-
-op experiences from AAA developers. There’s a lot more bloat now in single playe" class="reddit-press-subreddit-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
Introduction
Since 2011 was 10 years ago (2021 – 2011 = 10), I thought it’d be a good idea to reflect on what is considered one of the best years in gaming – I’d personally consider 2011 to be the peak of AAA gaming. Since AAA development cycles 10 years ago were half of what they are today (see this interview with Uncharted 1-3 director Amy Hennig), and live service games were a lot less common, we also got a greater quantity of AAA games than we do now. And while the indie scene was still blooming – 283 games released on Steam in 2011 versus 8290 games in 2019 – there were still a lot of high quality indie games that released in 2011, and the average quality of an indie game on Steam and the three consoles at the time was higher than it is now.
A lot of things were happening in 2011: the release of both the 3DS and the PS Vita (Japan only for the PS Vita, 2012 for the West) were technically the start of the eighth generation. Furthermore, the 3D gimmick was big around this time, particularly in movies, and the 3DS allowed you to see these effects without the need for glasses. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also supported stereoscopic 3D in a lot of their major titles in the early 2010s, with Killzone 3 and Gears of War 3 being some notable examples from this year.
Sony’s PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Kinect had released the year prior, and Nintendo’s Wii Motion Plus in 2009. Motion controls were a frequent hot topic on message boards, and Sony and Microsoft steering down this path halfway into the seventh generation made gamers fear for a much gimmickier future in gaming. Free to play games were beginning to take shape on PC and mobile devices but wouldn’t really come to consoles until a few years later. World of Warcraft was still dominating the MMORPG space, though the controversial Cataclysm expansion had released in December 2010.
Skylanders was the first major “Toys to Life” game and would inspire several other Toys to Life releases, including Nintendo’s very own Amiibo in 2014. There was also a resurgence of local multiplayer in AAA games in 2011, including some of the biggest games of the year: Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Gears of War 3, etc.
I’ll be going through the list of games released for each of the major platforms with a little description for each. Keep in mind I haven’t played every game on this list but did a little bit of research for the ones I was less familiar with. This post is going to focus on North American release dates – even just 10 years ago release dates varied a lot more than they do now. Even Pokemon had separate release dates for each region 10 years (up until Pokemon X/Y in 2013, after which every mainline game has had a single international release date).
Since the PS Vita only released in Japan in 2011, I’ll just leave this list of the 26 launch titles for the PS Vita in Japan.
Multiplatform AAA Games
Dark Souls – The spiritual successor to 2009’s PlayStation 3 exclusive Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls would expand its audience to many more platforms and would eventually spawn a whole subgenre titled “Soulslike” – nowadays it’s hard to remember a time when there weren’t multiple Souls inspired games every year. Dark Souls also took the level-based nature of Demon’s Souls and instead introduced a more open progression of levels. Dark Souls has become synonymous with difficult games, and although I think it’s a bit overblown, it’s easy to see why people think the series is so difficult: it’s a AAA game that allows you to get lost, doesn’t outright explain every mechanic, allows other players to invade your world to impede your progress, etc.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – This game still remains highly influential in the RPG genre nearly a decade after its initial launch. The game would go on to spawn many DLCs and ports, but despite its many bugs – particularly on the PlayStation 3 – it would become the mainstay of open world RPGs. It’s notable on PC for its modding scene, and its cultural influence, particularly on the Internet, can be seen in the many memes its spawned over the years: from “arrow to the knee” jokes to “like Skyrim with _____” to “you can play Skyrim on your fridge.”
Rayman Origins – After an eight year hiatus, Ubisoft brought Rayman back to the delight of many and won many accolades in the process. The game was 2D, a lot faster paced, had 60+ levels, and featured four player local co-op. Rayman Origins and its 2013 sequel, Rayman Legends, are still seen today as some of the best 2D platformers of all time.
Sonic Generations – It could be said that Sonic Generations was the last good 3D Sonic game. It was a celebration of the series’ history, featuring both 2D and 3D levels from previous games in the series. Through some time warp shenanigans, 2D Sonic and 3D Sonic worked together to thwart the plans of Dr. Eggman. Sonic Colors had released the previous year exclusively for the Wii, and it was thought that this might be a golden era for 3D Sonic games. Sadly no 3D Sonic game has matched the acclaim of Sonic Generations since, so it still remains the gold standard (though of course we had 2017’s Sonic Mania as the best 2D Sonic game possibly ever).
Portal 2 – The original Portal was packaged together with a number of other Valve games in 2007, but Portal 2 was a complete package that stood on its own, with a much longer campaign and a separate co-op mode that could be played in split-screen or online.
Dead Space 2 – Dead Space was very much a 7th generation series. EA has since seemed to drop the series, but between the main trilogy, its three spinoff games, and five comic books/novels between 2008-2013, it was a major discussion piece at the time. The sequel to the first game performed just as well as the original but replaced a little horror with a little more action. A lot of people didn’t like the direction Dead Space 3 went, so the second one (technically the third if you count Dead Space: Extraction) could be viewed as “the last good Dead Space game."
F.E.A.R. 3 – F.E.A.R., like Dead Space, was another trilogy that existed for the 7th generation of consoles but died off soon after. The game allowed two player local co-op for the main campaign, and a local competitive multiplayer mode for up to four players. F.E.A.R. saw a free to play online co-op entry in 2014 on Steam, but it shut it down just months after its release and the series has been dormant ever since.
Crysis 2 – This was yet another seventh generation shooter series that died off after its third entry. Despite the first game being used as a benchmark for PC performance back in 2007, the sequel expanded its audience to console gamers (though the original did release for consoles three years after its initial release). Crysis 2 also feature an online PvP mode.
Deux Ex: Human Revolution – Deus Ex was the first game in the series since 2003’s Invisible War. It was both a prequel and soft reboot taking place in 2027, 25 years before the events of the original game. Despite skepticism during its development, the game received high praise from critics and fans alike.
Batman: Arkham City – The new wave of Batman games beginning with 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum would spark a rebridled confidence in video game tie-ins. Arkham City expanded the scope of the series with an open world and introduced dozens of hours of more gameplay. This was well before “open world fatigue” – open world games were still novel during this time, so Arkham City was better appreciated for its incorporation of an open world.
Alice: Madness Returns – After 10.5 years, fans of the cult classic American McGee’s Alice finally got a sequel. This told the story of Alice recounting the events of the day of the fire that took her family’s lives. The game came packaged with the original on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. EA marketed it as a horror game much to the ill wishes of American McGee.
de Blob 2 – de Blob 2’s gameplay revolves around painting objects to bring a city back to life. The original de Blob was exclusive to iOS and the Wii, but the puzzle platformer expanded to the other consoles with its sequel. In addition to its split-screen party mode, deBlob 2 also introduced two player co-op to the main campaign, with the second player controlling a “helper” much akin to Super Mario Galaxy’s co-op.
Bulletstorm – Serious shooters were the flavor of the day back in 2011, but Bulletstorm took a less serious and more arcady approach to its action. The developers even released a free to play 20 minute parody titled “Duty Calls” that mocked the popular gun metal gray corridor shooters like Call of Duty of its time.
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds – Marvel vs. Capcom 2 released 11 years earlier, so the announcement of a sequel in 2010 produced a lot of excitement. With such a long hiatus, newer characters from both universes were introduced into the series for the first time, like Viewtiful Joe, Virgil, and Frank West.
Mortal Kombat – This was technically the ninth installment as well as a reboot for the series. It performed better than the last decade of new entries in the series and brought with it the 300 Tower Trials. These were a series of mini-games and fights strewn together, sometimes altering the gameplay in significant ways.
L.A. Noire – This was a neo-noir detective game with real time facial animation set 1940s Los Angeles. The player would make dialogue choices in the game when interrogating suspects, and there were also action sequences.
Dirt 3 – Dirt 3 ditched the “Colin McRae” in the title and just became Dirt with this entry. This off-road racing game featured 98 courses, a career mode, and online play.
Catherine – This was Atlus’ weird game of the year. A man is torn between two love interests – Catherine and Katherine. The game featured a combination of social simulation, platforming, and puzzle solving.
Battlefield 3 – Battlefield 3 was one of the best looking games out there at the time. Battlefield 3 was unique for the series in that it introduced an online co-op mode, in addition to the single player campaign and online competitive/versus multiplayer mode.
Rocksmith – Guitar Hero and Rock Band were still pretty big franchises around this time. Players could used a real guitar for this game.
Just Dance 3 – Ubisoft continues to make Just Dance games, but Just Dance seemed to be at its peak popularity during the Wii era, though the games were also available on the other two major consoles of the time. Just Dance incorporated motion controls to dance to the beat of the music.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – This was the finale to the Modern Warfare series. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg claimed that Modern Warfare 3’s release was the largest retail release in the industry’s history. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s certainly very believable.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – This was a linear action RPG with split-screen co-op. The game takes place at the dawn of the Second Age and follows a different cast of heroes from the original trilogy, and allows players to choose who they play as.
Dragon Age II – Dragon Age II wasn’t loved as much of the previous game or the one that proceeded it, but Dragon Age II still performed well in spite of adopting a more hack and slash approach to its combat system. In terms of black sheep in video game franchises, Dragon Age II is a cut above the rest at least.
Homefront – This was a FPS that received quite a bit of hype but ultimately failed to live up to expectations despite receiving decent reviews. The game takes place in 2027 with a united North Korea and South Korea that has invaded and taken control of parts of the U.S. The game was banned in South Korea and generated some controversy for its subject matter. Homefront also feature online multiplayer.
Dead Island – The success of this game’s trailer actually pushed the release date ahead of schedule. The development team hired more people to cash in on the hype, but the actual game had little to do with the trailer and received middling reviews when released.
Duke Nukem Forever – Duke Nukem Forever spent 15 years in development before finally releasing to extremely poor reviews in 2011. Gameplay aside, the game was also considered offensive for its portrayal of women and spawned an online petition with 7500+ signatures asking Walmart to remove the game from store shelves.
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Skylanders kickstarted the “Toys to Life” genre in 2011 – Disney Infinity, Nintendo’s Amiibos, and Lego Dimensions would follow in the subsequent years. The franchise had a new entry every year from 2011-2016. By February 2015, the franchise had exceeded $3 billion in sales, and by 2016, the franchise had sold over 300 million toys, and Skylanders had become the 11th biggest console franchise of all time. With a lack of new releases its influence has fallen considerably, but Skylanders was hugely popular in the early to mid 2010s.
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Saints Row the Third
Driver: San Francisco
Shift 2: Unleashed
Need for Speed: The Run
AAA PC Exclusives
In 2011, Steam hadn’t yet been the one place to go for every PC game (of course this has also changed in the last couple of years). None of the games listed below appeared on Steam until some time after their initial release.
The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings – This was one of the few cutting edge PC exclusives of its time (it would release on Xbox 360 a year later). The series hadn’t yet gone open world, instead focusing on a more linear narrative. The Witcher 2 is actually the first game I know of to have elements of it inspired by a Souls game – Demon’s Souls from 2009.
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repbulic 1 & 2 were single player RPGs developed by Bioware released in 2004 and 2005 – The Old Republic expanded the series into the MMORPG space. This was back when every MMORPG was competing for that World of Warcraft spotlight. While it didn’t quite meet expectations, it still received great reviews. It eventually went free to play a little over a year later and continuous updates improved the overall quality of the game.
Age of Empires Online – This was to be the original Age of Empires IV but instead went down a different path. This iteration probably isn’t remembered as fondly as others on the list, but it represents a big publisher’s early dip into the free to play space. The servers for the game only lasted until July 1, 2014 before they were shut down – less than three years after its initial release.
Total War: Shogun 2
PlayStation 3 Exclusives
Sony’s studios emphasized multiplayer in their titles a lot more in the latter of the PlayStation 3’s life, even including it in titles that games that are traditionally solo experiences, like inFAMOUS 2, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, and later God of War: Ascension (2013). Sony’s 2011 line-up included a great mix of single player, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer games, as well as a few PlayStation Move games. Of the 9 non-PlayStation Move games listed below, 6 of them included local multiplayer and 9 included online multiplayer.
LittleBigPlanet 2 – This was a big evolution of the original game and introduced a number of mechanics that expanded what could be done with the level editing tools. Like the previous game, this one would receive a large number of DLC packs, but unfortunately some of them – like the Marvel Level Pack – were removed a few years ago due to licensing expirations. The marketing really wasn’t a lie this time around, it truly went from “a platformer game” to a “platform for games” with the wide array of different tools at your exposal, including the addition of tweaking physics, cut-scenes, Sackboys, and even changing the camera perspective.
MotorStorm Apocalypse – This was the last major entry in the series (a spinoff released a year later) and made for a great trilogy of racing games on the PlayStation 3. The game featured both online and split-screen multiplayer, as well as number of different vehicle classes: dirt bikes, ATVs, buggies, monster trucks, big rigs, etc. The courses would be altered from apocalyptic happenings as you raced through them. The developer, Evolution Studios, is now defunct so this series might be gone for good.
inFAMOUS 2 – This continued Cole’s story from the first game and was set in Louisiana. The sequel also brought with it a unique online sharing mode that allowed for some small customizable levels. inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood would also release later in the year as a small scale standalone title.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – While Uncharted 3 didn’t outdo the overwhelming critical reception to the second game, it still performed very well and featured a lot of content: the single player campaign, split-screen online multiplayer, and its co-op mode. Uncharted 4 would abandon the split-screen and co-op mode.
Resistance 3 – This marked the last major release in the Resistance series. It featured online and local co-op and an online multiplayer mode. Resistance 3 brought back the weapon wheel and health packs from the first game, as many felt Resistance 2 borrowed too heavily from Call of Duty.
Killzone 3 – After the long wait for Killzone 2, Killzone 3 released just two years later. It featured local co-op and an online multiplayer mode. The online scene introduced classes with different functions. Killzone 3 also dropped the weight and heft of the guns from the second game and introduced stereoscopic 3D functionality.
SOCOM 4 – From 2002 to 2011, SOCOM had ten games released between Sony’s consoles and handheld. SOCOM 4 was the second SOCOM game on the PlayStation 3 and the last entry in the series released since. In addition to the online multiplayer mode the series is known for, the game also featured a single player campaign.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – This was a top down platform game that could be played with up to four players online or locally. It allowed players to choose their character: Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, or Doctor Nefarious.
MLB 11: The Show – Believe it or not, this game was actually released for PlayStation 2 as well, and also PSP. It also featured two other gimmicks of its era – stereoscopic 3D and PlayStation Move functional for the Home Run Derby mode.
PlayStation Move Ape Escape, PlayStation Move Heroes, & EyePet and Friends – We can’t forget the motion controls of this era. Unfortunately none of these games performed well and people saw the crossover of Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper as a wasted opportunity in PlayStation Move Heroes.
Xbox 360 Exclusives
Microsoft seemed to push its seventh generation gimmick, the Kinect, more than Sony pushed the PlayStation Move, especially later in the generation. While we never did get to see Milo, Kinect would see a number of games built around it beginning with its launch in November 2011. I’m not going to go through all of them, but here were a few notable ones from 2011: Kinect Sports: Season Two, Dance Central 2, Kinect Fun Labs, The Gunstringer, Rabbids: Alive & Kicking, Rise of Nightmares, Microsoft Kinectimals Now with Bears, and Child of Eden (not exclusive).
Gears of War 3 – Gears of War 3 was to supposedly wrap up the series into a neat little trilogy. We of course know better now, but regardless, Gears of War 3 retained its high pedigree for the series. Gears of War 3 would also introduce a fun novelty to its time – Stereoscopic 3D.
Forza Motorsport 4 – Forza Motorsport 4 was the first Forza Motorsport game to include Kinect functionality.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition – This was a remake of the original 1 years after its original launch. You could switch back and forth between the graphics of the old and new version of the game on the fly. This version also featured Kinect functionality via voice commands for video navigation, in-combat directives, and environment-scanning.
Kinect Disneyland Adventures – This was one of the better reviewed games built around Kinect (73% on Metacritic). It featured an open world play style with mini-games to engage in Players could also customize their own character.
Wii Exclusives
Nintendo was winding down the Wii generation in 2011 and showcased the Wii U at E3 2011. The Wii got a few multiplatform games like Rayman Origins, de Blob 2, the Lego games, and a bastardized version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Modern Warfare 1 had received a demake port the same day Modern Warfare 2 was released for other consoles, and Modern Warfare 2 never saw the light of day on the Wii. In addition, there were a few shorter AA games that would probably be downloadable only games for a smaller price if they were released today. Some examples include The Kore Gang, Lost in Shadow, Go Vacation, Fishing Resort, and Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – This was the first console Zelda game since 2006’s Twilight Princess. It used the Wii Remote Plus. Releasing halfway into the Wii’s life, few games really utilized the Wii Remote Plus, which was an add-on for the Wii Remote that improved the motion controls.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land – Kirby shed its yarn aesthetic and returned to a style more reminiscent of Kirby 64 in 2000. This game had four player local co-op and allowed players to play as many other Kirby characters, and it also had a separate mini game mode.
Fortune Street – This was a crossover between Mario and Dragon Quest characters. It was like a fusion of Monopoly and Mario Party, though it didn’t feature any mini games. Featuring a number of boards from both Mario and Dragon Quest, players are challenged to play real estate and stock markets to win.
Mario Sports Mix – Originally released in 2010 in Japan, Mario Sports Mix made its way to the West in early 2011. Mario Sports Mix featured four sports: basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and hockey. This was the third Mario developed by Square Enix, after Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario Hoops 3-on-3. In addition to the traditional cast of Mario characters, there were a few of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest characters as well. As with many later Wii games, the game gave you the choice to play with or without motion controls. The game received mediocre reviews overall.
Conduit 2 – High Voltage Software was a studio that wanted to bring more mature experiences to the Wii, like the ultimately canceled The Grinder and the Conduit games. If you followed the seventh generation hype train, you would know about the first The Conduit game – a sci-fi FPS exclusively developed for the Wii, released in 2009, that’s ultimately been forgotten about in the test of time. Given the middling reviews of the first game, Conduit 2 didn’t receive nearly as much hype and scored roughly the same as its predecessor. Conduit 2 included a single player campaign, online multiplayer, and added split-screen multiplayer, which was not in the previous game.
Wii Play Motion – As Wii Play featured a number of mini-games centered around the capabilities of the Wii Remote, Wii Play Motion did the same but with emphasis around the Motion Plus attachment. It also expanded the number of mini-games from 9 to 14, but in my experience nothing matched Wii Tanks from the original game. It received mediocre reviews overall.
AAA Local Multiplayer Games for Consoles
A lot of AAA games in historically split-screen-heavy genres – namely racing games and FPSs – dropped support of the feature at the beginning of the generation and allocated resources towards online play for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This was especially damning given that these consoles weren’t entirely backwards compatible and the indie scene hadn’t really taken off yet (indie games are a huge source of local multiplayer games in today’s market – see my post here).
It should be noted that the Wii was a great system for local multiplayer from the beginning and end of its life, and a lot of its marketing revolved around local multiplayer games, similar to Nintendo’s marketing today. That said, the second half of the generation saw a lot more AAA games incorporate local multiplayer, and 2011 was the best of them, in my opinion. Several of the series that introduced local multiplayer in the second half of the seventh generation ended up removing the feature at the start of the eighth generation, such as Uncharted 3 (2011) to Uncharted 4 (2016), Killzone 3 (2011) to Killzone: Shadow Fall (2014), and Far Cry 3 (2012) to Far Cry 4 (2014) – these series each have only had one entry with split-screen multiplayer, all around the same time as each other. There were a lot of options from this year alone. Since I already covered them earlier in this post, I’m just going to list them below.
LittleBigPlanet 2
MotorStorm Apocalypse
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Resistance 3
Killzone 3
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
MLB: The Show 11
Gears of War 3
Forza Motorsport 4
Portal 2
de Blob 2
Mortal Kombat
F.E.A.R. 3
Just Dance 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Rayman Origins
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
Driver: San Franciso
F1 2011
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland
Fortune Street
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics
Mario Sports Mix
Wii Play: Motion
Conduit 2
[Yearly sports games, including the notable NHL 10]
Indie/Small Scale Games
Terraria – It’s hard to believe Terraria released 10 years ago and is still receiving updates – I really can’t think of too many other indie game that has received updates for that long. Terraria originally released just for PC and was referred to as “2D Minecraft” a lot more when it first released, but it’s since been ported to a number of different platforms, has received a number of updates, and has carved out quite a legacy for itself.
The Binding of Isaac – This came from one of the creators of Super Meat Boy, Edmund McMillen, which received universal acclaim the year prior. The Binding of Isaac came out well before the wave of roguelites/roguelikes we see today, and with many new updates, it still remains one of the best around.
To the Moon – To the Moon tells the story of two doctors fulfilling the last wish of a dying man using artificial memories. This is probably the most notable game using the RPG Maker game engine. Funnily enough, there are no RPG elements to speak of – the game instead focuses on its narrative and solving puzzles for the gameplay.
Bastion – Bastion was developed by Supergiant Games, the same developer behind Hades. Bastion shares some similarities with Hades, but it’s a shorter adventure with no roguelite elements. Bastion had the unique twist of a man narrating your actions in the game, as if he was telling a story.
Trine 2 – Trine 2 is a physics-based sidescrolling action platformer featuring three player local co-op. You used the powers of the three different characters – the wizard, the thief, and the knight – to navigate each level. Trine 2 performed better than the first game and delivered a pretty unique experience back in its day.
Ms. Splosion Man – Ms. Splosion Man is a sequel to 2009’s 2D puzzle platformer Splosion Man. The main campaign can be played in local or online co-op for up to four players, and there is a separate campaign designed around the co-op experience. Solo players can still play the co-op mode by controlling two characters in what is termed “2 Girls 1 Controller.”
Outland – Metroidvanias were coming back to life around this time, and Outland was an early example of this. It’s primary mechanic was switching between blue and red energies to overcome obstacles and barriers, similar to Ikaruga. It featured online co-op for the whole campaign, and a separate co-op mode with challenges built with two players in mind. The developer behind Outland is currently working on Returnal, due in April 2021.
From Dust – This came from Ubisoft Montpellier (totally not indie but small scale) and was one of the few console entries in the “God Game” genre. Players would control certain types of matter in real time and would help save a nomadic tribe.
Minecraft - Minecraft technically released in 2011, after first being available as an Early Access title in 2009.
DS Games
Although the 3DS released the same year, the DS would still be supported long after the 3DS thanks to its extremely high sales.
Pokemon Black/White – This technically came out in 2010 in Japan, but Westerners wouldn’t get their hands on it until 2011. Pokemon Black/White expanded the roster to 649 Pokemon but only allowed you to capture the 156 new ones until you finished the game. It would be the last mainline 2D Pokemon game.
Kirby Mass Attack – This title played a bit differently from most games in the series, although the Kirby series is no stranger to new gameplay mechanics. Kirby Mass Attack was a Lemmings-styled platformer, with the player using the stylus and touch screen to play the game. Using up to ten Kirbys on screen at once, the player could send commands to the Kirbys, or use them as projectiles.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective – First released in 2010 in Japan, Westerners first got play one of Capcom’s more unusual games in 2011. This was directed by Shu Takumi, the creator of the Ace Attorney franchise. Ghost Trick was an adventure game that had you controlling a dead man named Sissel, who would use his ghostly possession powers to save lives.
Aliens: Infestation - Developed by Gearbox Software (Borderlands series) and WayForward Technologies (Shantae series), Aliens: Infestation was a Metroidvania with an interesting permadeath mechanic – the player controls one marine in a party of four, and if that one dies, the player then plays as a different marine. The player loses the game if all four die. The development team created 20 unique characters with game’s dialogue carefully rewritten 20 times for each of the characters, to give some emotional investment to each one of them.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter – This was first released in 2009 in Japan, and in 2011 Japanese players already had their hands on the sequel, Miracle Mask. These games were a big part of the seventh generation, seeing eight releases between 2007 and 2013. Since then, there’s been just one title released, in 2017.
3DS Games
The 3DS was released for $249.99 USD in Q1 2011 in NA. The 3DS was a novel concept at the time as it allowed you view games in 3D without the need for those pesky glasses. While the 3D effect was abandoned on 3DS games in later years – and Nintendo even introduced a budget 3DS called the 2DS with no 3D capabilities – at the time it was a fun novelty. It also introduced AR (Augmented Reality) and the eShop to the wider market. While the DSi technically introduced the eShop, it was the 3DS that made it standard for the generation. The 3DS wasn’t selling so well for its initial five months, and so the price was slashed significantly, down to $169.99. Early 3DS adopters received 10 NES games and 10 GameBoy Advance games on the 3DS as compensation for being early adopters. These games were only ever available for early adopters only.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – If you wanted to play Ocarina of Time at more than 20fps, this was the way to do. This was a full fledged remake and not a port, and it introduced many quality of life improvements in addition to the 3D effect.
Star Fox 64 3D – Star Fox 64 3D added more dialogue between missions, gyro controls, and a new “3DS Mode” that adjusted the difficulty and objectives of the original game. There was also a four player battle mode, though this was only through LAN.
Super Mario 3D Land – Previous Nintendo handhelds outside of the original GameBoy had mostly hosted ports or remakes of older Super Mario platform games, but the 3DS would bring with it an entirely new title, one that was 3D in both senses of the word.
Mario Kart 7 – This may just be seen as another Mario Kart game in a long series of games, but at the time, this still produced a lot of excitement. With this entry, players were able to customize their vehicles with different kart frames, wheels, and gliders. The game also introduced the hang glider and underwater sections.
Nintendogs + Cats – Despite the high sales figures of the series, this would be the last Nintendogs game for what has now been an entire decade. Previous entries only included dogs, but – inspired by his own pets ability to get along and the Disney film The Incredible Journey – Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to make a game with both species of animal.
Pushmo/Pullbox – Possibly the single biggest downloadable only 3DS exclusive to come to the system, Pushmo (Pullblox in Europe) came at a time when there weren’t a lot of small scale games. It’d probably be viewed as an indie game, but this was actually developed by Intelligent Systems, the same people behind Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, and Advance Wars.
Studio Closures
Unfortunately every year is greeted with a number of studio closures – it’s easy to forget them over time, so let’s take a look at some of the ones that went away in 2011.
Black Rock Studios – Pure, Split/Second – Although both Pure and Split/Second received favorable reviews on Metacritic (low to mid 80% critic average), its parent company Disney Interactive Studios decided to close the studio – after having reduced the size of the studio just a few months prior – likely due to the poor sales of Split/Second. Split/Second ends with a “To Be Continued,” and while the initial phases of the sequel had been worked on, it’s likely it didn’t get very far in development given that it was canceled in December 2010, while the original had released in May 2010. This video talks about the canceled sequel.
Bizarre Creations – Project Gotham Racing, Geometry Wars, Blur – Blur and Split/Second were two arcade racers that released within a week of each other in May 2010 – in addition, Red Dead Redemption released the same day as Split/Second and a week before Blur. As a result, Red Dead Redemption stole much of the spotlight and the two arcade racing games ate into each other’s sales. Like Disney with Black Rock Studios, Activision also decided to shut down the then 17 year old studio. Bizarre Creations released a video retrospective of their work.
Team Bondi – L.A. Noire – Team Bondi was a source of controversy in 2011 shortly after the release of its one and only game that took seven years to make. Former employees criticized the long working days and managerial style that resulted in high turnover, and The International Game Developers Association launched an investigation into the studio as a result of these interviews. Team Bondi also left or incorrectly listed 130 L.A. Noire staff members in the game’s credits and later developed a website called “L.A. Noire Credits” that gave credit to the previously uncredited. At the time of the studio’s closure, Team Bondi owed over $1 million Australian dollars to 33 staff members. Despite the studio’s closure, a definitive edition of L.A. Noire would be remastered for eighth generation consoles.
Blue Tongue Entertainment – The Polar Express, de Blob 1 & 2 – This THQ studio mostly produced games based on movies and TV shows up until de Blob in 2008. The studio was closed down under a restructuring and realignment plan by THQ.
Kaos Studios – Frontlines: Fuel of War, Homefront – Despite a lot of hype surrounding Homefront, the game received mediocre reviews and parent company THQ suffered a 26% stock drop shortly after the game’s release. Most of the studio was transferred to THQ’s Montreal studio, which was now developing the Homefront sequel. THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and was later acquired by Ubisoft, while the Homefront sequel was developed by Crytek UK.
THQ Studio Australia – The Last Airbender, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown – Yet another THQ closure in 2011, THQ Australia had an eight year run and developed mostly games based on popular Nickelodeon TV shows. AT the time of their closure, they were working on an The Avengers video game.
Conclusion
Hope you enjoyed looking back on some of these games. The market was a bit different back then – stereoscopic 3D games, motion controls, a prominent handheld market, etc. Many games from back then still remain impactful today, most notably Dark Souls, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Portal 2, Terraria, and The Binding of Isaac. Others you probably haven’t heard about in awhile but are great all the same. It also featured some great experimental games from larger developers as well, like Capcom’s Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Gearbox Software’s and WayForward Technologies’ Alien: Infestation, Ubisoft’s From Dust, THQ’s de Blob 2, and Intelligent Systems’ Pushmo/Pullbox.
One thing I like better now is that every game that comes out for a Nintendo console essentially doubles as both a handheld and console game. Even up until a few years ago there were handheld exclusives that people wanted on consoles (Mario Party: The Top 100 from 2017 is a notable example that was 3DS only). As someone who prefers playing on consoles and doesn’t have as much of a need for handhelds, I also personally like that Sony’s studios are all focused on making games for the PlayStation 4 & 5, and resources aren’t being spent on the PS Vita. The biggest thing I love though, is the explosion of the indie scene and having much more of them on consoles now.
One thing I liked better back then were more finite single playe
" class="reddit-press-subreddit-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
Where were you in 2011? What do you think of some of the games looking back? What about the market did you like better back then compared to now? What’s better about games today? Were there any games listed here that you hadn’t thought about in awhile?
Oh yeah, Minecraft was one of the first Early Access games back in the day - the concept was still kind of new. I guess Minecraft could fit in either year depending on who you ask.