Portal 2 often finds itself on lists naming the best games of all time, and for good reason. Valve's acclaimed puzzle game stands as one of the highest-rated titles in its genre, and was one of the highest-scoring games of its release year, 2011. However, 2011 was a year full of other high quality video game releases, including some of the most critically-acclaimed games of the entire decade.
Shinobi602, an industry insider who is known for accurately leaking video game news, recently shared an image that included some of 2011's biggest. Shinobi asked their 76,000+ followers what their favorite game of 2011 was, which in turn caused Portal 2 to start trending on Twitter. Besides Portal 2, though, there were many other major video game releases of 2011, as clearly evidenced by the image Shinobi602 shared.
Many on Twitter are discussing their top games of 2011, and while the majority seem to be going with Portal 2, 2011 had some other major titles to consider as well. This includes Dark Souls, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Dead Space 2, Uncharted 3, and many more. It's clear by the list that 2011 was a great year for video gaming, and may arguably be one of the best years that the industry has seen ever in terms of quality game launches.
The image mostly consists of games that were released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, but it also includes some key Nintendo titles as well. The top row features Super Mario 3D Land, which was one of the Nintendo 3DS console's first big games. Mario Kart 7 is also featured, as is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. While Skyward Sword is somewhat controversial in Zelda fandom due to its motion controls, it still earned critical acclaim in 2011, standing tall as one of the year's highest-rated titles. Not to mention it was one of the last notable Wii games that Nintendo released, as the Wii U would launch next year in 2012.
There is some debate as to what the best year for video gaming ever was, but 2011 is definitely part of the conversation. Other years that often get brought up are 1998 and 2007. 1998 saw the release of games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid, whereas 2007 was home to Super Mario Galaxy, BioShock, and many more titles.
Looking ahead, there should be more monumental gaming years. In fact, if some of the biggest games of 2021 live up to the hype, maybe this coming year will one day find itself in the conversation.