Ah man, haven't blogged for months. But I felt the need to post my Top Games of 2011. I wasn't able to play everything this year but I played a lot. So here are my Top Ten games of 2011 + Special Achievements.

FYI, certain games released this year may not be listed cuz I either haven't beaten them yet nor played them.

Top Ten 2011

10. Uncharted 3
9. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
8. Gears of War 3
7. Dead Space 2
6. Portal 2
5. Yakuza 4
4. Bastion
3. Ghost Trick
2. Skyrim
1. Batman: Arkham City

Honorable Mentions

5. Alice: The Madness Returns
4. Resistance 3
3. CoD: Modern Warfare 3
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
1. Saints Row the Third

Special Achievements (Good and Bad)

Most Overlooked - Not enough people played these great games.

3. Shadows of the Damned
2. El...

Been playing and completing a lot of games in the past few weeks. I'm gonna give my impressions of all the games I've completed to date. Don't worry, there will be NO spoilers. Just wanna post some thoughts on them.



Portal 2 (PS3) - An incredible improvement over the original game. The puzzles are fun and intuitive and the writing is EXCELLENT. Voice acting is also superb and the music is really good too. I wasn't able to get the PC version for a while due to PSN being down. I've moved onto other games so I haven't checked out the PC version now that I have it. I heard the visuals look incredible compared to the console versions. I haven't had a chance to play the coop but the single player mode was an amazing experience. Anyway, must play!



Gray Matter (PC) - An...

Spent last Friday and Saturday building and tweaking my new gaming PC. Building it wasn't bad. I only had an issue with the front jack connectors on the motherboard. PC wasn't turning on for some reason so I had to fiddle with it and it worked afterwards. So far it's been smooth sailing over the weekend and today. I haven't built a new PC in a few years and I had forgotten how many damn updates I needed to install after a clean Windows install. Everything is super fast and quiet. Gaming with SSDs is excellent since loading is almost instant for every game. Loving it so far.

Some people asked me what parts I got so here it is:

I'm using Windows 7 64-bit version.

Mobo, CPU and RAM


GFX card


SSDs and HDDs
...

Stuff from last month and this month (so far). Kinda forgot to post them since I mainly plug them on Twitter. If you read some of my recent reviews, some of the pick-ups are redundant to post but whatevs.

2011 Toyota Rav4 - My biggest pick-up of the year! It was a headache since I had specific requests and the dealership didn't have it at their lot so I had to wait. Anyway, a pretty massive pick-up. ^^


iPad2 White 16GB - Another major pick-up. Had to wait an entire month from the Apple online store for it. But it had some lint or something under the glass so I had to exchange it today. Got a new one and it's flawless so I'm happy. Waiting for the Smart Cover I ordered.


Nintendo 3DS + Lincoln Force tee + SSFIV 3D and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars - Yea, I bought one. Only two...

Played through a couple of DLC games over the weekend. It was pretty interesting to play through each one back to back cuz each one controlled so differently. But thankfully, my muscle memory made it easy to adapt...lol. No spoilers for the main games or the DLCs themselves so don't worry about it.



First, Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC (360). An interesting little story that teases what we can come to expect from ME3. But I was somewhat disappointed with it compared to previous DLCs that were released. It's only about an hour and 30 minutes long and most of it consisted of battles rather than story. The battles were fun and challenging but there's nothing really new or different about them. It's worth playing if you're hyped for ME3 and want some extra upgrades that are included with it. But compared to previous DLCs like Overlord and Shadow Broker, it pales in comparison...

So I finished Dragon Age 2 (360) last week. I played as a Male Warrior. Once again, BioWare came through with a game that has a cast of very colorful characters and a very interesting world. It's too bad the world has been shrunken down to one major city and a few other locations.

The game's graphics are an improvement over DA: Origins and everyone is very expressive. The new elf designs caught me offguard tho. They look a lil odd at first but I like that the elves actually look different than the humans. Btw, EVERY human female in the game has some of the biggest boobs in any video game. It's pretty funny. Although I guess no one beats Isabela in that dept. Whoa momma. Anyway, the environments also look better than Origins but it's not at the level of the Mass Effect games.

I liked the gameplay changes. The combat is fun and much less tedious than...

I beat Bulletstorm (360) about a week ago in one sitting and it was a blast. Incredibly fun with a lot of variety in the levels. The ability to grab most enemies and chain moves for various combos never gets old. The weapons are all incredibly powerful and satisfying. Controls are spot on and easy to pick up and play. Gorgeous graphics with many amazing vistas and visual designs. I found myself pausing a few times during the quiet moments.

The story is silly and not deep but that's how it was meant to be. I admit that they do take themselves a tad too seriously later in the game. But at least 80% of it is just a wild ride. The characters all have great banter and there are many genuinely funny lines and moments. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Gray and Ishii through the whole game. Btw, if you want to hear Jennifer Hale (aka Female Commander Shepard) curse...

So yea, seems like a lot of people who check out my blog actually like the pick-ups stuff so I'll continue posting stuff I bought. I won't post everything like I used to, just stuff I think is cool and worth sharing. Thanks for the feedback!

Marvel vs Capcom 3 SE (PS360) + bonus t-shirt - Gotta mention my annoyance with the wait for this game. Capcom shop had some issue with their shipments so a lot of guys had their orders stuck at some post office in IN and NJ. Anyway, didn't get the game until last Friday which was outrageous. To add insult to injury, Capcom shop only shipped me ONE t-shirt when I made two separate preorders. Never again Capcom, your store sucks. Btw, GREAT game, really fun.


Catherine (PS360) + preorder bonuses - Made by the Persona team. The preorder bonuses were different depending on which version you bought. Evil.
...

I beat Dead Space 2 (360) last weekend. Forgot to post my impressions since I've been busy with the massive snowstorms all this week. Anyone else sick of the snow?

Anyway, AWESOME game. The first Dead Space was my 2008 GOTY and DS2 doesn't disappoint. I loved it so much that I had a mega marathon where I played from Chapter 5 to the end in one day. It's that damn good. The gameplay is much improved over the first game and everything seems faster. Isaac moves faster, aims faster and stomps faster. Isaac is less of a tank and feels more like a fighter which makes sense after the first game. Many of DS1's weapons return but most of them feature new alt fire modes. They seem much more useful and the primary fire for most weapons seem much stronger than the weapons in DS1. Levels flow by quickly with little backtracking and there are some glorious set pieces which were exciting....

I've been on fire with my portable games this month. I think mainly because I wanted to catch up on my backlog and there has been some stellar titles released for the systems so far. So here are my impressions for the following games.



Completed Ghost Trick (DS) and it's AWESOME. It's written by the same writer of the Ace Attorney games so it's no surprise that the story is excellent here as well. Great characters, twists and some really great humor. The gameplay is much more involved though. The puzzles require trial and error but it was never frustrating. I found the game pretty easy and I never got stuck. It's very well done. The graphics are GORGEOUS and feature incredibly smooth animation. I love the designs and art in the game. The music is also stellar and never gets old. AA fans will probably hear many familiar tunes in this game and the way they're...

Was gonna post this earlier but I forgot. I'm just gonna post my list. These were my favorite games in 2010.

10. Starcraft 2
9. God of War 3
8. Halo: Reach
7. Bayonetta
6. Yakuza 3
5. Deadly Premonition
4. 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors
3. Red Dead Redemptopn
2. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
1. Mass Effect 2

Honorable Mentions - These games almost made it and were great too.

Alan Wake
Vanquish
Heavy Rain
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Bonus!

My top iPhone/iPod Touch GOTY for 2010.

5. Mirror's Edge
4. Robot Unicorn Attack
3. Dodonpachi Resurrection
2. Espgaluda II
1. Infinity Blade

A lot of great games came out in 2010 and 2011 looks INSANE. It's gonna be a good and very expensive year this year. Thanks for reading.

My impressions for this game is 100% SPOILER-FREE. So if you're playing the game or plan on playing it, do not worry.



I planned on posting impressions for some other games but I've decided to devote this post to 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (DS) instead. I completed the game with all the endings during a weekend marathon and it was a AMAZING experience. This is one of the most well-written, well planned and most thought-provoking games I've played this year. In fact, it's probably one of my all time fave games in the patheon of awesome story-focused games. Why? Let me explain.

The game is filled with a cast of amazing characters and concepts that will make your head spin. Not only are the characters all distinctive and interesting, but they're also very well developed. What makes them great is that they're all not as they seem. They're unpredictable...

I've been playing a ton of games recently but forgot to actually blog about it, lol. Here are all the games I've beaten to date. I'm playing NFS: Hot Pursuit, Gran Turismo 5 and Epic Mickey as well but I'll post impressions for those when I beat those. Big list here already. :3



Oh hey, why read my impressions for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (360) when you can read the full review I wrote for CAG! Although I've played the MP after the review and it's a lot of fun and addictive if you play with a buddy. But the matchmaking is pretty bad where it takes forever to start a game at times, even if the room is full. I hope Ubisoft patches it soon. It's not a major problem but it happens often enough.



Finished Call of Duty: Black Ops...

Lik Chan’s Take: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a prime example of what makes for a good sequel. And when I say sequel, I mean it. AC Brotherhood literally takes place right after Assassin's Creed 2's ending. So for anyone who hasn't played or completed the previous game, I highly recommend you do that first before jumping in. You'll get a small recap of the first two games, but they hardly explain everything needed to fully understand what's going on inside and outside the Animus. So is this a sequel worthy of your time? I would say yes.

Brotherhood continues the adventures of Desmond and his gang of Assassins in their efforts to take down the Abstergo. But unlike the previous games, Desmond is more involved and there are some fun gameplay sections that gave me a real Uncharted vibe. I won't spoil it for you guys but the events outside the Animus are just as enjoyable as inside it. The writing is wittier and funnier as well. As for the inside of the Animus,...

Completed VANQUISH (360) on Normal about a week ago and it's fantastic. Great graphics and sound and a pretty silly action story. The action is intense and just a lot of fun. The game is pretty challenging on Normal and downright tough as hell on Hard. There are a lot of enemies and some of the bosses are gigantic. For anyone who's played a lot of games, I feel like it's a parody of many games like MGS, Gears of War and Halo. They definitely grabbed a bunch of bits from those games for inspiration. Definitely one of the best action games this year. If you want arcadey action with style, definitely check it out. It's tons of fun. LOVED it.



Beat Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (360) over the weekend on Normal. Short game and...

Finished Costume Quest (360) the week it came out. Great game with a lot of charm. The art design is very cute and the story is simple. The music and characters really reminded me of my childhood. I think many people will find nostalgia from this title if they went out to trick-or-treat as a kid.

The game is pretty easy and all the minigames are also pretty easy to complete. The only challenge I found was from a few bosses and the costume materials were well hidden. Kids and grown-ups will like the simplicity of the game while hardcore RPG players might find it too simple. I found the combat to be pretty fun and the different mix of costume powers helps keept he game fresh throughout.

My only gripe with the game is the lack of voice overs. I was expecting the characters to speak but I ended up having to read everything. Oh well, a minor nitpick. Fun...

Finished Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (360) on Warrior mode about a week ago and it was fun. The levels are all very diverse and kept the experience fresh. This is a truly beautiful game and certain levels will make you say "wow". There are lots of very detailed locations that will make you wish you can control the camera. The first two chapters were meh but everything from Chapter 3 and onward was just stellar. Fun simple puzzles and a wide variety of awesome boss battles kept things going fairly smoothly. The combat got more fun as you unlock and buy more moves and powers. It just kept getting better and better until the climatic and shocking ending.

The story was alright but the voice acting is great. My main gripe with the game are some of the technical issues. The framerate was pretty poor during certain areas and using certain weapons like the Holy Water...

Hey now, some quick impressions for the games I've played or beaten in the past week or two and of course, new pick-ups!



Halo Reach (360) - Beat the game Solo on Heroic. Lots of incredibly tough spots and the enemy AI is quite devious. Great campaign even if the last third felt like it should be played in coop. And the multiplayer is excellent. The best Halo game in the series.



Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (360) - Just started this last night and it's alright so far. Voice acting is good and the graphics are very pretty and colorful. The whole shaky cam thing is annoying though and the music is incredibly generic. I'm only in the middle of Chapter 2 so far.

...

Haven't felt like blogging anything so here's a screenshot from Halo Reach of Cheapy and I pwning the opposing team in the CTF Spire map from last night. We were covering the person stealing the flag for us. I drive, he shoots, we win. (I dunno who the third guy is.) Hope to play with Wombat and Shippy and other CAGs soon.

Ah yea, finished Demon's Souls (PS3) again in New Game+. It only took me a dozen or so hours in total to beat the game the second time around. My character was pretty strong already and I was able to beat most bosses on my first try. The 5-2 swamp was still a bitch to get through though. I think if I didn't farm souls I would've beaten it sooner. I also tried farming the infamous Pure Bladestone for 6 hours and DIDN'T get it. But at least I got a ton of souls from it. I'm on my way in NG++ to finally work on the upgrade trophies. Yea, still addicted to this awesome game. ^^;;;

Also some new pick-ups. I forgot to post most of my August stuff.

Games and Kick-Ass Blu.


More Games.
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