MMGN.com's Game of the Year Celebrations came to a close today, and you can check out the winners of the community votes here.
MMGN.com editorial staff Ben Salter and Gaetano Prestia also chose a 'Game of the Year' for 2011, choosing from nine titles. The list included Uncharted 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Skyward Sword, but ultimately only one game could be chosen.
That game was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a deserving receipiant of the award following its wide critical acclaim.
Ben Salter on Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword staked a strong claim as the best of 2011, but it is impossible to overlook The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Game of the Year. It was unique, even compared to its predecessor and unlike anything we’ve played over the past five years.
It’s a fantastic action-RPG with an amazing world to explore, unique quests and combat tailored to each player. That’s why I regard Skyrim so highly. It offers something none of the other sequels quite managed and no two players’ games will be the same. Gaetano and Heller’s experiences would have been completely different to mine. We had dissimilar ambitions, placed varying levels of importance on objectives and had diverse tactics in the heat of battle. It was a totally different experience for each of us, and yet one we all loved.
It simultaneously piqued the interest of players who got bored of Oblivion and those pining for the days of Morrowind and before. For such a basic evolution, dual wielding felt revolutionary and opened up a new world of possibilities. Speaking of which, the land of Skyrim was vast and stimulating to explore. Combined with the Radiant quest system, it could potentially go on forever or at least until the next Elder Scrolls game.
It faced tough competition from Skyward Sword, Batman: Arkham City, Uncharted 3 and Portal 2, but at the end of the day, it is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that deserves to be heralded as the best game of 2011.
Gaetano Prestia on Skyrim
Once I finally got a chance to play Skyrim, I felt as though I needed to say goodbye to my family. After having put a week into this stunning game world I feel as though I've neglected every other aspect of my life, and I still feel as though I haven't even scraped the surface of what's on offer.
It was tough a tough decision for Game of the Year because 2011 ended on such a big note. I was conflicted by the likes of Uncharted 3, Batman: Akrham City and even Skyward Sword, because I feel that, to a degree, these games appeal to broader audiences and are more accessible overall.
However, what Skyrim achieves is like nothing any other game this year has been able to: the diversity of the tasks in such a large world is something Arkham City could only tease, while the epic Dragon battles make Skyward Sword look like a Saturday morning cartoon.
Then there's the passionate storytelling and a variation of narratives spread across several interesting characters and directions. Skyrim feels like it has a living, breathing world that is unequivocally representative of actual life, fueled by compelling gameplay that is engulfing and memorable.
Read the full review
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