The end of the year is always a hard time for a videogame journalist. Not only do we have to recall every experience we've had over the course of the year, but we then need to match each title up against one another, like some kind of digital Mortal Kombat tournament, in order to find that elusive 'game of the year'.

Keep in mind that this list is my personal favourite games of the year, not a list of the 'best' or most popular out there. That means some of the more abstract titles out there might take the place of the greater ones.

Let's start things off with a game that was neglected, but is great in its own way.

10: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Space Marine is a third-person action shooter with combat mechanics similar to Rocksteady's recent Batman titles. It is Relic's first attempt at approaching the franchise using this genre and they did a fantastic job. The detail was extraordinary and, whilst the campaign was pretty short, the multiplayer served as a fun distraction with its competitive and co-operative elements.

It drops in at number ten for numerous reasons. Whilst it did the 40k universe justice, I felt that the campaign could have had more combat variety. The weapons, despite being brutally satisfying, were very limited, as were the combat moves. The multiplayer also lifted many of its features from games like Call of Duty and Gears of War's Horde mode (Exterminatus). Despite those shortcomings, Space Marine successfully tied together satisfying mêlée combat with solid shooting mechanics. Couple that with jaw-dropping executions and beautiful environments, and you have a sleeper hit on your hands. I can't wait to see what Relic does with this franchise.

9: Bulletstorm

Bullestorm is a unique first-person shooter that focusses on killing with skill. Generically shooting enemies to progress is out, and performing perpetually-interesting moves to decapitate, obliterate, incinerate or otherwise maim your opponents is in. Also, dick jokes.

Bulletstorm received massive criticism due to its humour and absurd format of first-person shooting. Sure, the funny bits were pretty dry, but think of it like the movie Snakes on a Plane; the whole thing is one big joke. The shooting is also rather great, but you can't play it like a conventional shooter where you shoot a target dude until the life bar depletes. Bulletstorm doesn't work like that, and if you play it as such, you'll despise it.

For me, Epic's extremely under-appreciated title pleased me with its style and surprisingly funny dialogue. Never did I think a FPS could change the formula into such a winning concoction. Using the environment to manipulate and slaughter your opponents? It might not be for everyone, but you'll never know whether you love it unless you give it a spin.

8: Orcs Must Die!

Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die! is a third-person tower-defense-esque game in which you control a Warmage. A really stupid Warmage. Your master slipped and fell on the steps, thus leaving you to fend off the relentless assault of Orcs who are seemingly allergic to fire.

Seriously. I heard one of them say it.

Whilst tower-defence games are literally a penny a dozen, Orcs Must Die! provides an excellent variation on the genre. By utilising traps instead of towers and allowing you to fully control a character who can use various talent trees and engage in either physical or magical combat, this game stays fresh for its duration. Throw in extra levels, traps and monsters via DLC, and you have a game that you'll be playing for hours upon hours, and for a ridiculously low-price too. Trust me when I say that Orcs Must Die! is one of the best in the genre.

7: Dark Souls

From Software returns with the brutal successor to the PlayStation exclusive, Demon's Souls, 2011's Dark Souls. Bordering on ridiculous as far as difficulty goes, Dark Souls takes you into a unique world where you must combat demons and all other forms of monstrosity with very little assistance. Survive long enough and you might just become stronger to journey into the next room. What's that you say; you died at the hand of a skeleton? You're screwed.

Next to Bioshock, the Souls titles are the most atmospheric games I've ever played. The art design, the ambiance; everything about these games screams style, and it works. Dark Souls is terrifying and that's mostly because it's a game that embraces a lost style: discovery. As you continue to discover more and more about a certain region, you begin to understand the game itself better, as well as your limits. Never have I felt so rewarded for defeating a tough monster, and so betrayed in dying to a standard enemy. Although the multiplayer was broken at release, Dark Souls is such a unique experience that you do yourself a disservice if you miss out.

6: Dynasty Warriors 7

Have you ever laughed out loud at a game on the brink of release? I certainly did with Dynasty Warriors 7. A notorious joke within the industry, countless Warriors titles have released, and hardly any have been in any way worth praising. Surprising as it may seem, Dynasty Warriors 7 is the exception, and has unbelievably steered a sinking ship in a respectful direction. Yes, it's still a hack-and-slash game and, yes, it still has some pretty bad voice acting, but I'll be damned if I don't say that Koei did an outstanding job with this one.

As detailed in my review, one of the biggest selling points for me was online play, a first for the series. Even better, Koei actually took the time to refine the gameplay and eliminate the fluff that the series was known for. The story mode for each kingdom was confusingly addictive and the cut-scenes were crafted in a delightful way. With hours upon hours of relatively simple gameplay, Dynasty Warriors 7 was probably the biggest surprise of the year.

It also contains the best capes in gaming. Seriously, take a look.

5: Gears of War 3

Having composed the final entry in the Marcus Fenix story-arc, Gears of War 3 is the end of the story that all Gears fans know. Until this point, Gears had its highs and lows, but this game truly delivers on all fronts. As emotional as it is fulfiling, this is the definitive example of how a series should wrap things up.

It's hard to think that the third entry is Epic's swansong for the series. Whilst it most definitely won't be the last game we see in the Gears universe, Epic has done a fantastic job of sending it off. Four player co-op? A refined multiplayer experience with dedicated servers? A skilled author composing the story? Everything Gears of War 3 brings is the best of the series, and the only way you'll know is to play it yourself.

4: Dead Space 2

Renowned engineer Isaac Clark and the very angry Necromorphs both return in the much anticipated Dead Space 2. Having lost seemingly everything in the Ishimura incident, Clark wakes to find his nightmare renewed and, of course, he's the only one with the knowledge to stop the growing threat. Scary, atmospheric, technologically superior and, most of all, fun, Dead Space 2 is a worthy instalment to one of the better third-person titles available to gamers.

To this day, Visceral's creation is yet to be matched by an equally-fun and jump-worthy third-person shooter. The first Dead Space took many of its cues from the superb Resident Evil 4, but while that series has somewhat lost its course, Dead Space has evolved with the rest of the gaming industry and put out an incredible sequel. Although its multiplayer is forgettable beyond measure, the single-player experience never wavered in quality, and that's what really matters.

3: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Every Elder Scrolls game is huge, and Skyrim is no exception. Taking cues from the ways that games have changed, Bethesda has streamlined their seminal franchise to cater to all types of play-style and gamer. Couple that with an intriguing story, beautiful technology, and discovery elements that have been lost since Morrowind, and you get Skyrim, one of the best games of the year.

I have yet to finish an Elder Scrolls game, but Skyrim might just be the first game to break that mould. It certainly has its faults and glitches, but even those are not enough to sway my recommendation. You can play this game however you want, and with the death of the awful, awful level-scaling system present in Oblivion, even I can enjoy this game.

2: Mortal Kombat

You're reading the words of the most loyal Mortal Kombat fans out there. Yet, I never thought that Mortal Kombat could drag itself out of the abysmal hole that it dug itself into. But I was wrong. If you know nothing about Mortal Kombat - and if that's the situation, shame on you - understand that this game's accessibility is unparalleled and contains everything that made the old games memorable and great. Which largely means that Liu Kang isn't a zombie this time.

Foregoing the 3D style and retracing its steps back to the original days, Mortal Kombat is a masterclass in what a fighter should be. Not only does it give you the best story that any fighting game has ever seen (no, seriously, play it), but it is also loaded with unlockables, challenges and DLC that doesn't suck. The only thing holding this game back from perfection was its rather awful online component. Constant disconnection is enough to dissuade anyone from trying to compete online, but if they can get this right next time, then I can't wait.

1: Bastion

You might laugh, but my number one game this year is a downloadable title that will take you less than ten hours to play through. Regardless of its duration, you cannot measure the importance of quality in a game, and Bastion achieves that quality to the highest degree. Supergiant Games hasn't created a great title, they've created an incredible one.

Akin to some of my old favourites, such as The Secret of Mana, Bastion is an action-RPG that knows the ropes. Everything from the music to the combat feels right, and the story is mysterious enough to make you want to continue on your adventure to discover more about its surreal environment. Whilst it isn't the longest, deepest, most addictive or largest game out there, Bastion is composed so professionally that anyone can get into it. Saying that, if you've yet to skim the surface of this exceptional game then please, do so. Now.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, Bastion, Bulletstorm, Dark Souls, Dead Space 2, Dynasty Warriors 7, Gears of War 3, Mortal Kombat, Opinion, Orcs Must Die, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

As gamers, we love competition, action, and a titanic struggle to the death. What better tussle is there than watching two games go head-to-head in mortal combat? In the tradition of the Mario and Sonic days of yore comes VG Deathmatch, GGTL’s recurring clash of the digital titans.

This week, we’re looking back at one of this year’s early releases: the points-accruing, profanity-laden Bulletstorm. A casual glance at Bulletstorm might make it seem like one of the most unique titles of this generation; its score-based gameplay and toilet mouth give Bulletstorm a unique personality that has been hitherto unseen in a console action game.

Or does it?

For another points-based, swear-happy shootin’ game already came out in 2008: Swordfish Studios’ 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Swordfish shocked the gaming world by making Blood on the Sand (a follow-up to 2005’s abysmal 50 Cent: Bulletproof) a smooth, polished experience that was actually fun to play. Of course, there’s only room for one raucous, Tony Hawk-influenced action shooter in today’s era of grim, military FPSs, and we’re going to settle which one is best.

1: Story

Bulletstorm takes place in the distant 26th century (because the 25th is pretty lame), and follows the exploits of Grayson Hunt, a space pirate with a dark past. For a game whose main marketing thrust is making fun of grim, military FPSs, Bulletstorm has a surprisingly weighty and drama-intensive plot. Perhaps this is to give the characters added emotional weight, but it jarrs with the outlandish, over-the-top run-and-gunnery.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, by contrast, involves 50 Cent trying to get back a diamond-covered skull from terrorists. I’m going to repeat that for effect: 50 Cent trying to get back a diamond-covered skull from terrorists. The story is total window dressing; it’s a flimsy excuse to put Fiddy in the Middle East where he can shoot up some Islamic extremists, and makes no bones about how absolutely shallow it is.


The Winner: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
Yeah, Bulletstorm’s plot is more 'legit' and serious that the other, but it takes away from Bulletstorm’s gameplay strengths. Blood on the Sand plays out like the best B action movies from the 80’s, making no apologies for its intentions to drop some ridiculous fun on the player. Plus, it’s too preposterous not to win.

2: Main Character

Despite being a space pirate with a dark past, Grayson Hunt is an ultimately decent character (for the obvious sociopath he is). Though his actions always end up causing trouble, Grayson is a true friend who does his best to clean up the messes he starts. Plus, he’s voiced by Steve effing Blume, which gets an immediate +1 in my book.

50 Cent is... well... he certainly is 50 Cent. Aside from asserting that the gangsters do, in fact, rule the streets of New York, Fiddy doesn’t really do much, aside from letting his swagger carry him through hundreds and hundreds of armed terrorists, which is certainly good for something.


Winner: Bulletstorm
This one was a lockup from the moment I realised that Spike Spiegel would be voicing the main protagonist. Truth be told, they’re both pretty shallow, but Blum gives Grayson Hunt a healthy measure of charisma, which is good, because you’ll spend the entirety of the game cheering for a man who will execute his enemies in a myriad of horribly depraved ways.

3: Scoring System

Bulletstorm's tagline may be 'Kill With Skill', but there’s honestly not much skill involved. Not so much as creativity, at least. Points are accrued by offing enemies in a specific way, such as using the shotgun to finish a guy while he’s down, or harnessing the environment; throwing dudes into a carnivorous plant, for instance. It’s fun to figure out how each Skillshot works, and there is some skill involved in pulling off multiple Shots on a single enemy, but the point values for each are pretty static; extra points aren’t awarded if multiple Shots are attained, and once you’ve thrown one dude into a whirling fan blade, you’ve basically thrown all of them.

Blood on the Sand's scoring system is much more skill-based. Like Bulletstorm, you’re rewarded for playing creatively and using the environment (exploding barrels and such), but unlike Epic’s new shooter, you need to chain multiple kills together to gain multipliers and rake in the points. It’s more akin to Tony Hawk: you start to see the combos forming as you approach each new group of enemies, taking out several baddies in quick succession, racking up bonuses for headshots, not using cover, and throwing out a taunt after they’ve been dealt with.


Winner: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
Bulletstorm’s Skillshots are an absolute blast to pull off, but after you get over the initial thrill of kicking a guy into electrical wires, it’s easy to begin to notice their lack of depth. Perhaps mastering the Skillshots is key to advancing through Echoes mode (a sort of Time Trial), but most players can coast through the single player using only a few different Shots. Blood on the Sand is much more skill-driven than Bulletstorm, and the temptation to improve and achieve higher scores (especially since getting gold medals requires near zen-like mastery of Fiddy's mechanics) is tempting.

4: Use of Offensive Language

The course language in Bulletstorm comes from the Blink 182 camp of cursing, meaning that there’s quite a bit of nonsensical compound swears made up of other swears. Most of the humour comes from the shock factor ("Holy d@$#-t#%s, this s@$% is happening!"), but the schtick becomes less 'shocking' as the game goes on. That said, the game certainly gets points for creativity.

50 Cent, though decidedly less inventive when it comes to creating profanity, is incredibly more profane, mostly due to the game’s all hip-hop soundtrack. So frequent are the F-, S- and N-bombs, that one becomes numb to both their meaning and offensive nature in the span of about five minutes. Blood on the Sand even integrates expletive-spewing into the gameplay; players can gain a small multiplier by having Fiddy taunt and enemy after gunning him down.


Winner: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
This one’s a bit tough to call. Bulletstorm is much more juvenile in its depiction of foul language, whilst Blood on the Sand is much more casual about its nonstop vulgarities. Bulletstorm gravitates more towards crude descriptions of the human anatomy, while Blood on the Sand places a greater emphasis on racial slurs. It almost boils down to personal preference, if you would even call it that. In the end, though, I'm awarding it to Blood on the Sand, for making the swearing a necessarily element of gameplay in order to achieve higher scores.

5: Arbitrary Collectibles

For some reason, both games include a set of arbitrary collectibles that improve your score. Bulletstorm has three: Electro Flies, Nom Juice, and Newsbots. Electro Flies are swarms of bugs that flit about the environment, waiting to be shot out of the sky. Nom Juice is a bottle found throughout the environment, which can either be shot for points or consumed, getting the player drunk, which can result in even more points if an enemy is killed under the influence. Last are the Newsbots, a series of small robots that can be blown up for points. Players eager to learn more about the game, however, can listen to the bots' garbled message and discover what was going on when the planet went bad.

Fiddy's aren’t nearly as exciting, as he’s looking for posters and targets. Posters are just that: posters hanging up on walls throughout the game, and can be taken down for points. Targets are bullseyes hidden on walls and ceilings, and can be shot for points. Unlike Bulletstorm's collectibles, which are only good for achievements, targets and posters are necessities for high-scoring runs, as each poster collected earns a greater number of points.


Winner: Bulletstorm
Even though they’re not necessary to finishing the game with a top score, Bulletstorm’s collectibles seem better-placed within the world’s fiction, and are more exciting to look at. Plus, I’m a sucker for learning about game worlds, and I hunted down every Newsbot I could to get an idea of what was going on.

And the winner is...

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
It was a close call, with Blood on the Sand narrowly scraping up three rounds, while Bulletstorm fought and clawed its way to two victories. Both games are incredibly fun to play (especially considering that one is a game based on a figure in American rap music), but 50 Cent ended up taking the edge. With its unashamedly over-the-top plot, robust and skill-intensive scoring system, and clever use of cuss words and gameplay, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is your VG Deathmatch champion.

Labels: 2011, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Andrew Testerman, Bulletstorm, Columns, Feature, vg.deathmatch