Best DLC Game

This one came as a complete surprise to me. I never would have expected in a million years this game would be as good as it is. There are definitely tons of DLC games this year that are longer, better looking and have higher production values. But none of that matters because none of the games on live arcade I've played this year have been as fun as Vampire Smile. I am eagerly anticipating Ska Studios' next big release.

Best Christmas Gift

Lucky bastard.

Best Bro

FIST BUMP OF THE GODS

Most Extraneous Multiplayer

When I first heard they were including multiplayer in Dead Space 2 I was outraged. This is a game about scariness. How can I be scared when there are other xbox live jerkoffs yelling in my ear (sorry Jaison)? I was so mad that I wasn't going to buy the game. Or maybe buy it used.

But then when the game was released I folded like a cheap suitcase and got it on day one. Self control...what's that? Anyway I quickly discovered that the game came on two discs. What kind of shit is this! One is probably just for the multiplayer... I don't know if that's true or not, but anyway.

I finally got around to trying the multiplayer and it actually wasn't that bad. Jumping out of vents as the monsters is hilarious, and fighting to stay alive with your team was more fun than I expected. I still don't think they needed to include it though.

Best Game I Got For Free

Jaison gave me Trine 2 for my birthday, big props to you jaison! I have played it for a couple hours and it's really good so far. The first thing I noticed is that it is beautiful. Seriously god damn this game looks nice. But style is nothing without substance. Luckily it's also a lot of fun to play. Very much like the first Trine, with small improvements that come together to make it overall a more fun experience than the original. Plus it's got online multiplayer, what's not to like?

Musical Interlude

While we prepare the next round of awards, please give it up for the awesome sounds of Fantomenk!!

Best Sequel

Dark Souls is everything a good sequel should be. It expands on the core concepts of the original, while still managing to do it's own thing without just feeling like a retread. I guess this is partly because it's more of a spiritual sequel, telling a completely new story. While I didn't enjoy the story as much as the original, I felt the much larger size of the game and cool additions like covenants more than made up for it.

There is a lot to do in this game and I enjoyed every minute of it (Except Anor Londo, seriously fuck you anor londo!). Between levelling up, upgrading gear and exploring the world, I spent around 50 hours on my first play-through. That's more than some people spend on Skyrim. Woah! And I still am not bored of it. I feel like I got a good value for my money on this one.

Biggest Trainwreck

I wanted to give this award to Brink, but in the end you've got to hand it to 3D Realms. George Broussard is a master of driving a well-loved franchise straight into the fucking ground. I'm not sure how they could have shit the bed any worse. I have to give credit to Gearbox for actually getting the game finished but at the same time shame because Duke Nukem Forever should never have seen the light of day, and tricking people into paying $60 for this reeking turd is morally reprehensible.

Best Game That Nobody Played

This game looks god damn beautiful. It got fantastic reviews. It's pure old-school platforming fun. Yet whenever I talk to people about it, I always get the same response. "Yeah it looks really good. I'll pick it up when it goes on sale." I can't really blame them, because I was thinking the exact same thing. I guess in this age of Skyrims and Mass Effects, people just aren't willing to pay full price for a 2D platformer not starring a fat Italian plumber.

Best Batman Related Game

I haven't actually played this one yet, so instead I'll paraphrase what Jaison has told me about it. This game is at least as good as Arkham Asylum, which already makes it better than every other Batman game out there. The open-world structure doesn't add much to the experience, and in some ways it actually bogs down the main story.

The side-quests are entertaining in their own right though, and finding the Riddler's clues is a fun distraction. The boss fights have been improved, and while still not perfect they are leagues ahead of the crap in Arkham Asylum. The Catwoman missions are a good way to mix things up, and aren't that sexist after all. This is certainly the best Batman game, and probably one of the best games overall this year.

Blast from the Past

If you grew up playing video games in the 80s this was your life.

Most Wasted Potential

For a while this was a toss-up between Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, but then it occurred to me that nobody really expected MW 3 to be anything more than mediocre. Battlefield 3 had a lot of potential between the new Frostbite engine, breath-taking visuals and 64 player conquest.

Instead what we got was a relatively uninspired singleplayer campaign, godawful multiplayer interface, glitches, bugs, balance issues and a frustrating unlock system that actively handicaps new players. It seems like they managed to combine many of the annoying parts of classic Battlefield with those of the newer Bad Company series. When everything clicks, the game is great fun and you see a spark of greatness. Most of the time though, it's as productive as slamming your head in a car door. I'm hoping in time it will get patched to the point where I'll actually enjoy it, but I won't hold my breath. Better luck next time, Dice.

Best Driving Game

Forza 4 was up against some tough competition in the form of Dirt 3, but it managed to pick up speed in the last turn and win by a photo finish!! It has so many options to customize your car and some of the most realistic driving physics I have ever experienced. It was so good, I must have played through the demo at least five times. And that was just the demo! I never got the full game, but I can definitely see myself buying it when it goes on sale.

32nd Annual Fudgee® Awards

Can you believe it's that time of year again already?! Hello and welcome to the 47th annual Fudgee awards, where we give credit where it is due, and shame where it's overdue to the Top games of 2011! Yes I know it's technically not the end of the year yet, but all the games we care about have come out already, so without further ado let's hand out some awards!!

METAL....GEAR?!

On the one hand, Platinum games are great at making funny, crazy over-the-top action games. On the other hand, why the need to drag Metal Gear into this? Hasn't the franchise been through enough already? People already hate Raiden enough because of MGS 2, I don't think this is going to help things any.

PC gaming on Ipad

This is pretty awesome. Onlive is releasing a controller and app for 49.99 that lets you play pc games on your ipad. Some of the games like LA Noire will also make use of touch screen controls, if you're into that sort of thing. All you need is a wi-fi connection.



If only I wasn't such a shut-in, I might actually want this.

New Modern Warfare 3 Ad

Cause that's just what MW3 needs, more advertising.