PepsimanVsJoe talks about random games.

It's the end of the year and like everyone else who has said something about a videogame, I have to start thinking about picking favorites. Honestly I never saw the appeal, mostly because there just isn't enough time for me to play the games that I think are deserving of such regard. Also if I were to choose right now I'd come up with absolutely nothing. Unlike last year I don't have a handful of titles that I really connected with and felt that they were truly special.

For reference my favorite game of last year is Protect Me Knight, which is where my avatar comes from. The runner-ups are Deadly Premonition and Nier. I'm pretty sure I've written no less than three reviews for Mamotte Knight. The other two games have their flaws but as far as memorable experiences go they went unmatched. This year I'm afraid to say I've played nothing of the sort.

The easy way out would be for me to pick from among the games I've given my highest review-scores to. The problem with that is...well...let's go over the list:

Gears of War III - I gave this game five stars. I stopped playing it maybe a week after the review was published and I traded in the game shortly after that. Yeah I'd say we weren't exactly close.
Bastion - Also five stars, I think I even used the dreaded "a-word" to describe it. Do I play it anymore? Of course not. In fact I can barely remember anything about it.
Yakuza 4 - Once again, five stars. Of the three I'd say this is the game that still holds up in my eyes. So let's put this one in the running.

The only other game that would be classified here is Guardian Heroes as I gave it an A+. However it would be incredibly unfair of me to give my favorite game of 1996 the 2011 nod as well.

So now let's move on to the games I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet, which would be the following three:

Dodonpachi: Resurrection - While a very good shooter with multiple modes of play and a style to fit any type of gamer, I haven't been able to put enough time into this one to make any definite decisions. The Black Label DLC for example I've barely touched on, and from what I can tell so far it's a pretty significant addition.
Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets - This is certainly the odd-ball entry. I hate Pink Sweets, it is so boring. Pink Sweets' arrange mode however is utterly phenomenal and some of the most fun I've had playing a 2D shooter. Muchi Muchi Pork is something that I'm still not sure at all about. I've put a bit of time into its arrange mode but I'm not enjoying it nearly as much. The vanilla mode is really fun though, but I need more time with it.
Skyrim - What can I say about this one? Unfortunately even at over 50 hours of play I still haven't quite figured out what I want to talk about. I can't imagine what I say will be anything worth reading, I'm probably better off selling this game immediately and moving on.

So I guess I'll half-heartedly roll with the MMP/PS package. "Some of the most fun I've had playing a 2D shooter" sounds like the kind of statement that could define a favorite doesn't it?

Oh wait. I gave a couple games really high scores didn't I? Let's look at those real quick:

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 - I've always been partial to Musou games and Gundam 3 combines fast-action with a perfectly insane cast of characters. Altogether it makes for a rather non-sequitur experience, which certainly sounds like the sort of thing that would be right up my alley.
Disgaea 4 - I think this game is great and all but the long hours I've put into it have done me too much harm. I'm really not sure if I should be thinking very highly of the videogame that may one day kill me. Seriously though it's good, just not quite what I had in mind for a favorite.

So let's say Gundam 3 gets the nod here. I really wish I had bothered to import the newest Orochi Warriors, but I'll just have to cross my fingers for a localization.

Now for everything else:

Batman: Arkham City - Disappointment
Battlefield 3 - Didn't like it
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Disappointment
Catherine - No Interest
Crysis 2 - No Interest
Dark Souls - Couldn't get into the first game
Dead Space 2 - Didn't bother
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Barely an hour in, haven't touched it since
Portal 2 - Didn't care for the original
Saints Row 3 - Disappointment
Uncharted 3 - Hate the last game
Zelda: Skyward Sword - Generally dislike 3D Zelda.

Yep, absolutely nothing here for me. It's too bad really because Saints Row 3 was looking to be a favorite. The second game was tied with The World Ends With You for my favorite of 2008.

Altogether it looks my favorite games of 2011 list consists of Yakuza 4, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, and the Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets bundle. Now it's just a matter of writing some thought-provoking piece that explains which of these three games is worthy of such a coveted award.

I can see now why most game-writers just stick to doing a vote. I never want to deal with this madness again.