GOTY 2011 Role-Playing

Much like the old days of paper-based Role-Playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons, the aim of the game is to complete a series of quests and in many cases there’s a strong focus on character development through upgrades and level progression. Over the years the quests have become deeper and more enwinding, the upgrades more complex, and the world in which they are contained more expansive than anyone could ever have imagined. It has been a great year for the genre with many top class efforts and here is the rundown.

Bastion  (XBLA, PC)
The artistic vision created in Bastion is a beauty to behold and the accompanying voice over brings everything together nicely. As a stand-alone RPG this game shines, but it is so much more than that, you are taken through a story that will stay with you for years to come.

Dark Souls  (PS3, 360)
If the title of the game sounds ominous it’s nothing compared to playing through this dark tale and experiencing its decaying underbelly for yourself. The game is not for the light-hearted and its deep and engrossing gameplay is both a challenge and a treat for those willing to persevere.

Dragon Age II  (PS3, 360, PC, Mac)
The game takes place in the world created by Dragon Age: Origins and while it isn’t generally considered as good as its predecessor it still offers fans and fresh faces alike a steady-paced adventure with a decent story and some very gratifying combat that will appeal to the RPG fan in all of us.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim  (PS3, 360, PC)
Very few game series’ have the ability to draw you in and hold your attention as long as The Elder Scrolls can and Skyrim does this in bucket-full’s. It’s seemingly bottomless world is one you very much want to be a part of and you’ll find huge chunks of your life vanishing before your very eyes.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings  (360, PC)
It’s hard to fault this game as it does everything well, from a great story that holds you from start to finish, to its interesting, well thought out landscapes – it’s engaging characters, to it’s indulgent combat system. Then there’s the graphics that are nothing short of breathtaking and bring the whole thing together.

Have you ever been so lost into an alternate universe that it spread beyond its realm and into your real life? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that makes you want to blur these lines and opens your eyes to your horizons. Every step forward lights up another possibility and looming new opportunity, and just like life, it’s so incredibly vast and all-inclusive. Apart from ‘merely’ saving the world from obliteration, there are political conflicts to get wrapped up in, which spread to all the cities in the kingdom. But there are also internal frictions between its populace and the whole shebang is woven into one, awe striking, compelling, engaging and most of all addictive game, which urges players to quest for hundreds of hours. This atmosphere that leaps from the screen and into the gamers’ daily life is what makes Skyrim climb to the top of the mountain.

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