the financial systems of our world collapse about us, silent Guy Fawkes protestors staging sit-ins as the GlaDOS's of our world lurk unseen. Portal 2 is a comedy, for sure, but it is a black one. Wheatley and GLaDOS are two sides of the same, inhumane system, wooing us with their empty promises and cheeky witticisms like so many bank adverts. But beneath the jokes and smiles, these are monsters that want to destroy us. We understand that now.

"Chell allows us to turn the tables, not with guns or flames, but with portals that allow us to turn the system's anger against itself, deflecting it away from us to its point of dastardly origin. In that way, Portal 2's catharsis (and what is a video game if not catharsis written in zeroes and ones) is so much deeper and more satisfying than the adolescent rage of so many first person shooters.

The writing is smarter than any other video game, and the puzzles enjoy a clockwork wonder that allows us all to feel special, smart. But Portal 2's true appeal is in allowing us all to take down our personal Aperture Science Labs, to taste the justice that we all crave. In this way, Portal 2 occupied 2012's hearts more than any other."

The Escape

Kristan Reed created numerous different personas so he could vote for Dark Souls over a thousand times as we rounded-up our games of 2011. Martin voted for Portal 2 a thousand and one times. Sorry Kristan.

"When you've spent most of your year wading hip deep in hundreds of indie downloads or trying to provoke your own mental demise in the bleak depths of Dark Soul, it's tough to find time to play much else," writes Kristan.

"But it would have be akin to prolonged self-harm to deny oneself the velvety goodness offered by a few days in the company of the spring fresh Portal 2. When games emerge with unceasing creativity, it's actually quite depressing in its own way, because it sets the kind of standard that few things can ever live up to.

"From the moment Stephen Merchant's rascally West Country tones cajole you to your senses inside a bland hotel room, there's a dark playfulness to Portal 2 that never lets you off the hook. But more importantly - to my mind - is the proof that games can be witty, crafted, knowing. Portal 2 felt like a clear statement of intent about the kind of quality level that gaming narrative should be attaining, but so rarely does.

"If Merchant's off-the-cuff delivery feels spontaneous, unplanned, lucky, then you're probably on the money. But remember, this is also Valve we're talking about - a developer that frets on and analyses every tiny decision it makes. Nothing went into Portal 2 without a level of care, craft and attention to detail bordering on obsessive, and that's a large part of why it's so unfailingly enjoyable.

"Even when the game's trying to break your brain with indecent puzzle proposals, there's always an elegant solution staring you right in the face. Giving up is never an option. The fact that Valve manages to flesh out an already genius concept in so many surprising directions is also a measure of what we're dealing with here. And who seriously thought the co-op mode would turn out as well as it did? Not me.

"The problem with something this good is that you race to the end because you're loving it so much, and then curse its conclusion in the knowledge that you won't have this much concentrated fun for a long time."

The Surprise

Having reviewed both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 for us this year, Dan Whitehead needs a nice quiet lie down.

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"Portal 2 wasn't my most anticipated title of 2011," Dan recalls, "It was my most dreaded. I loved the first game so much, and yet everything I loved about it was precisely the sort of thing that couldn't work a second time around. Small and perfectly formed, the genius of Portal was inextricably linked to its unassuming nature. In particular, the way the story crept up on you so that by the time you realised you were actually part of a pitch black comedy adventure, you were also three quarters of the way through a superb puzzle game.

"The news that this delicate idea was to be expanded into a longer game, with new abilities, and a robot sidekick, and multiplayer...ugh, it gave me shivers. I wanted to trust Valve, but couldn't see how even one of the greatest studios around could inflate such a beautiful little trinket without making it gaudy and obvious. Shows how much I know. Portal 2 may have lacked the surprise punch of 2007, but it was funnier, smarter and found dozens of ways to fill its playing time without resorting to meaningless padding. And, clearly, that's why Valve actually makes games, while I just blab on about them on the internet."

The Part Where He Kills You

Wesley Yin Poole is Eurogamer's news editor, the man who brought you scoops on the new Kinect and Ueda's Sony departure among countless others.

"It's a s**t version of The Office," says Wes.

Comments (171) Latest comment 5 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DDevil #1 5 months ago

    A great choice for GOTY, but that won't stop lots of moaning below this post :)

  • TheFalc #2 5 months ago

    My New Year's resolution is 800 x 600
    Edited by TheFalc at 31/12/11 @ 08:17

  • danjfor #3 5 months ago

    I, for one, am outraged.

  • Inmediasress #4 5 months ago

    Well at least its not chosen based on the financial success and portal 2 is goty material.

  • figaro7 #5 5 months ago

    Cant argue with that, made my top 3! One of those games that when you sit back and reminisce, it brings a smile to your face, very very few games can do that.

    Out of curiosity, some notable games absent from your best games of 2011, batman arkham city, uncharted 3 and kirbys epic yarn, any idea why?
    Edited by figaro7 at 31/12/11 @ 08:28

  • WrongShui #6 5 months ago

    Oh! This was my top choice too! My life has been validated!

    /validated.

  • Triggerhappytel #7 5 months ago

    "One of perhaps only two massive studios to Never Make A Bad Game (the other one is Blizzard)"

    I would say both Bungie and Naughty Dog belong in that category too. And, without checking their CV on Wikipedia, what about Rockstar North?

    Anyway, good article although I skip parts as I've yet to play the game. Just ordered it from Play a few days ago though, and am looking forward to giving it a proper run-through next year (along with most of 2011's big releases.

  • TheNonk #8 5 months ago

    It's the one game I played this year that felt the least like I was playing a game.

    Haha - I meant that as a positive! Sheesh!!
    Edited by TheNonk at 31/12/11 @ 13:25

  • MrBeast #9 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 08:41:41 31-12-2011

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #10 5 months ago

    @Triggerhappytel
    Oni. Jak X: Combat Racing. With Rockstar North, I suppose it depends whether you count all the old DMA Design stuff...

  • Wyrm #11 5 months ago

    Loved it, but would still have gone for Dark Souls myself.

  • TheNonk #12 5 months ago

    @Oli

    Oni?! ONI?! Oni was awesome back in the day, heathen!!

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #13 5 months ago

    @figaro7
    We use an internal voting system to determine the Games of 2011 list, and it is based more on personal favourites than what we think the obvious big games of the year were. We then pick the top 10 (and the number one for this piece). Both Batman and Uncharted missed out on that list. We reviewed Kirby on import last year.

    We allow for one or two wild cards too, but that's so we can include stuff like Quarrel and Streetpass Quest that won't get discussed otherwise - or so we can let Kieron go on one of his rants.

  • evilboo #14 5 months ago

    This article was too boring to read all the way through. So you all liked the game .. right??

    Edit : I'm impressed I wrote something hardcore enough to be below the viewing threshold! Also, did i mention iit was a fcking boring article!
    Edited by evilboo at 31/12/11 @ 19:32

  • The-Jack-Burton #15 5 months ago

    My GOTY as well. Brilliant in every aspect. Co-op just may be the best gaming experience I have ever had. (And I hate online gaming)

  • Subquest #16 5 months ago

    created numerous different personas so he could vote for Dark Souls over a thousand times as we rounded-up our games of 2011.

    noticed a lot of this going on eh, EG? I dare say you have.

  • SniperZoz #17 5 months ago

    In my top 3 ... but at 3rd pos. BF3 2nd and Skyrim 1st ... for me!

  • PeacockDreams #18 5 months ago

    Portal 2? Erm no thanks

  • DrStrangelove #19 5 months ago

    Yeeeeehaaaaaw ba! ba! ba ba ba! SPACE! ba! ba! ba ba ba!

  • sh4m4n #20 5 months ago

    I agree, rest were all forgettable sequels, i mean does anyone even remember KZ3 or DS2 or even AC:R for that matter ? not me
    1. Portal 2
    2. Deus Ex : HR / The Witcher 2
    3. Rayman Origins
    I also bought Skyrim, Arkham city and UC3 on day one but they don't make my top 3 list.
    Edited by sh4m4n at 31/12/11 @ 09:21

  • jimr9999us #21 5 months ago

    A sequel gets game of the year?

    Please, Eurogamer. I don't have you bookmarked in Portland, Oregon USA for that kind of crap.

    Minecraft? LA Noire? Bastion?

    And if you're gonna pick a sequel...scratch that...
    The Game of the Year should NEVER BE A SEQUEL.

    Anyways, happy new year :)

  • JahB #22 5 months ago

    Odd choice... it was certainly a great game, but I can't help to think there's been a number of better games this year, both in design and execution.

  • Silent-Hal #23 5 months ago

    @jimr9999us

    The best game should win GOTY, regardless of whether it's a sequel or not. Seems pretty obvious to me. If Minecraft or anything else wasn't the favourite, then they didn't deserve to win, regardless of how "original" they were.
    Edited by Silent-Hal at 31/12/11 @ 09:21

  • Jonny5Alive7 #24 5 months ago

    @jimr9999us The goty was a sequel last year too, don't see why that matters. So glad Dark Souls didn't get it, that would be pandering to the elitists a bit too much. Ooh we like it because its so difficult!

  • CaptainQuint #25 5 months ago

    Good to see EG got it right. Portal 2 is a classy piece of gaming arse. I can imagine it sitting at a hotel bar in an elegant cocktail dress; far too sophisticated to even entertain a pickup line.
    Edited by CaptainQuint at 31/12/11 @ 09:29

  • Hellion83 #26 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 20:12:17 01-02-2012

  • Utopolitan #27 5 months ago

    I would have gone with From Dust.

    But of course Portal 2 is a great choice as well.

    I still haven't played Dark Souls and really want to, but it's still horrifically expensive where I live.
    Edited by Utopolitan at 31/12/11 @ 11:09

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #28 5 months ago

    For the record, we featured Minecraft in our games of 2010 (even though we actually reviewed it this year): http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-23-games-of-2010-minecraft-article

    I'm with jimr in spirit, but unfortunately that's not how the video games industry works right now, and it would be silly to overlook games like this or Skyrim or Dark Souls just to make a point.

    But it's a point we do want to make - and we will be finding other ways to make it in 2012.

  • DrStrangelove #29 5 months ago

    @jimr9999us

    The Game of the Year should NEVER BE A SEQUEL.

    Are you saying a game like Super Mario Bros. 3 wouldn't have deserved that title?

  • britscott #30 5 months ago

    This game saved me from having to watch the hell on tv that was the royal wedding. For that reason alone it's one of my personal games of the year ;)

  • Rack #31 5 months ago

    Didn't even make my top 5 and yet I can't complain about this choice at all. What a year for gaming.

  • Killerbee #32 5 months ago

    A good choice for GOTY - I thoroughly loved my time with the game and I can't recommend the co-op experience enough. You've genuinely only seen half of what Portal 2 has to offer if you stopped playing after the solo campaign was complete.

    My personal vote would have gone to Dark Souls for the freedom that game world offered and it's sense of atmosphere and place. The fact I can play back my route through the Undead Burg in my mind whilst away from the game; the way I found myself formulating strategies and planning where to explore next whilst sitting at work; the way every forum comment or blog post from the player community always fuelled my enthusiasm for it more...

    I've enjoyed a lot of great games in 2011 but whereas my fond memories of Portal 2 will fade in time, I'll be living, breathing and dreaming Dark Souls for months and years to come.

  • waggy79 #33 5 months ago

    Portal 2 is also my goty. One of the few titles that made me remember why I love games, at a time when I was becoming bored of the lack of innovation. Well done Valve.

  • Scrapper #34 5 months ago

    Not my choice, but still a great choice.

    Far better than broken skyrim, which seems to be the media darling.

  • DrStrangelove #35 5 months ago

    @Oli

    Why not have a second article with winners in special categories? Like "Best new game", "Best indie game", "Best game without zombies", "Worst game", etc.
    Edited by DrStrangelove at 31/12/11 @ 09:57

  • Bagpuss #36 5 months ago

    Well, if the definition of a great game is the fact that your immensely pissed off once you finish it because you don't want it to end, then this title had me reaching for the razor blades.

    Unlike Modern Warfare 3, where after completing 36%, i was reaching for the razor blades for very different reasons, and decided to uninstall it, to save my blood letting, caused by terminal depressing boredom.

    Well deserved GOTY...

  • deded #37 5 months ago

    @ToOldToGame Yes. Yes. Yes. Your reply would have worked beautifully if the result had gone for Skyrim. ;)

    Portal 2 is a deserving winner - very few games could even approach it in overall quality of package and experience this year. What more criteria do you need?

  • bladdard #38 5 months ago

    I haven't been massively inspired by games this year and Portal 2, Zelda and UC3 were my only day one purchases, out of the three Portal 2 came third but it's still an outstanding game which I absolutely loved.
    Edited by bladdard at 31/12/11 @ 10:07

  • Dangerous_Dan #39 5 months ago

    I'm curious how you decided which game was going to be GOTY.
    Was it a big discussion, all together or was it some kind of vote for your top 5 games everyone on their own and the one with the highest score won?
    Edited by Dangerous_Dan at 31/12/11 @ 10:07

  • gabeish_ #40 5 months ago

    .. and when he's not busy hammering the '8' button on his keyboard..
    heh

  • frazzl #41 5 months ago

    Never been overly impressed with the Portal titles. Decent time wasters, sure, but definitely not GOTY material in my opinion. Oh well neg away :).

  • jetsetdemo #42 5 months ago

    Well strange, why don't I get Portal, tried to get in to it but it never clicked with me (half life and Deus Ex original remain my fave all time games) For some reason I fell in love with Rage! A real return to form for I.D I feel!

  • ToAks #43 5 months ago

    portal 2 was a wonderful game in Co-Op , not amazing in 1pl.. dunno why really but i guess it is because i played it in 2 player first and then later played the 1pl part.

  • Daeltaja #44 5 months ago

    Fair choice, I suppose. Personally it was Dark Souls (Zelda may pip that yet), but all in all, a great year to be a gamer.

  • Wyrm #45 5 months ago

    @Jonny5Alive7

    Dark Souls had :

    A stunningly intricate, inter-connecting world.

    Peerless melee combat system.

    A huge array of weapons and armour, all working very differently.

    Monsters and creatures of a huge variety and wild imagination, no re-coloured or re-skinned stuff here, even some non-boss monsters only occur once in one room!

    An unforgettable atmosphere, provided by the sombre music and graphics

    And yes, fuck you, it was difficult, and that isn't an elitist plug, it changes the way you play the game, you have to be cautious, the element of risk provides meaning to what you are doing.

    Its not for everyone, I agree. But please don't embarrass yourself by saying people only liked it because it was difficult and provided some sort of status.

  • jonbwfc #46 5 months ago

    Very much the right choice but Jeez, Simon Parkin does talk some rubbish.

  • TheMillionDollarMan #47 5 months ago

    Bravo! Brave choosing a title that was released early in the year. My immediate reaction was NO! My recent memories of gaming bliss are from Zelda and Dark Souls but before posting I slipped the game back into my PS3...then it all came back to me. This had a world better conceived than even Dark Souls, puzzles as challenging as Zelda wrapped up in the easily the best story of the year and of course there's the coop!
    A brave choice and probably the right one!

  • dr_zoidthrob #48 5 months ago

    I must try playing it again. I got utterly distracted by (of all things) Driver: SF

  • Der_tolle_Emil #49 5 months ago

    Very good choice and I have to hand it to Valve for making a sequel that doesn't just copy everything over with a few additions here and there but to actually turn what was almost a tech demo into a full fledged game but really keeping the essence of it all.

    We know Valve knows how to tell a story but I guess noone really expected the game to unfold the way it does; For me the most intriguing aspect of Portal 2 because I expected the game to focus on gameplay and not the story. After all it's a very fresh idea with tons of potential left. I really, really like the fact that Valve expanded the game by giving it an interesting back story told in a brilliantly voiceacted way rather than adding just bits and pieces to the core gameplay - which is pretty much perfect the way it is.

  • thedaveeyres #50 5 months ago

    Easily the game if the year for me. Near perfection.

  • addugg #51 5 months ago

    No mention of Magnus: Operation Harddrive?

    Anyone?

    Really, noone?

    Damn!

  • LeChuckie #52 5 months ago

    based on the subtitle to this article I thought it was worms crazy golf.

    Anyway yay Portal 2. And by chance I was only playing coop last night. I will defintely include this in my new year celebrations tonight.

  • AgentCool #53 5 months ago

    An easy pick for GOTY and a worthy winner. Nothing else came close to matching Portal 2's overall brilliance this year.

  • Mr.Gordons #54 5 months ago

    Would have been funny to have a huge article about portal 2, then at the end a small paragraph "That is why Skyrim is GOTY"

  • el_pollo_diablo #55 5 months ago

    Interesting nobody gave J K Simmons a nod. For me he was the true comedy gold in this game, as good as Merchant was.

  • riceNpea #56 5 months ago

    Dark Souls is GOTY for all the reasons Simon wrote in his excellent article, especially this part,

    "Like Minecraft, the Gollum-like grip with which the game clutches its deepest secrets has forced the community outside of the game too, onto YouTube and forums and FAQs where scraps of knowledge are traded like precious gems. The value of the unspoken has been all but lost in video games, whose comprehensive tutorials and 'extras' menu options make explicit every inch of the developer's work. Dark Souls understands the worth in choosing to say nothing.
    In part, that's because its silence it makes room for us to say something, and no game in 2012 has inspired not only such commentary, but also such communal storytelling."

  • Toothball #57 5 months ago

    I was expecting nothing and everything from Portal 2. I bought a new PC to make sure I could play it, dropped money on it as soon as they let me. The weekend prior to release I got well into the Potato game to ease the wait (and had a lot of fun in the process). I even got up at 6am on launch day just to fit in an hour or so before work.

    The rest is of course history. It didn't take me all that long to finish but left me almost entirely satisfied. The only niggle being that I wanted to play it again from fresh without the knowledge of the game I had from playing it, which unless someone invents amnesia pills I'll have to do without. In an age where people often tack on 'replay value' to a game by adding methods that need you to play though it many times, it was very refreshing to be presented with a game that I could enjoy fully and intensively without it making huge demands of my time.

  • Ando11 #58 5 months ago

    My favourite games this year are all sequels, but Portal 2 was perhaps shamefully missed by myself! My top 3 were Uncharted 3, Gears 3 and Mario Kart 7!

  • uninspiredcup #59 5 months ago

    Good to see Shogun 2 won.

  • mr2ange #60 5 months ago

    Fair call, not my personal choice, but as long as it didn't go to MW3 I dont care.

    Really looking forward to seeing the USER GOTY,

    I'm expecting an epic battle between DarkSouls and Skyrim.

    I just hope the game with the most "Soul" gets what it deserves this time round ;)

  • JamieR #61 5 months ago

    I still not played this and i dont even own it yet. i serously need to get this game soon.

  • Widge #62 5 months ago

    Based on the comment thread it will be Skyrim. Most popular will be the winner and Skyrim reached more people.

    That's why the "pro" result tends to be more balanced,having experienced a greater breadth of games. I could never vote for Skyrim as I've not bought it, same for lots of people voting Skyrim over Dark Souls.

  • Bloobat #63 5 months ago

    I loved the first portal but never got round to pickjng it up, might have to now though,
    My personal goty was strangely diver:san francisco, I thought it was am aweome retun to form for the series and arguably introduced the best and most refreshing game mechanic of the year, hears hoping to a sequal :-D

  • scuffpuppies #64 5 months ago

    Strange for me, as I was just revisiting 'Portal 2' last night. Great game, and the first to really make me laugh out loud while playing it...and for the right reasons. I'm happy with that choice. But then that's all it is "choice".

    We can't all agree, we won't all agree, but we do all have our personal GotY and that personal enjoyment is really all that matters.

    Happy New Year everyone, and here's to another great year in gaming for 2012.

  • woodnotes #65 5 months ago

    A GOTY I actually agree with. Few games have engrossed me quite like Portal 2. A game that makes you constantly think, makes you genuinely laugh and also throws plenty of surprises along the way. There's a bit of that Nintendo magic in Portal 2, even if there's not much other than grey in sight.

  • mr2ange #66 5 months ago

    @Widge Well I dunno... did you see how many people said it DIDNT deserve it in the Skyrim games of 2011 article.

    There was one hell of a lot of bitching in there.

  • Scopeh #67 5 months ago

    A puzzle game? Are you guys kidding? Fuck it we might as well vote for Scrabble Online HD version next year then.

  • _LarZen_ #68 5 months ago

    I cant understand that this is the best of 2011....I played the first one and found it entertaining. Just ordered Portal 2 to see what all the comotion is about :p

  • IronGiant #69 5 months ago

    @jonbwfc "Very much the right choice but Jeez, Simon Parkin does talk some rubbish."

    You are right on the money with that one, pretentious and firmly up his own arse.

  • revan8 #70 5 months ago

    Err bungie, bioware,bethesda, dice, remedy just to name some off top of my head that haven't made a bad game. Valve gets rimmed too much, yeah they make awesome games but they also end one of the best games ever on a cliff hanger and then dont bother to release the sequel. don't bother to ever talk about it and instead focus on loads of projects that r good but not what most gamers really really want

  • revan8 #71 5 months ago

    Portal 2 is over rated. V good game sure, story was fun, characters excellent, had more visual variety this time but the actual puzzles were v bland. Portal had much better puzxles and the majority of the paint puzzles were shit/easy.

  • Ironic_War_Criminal #72 5 months ago

    @Oli

    If you say Body Harvest was crap I will cut you

    (If you want to count a crap R* North game though, I guess Wild Metal is what you are looking for)

  • youhavenomail #73 5 months ago

    I would agree. I liked the original but this took the series, and perhaps the medium, to a new level. Not only were you playing a game for true videogamers, you were also participating in an experience not unlike a Pixar movie that everyone could and should appreciate.

  • Neil__ #74 5 months ago

    I love Portal but GOTY?
    At least you didn't pick Minecraft, grateful for small mercies.
    /shakes head

  • Widge #75 5 months ago

    @mr2ange true, but the vote thread is full of Skyrim @ #1 choice.

  • ChadSexington #76 5 months ago

    Another dull Valve game that is massively overrated? Who'da thunk it?

  • StooMonster #77 5 months ago

    My number 1 choice too, with Skyrim number 2.

  • magicianlord #78 5 months ago

    Portal 2 felt way too mechnically made for my liking. Dark Souls for GOTY all the way.

  • Gaol #79 5 months ago

    Great choice. Loved portal 2. As a ps3 owner, there were some 40 odd hours where it looked like being pipped by Skyrim before my game started breaking down so in a selfish way I'm glad it missed the top spot. The other big budget sequels this year felt too much like business as usual, though I haven't played the new Zelda.

  • Incarta #80 5 months ago

    Good choice. A bit predictable, and EG seems to be in love with Valve. But I'm not miffed, because it's one of my GOTY too.

  • WeaponXv1 #81 5 months ago

    You know what, I'd probably agree. When I wasn't playing Portal 2 I found myself thinking about it. There are so many things to love, but J K Simmons' turn as Cave Johnson is probably a highlight. The humour of the game and the joy of a puzzle clicking into place made for the most entertaining release this year.

  • CaptainQuint #82 5 months ago

    @jonbwfc

    "Very much the right choice but Jeez, Simon Parkin does talk some rubbish."

    Indeed. Ugh, I can't be doing with these failed social commentary divs.

  • DifferentClass #83 5 months ago

    I've just got Portal 2 and it is pretty special.. no-one else making anything quite like it, too. Not gonna argue with the choice (not like I would anyway).
    But Skyward Sword is still mine.:)

  • marmaduke #84 5 months ago

    Top choice. My personal Game of the Year, with Deus Ex, Skyrim, Bastion and Driver: San Francisco rounding out the top 5.

    Also, you really need to sort out the pagination on your comments.

  • fizzyfish #85 5 months ago

    Here come the test results: Game of the Year. That's what it says: Game of the Year. We weren't even testing for that.

  • DrStrangelove #86 5 months ago



    Happy new year EG!

  • syra #87 5 months ago

    Sake really reaching to put some economic crisis perspective on it, for shame.

  • spekkeh #88 5 months ago

    Apart from all the comedy bits, I found that the game didn't really add anything meaningful to the original (thinking with portals was still its main conceit). It would have been quickly forgotten were it not for the fact that it was the only great game in the first nine months of the year. Seems a bit like everyone's favorite number 2 which made it to number 1 because they couldn't agree on a shared goty.

    For me it was number five, after Skyrim, LA Noire, Zelda and Batman.

  • Lunatic4ever #89 5 months ago

    Yes it was good but when I have chose my game of the year I think about the ONE game that really felt special and made me think about it even after turning it off. And that, undoubtedly was Skyrim. Portal 2 of course feels unique and its design is brilliant and fun but the feeling of being absorbed by skyrim,sinking into it for many hours in front of screen, forgetting about my life and just enjoying the new detailed world...there's nothing quite like it for me.

  • Skirlasvoud #90 5 months ago

    Not even a mention of Witcher 2?

    I mean, perhaps not GOTY, sure, but the Witcher isn't even in the top 10? Best storydriven RPG this year.

  • PlugMonkey #91 5 months ago

    @DrStrangelove

    Or Burnout 3. Or GTA: Vice City. Or System Shock 2. Or Jagged Alliance 2. Or Fallout 2. Which was the best Final Fantasy? Or Ultima? The first one?

    Where is it written the best game in a series is always the first? My 'Best Games Evar' list would contain quite a few sequels.

    On a separate note, I wish people would stop banging on about how 'elitist' Dark Souls is. It is not a difficult video game compared to the vast majority of video games. I die more often, and more arbitrarily, and with a greater punishment, playing the 'mainstream' Skyrim.

    It is a video game that requires a slightly different approach to the vast majority of other video games. Is that elitist?

  • carlosdfn #92 5 months ago

    Too linear and no replay value. These things are a big issue here at eurogamer right? Guess not.

    Anyway, this game deserves it but for me it's The Witcher 2, not even a contest.

  • mr2ange #93 5 months ago

    @Widge yeah, on second thought maybe you are right.

    I'll say it again though, As long as its not MW3 then I don't care.

    DS does deserve the GOTY though, a much fuller package with more innovation and most importantly it actually works on ALL the platforms it was released for.

    Edit - im not saying anything against portal2, just the skyrim issues that prevent me from buying the game until the patch comes along that actually fixes the lists of CLASS A bugs!
    Edited by mr2ange at 31/12/11 @ 14:13

  • doctorgonzo #94 5 months ago

    Simon Parkin's contribution is going straight in Pseuds Corner.

  • doctorgonzo #95 5 months ago

    @jimr9999us Why?

  • Zerobob #96 5 months ago

    @TheFalc

    The new years resolution joke was old last year - you're a bit late on that one.
    Edited by Zerobob at 31/12/11 @ 14:35

  • JetSetWilly #97 5 months ago

    A great choice and a worthy winner. If only all games could be this well made.

  • Incarta #98 5 months ago

    Now where's the reader's Top 50? The only list that matters™ *wink*

  • captain_Carl #99 5 months ago

    Yep.

  • RedRain #100 5 months ago

    Would have thought skyrim would have won this

  • fisherpot #101 5 months ago

    This is a great choice as the MP really sticks out as a mate and I had a challenge to see who could figure out the level first which we had some great banter whilst playing! Not my choice for GOTY but I can say that I'm very happy with the choice!
    I know we all want the next half life to be announced but if they dont then I'm quite happy to play other titles they make!

  • DDevil #102 5 months ago

    @DrStrangelove If we're doing comedy Eurogamer keypads...
    Edited by DDevil at 31/12/11 @ 15:27

  • cowell #103 5 months ago

    Was my choice as well. What do I win?

    Is there going to be some sort of countdown of the rest with readers comments?

  • JohnnyIsTruant #104 5 months ago

    Completely agree with this 100%,and reading the article makes me want to play it all over again, marvellous game

  • cowell #105 5 months ago

    @spacedelete

    As opposed to some dudebro bullshit? GTFO

  • iago71 #106 5 months ago

    @Jonny5Alive7 Ive noticed a few comments like that bout DS. As in - people are elitist and because its so hard it has cult status over actually having any real substance or being any good - Sorry but that is just not the case.

    Its considered by the so called elite to be great because there is so much to it.

    A fact that seems to be wasted on many people, all of which I doubt have played it properly, if at all.

    EDIT - Also on a more positive note I thought Portal 2 was wonderful. Some of the best multiplayer gaming Ive had to date. A total blast with a mate. Moments reminiscent of the climax of the Italian Job spring to mind.......

    Up on a ledge with lava beneath and all four portals open.... Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait WAIT. 'Ang on a minute - don't bloody move - I think Ive got an idea! - Frickin great stuff.

    I don't think I could decide what my 2011 no 1 would be but right now Dark Souls does seem to be burnt into my psyche. What a year its been.
    Edited by iago71 at 31/12/11 @ 16:23

  • metamorphic #107 5 months ago

    Perfect choice. Personally, I would pick UC3, followed by the underrated gem Stacking and Total War 2: Shogun.

  • DrStrangelove #108 5 months ago

    @DDevil

    lol I had the same idea after I posted mine. Nice one mate.

  • TheGuvernor #109 5 months ago

    Bollox!

    Maybe I'm just a heathen who doesn't appreciate arty games, like so many in these parts.
    But I found Bulletstorm funnier, more compelling, entertaining & with greater re-play value than Portal 2. (And I'm a big Valve fan too)
    Here we go again...

  • BigHal #110 5 months ago

    Portal 2 is great. Loved the fact that with PS3 version I was also able to download and play on my mac. The sense of humour, the mechanics, the first time you realised how to solve some of the later levels and the shook your head in disbelief at the ingenuity of the puzzles combined with the warm satisfactory feeling you got in finding them.

    One of all time favourites for sure but for me top spot has to go to Dark Souls. I just completed the first run through in early hours today. Quite fitting that. Best game of 2011 and probably this gen (I say probably because not sure if it is better or just as good as Demons Souls).

  • stryker1121 #111 5 months ago

    Very fair choice..Portal 2 is definitely in my top 3 after Skyrim and Bats AC. Need to play DkS still, so maybe that'll be my game of '12!

  • kimchibaka #112 5 months ago

    @ToAks I rented it for a week and only managed the single player. It was good but not great. I didn't find Wheatley particularly amusing or engaging, a shame as he's such a big part of the game. The puzzles were not a patch on the first imho. I'm really surprised to see this get GoTY, and can only guess it's for the co-op part which I missed.

  • Subquest #113 5 months ago

    @TheGurvenor Maybe I'm just a heathen

    Maybe you are. Bulletstorm felt like it was scripted by 13 year olds learning their first swear words. Maybe you're 13, in which case, we'll let this slide..

  • PlugMonkey #114 5 months ago

    @spacedelete

    It's just been a great year for puzzle games. SpaceChem was on my list for GOTY.

    I mourn your narrow mind.

  • NHDavid #115 5 months ago

    @jimr9999us YES! McMenamins Pubs and Sassy's Strip joint... Portland Rules!!!

  • LLT_taz #116 5 months ago

    i didn't buy to many games in 2011 but most of the ones i did buy were sequels or remakes. gears 3, uncharted 3, halo, for me GOTY was MOD racers all the way back in feb time. amazing little racer with great share and creating.

  • MarketZero #117 5 months ago

    Portal 2 was OK but ruined by Merchant, forced humour, shit awful level design (at times) and bad pacing. This is a horrible choice.

  • papizdano #118 5 months ago

    everybody i wish you a happy new year and to the eurogamer staff keep up the good work :)
    Edited by papizdano at 31/12/11 @ 17:17

  • Po1ymorph #119 5 months ago

    Great game, deserves the praise.

    I cannot choose between Dark Souls and Portal 2 for my own personal Game Of The Year.

  • Lunatic4ever #120 5 months ago

    @PlugMonkey
    it's not elitist...for me,it's simply useless. I love me some challenging games and I wanted to love Dark Souls but it requires the sort of patience I simply can't bring up. What Dark Souls fans keep saying then is "if its too hard you're just to weak". I'd rather say, I don't like the concept. It's not sufficiently rewarding for me to keep playing. I'm just not feeling the concept of ever respawning enemies. I never liked this respawn concept. But that's just me

  • Ramboness #121 5 months ago

    Great choice, I'm glad that isn't Call of Copy: Modern Copypasta 3

  • Subquest #122 5 months ago

    After mourning their loss, I'm starting to remember why EG gave up publishing their top 50 countdowns.

    @Marketzero, I'm as equally qualified to judge you a complete moron as you are to judge Portal 2 a horrible choice. But when the game gets a metacritic rating of 95, I think one of us is more right than the other.

  • ilmaestro #123 5 months ago

    Further confirmation that Wesley Yin Poole thinks he is considerably funnier than he really is.

    Nice that EG didn't pick something shitty, though.

  • digitalash #124 5 months ago

    @Triggerhappytel Bungie have never made a great game, either. They have made a string of good ones, but most of these are really just remixes of their biggest hit.

  • ro-kurorai #125 5 months ago

    Finally some publication to have the guts and not declare Skyrim their GOTY. Skyrim is fun, but a game that's partially broken by bugs and a dev that doesn't give a f*ck about us PS3 owners simply don't deserve the year's top honors; simple as that.

    Portal 2 was probably the most unique and hilarious game of this year and Valve's experiment to allow cross-platform play between PC/Mac and PS3 owners, courtesy of Steam, deserves special recognition.

    Thanks for an amazing year of gaming journalism EG, have a Happy New Year and see you in 2012.

    @EG Staff the link to Tom's NFS:TR review is a typo, as it links to DE:HR.
    Edited by ro-kurorai at 31/12/11 @ 18:34

  • blackrapt0r #126 5 months ago

    Hmm never played portal 2, portal was far too predictable, plotwise/storyline wise( took me 5 -10 mins of playing to work it out, if that).
    Will rent it sometime.

    Goty is a toss up with skyrim or bf3. Cant think of any other games I've played that are worthy of mention.

  • bionic_v2 #127 5 months ago

    I don't own Portal 2. So I cannot comment.
    It does not look like my type of game.

    /returns to Batman Arkham City
    Edited by bionic_v2 at 31/12/11 @ 20:22

  • smelck #128 5 months ago

    Great choice, excellent game and a worthy winner ....a superbly written, engaging, beautiful designed and polished (emphasis on the polished) game...

    Nice choice EG :)

  • cowell #129 5 months ago

    @spacedelete

    Weirdly I didn't really see it as a puzzle game. Although ultimately, you are solving puzzles to progress the game absorbed me and the puzzles were just part of dealing with the world.

    Batman AC was actually my number 3 pick behind Dead Space 2. Batman AC is a great game but just didnt absorb me quite as much as Portal 2.
    Edited by cowell at 31/12/11 @ 20:29

  • vudude #130 5 months ago

    Portal 2 is such a great game but the one issue I have with it being GOTY is it doesn't have much replay value. Most people will just play through it once and never pick it up again. But then it really is a game for everyone so I guess that had some impact in the voting process.

  • mr2ange #131 5 months ago

    nice some negs just because i said that Skyrim has some class A bugs on ps3, its ok guys kid yourself, you'll get and BUY yet another bug ridden mess of a game that gradually breaks down just like windows.

    For god sake grow up.

    I guess then its win for the first game ever to feature backwards dragons... Entirely due to naivety of today's gamer's... Its a relatively poor state of affairs if this is the case... May as well given it to MW3 for its massive FUCK ALL Innovations for the last 3 versions...

  • jedi99 #132 5 months ago

    This to me was an excellent choice. No dueling betweeen who had the biggest gun. No fanboys arguing which console it looked better on. This was a game that reached everybody..OK, so it was a sequel, but one that had me smiling while playing the game. Happy New Year

  • TheGuvernor #133 5 months ago

    @Subquest

    actually m8, I'm a middle aged old school gamer who occasionally writes for a living.

    We're all entitled to our opinions, glad people loved P2, I enjoyed Bulletstorm more.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!
    Edited by TheGuvernor at 31/12/11 @ 21:10

  • Laythe_AD #134 5 months ago

    The only truly great videogame comedy. Hats off to you sirs. I'm curious what Edge picked, but they'll only be bumming Nintendo again.

  • Darren #135 5 months ago

    Portal 2... good game but I wouldn't give it more than, ooooooooooo, 8 out of 10!

  • makeamazing #136 5 months ago

    I liked portal, pretty good game, but no where near (for me) as entertaining as the first.

    Don't know why people are getting upset because EG have picked this as their game of the year.. its just an opinion, i don't agree with it, but its not a bad choice the game was pretty good... for me it has to be dead island.. can't wait to see what the readers have picked as their game of the year.

  • sanctusmortis #137 5 months ago

    Well, my top 3 are this, Skyrim and SR3, and I honestly cannot put them in an order, so yeah, that'll do.

  • sanctusmortis #138 5 months ago

    @vudude finished it 3 times. Very replayable.

  • jogyourmind #139 5 months ago

    I wish you all didn't care so much about what Eurogamer say and do.

  • TazerFan #140 5 months ago

    Loved it, but almost entirely on the strength of the voice acting and level design. The actual gameplay (this article inspired me to play through it again this morning) is not really what I remembered. It doesn't feel as interactive as many other games this year. The load times (on Xbox) irritate as well.

    Surprised not to see Batman turn up throughout any of this. I have yet to play it; can anyone offer a few thoughts on why it isn't among the top games this year?

  • cloudskipa #141 5 months ago

    There were so many better games released in 2011 than Portal 2, a game that was pretty overrated. Despite it being very short I found it quite boring and there's very little replay value. it felt like edutainment more than an actual videogame, the sort of game you'd play in a science lesson at school, it may be quite clever but is it really fun?? Wasn't for me.


    Of course it's also the kind of game that appeals to the snobby, artsy-fartsy games journalist-types who desperately want to nominate a game no-one else does.

    Oh and if I have hear or read anymore of the cringe-inducing type of praise as found in this article for the Wheatley voice-over I might just vomit. You're reading too much into it ffs.

  • azic #142 5 months ago

    Mine would have to be Bike Baron on the iPAD.
    No really, Batman:AC is my GOTY.
    But portal is a deserving game.

  • Hellion83 #143 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 20:12:17 01-02-2012

  • Snake_2011 #144 5 months ago

    not even in my top 5 it is ok but a bore for me after a while.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #145 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 16:59:10 06-02-2012

  • th3duckst3r #146 5 months ago

    portal 2 goty.thats a joke.utter rubbish game ,make hole go through hole make hole go through hole.baaa

  • TaniumZX #147 5 months ago

    Eurogamer trying to appear hip and 'edgy'. Probably wrote this article during the intermissions between MW3 multiplayer games.

  • overcorpse #148 5 months ago

    No.Good yes,GOTY no.

  • MarketZero #149 5 months ago

    @Subquest I'm not a moron, I just hated Portal 2. And where I provided personal opinion as back up, you went down the route of external validation, which is as laughable as deciding who is 'more right'.

  • darkmorgado #150 5 months ago

    @evilboo

    It wasnt too hardcore to go below the threshold, it was just plain retarded. Well done, only a few hours in to 2012 and youve already proven yourself to be a cock.

  • Buran #151 5 months ago

    I'm so glad they rewarded a game that's basically irrelevant to the industry, showing again that gaming press is essentially irrelevant now to the customers.

    Games as Minecraft, Skyrim, Dark Souls, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3... capable of absorb hundreds of hours of the player time are way more powerful and relevant to the gaming status than a puzzle game that fades after a few hours, with no repercussion to the industry. Fact is: Dota 2 has bigger potential than any other Valve game in his history except perhaps Counter Strike.

  • inferna_hermit #152 5 months ago

    Happy New Year &
    :cool:Great Choice

  • Kaminari #153 5 months ago

    I note that a couple of sites which were (rightfully) worried to reward Skyrim decided to go the "unexpected" route. But while Portal 2 is a neat game, it's certainly no GOTY material.

    Still, it shows how indecisive the year was with all those great sequels that didn't quite fully delivered (U3, I'm looking at you). Dead Space 2 is a terrific game, but it's hampered by a completely botched story compared to DS1. LA Noire is an ambitious adventure game which open world felt too big and empty for action gamers. Revelations is a technical and artistic jewel (for a cross-platform title) which unfortunately dropped the ball in the gameplay and level design departments. As for Skyrim, a fundamentally fascinating yet derivative extension to Oblivion, I think we all agree it's impossible to credit a game that is technically broken beyond reason.

    In the end, the game I had most fun with was Arkham City. It's definitely not worthy of 96% on Metacritic (how absurd is this score?) but it consistently delivers a smooth, fun and immersive experience. Infamous 2 is a close second, although that one might be a bit too formulaic to get the kudos it truly deserves.

  • Feanor #154 5 months ago

    Batman deserve that score as much as the other 96% games.

  • asho #155 5 months ago

    bollicks!!

  • alexbulluk #156 5 months ago

    I'm happy with this choice. Portal 2 is a brilliant game, and one that deserves all the praise it gets.

  • electrolite #157 5 months ago

    What's wrong with a puzzle game winning GOTY? What makes that less worthy than any other type of game?

  • Subquest #158 5 months ago

    @Marketzero - your words were 'This is a horrible choice', which, whether you are a moron or not, is a moronic thing to write. Indeed, your bizarre declaration (you are somebody who frequents games review sites, no less) that mentioning the game's metacritic rating (an amalgamation of all it's reviews, remember) as being 'laughable', only further cements your position in the moron category.

  • Subdominator #159 5 months ago

    Portal 2 was a good game and the storytelling was superior to Portal. However the gameplay mechanics (with the exception of the coop mode) lacked a real challenge. There was pretty much only one solution to a puzzle and it was always pretty straightforward. Put a portal on the only spot on the wall where you can and then another one there and that's it. It felt like they wanted to increase the playtime without increasing the depth of the game, despite its brilliant design and characters it felt very shallow to me. There are about a dozen puzzles in Portal I easily remember and where I tried several different solutions. The only memorable scene from Portal 2 I remember is the part where the lights went out. And that didn't even have any Portals. As a story driven game Portal 2 is great. As a puzzler there were quite a few titles this year that have been superior. One of the main problems is that Portal didn't need a sequel. All of the puzzles had already been done, there is only so much you can do with two portals. Which is probably the reason why Valve originally worked for two years on a Portal 2 without any Portals and instead used a new gameplay mechanic (which they still keep secret because they want to use it in the future). Instead they applied the fluids of another indie game to Portal and that became Portal 2. Portal 2 is more platformer than puzzler. And the way it turned out to be it is far from my GOTY (that have to be either Rage or Skyrim or once again Minecraft). I enjoyed it but it is also one of my biggest disappointments of the year. It lacked all the originality that made the first one so great.

  • SYGUY7 #160 5 months ago

    Well deserved winner IMO

  • dr_faulk #161 5 months ago

    Even though this was one of.. five(?) games I managed to play this year, I still forgot about it, and still, somehow, would struggle to put it in my top five list.

    Don't get me wrong - it's a fantastic game, by any measure. But it feels like I'm missing something. There's a depth to it that I'm not understanding? Or is it the opposite - is it too high concept? You have a gun that creates a portal; everything in the game felt like a direct line from that idea. Almost as if I could see every idea coming a mile off. @Oli speaks of the "wordless cunning the designers had shared with me", where as all I could think at the time was, "Well how else am I to get out of this level?"

    Hmmmm... conflicted.

  • ShiroBen #162 5 months ago

    Agreed. Nothing touched Portal 2 for all-around excellence. Truly a classic, a game that will always be worth playing regardless of advances in technology or graphics, and a worthy game of the year.

  • braydee89 #163 5 months ago

    "when he's not busy hammering the '8' button on his keyboard" this made me chuckle.

  • Totza #164 5 months ago

    What about Rockstar North? can't think of the last bad game they've made to be honest.

  • jah #165 5 months ago

    Skyrim for me. This is the first GTOY I'v seen for Portal 2.

  • jasonbean7 #166 5 months ago

    A good choice, though not one I would pick. Portal 2 was a great game, but it doesn't come close to capturing the spirit and humor of the original. Then again my choice would be Driver: San Francisco (which is on no one's end of the year list) both for it's consistent (if nutty) narrative and gameplay inventiveness.
    Edited by jasonbean7 at 27/01/12 @ 11:21

  • abigsmurf #167 5 months ago

    Ultimately the old labs stopped this being a contender for my game of the year.

    Cave Johnson? Great! Spending 20 minutes trying to find a tiny piece of portal surface that's hidden away? Not so great. The later parts of it where you had the gushing pipes were painful.

  • BurnOutBrighter #168 5 months ago

    The loading times ruined the experience for me. Seriously, after EVERY puzzle?

  • #169 5 months ago

    Unexpected!

  • erasr #170 5 months ago

    I agree with this. I kept telling my friends about Portal 2 and how it would be GOTY but they thought I was retarded.

    There's no other game this year that I've actually bothered to properly finish. I'm a hardcore gaming FAN but not a hardcore gamer. I know a lot and read a lot but always get bored 2/3rd way in through games.

    Portal 2 I finished and loved dearly. I actually play FIFA more but Portal is so original it deserves this accolade.

  • OliverH #171 5 months ago

    @Buran
    If you'd prefer to simply have your own opinion regurgitated, what do you need a press to begin with? Of COURSE the press is irrelevant when all you want to find is YOUR opinion. For people, however, who want an independent review, it's certainly not - and even not independent enough, given how many gaming press members get all wide-eyed when given a tour of the company and being allowed to be one of the first to try their hands at a new game.

    Opium can also absorb hundreds of hours of your time. Doesn't mean that it really adds something of substance other than substance abuse to your life.