3 Videogames I loved playing in 2011

I've been neglecting my blog for a while, but since it's New Year, I thought I'd look back at some of the best bits of last year and think about what's gonna make next year awesome :D As it's late right now I'm gonna split this entry into two parts, videogames and personal/other stuff! So, I'll start with games.

I have to start by saying, it's *very* unusual that I buy videogames, or even consoles the minute they are released, perhaps it's due to my Commodore 64 and Sega Megadrive/Genesis roots but I'm always a bit behind when it comes to games, and I always have *so* much to catch up on! But that's fine by me. It comes with advantages - it's cheaper to buy or trade for the games when they've been out a while, bugfixes woulda been released, and you can already find a lot of information about the game on the net if you need it. I think this year was the first time in a long time I bought a game when it came out (Skyrim). SO, my point is - these are the games *I* enjoyed in 2011, but, for the most part they didn't come out then.

Torchlight

I like games where I can play as a girl because.. I am one!

2011 for me, was definately the year of the Xbox. Actually, I can't much remember what I played before June, with the exception of some guitar hero/rock band. :s But for a while I was craving RPGs and dungeon crawlers like the amazing Diablo II which I've spent many a late night on. The wii just didn't seem to have these sorta games, and although I love PC games, I find it a nightmare to have to maintain a PC in which the games you want to work on it actually JUST work. Especially when those games span a couple of decades. That's something I'm still pondering a solution to, but anyway, I heard that Torchlight was a Diablo-like dungeon crawler with even more vibrant graphics (I'm a fan of colourful, and "different" art styles in games), so, amongst the idea that there were other decent RPGs on the Xbox, Torchlight was pretty much my reason for getting the console.

There wasn't anything too complicated about this game, and the story left a lot to be desired, deep it may not have been, but it was 15 hours of dungeon crawling, looting, fun. To be honest the thing that makes Diablo fun (at least to me) is just the nature of the game more than the story itself, the amount of monsters you come up against and the variety of them, and then of course the drops, the number of different weapons and armor finds which always make this looting so exciting. I often like to play archers, particularly in this sort of RPG because it's satisfying using a bow at long distance, and being able to enchant my weapon and make some super fast bows in Torchlight was amazing fun <3 And oh, the monsters! Soo many monsters, and I guess that's the biggest reason why "dungeon crawling" is so much fun. I liked the variety of dungeons, and the graphics and music made the game a pleasure to wander around, snipe and loot in.

It's not so bad crawling such pretty dungeons

Compared to the larger, more "epic" rpgs I've been playing this year, looking back at it Torchlight feels short and not that replayable but.. for what it was, I think it did the perfect job and it was definately a fun 15 hours I spent last year.

Fallout 3

No "blue sky in games" this time

Again, I *know* it's been out ages but I only just got my Xbox so yeah.. new to me! Fallout 3 was probably the biggest surprise to me last year. I guess because I took a shot on a game I really wasn't expecting to be "my sort of game". Mostly because, well, I've never really been interested in games with GUNS in before, or games without blue sky. RPGs to me generally equal swords, wizards, and mythical beasts. I guess those were really the only sort I knew existed before. As for guns, I'd always thought of them as something too close to realism (even though a bit of unreal tournament with colleagues in the past has been fun - despite making me pretty motion sick most of the time XD). But anyway, I'd heard a lot about this Fallout game, on the net etc and when I picked it up from Computer Exchange for a couple of pounds, trading in some game I didn't want anymore, it didn't really seem like a big risk to at least give it a try.

In the few hours or so I still really wasn't sure about it but then, something just hit me, that Fallout formula grabbed me and sucked me in. Some things I love in games - collecting things, customisation, completism (that's probably not a word but it's like 1.30 in the morning so whatever..), being able to help people, get praised and feel *good* and appreciated (yeah games aren't that far from what makes me feel good in real life haha), exploration, companionship, a pet dog.. this was one of the most fun games I've ever played. The story hooked me too, and the whole atmosphere and setting - a lone wanderer stepping out from the vault she was born and grew up in, to see the outside world for the first time.. a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland, where she must survive and defend herself against.. who knows what is out there? Starting off alone, but gradually integrating herself into the situations of others, effecting their lives for good or bad, whatever the player chooses.

Dogmeat is a much appreciated companion

And "whatever the player chooses" - this is the main thing that I find hard to go back to other videogames now. I used to adore the Final Fantasy series of RPGs, but now, I think of playing them again.. being Cloud, the moody mercenary, or Squall the ..moody mercenary or Zidane the... slightly less moody catboy? And not just character wise, following such a linear path and story. I mean, I loved those games, but Fallout 3 has raised the bar of RPGs for me. Now the very thought of the player having absolutely no effect on the story or what happens in the world around them just.. doesn't feel good enough.

Role-playing. Playing a role, and defining your role, shaping your own character and effecting the world around you, that's what roleplaying should be. Fallout 3 showed me that the word means far more than "swords and wizards".

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Pesky dragons!

I had to give Skyrim a good mention ;) Even though I committed the really-weird-for-me act of buying this game on release day, and therefore, tons of people have been talking about it since 11/11/11 and still are in their "Games of 2011" blog posts. That was actually something pretty nice to be part of at the time for me, getting the game when it came out. Particularly these days, now we have twitter and you can see what people are saying at the very moment they open the box, or start the game, or slay their first dragon. And, if like me, you struggle to really find many people to discuss videogames with in real life, it's.. pretty cool to know that on the net, there are a hell of a lot of people losing sleep, neglecting relationships and taking arrows in the knee for a videogame. (I'm sorry, it had to be said XD).

So yeah.. Skyrim, an amazingly immense RPG which actually does feature my beloved swords and wizards, and also, fricking dragons :D I loved a lot of stuff about Skyrim. I had played The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion previously, for around 25 hours, but the game started bugging me for various reasons and I never felt compelled to carry on with it. I think Skyrim definately fixed my issues with Oblivion for the most part (the repetitive main quest for example). Things I loved most about Skyrim.. the massive beautiful world, I could happily spend time in this game just exploring, riding my horse, picking flowers. The character customisation and perks system was fun and definately felt like levelling up gave more to aim for. I enjoyed the lore of the world too, although, I still have to say that NPCs leave a lot to be desired. Seriously I think I still have trouble remembering more than a couple of NPCs in the game XD

I played Skyrim for around 75 hours which felt like a loooot (it's about the same time I completed Fallout 3 in), but I haven't finished the main quest and.. I've kinda lost desire to finish it, or finish most of the side quests. I actually think the Oblivion feeling has kicked in a bit again. Obviously it's just a personal opinion thing but, I feel like Skyrim was like some kinda really sugary addictive sweet. When I was playing it, I could barely do anything else, it was difficult to put down, but in an annoying way sometimes. Like it would make me feel like I still had SOOO much to do, I'd be tetchy that I had to do some other real life things too. XD That wasn't a bad thing I guess at first, but it kinda got too much for me in the end. I had a lot of my own little personal goals in the game - getting horses, making certain armor.. and once I'd done those things I also felt little drive to do the other stuff.

Maybe it's because the quests start becoming like really similar fetch quests or.. because there's always SO much to do. I mean.. it is a good thing if you want to play the same game for YEARS (which I think people could easily do with Skyrim). But yeah, I think I did actually end up needing a break from this game. I kinda want to finish it at some point but, I dunno.. I'm playing Fallout: New Vegas right now, which I got for Christmas and it just strikes me that Fallout always feels like it has a better balance between main quests/side quests/things to do. There's a lot to do and it's not linear but.. it's sorta not omg-crazy-I have no time for real life. XD In Fallout I get super addicted and I'll want to finish a quest or two at a time but I don't really have trouble leaving it alone for a while if I have to do other stuff.

Skyrim can be about the simple pleasures in life

ANYWAY, despite my personal elder scrolls/fallout comparisons and playstyle issues, it's the moments in Skyrim that really made it special for me. Riding my horse up the steps to the throat of the world by sunset, sneaking up on some guy then breathing fire on him, messing around trying to cross a narrow branch across a waterfall just for fun. It really did have it's "wow" moments, it's just that lack of connection with the NPCs that I think makes Fallout shine a little more in some respects for me. But, if you're looking for an epic RPG, they don't come much more epic than Skyrim.

2012 and beyond

Well, this year I plan to finish Fallout: New Vegas, which is already shaping up to be tons of fun. I think my friend bought me Okami-den so I might return to the DS for that (it's been a whillee!). The new Tomb Raider game looks amazing but I'm not sure it'll even be out next year. I want to try out Assassin's Creed because, I've heard good things about it! I'm waiting for Phoenix Wright vs Professor Layton (two of my favourite videogame series!) to come out to buy a 3ds, that may not even be next year :[ But, whatever comes out next year, I have no doubt there are a lot of games already out that I still need to experience. Oh and, I'll try and remember to focus on real life equally too! ;D

Happy New Gaming Year, everyone!