Still Playing: The Games of 2011

In a 2010 post here I discussed a bunch of games I had not yet finished all of which are now in the can.

From my Still Playing 2009 post I thankfully only have one game lingering, and that is the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R, despite now having Clear Sky as well.

Steam attacked my wallet a lot this year and this is what I am still playing from 2011, almost all of which are PC games with a few console titles as well:

Fucking Spider boss

Darksiders (PS3/360): I started this Zelda/God of War mash-up on PS3 and could never beat the damn spider boss. I bought it cheap on 360 and now armed with cheevo opportunity and my favorite console control scheme, I hope to bring the pain.

DEAD ISLAND: I spent the first seven hours of play simply wandering the my way up the coast of the island, cutting chunks off and smashing heads in. Once I jumped back into quests and had to retread the same ground it grew tiresome but I will keep slugging. Buggy but not broken, the visceral thrill of chipping layers off of zombies never gets old.

FAR CRY 2: Like any other open world game, I get lost in wandering and lose interest in the main thread of quests. Rightfully lauded for emergent gameplay and player agency, I hope to give this game it's due.

RAYMAN ORIGINS:  Equally beautiful and punishing, I will push through until my skill runs out, which may be sooner than later.

BORDERLANDS: I jumped back in with a vengence and hope to pound this game into submission finally. Still haven't found the gun I want to love and make my precious.

KANE &LYNCH 2: Mean and ugly in content but striking in its aesthetic, I may need to take a bath when it's over.

JERICHO:  A dark and ugly curiousity, I will give it a go.

RAGE: Simultaneously stunning and ugly, graceful and broken, RAGE is a thick meaty shooter.


DRAGON AGE II: "Streamlined" and repetitive I should be able to tear through this in short time, especially in comparison to the enormous time I put into Dragon Age:Origins.

HYDROPHOBIA: Released, tweaked and released again in a perpetual feedback loop, the graphics and mechanics make the janky parts bearable.

BASTION: Delightful and incredible, this game got lost in watching my son steal the experience from me. Time to rediscover it.

ORCS MUST DIE: Tower defense!

PAYDAY THE HEIST: My stepson dived deep into this online shooter and I hope to join him in a online version of  Heat

DEUS EX:HR: Passionate hindsight makes me love Deux Ex, and the reviews have been kind though the game is uglier than shit.

WITCHER 2: Simply the most beautiful pc game available now, a deep and rewarding RPG that is intimidating in its breadth.

ODDWORLD: STRANGER'S WRAITH (Maybe HD): Be super if remake developer JAW finally released the promised patch so I can play it on PC. When and if it comes, I can't wait to beat this game again as I loved it on OG Xbox.


OLDER CONSOLE GAMES:

I have a bunch of older 360 and PS3 games I am hoping to get to in the slow months before Mass Effect 3. They include:
Bully (360)
Metal Gear 4 (PS3)
Resistance 1 & 2 (PS3)