A Look Back: Games of 2011

2011 is quickly coming to an end, and now is the time to look back at the games that came out during this past year.  This year was marked by many big games, such as Battlefield 3, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Batman: Arkham Asylum.  While all of those games are great, none of them made it onto my list of the Top 5 games of 2011.  Here's the list:


5. NASCAR: Unleashed
NASCAR: Unleashed was Activision's second game with its newly-acquired NASCAR license, and they did not disappoint.  The arcade racer provided lots of fun throughout the whole game.  In my review, I gave it an 8.5/10.  This game is a must for any NASCAR fan.

Photo courtesy Activision

 4. L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire tells the story of the Los Angeles Police Department following World War II.  Rockstar Games revolutionized how a game was made, as they used real actors and 365-degree camera angles to show the emotions of the game characters.  Though the story does get boring at times, the player must be reminded at multiple points that they are playing a game and not watching an episode of CSI.

Photo courtesy Rockstar Games

 3. NASCAR: The Game 2011
NASCAR: The Game 2011 was the first licensed NASCAR racing game since 2009's NASCAR 09 and NASCAR Karts for the Wii.  The game did not disappoint.  While the game was plagued by glitches while racing online during the first few months of the game's availability, the developers quickly made patches to fix all the problems.  While the game is not perfect, it is a good start, and NASCAR: The Game 2012 promises to be even better.

Photo courtesy Activision

 2. Minecraft
This game is a little bit different than most.  At first glance, it seems like a very old game with dated graphics; once you begin playing, however, you understand that it is much more than meets the eye.  I started playing the game back in May as the school year was winding down.  It is a little like Legos for the computer, only there are monsters.  While you have the ability to fight the monsters and survive, I play on peaceful, which is a lot less stressful.  At only $26.95, this is the most affordable game on the list.  After playing, it will have you saying, "Just one more block, just one more block..."

Photo courtesy Mojang

 1. Portal 2
When I decide what my favorite games are, I look at how they affect me when I'm not playing.  I decided Red Dead Redemption was an amazing game whenever I began to dream about being in the Old West.  And every time I saw a bird, I thought I could just switch into Dead Eye mode and shoot it down.  So whenever I began to look at walls and figure out where I could place a portal, I realized that this game was one of the best games I've ever played.  The game stretches your brain with its mind-bending puzzles, and its hilarious dialogue will keep you laughing.  I never thought I'd fall in love with a game this much, but I have, and it's absolutely wonderful.

Photo courtesy Valve

 While I'm sure I've snubbed some games, these are the games that I've been playing this year.  Modern Warfare 3 and Little Big Planet 2 just missed the cut.  I'm sure I would have put Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure on this list as well, but I'm not getting that until Christmas.  Any of these five games would be a fantastic last-minute Christmas gift, but be warned: L.A. Noire is rated M due to its graphic images.  Also, Minecraft is only available online at minecraft.net.  Hope you enjoyed this countdown, and happy gaming!

REVIEW: NASCAR: Unleashed

When NASCAR: Unleashed was first announced by Activision, I was a little excited, but also a little skeptical; the game was aimed at younger kids, and I was afraid that I would not have any fun.  After playing for only 20 minutes, I knew that I was completely wrong.  The game was released on November 1, 2011, but I am reviewing it so late because I wanted to complete the game and review every aspect of the game.  Today, I was able to get the PS3 Platinum Trophy for getting 100% game completion, so I feel like I can now fairly review the game.

Mark Martin races Kevin Harvick in NASCAR: Unleashed (Photo Courtesy Activision)

 When I got the game, I jumped right into the story mode, which is called the "Championship" mode.  I tried to go out and win every race, but after winning the first eight or nine races, I ran into some trouble.  The game is split up into three different tiers, with each tier becoming harder than the next.  Each race has a specific goal that has to be reached, like getting a Top 10 or Top 5 finish.  In fact, the only race that needs to be won is the final race, when you complete the entire Championship mode.

The quick race mode is also very enjoyable.  Racers have ability to jump right into a race "season" of 1-12 races, with 1-5 laps in each race.  The level of the other drivers can be set between easy, medium, or hard.  The tracks where you race can also be chosen, and you have the ability to make a custom schedule.  

Kyle Busch at Daytona, ferris wheel and all (Photo courtesy Activision)

Wondering if your favorite driver is in the game?  Well, there are only 15 real-life drivers in the game, along with three fantasy drivers.  Each driver has multiple paint schemes; these can be unlocked by earning experience points throughout your racing career.  The drivers available in the game are: Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, and Tony Stewart.

There are also six NASCAR-sanctioned tracks in the game; Chicagoland Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway.  There is also the Unleashed Speedway, which is a circuit created for the game.  Each track offers at least two different courses, and some, like Martinsville, offer three.  The only track that is a true oval is one of the Daytona layouts.  This is the first track you race on in the game, and it is very easy to maneuver.  

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Photo courtesy Activision)

 If you are a perfectionist (like myself), get ready for a long haul.  You have to get a gold trophy on every single track layout in the game's time trial mode.  This is somewhat tedious, and you won't get some of the tracks on the first run-through.  Eventually, though, even this doesn't prove too difficult, and the trophy/achievement should be yours.

One problem with this game is the lack of a multiplayer mode.  There is no online multiplayer to be found, and the only local multiplayer is between two people.  That's nothing new for a NASCAR game, but the game Split/Second has four-player local multiplayer.  Another problem with this game is that it gets hard so fast.  The game starts out easy enough, but it gets cripplingly hard very fast.  The difficulty level was very frustrating for me, so I'm not sure how younger kids will be able to handle it.

Joey Logano races beside Jimmie Johnson (Photo courtesy Activision)

 Overall, I was very happy with this game.  Though the difficulty was a little surprising at times, I never once thought the game was impossible.  Even my sister, who is terrible at racing games, thought the game was fun and wanted to play it over and over again.  I'd recommend this game to any of my friends, and a lot of them aren't racing fans.  If you're looking for something to get your kids for Christmas, this is a good choice.  NASCAR: Unleashed is available on the PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo 3DS Systems.

 RATING: 8.5/10

NEW GAME: NASCAR: Unleashed

NASCAR video game fans were given a great game in NASCAR The Game: 2011 earlier this year.  This was obviously a very hardcore experience, meant to capture the way the cars handle, and allowed us to make setups for each track for our cars.  But on November 1st, we will be getting something a little bit different.

Don't fret Markaholics, Mark Martin will be in the game!

 
If you have an XBox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii or 3DS, you can play NASCAR: Unleashed.  This is an arcade racer, where the real-life racetracks only have part of the racing action.  As the press release states, "Arcade Racers Barrel off the Track and onto the Open Road in an All-New Driving Adventure."

I'm really excited about this game.  I absolutely love the real-life racing of NASCAR The Game: 2011, but its always fun to do some arcade racing too.  I loved last year's arcade racing games "Blur" and "Split/Second."  This looks like it will be a lot of fun, and I may have to have my mom or dad run this up to me the day it comes out.  Unfortunately, there aren't any Gamestops or Best Buys in Slippery Rock.

I'd like to thank Dan Amrich (OneOfSwords) for this story.  I got most of the information off his website (www.oneofswords.com).  If you like video games, or just a cool guy to follow, follow him on Twitter at @OneOfSwords. And make sure you listen to the OneOfSwords Podcast, a great show about Activision video games, which include NASCAR The Game: 2011 and NASCAR: Unleashed.

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