2011 was one of the most diverse years ever for RPGs. Because of that, it was a year where tastes were so varied that no one game seemed to dominate the genre. Without further ado, let's take a look at the best of 2011.
2011 Awards!
Disclaimer: After much discussion and then a North American release announcement, Xenoblade was moved out of 2011's list and onto the 2012 eligibility list.
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Disappointed that Dark Souls got so little recognition (it was GotY for me) but other than that, I enjoyed the various awards and anti-awards.
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It's weird seeing no Dark Souls or Skyrim on that list.Originally Posted by Zeboyd Games
Disappointed that Dark Souls got so little recognition (it was GotY for me) but other than that, I enjoyed the various awards and anti-awards.
Also, Skyward Sword over Bastion? Don't get me wrong, Zelda has a good OST but I haven't even played Bastion and I've listened to that OST numerous times since release. It's that good.
Also Also, why isn't the Console / PC tab written as "Console / PC"?
So long & thanks for all the fish!
In honor of our RPG of the year: http://www.dorkly.com/video/26393/do...es-other-games
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That was a last minute change to the Console page this morning because we decided the clarity was needed. It used to just say Console. We wanted to post the awards now and not bug graphics people to change the tab to make it match. Didn't think it was a big deal since most of the tabs are abbreviated anyway. DS/3DS says "DS", and that was planned.
EDIT: Regarding Dark Souls in the Best Console award, I went back to the results spreadsheet and Deus Ex, Totori, Skyrim, and Dark Souls were incredibly close. By the rules we've been using for the last few years, Deus Ex barely came out on top and the other three were exactly tied. Totori won the numeric tiebreaker we use. So after Zelda crushed everything else, it was close; Dark Souls lost a tiebreaker to be #5. Every now and then Mac and I alter the results from the cold, hard calculations or disagree about how to crunch the numbers, but we didn't in this case.
Last edited by 7thCircle; 01-23-2012 at 10:31 AM.
The lesson here is that dreams inevitably lead to hideous implosions.
That's the problem with democracy, people get it wrong when allowed to vote. Go Team Bastion!
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Twitter @FinalMacstorm
Please note that all angry mail related to this Game of the Year feature should be forwarded to our Complaints Department at wheels@rpgamer.com.
As for Dark Souls, it apparently didn't appeal hugely to all the staff who played it, though it certainly has fans amongst our staff. As always, because our GOTY awards are the result of staff voting, there are many and varied reasons why one game was chosen for a particular award over another. This year has been particularly interesting because more staff played more games than usual, but had quite a few diverse picks.
Edit: I love both the Bastion and Skyward Sword OSTs, but I personally give Skyward Sword the edge for the sheer diversity of the music and the many creative ways it was used in the game. Bastion wins my best vocals award by a long shot, however.
Twitter: BeckyCFreelance
I completely support the "Most Anticipated" picks, solid across the board. Tales of Graces f in particular looks fantastic.
This is one of the coolest things about the Skyward Sword soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDDAXsgoc5s
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I am absolutely flabbergasted about this year's choice of GOTY. To each their own and all that, and clearly there was a majority of people who agreed. But wow. Just wow.
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It -is- fantastic, a very strong entry in the series.
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Well the article highlights the "transitions" between variations of a theme which isn't really something new in the industry and I'm pretty sure it's been done before in the series itself although I could be wrong. I vaguely recall them talking about their use of midi instrumentation over orchestral recordings is what allowed them to have the music react to the on-screen action in past games and they had to figure out a way to make it work with the full orchestra.
If the game is doing anything else interesting or novel with music I haven't gotten to it yet. Skyward Sword's music is very appropriate for the game and its locales/events but I don't think it stands on its own outside the game. Although that's always something I've found with the majority of the series' music.
That's pretty cool.
EDIT: If you want to see something else kinda nifty check out what Yoko Shimomura did with Bowser's Inside Story:
Dimble Wood
Dimble Wood (Inside Bowser)
Merged Version
Last edited by shoptroll; 01-23-2012 at 10:18 AM.
So long & thanks for all the fish!
I am also a proud member of team Bastion! It's the only video game soundtrack I bought in 2011.That's the problem with democracy, people get it wrong when allowed to vote. Go Team Bastion!
Okay, time to respond as the person who wrote that part of the blurb.
Sure, it is common to use music in such a way. Games try that kind of thing all the time. Many other games released this year do so as well. The big difference is that Skyward Sword is the rare game that does it well. It is not a matter of innovation as much as it is raw skill and care. The truly impressive diversity of music and instrumentation is fairly unique, as well.
Generally, I'm not one to judge a game's music based on raw quality of the OST, anyways. The most important aspect of a game's soundtrack is how much the soundtrack contributes to the experience of playing the game. I mean, Skyrim's main theme is flat out my favorite single music track released this year, but the way music is used in Skyrim is absolutely terrible. It picks up at the wrong times, drops out when it shouldn't, is quiet most of the time and repetitive in others, and lacks variety. All of those things matter a lot, and those are the places where Skyward Sword is superb, despite the somewhat lower quality of some of its tracks. In the end, music in games is just as much a matter of technical execution as it is musical quality.
Anyways, on a totally different subject... I'm sorry that I was unable to contribute any votes to Dark Souls this year. I spent most of 2011 on Demon's Souls instead. I'm still stuck on King Allant. :P
wait a second; best tabletop of 2010 were an evil hat prodcution a supers game and a re-release from pinnacle...I call BIAS! rpgamer are terrible reviewers? :-P
Take it to Ask Wheels, buddy.
Twitter: BeckyCFreelance
I'm glad to see a few looked over RPGs being on some of those lists, though the only thing that shocks me is that Trails in the Sky won so much.
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Heh, you hadn't noticed that TitS was a bit hit amongst our staff?
Twitter: BeckyCFreelance
I know some of you guys were vocal, but I didn't expect EVERYBODY on staff to like it.Heh, you hadn't noticed that TitS was a bit hit amongst our staff?
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Everyone loves TitS
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