Best Games of 2011: Part 2

Xenoblade Chronicles

This game turned out to be far better than I expected. The MMO-like real time combat gave me nightmares of FFXII, a game I found to be extremely boring.  Well Xenoblade is a bit like FFXII but fixes everything wrong with that game and turns it into the best JRPG since Persona 4. Featuring tonnes of content, beautiful expansive locales to explore, a stunning soundtrack and an involved battle system, this is the best Wii game I’ve played in a very long time.

Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles

This was my introduction to the Ys series and I can’t wait to see what other delights this series of games holds. This is the definitive remake of two games that have been remade countless times. There’s nothing like its fast paced take on RPGs and there have been very few games this year quite as much fun. Plus points for the incredibly cheesy guitar heavy soundtrack.

Radiant Silvergun

One of my favourite Saturn games ever finally gets the release it deserves. It’s pretty much my favourite shoot’em up ever. Originally only available on a Japanese Saturn and fetching obscene prices on ebay it’s great that people can finally get to experience the game for a reasonable price. I can’t find any fault with Radiant Silvergun, it’s perfect. It’s a hard game to learn, what with 7 weapons available to you from the beginning, but it’s got lots of depth thanks to the scoring combo system and RPG weapon levelling system and features some of the greatest boss designs ever.

Oiche Maith

This small little game from Irish developer Terry Kavanagh (who made last year’s amazing VVVVVV) is the one game this year that had a profound emotional effect on me. To say anymore would spoil the experience so I urge you to check it out. It only takes about 20 minutes to beat and can be found on newsgrounds if you want to try it out.

Child of Eden

The spiritual successor to the Dreamcast classic Rez, Child of Eden is a sensory experience like no other this year. It’s a great game to throw on for a few minutes and just get lost in the perfect harmony of mesmerizing audio and visuals. It may just be an on the rails shooter at heart but on other rail shooter has ever been this beautiful. Turn off the lights, turn up the volume and enjoy one of gaming’s best experiences.