KGB Game of the Year 2011: D. Bethel

Rockstar’s L. A. Noire is such a strange bastard of a game that I’m not even sure deserves the top honor of game of the year when broken apart for analysis. It has sloppy controls, some shallow and uninteresting characters, antiquated graphics (with the exception of its ground-breaking facial animation), and whose main puzzle mechanic – reading the faces of damned, dirty liars – can seem so arbitrary that one wonders if it is actually one sprawling game of peek-a-boo. It also has that weird, extra "e" at the end of the title. When examined by its pieces, a meticulous observer can be underwhelmed by L. A. Noire, but the game should not, or perhaps can not, be observed as a collection of artifacts; it must be seen as a whole.

 

KGB Game of the Year 2011: Humor Tumor

I don't know when exactly it clicked in my mind that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was my Game of theYear. The beauty of running through vast open fields, populated by herds of mammoths, and their frost giant companions. The panic of having a dragon bear down on you from out of nowhere, knowing you aren't prepared to deal with the airborne menace.

KGB Game of the Year 2011: Adam Marcey

Allow me to apologize to all of the Gears of War, Modern Warfare, Elder Scrolls and Batman fans out there: these games did rock. Hard. And quite honestly, my original pick for Game of the Year was Gears of War 3. But sometimes a big name and highly anticipated sequel steals all of the limelight and other games fall through the cracks. This year, I’m making a sleeper pick for a game of the year and encourage you to give it a shot after you’ve worn out the other games. The game I refer to is Rage.

KGB Game of the Year 2011: AGTurbo

It was tough for me to choose between Assassins Creed Revelations and Deus Ex Human Revolution. With great thought I give Assassins Creed Revelations my personal Game of the Year. Assassins Creed Revelations had a solid story, but the ending of how it finished the stories of Altair and Ezio was very fulfilling. The platforming missions are the best in the series. Of all the games I've played that ended with 3, and provided some closure to the main timeline of the series (Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3) Assassins Creed Revelations ending gets the edge. The additions such as the hookblade and bombcrafting made Revelations the most refined of the Assassins Creed games. Also the soundtrack of Assassins Creed Revelations composed by Jesper Kyd and Leorne Balfe of 80 tracks, for specific missions, the ending, and even the free roaming from one set of missions to another set of missions was scored individually. Revelations made me care for the characters Ezio and Altair and the ending as resonated with me so well I give Assassins Creed Revelations the Game of the Year.

For Runner Up it is Deus Ex Human Revolution. I wasn't excited for Deus Ex Human Revolution until I tagged along with another Omeganaut at PAX East for the Deus Ex panel. I was amazed at what I saw, and it made me interested for the game. Deus Ex Human Revolution did a great job of playing it different ways. You could be super stealthy, or kill everyone. The art design and the musical scoring by Michael McCann did a great job adding more ambiance. As a player you were never penalized for being stealthy. Also on my second playthrough playing stealth without killing anyone, I discovered new locations and areas I would have never traveled to if I tried to kill everyone. To me, Deus Ex Human Revolution felt like a spiritual successor to Hitman: Blood Money, which I love very much. The boss battles and the ending held it back for it being my GOTY.

     

KGB Game of the Year 2011: Rock

As Dan Smith so perfectly stated in his GOTY article, there was a metric ass load of games all fighting for our money this year, which makes it insanely difficult to choose only one as your absolute favorite.  I really agonized a lot over this decision: do I choose the game that showed me a beautifully dirty and futuristic world?  What about the one really great shooter of the year (boom!)? In the end, I think I'll have to surprise no one and choose The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim as my 2011 Game of the Year.

Skyrim wowed me from the start. It's striking visuals and huge open world pulled my in like a lover. But, you know, one that I couldn't sex up proper-like. What?  Anyway,  Skyrim throws everything at you.  Almost every conceivable combination of weapons and skills is yours to use, and the number of unlockable abilities is ginormous! It truly seems as though I will never be bored in this world, as the sheer multitude of quests is just dizzying. Oh, and you can kill dragons. Lot's of them...


      

  

Rock wishes to live in Skyrim, but, you know, without the cold.   
Or the dragons.....

           Follow @Known_Griefers

KGB Game of the Year 2011: Dan Smith

Game of the Year is a prestigious title for any game to receive. It shows that this game, more than any other of the last 11 months, is the game you really need to play. Some years are more competitive than others (1998, anyone?), and this year stands among the best. We saw the Juggernauts of EA and Activision, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 respectively, duke it out for our dollars. We saw another fantastic return to form for Batman, and Dark Souls proved to us that there is room for a Japanese-centric game in the Western Market. Portal 2 had us falling in love with the universe all over again, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution alongside Driver: San Francisco gave us a wonderful mix of old and new that brought us back with a hunger. Every single one of these major, triple A titles would deserve this reward.

That said, my choice for Game of the Year is the downloadable Bastion, from Supergiant Games.

Santa Claus: Videogame Hero

You might think that seasonal videogames are too niche of a market to exist, but you'd be wrong. The Jolly old fat man himself, Santa Claus, is no stranger to videogames. Little Saint Nick has appeared in quite a few adventures over the years, and Chris takes you on another flight of the KGB Nostalgia Dirigible!

KGB Top 5: Christmasgasms!

I love Christmas. Unlike Rock, I am full of Christmas spirit. One of my favorite parts of Jesus' birthday is watching children open their presents. It transports me back to a time when I was a bright-eyed child, full of wonder and joy. Now I am an empty shell of a man, whom writes about videogames. In this edition of the KGB Top 5, Chris takes a look at the best videos on YouTube of children going apeshit over their new game systems.

KGB Surveillance- Skyrim

KGB Surveillance is a new feature we'll be doing, where we'll watch gameplay footage we've captured and provide commentary.  We hope you enjoy it!

Hotness of the Week!

Well everyone, we're getting ready for our holiday break, but don't think that means that we're resting on our asses!  Check out some of the icy hotness we've got in store for you!

KGB Radio Episode 13: N.Y. Minute

Join Rock, Chris, Pat, Zack, and special guest, internet sensation D. Bethel as we discuss Bioware's new role, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and announce our new contest! Also, in the second segment, learn all about D. Bethel as we sit down for a heart to heart!

2011: A Spaceman Simulation in Space Station 13

Five or six years ago, I found myself really wanting when it came to games. As far as I was concerned, a half dozen legitimately enjoyable games came out a year, and few of those could last me eight long, cold weeks, much less remain truly enjoyable for that long. Before long, I found myself looking into the dark corners, trying to find anything strange, weird, or just generally interesting. I found the most amazing things, stuff that you would never find on the shelves next to Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. I found Dwarf Fortress, WWII plane simulators, a trove of indie titles, and then I found Space Station 13.

KGB Radio- Now on iTunes!

That's right folks, after months of false starts and endless frustration, KGB Radio SHOULD be up on iTunes. Simply search for "KGB Radio" or "Known Griefers" and you should be all set. We're working on getting the backlog up, but for now enjoy Episode 12: Mario's Dad!

The Nostalgia Dirigible: Classic Christmas Commercials

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Snow is falling, bank accounts are emptying, and you've probably brought a dead tree into your home and covered it in lights. The Christmas season is a whirlwind of nostalgia, and what better way to celebrate that than with a trip on the KGB Nostalgia Dirigible?!

Pro-Tips: Snoopy's Street Fair for iOS

We here at KGB have noticed a lot of people coming in to check out my review of Snoopy's Street Fair, led in by Google keyword searches related to some in-game activities. In order to help these Snoopy-fans out, Chris has put together some Pro-Tips for inquiring minds.

Price Dropasaurus! Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Price Dropasaurus is a new feature where we'll be looking at games that maybe weren't worth the full price of admission when they were new, but are worth taking a second look at now that they've had their prices dropped.  For our first installment, Rock takes a look at Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

KGB Radio Episode 12: Mario's Dad

Join Rock,Chris, Zack, Pat, and Humor Tumor as we discuss Miyamoto's possible departure, studio closures, and more!  Also, be sure to catch our Nintendo quiz in the second segment!

Trials By Fire: The Fatalism of Platforming

Trials by Fire is a column from D. Bethel whereby two game demos are arbitrarily judged and one is declared the victor. The demos featured in this edition are The War of the Worlds and Oozi: Earth Adventure Episode 2.

I Stab You! Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is the fourth main installment of Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft Montreal. It's the last game of the series featuring Ezio Auditore as a main protagonist. It is a historical open world game that takes place in 16th century Constantinople. KGB power-user AGTurbo stops by to share his thoughts on the latest in face-and-neck stabbing.

Hotness of The Week!

We're settling in for a nice little break in the fall release schedule, but don't think we're not busy!  We're all hard at work bringing you some great stuff!  So stay tuned!

KGB Radio Episode 11: Arnold Vosloo

Join Rock, Chris, Pat, Zack, and returning guest Jones Schultz as we talk about Star Wars: TOR, Serious Sam, and have a Star Wars quiz!

Remembering the Horror: A Resident Evil Retrospective Pt. 2

So Part 1 of my Resident Evil retrospective ended on a bit of a sad note. Code Veronica, although a decent title, felt too held back. With C:V taking steps back, while it's cousin on an inferior platform took strides to enhancing the series, it wasn't one of my favorite titles; and to this day is very devisive in terms of the fanbase. Some love it, some dislike, some speak very loudly about downright hating it.

But not all is bad for Resident Evil right? Well, yes and no.

Read on to find out dear friends....

Cult of Personality: WWE '12 Review

If you’re a fan of wrestling games, there’s a good chance you have very strong opinions. There are very few genes in gaming that inspire such slavish devotion to one franchise as wrestling games do. If you thought the war of words between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 was a bloodbath, you haven’t been caught in the middle of a NeoGaf debate between Fire Pro Returns and Virtua Pro Wrestling 2. Fortunately, for the not crazy people out there, you don't really need to know all that much to enjoy WWE ‘12. Yuke’s has put a lot of work and promotion to make this not merely the “next SmackDown!” game, but to angle it as a relaunch of their entire WWE series.