I believe this past year was the best year in gaming since 2007. So many great games and plenty more that I never got the chance to get my hands on. It was a long debate between myself and myself, but I finally managed to piece together my top ten games of 2011. So many games! I just hope that there's time in 2012 to play through some of these again!

Let's start it off with...

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Runners-Up: inFamous 2, WWE All Stars and Assassin's Creed: Revelations

It was hard choosing from so many great titles in 2011. So hard that I needed to include three excellent games as runners-up. InFamous 2 was one of the best super hero games ever made. WWE All Stars was one of the best wrestling games since WWE No Mercy on the N64. Finally, Assassin's Creed: Revelations which stays true to the (now annual) Assassin's Creed formula to offer more of the same great gameplay. It was a harsh struggle with myself to cut all of these games from my top ten, which still offers up ten solid, amazing games. It looks like 2012 may have just as many. Here we go!

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Game of the Year 2011

10. You Don't Know Jack

I'll always have you, Cookie Masterson. Over a thousand questions to play through, this trivia king ruled my competitive multiplayer itch in 2011.

9. L.A. Noire

While one of the best noir tales in decades, this title was almost single-handedly responsible for the decline of Austrailian game development.

8. Uncharted 3

The airplane sequence and the amazing tech behind the cruise liner helped cement a spot in the top ten. It also helped feed my unhealthy obsession with Nolan North.

7. Batman: Arkhman City

Developer Rocksteady has Batman nailed, creating combat that's even more engaging than 2009's Arkham Asylum and an open world that offers almost too much for Batman to dig his grappling hook into.

6. Dark Souls

Man, I can't remember my favorite part from this game. It was either the part where I yelled "FUCK!" or "Son of a BITCH!" or "Damn it all to hell!!"

5. Bastion

Let's just say this game was responsible for delaying this top ten list deeper into 2012. What an incredibly stylish game, both narratively and artisticly. The design is top notch and joins the ranks of titles like Limbo and Braid to prove that independent game development can outmatch big budget blockbuster titles.

4. Saints Row: The Third

This is a video game. Honestly, this is the most video game that a video game has had to offer since video games were invented. It's so much damn fun and I can't wait to play through it again.

3. Dead Space 2

Running through Hardcore Mode in this game was one of the best experiences I've had all year. Add to the fact that this sequel is an improvement in every way of the 2008 original and Dead Space 2 holds its own against every other video game released in 2011. All but two, at least.

2. Portal 2

Sure it's a solid, carefully designed puzzle game, but that's not what makes it so great. Between Chell, the silent protagonist (she can't even say "apple"), Wheatley and GLaDOS, Portal 2 was all about the characters and the story. My face hurt so much from grinning through the whole game.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Oh, Skyrim. You improved upon Oblivion and Fallout 3 so much that it'll be hard to go back and play those games, no matter how great those games were. After 120 hours, I still have plenty to go back to in 2012. Even if it is pretty broken.