GameXCape's 1st Annual Video Game Awards

Well, 2011 has come and gone. The year has brought us all some great games that we all have enjoyed playing. There are a lot of Video Game Awards out there but this one is special because we asked you, the fans, to vote for your favorites on our Facebook Page and the winners have been selected.  Here are the results for the 1st Annual Video Game Awards.

Results after the jump



Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Created by Bethesda Game Studios, Skyrim is the Fifth of the Elder Scrolls series. The game is based 200 years after Oblivion, where the continent of Skyrim is in danger of being destroyed by the dragon god Alduin and you are the one to stop him.

He doesn't look all that tough...

The creatures you fight in the game varies from dragons to giant spiders and everything in between. And with the gameplay of over 300+ hours, how could this game not win. Since this game was released on Nov. 11th, it has sold over 6.5 million copies world wide. The graphics are amazing as well as the free-roam gameplay. Here is a preview of some of the gameplay.



This is the type of game that you will not want to put down. I haven't played it yet because I have one final semester to focus on but once I am done, no one will see me during the summer and I will be ok with that.

Biggest Let Down: Duke Nukem Forever

Hail to the not so King.

Duke Nukem Forever was a game that took over a decade in the making. It was first announced in 1997, by 3D Realms, that the game was soon to be released but then began the push backs for the game game. What once was only a few months turned into years and then into "When it's done." Then began the downsizing of 3D Realms in May 2009 and the lawsuit between 3D Realms and Take-Two Interactive, which owned the publishing rights to the game, over the failure to finish the development of the game. By this time, many people forgot about the game our figured it was never going to be released and gave up hope on it. In 2010, 2K Games took over the project and had it developed by Gearbox Software. Finally, a glimmer of hope for the Duke Nukem fans that never gave up. The game was soon to be released. They announced the game would be released in May 2011 but then dreaded delays came back only to tease us with one more delay. Thankfully it was only for a month. Then it was time. The game that fans have been waiting for, Duke Nukem Forever was finally released and we were able to finally enjoy the sweetness of Duke Nukem kicking ass again and awesome catch phrases that we have grown to love... or so we thought. 


The game that we felt was going to be the best Duke Nukem game EVER and placed it on a High Pedestal of Awesomeness turned out to be just a regular Duke Nukem game. Nothing truly special about it and that devastated many of the Duke Nukem fans.  People were waiting soooo long for this game of myth, that fans told stories about around Computer Generated fires about how great it was supposed to be, and it turns out that it wasn't as great as expected. Not only that but if you ever played the game, the load times alone were extremely bothersome. You would be waiting about 2 mins for every load time, whether it was loading the next stage or loading your last checkpoint after you died. With sales just barely over 1.1 million, I am pretty sure that the developers were hoping for a lot more but word spread too quickly amongst fans about how disappointed they were with the game and that brought sales of it down to a crawl. 


Here was the official trailer to the game. WARNING PARENTS, you might not want your kids to watch this one.



If you want to know more about the game and how I truly feel about Duke Nukem Forever, you can click the BLOG link.


Best Xbox 360 Game: Batman: Arkham City

Na na na na na na na na BATMAN!

I just have two words to say: Mark Hamill. How can you go wrong with that? For those that have played the first Batman Arkham Asylum, Mark Hamill was the perfect guy to have casted to play the Joker and now he is back and better than ever. 


This game is amazing. The storyline, graphics, gameplay, everything is just beautiful. For those that love Batman, this game will make you <3 him even more. As Batman, you have use of so man gadgets like the classic Batarang and grappling hook but also a few more treats in store. Traveling around the world of Arkham City, you get to meet some of Batman's greatest foes: Two-Face, Bane, Joker, and the Riddler for examples. And for those that thought collecting the Riddler Trophies in Arkham Asylum were annoying, in Arkham City, some of them are just near impossible. Most of the trophies are easy to find but then you come to some that will make you just want to rip your hair out because it takes you a long time to figure out. 

I am something that others can get on and might make you lose and sometimes be as tough as steel. What am I?

This game is great to have in your collection, and you will love every minute of gameplay. Going around gliding through the city from building to building and kicking some bad guy ass either using a stealth K.O. or just dropping in and do some damage to them. Either way, you will have a blast.


Here is a little preview of what it is like to play this game.



Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Not even a scratch.

I can honestly say that I'm not surprised by this one. The Uncharted series are without a doubt the best of any PS3 games out there. This is by far, Naughty Dog's greatest creation. This game has it all, action, danger, deception, and best of all Nathan Drake. This guy is the type of person you would love to hang out with but wouldn't want to help him out with his favorite hobby, treasure hunting, because you will most likely end up dead. This game takes Nathan Drake's treasuring hunting obsession of Sir Francis Drake to a whole new level. For those that have played the first two Uncharted game, you should know what I mean. 


Your adventure is about finding the lost city of Iram of the Pillars, City of Immeasurable Wealth. So why go there? Because Sir Francis Drake did and then kept it a secret from everyone. This, of course, peaks Nathan's interests and is determined to find out why Francis Drake kept the city a secret.


Here is a video that goes into the game a bit more.



Playing this game will give you an adrenaline rush when you play it. You have gun fights with bad guys, running and climbing your way to get to where you need to go and avoid getting killed, and like every Uncharted game, there is a strange creature that you get to encounter. You have to play it to find out what they are. And what is an Uncharted game without puzzles. Don't worry, just pay careful attention to your journal when it pop's up and you will get through them, no problem. 


And when the game is all said and done, you can head over to multiplayer. Here you can play against other people and earn skins and other items to customize your character. Did you play an amazing game and wish that your friends could have seen it? With the Uncharted TV option, in the multiplayer menu, you are able to upload videos to Facebook and Youtube so you can show your friends that game winning kill.


This game is something that will never leave your collection and will make you want to have the other Uncharted games, if you didn't have them already.


This video gives you a little more of what the gameplay is like.



Best Nintendo Game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

According to many fans of Zelda that have played this game, this is supposed to be the best Zelda game EVER! I know that is pretty hard to believe but when I kept hearing that from more and more die hard Zelda fans, it had to be true. Why would it be the best Zelda game to date? The reason could be because of the way the game was designed using the Wii mote. 


The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the most realistic sword combat of any game to date. Because of the Wii MotionPlue technology, it accurately translate the angle of every sword swipe that thus makes it to where the player becomes more interactive with Link than ever before. For most, this is a dream come true. This game also allows the players to gather items to upgrade weapons and equipment instead of having to go and find the right store to buy a better item. 


The game is based as a prequel to the Ocarina of Time. Here, you get to learn more about the origins of the Master Sword and Ganondorf. This game is full of puzzles and other challenges, so don't think this game is going to be just a walk through the park. 


This video will give you more information as well as some gameplay of Skyward Sword.



For those hardcore gamers out there, we know that there are not many games that we can enjoy for the Wii because mainly family oriented are made for it, but this is one of the few that every Zelda fan should own and you need to go and get a Wii, so you can enjoy it like all the other Zelda fans have been doing since it was released.


Best Sports Game: Madden 12

What can I say except FOOTBALL! Ever year, it seems, that the most anticipated sports game always seems to be Madden. And why wouldn't it be? Madden has been a part of video game sports fans since Madden NFL '94 came out on the SNES and has continued to be the fan favorite to date. There have been in the past other types of football games from other companies but it seems that sports fans are always drawn back to Madden. For those of you, like myself, that hasn't really played a football game in sometime and want to know what makes this Madden game so good, here is the review of the game from Sports Gamer Show with the complete review on the game explaining why this game is so good.





Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat

MORTAL KOMBAT *Insert theme song*

There have been many fighting video games that we all love to play but there is only one that has stood the test of time and that it Mortal Kombat. Anyone that has ever played this game knows that there is nothing like it ever released. The characters, fight stages, moves, violence and the ever so popular fatalities are so unique to Mortal Kombat that it has been a favorite to gamers for close to two decades. 


The New Mortal Kombat brought back some old favorites and some new characters. The gameplay is intense. The levels are sicker, moves are sweeter and the fatalities are more badass. If you can get good enough, you can most likely kill your opponent without them ever getting a chance to attack. They pretty much become your personal rag doll. Another thing that makes this game awesome is the damage done to a character, is shown and stays until the end of the game. So if you are getting the crap beat out of you in the face, it will be showing the damage done with cuts and bruises. That makes this game a bit more realistic. A must have if you love fighting games.


This video will show you some gameplay as well as some sweet finishers.



Best Shooter: Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is one of the most realistic First Person Shooter on the market. Unlike the Call of Duty games, where you just have to have the crosshairs on your enemy and it will kill them even across the map, you have to take in account your distance from you to your target because your bullets will drop. This game allows players to go through the streets on foot or by tanks, or even go to the skies in a jet. How awesome is that?


If you can get good enough at the game you can even do this. You kinda wonder how long it took them to do that.



Unlike the second Battlefield, a campaign mode has been added, for players that like to get into a story mode. The multiplayer maps are a nice size and can be fast paced. Also, if you have enemies, during multiplayer, in a building and want a quick way to get to them, just blow up the wall. That's right, the walls can come down during multiplayer and they don't regenerate, that is realism.


This is the trailer, which shows more of what the campaign is like.



Best RPG: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This game won Game of the Year, why wouldn't it win in it's category? What more can be said about this game? It is awesome, a must have. The game is so beautiful, you can tell that Bethesda took their time on this game and didn't want to rush the game. But what more can be said about such a great game. Well, here is a video from E3 convention that will show you everything about the game that, anyone who doesn't know much about it, needs to know and to see how great the gameplay actually turns out.
The video is a bit long but it does show a lot and should get anyone interested into the game that had their doubts.





Best DLC: Limbo

Limbo is a puzzle-platform game from independent Danish developer Playdead. Limbo is a 2D side scroller but the design of the levels make it add more depth the each level. The game is full of puzzles that were designed to have the player fail before finding the correct solution. Playdead called this style "trail and death" and used visuallygruesome inagery for the boy's deaths to steer players from useable solutions. The game is presented in a black and white tones, a film noir style, using lighting, film grain effects and minimal ambient sounds to create an eerie atmosphere. 

In the game, you are a nameless boy who awakens in the middle of a forest with no idea how you got there or why. While seeking his missing sister, you encounter a few types of creatures and only a handfull of humans, who either attack you, run away, or are dead.

This game is visually stunning and shows that you don't need to have glitz and glamor to make an amazing game.

Well, that is it. We would like to thank everyone who voted on our Facebook page. With out you voting, we couldn't have this. There was a lot fo great games that were released in 2011 and hopefully 2012 has even more of them.