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Publisher of the Year
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Whether releasing niche games in North America, amusing us on Twitter with endless talk of bacon, or offering up tons of prizes for our charity raffle, XSEED Games is on the ball. While this year might not have had as large of a showing in terms of quantity, the release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was a nice treat, especially considering this is a game no one ever expected to reach North America. We appreciate the company's willingness to speak openly with fans and to take risks to bring us some of the best games from Japan that could so easily be passed over. Congratulations XSEED Games, you are our publisher of the year.
Most Played
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Multiplatform availability and anticipation over new entries in long-dormant series played huge roles in creating this two-way tie for RPGamer's most played RPG of 2011. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution were games that our staff members just couldn't pass over; both were played by over half our staff. These two titles have a broad appeal and intrigued many of us. No one can doubt the marketing that went into them, but the series appeal was key as well. The original Deus Ex is sanely considered one of the best RPGs ever made, and The Elder Scrolls brings role-playing to the largest, most detailed worlds in single player gaming. It is hard to ignore new releases in such major, successful IPs.
Most Completed
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The result of the contest for the staff's most completed title of 2011 allows for a wide reach across the RPG spectrum thanks to a tie between Dragon Age II and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. East and west, handheld and console, and even free-roaming and grid-based battles get representation, showcasing another good year for the versatility of the genre. We usually take our most completed award as a sign that an RPG did most things well and was hard to put down. Even though we weren't particularly fond of Dragon Age II relative to past BioWare titles, its sim-like gameplay and short duration resulted in almost every staff who played it finishing it. Trails was far from short, but it also employed a consistent, engrossing pace; the interesting story was one we wanted to see to the end.
Best Non-RPG
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Portal 2 is RPGamer's 2011 non-RPG of the year. Portal 2 weaves an amazing story filled with colorful characters and diabolical puzzles, but lets players experience the story in any way they choose from just listening to the voice of Cave Johnson, GLaDOS, and Wheatley as they run through the levels. Players can also take their time and find out more about the world of Aperture Science and its rise and fall. That, however, is only half the game. Aside from a brilliant single player campaign, Portal 2 includes 2-player co-op. Players in co-op play as two robots Atlas and P-Body and work together to help GLaDOS perform tests to save science. Portal 2 also has released some free DLC (Peer Review) which adds new levels in co-op and an addictive challenge mode. Great puzzles, gameplay, story and characters make Portal 2 a game every gamer should play.
by Michael Cunningham, Paul Engemann, Alex Fuller
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