Top 5 Games of 2011 (Game of the Decade Countdown)

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

With the decade coming to an end, it is time to look back at the last ten years and talk about my favorites. I already posted my top 5 games of 2010, so go check that out. In this list, we will revisit what is one of the objectively best years in game releases, that being 2011.

My top 5 games of 2011 are as follows:

5. InFAMOUS 2

I honestly forgot about the “Infamous” series for a minute. Seeing as the franchise hasn’t been talked about since the expansion, “Infamous: First Light” some four years ago. However,. Sucker Punch Studios once upon a time released one of the best superhero video games ever made. In 2011, “Infamous 2” was released and did everything its predecessor did but better. Even the opening moments were epic. “Infamous 2” is a game I really miss now that I think about it. I loved the gameplay. The powers were so much fun to play. The skill trees and upgrades and blast shard collecting made the game addictive to push through to make Cole all the more evil or heroic. The game boasted some epic moments and a fun comic book-like story. And it is truly a title that defined what Sony was doing on their first party side of things during their PS3 days.

4. Saints Row: The Third

“Saints Row 4” was a great time surely but it was overly ridiculous and sort of showed the series lost its edge. But two years prior, one of my favorite games of this entire decade released. And ever since the fourth game and “Agents of Mayhem, as well as the obvious hiatus for the series, I think more and more about the excellence that is “Saints Row: The Third.” This game isn’t objectively as great as many of the games on this list or other lists I will go through for the decade, but the fun factor is unprecedented. “Saints Row: The Third” has some of the most entertaining gameplay of the PS3, Xbox 360 generation. I played through this campaign multiple times and enjoyed it basically the same every time. It is joyous in its goofy, charming cast, weapons, use of music, city and just application of gameplay. There are few games that have pure fun like “Saints Row: The Third.”

3. Mortal Kombat

I was a late adapter to “Mortal Kombat” but all for the better. My first foray into the series was with the 2011 reboot, “Mortal Kombat.” And when I tell you I loved it, I really loved it. This is one of my favorite PS3 games. I had such a good time with it, even adapting to it a couple years later. It introduced me to characters I consider my favorites in all of entertainment. It taught me to play fighters. It made me get super hyped for anything that would come from the developer, Netherrealm Studios from then on. “Mortal Kombat” made the series great again. The fighter had such a great roster of icons. It played super well. Fatalities were disgusting and awesome, even in 2011. The campaign was one of the bets a fighting game had seen to date and is still fun to play through its entirety today. And most importantly, it made me love “Mortal Kombat.”

2. Batman: Arkham City

There are few licensed games as absolutely amazing as “Batman: Arkham, City.” This Rocksteady game did everything that a “Batman” game should. The devs followed up on the already fanatic 2009 game, “Arkham: Asylum” with this gem of an open world game. The cliche thing everyone says about how you really feel like Batman is honestly so true. It is a feeling like no other. There are few things as awesome feeling as jumping off a building to glide across Gotham City, grappling to other buildings. The free-flowing combat was mastered in 2011 with this game. Fighting thugs and bosses alike feels incredibly smooth. It blends challenge was power. It is a combat system replicated by many, one that felt like so much fun for the entirety of the title. “Batman: Arkham City” tells one of the most compelling stories in the caped crusader’s legacy. It includes plenty of fun cameos and important villains and allies alike. Bosses are designed with finesse, making each of them unique and fun to tackle. And the open world of Gotham city feels wonderful thanks to the traversal mechanics it allows and the many events going on in the narrative’s path and on the side alike. It is truly a superhero experience that will stand the test of time and probably the best game to play as Batman period.

1. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Even though “Uncharted 2” and “Uncharted 4” are objectively better in many ways than the third outing for Nathan Drake, I still, nine years later, find “Uncharted 3” to be my favorite of the franchise. I loved “Uncharted 3: drake’s Deception in 2011.” I loved it when I replayed it a couple of years later. I loved it again when replaying it on the PS4. And during my holiday break, writing about this game has me all too close to firing it up again. I struggle to put my tongue on exactly what made me love this title over the other games in the series or even over the other excellent games on this list. Sometimes I like “Batman” or “Mortal Kombat” more but the 2011 game I think about the most is this. I found the story to be so much fun to follow through. Nate, Elena, Sully and the rest were all in their prime. The game has some of the most stunning and exhilarating set-pieces. There are moments all of the time that belong in film. “Uncharted 3” is a joyous adventure from start to finish for me and I can’t find any reason, even a decade or so later, not to reminisce of its excellence and place it at the top of my 2011 game list.


So, which game of 2011 was your favorite? What game released that year stood out above all of the other amazing titles? Share with me all of your thoughts of 2011 titles in the comments below!