2011 has been an historic year for the world of interactive entertainment.
Whether we’re talking big-budget AAA titles like Modern Warfare 3, handheld dynamos like Super Mario 3D Land or indie success stories like Minecraft, 2011 has had a little something for every gamer.
The editorial staff over at GameTrailers has done some really nice work writing and putting together video features highlighting their nominees and winners for a wide variety of categories.
I implore you to head on over to The Mothership for all 31 (!) of the sparkly, polished, industry-leading video presentations.
But if it’s strictly winners you’re after, I can offer those here, albeit with a splash of video to break things up a bit:
Best First Person Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Biggest News Story: PlayStation Network Hacked
Best Graphics: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Most Disappointing Game: Duke Nukem Forever
Best Downloadable Game: Minecraft
Best Expansion: Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues
Best Story: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Most Innovative Game: Minecraft
Best Puzzle Game: Portal 2
Best Strategy Game: Total War: Shogun 2
Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat
Best Soundtrack: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 4
Best Platformer: Super Mario 3D Land
Best Xbox 360 Game: Batman: Arkham City
Best New IP: L.A. Noire
Best Action/Adventure Game: Batman: Arkham City
Best 3DS Game: Super Mario 3D Land
Best Sports Game: FIFA Soccer 12
Best Motion Controls: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best 3rd Person Shooter: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
Best Trailer: Dead Island GDC II Cinematic Trailer
Best Role-playing Game: Dark Souls
Best Software Lineup: PlayStation 3
Best PC Game: Batman: Arkham City
Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Best Wii Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Platform Exclusive: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Best Single-Player Campaign: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
2011 Game of the Year: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Also of Note: If I’m looking for a notable under-reported trend with the best games of 2011 it would have to be the emergence of colons as a dominant force of punctuation. Out of the 31 winners of this year’s awards, 19 featured colons in the title. This colon blowout speaks to the importance of established franchises in the industry, as first iterations of games rarely feature one.
In this way, the colon has come to represent a status symbol of sorts–if your game title features one, odds are it’s had a run of critical success and/or has fared well in the marketplace.
The colon is Gaming’s titular version of a Mercedes-Benz or a Prada bag. Holler.