[GOTY] vgZero 2011 Awards - Sound & Visuals

[GOTY] vgZero 2011 Awards - Sound & Visuals
While Mike has been filling you in on what is in store for the year ahead I don't think we should forget about 2011 just yet. It was a hell of a year and it deserves some recognition as one of the best years in gaming ever, it had everything from highly anticipated sequels such as Skyrim along side fresh new titles like L.A. Noire as well as new platform releases in the 3DS and Vita. We got our first look at the next generation when Nintendo revealed the Wii-U and rumors have started to surface about the next Xbox and the Playstation 4 but rather than dwell on the future possibilities let's get back to the past and present to hand out some much coveted vgZero Awards (Personally I'd say we're up there with the Emmys, but more respectable). After much deliberation we've reached a conclusion and in the coming days you'll see the results, just don't expect teabagging and a game trailer every 3 minutes. Here's part one, enjoy! Best Visuals
Year on year we see a vast improvement in visuals in the gaming industry. Developers use a number of methods, such as giving the art team a larger role giving us gorgeous looking lands as displayed in games like The Witcher 2 or perhaps by trying a different quirky style like Nintendo used in Skyward Sword - what it lacks in polygons it makes up for in personality. However this year the best looking game came down to pure technological achievement and is none other than Battlefield 3. DICE pushed the bar higher than anyone else this year by not only delivering the best looking PC game to date but also translating the spectacle straight onto consoles with a stellar porting effort. It's hard not to be taken aback when first seeing Battlefield 3 on its highest settings, from the lighting to the textures it all just screams excellence and can easily be compared to the waves the original Crysis made back in 2007. Speaking of Crysis the sequel to the visual powerhouse released in 2011 too and while the game didn't disappoint in the visual department it didn't set the bar far above anything else like its predecessor did. Battlefield 3 took that honor this year.

Runner up
Coming in second is no shame, nor would coming in 17th and that is a testament to the strength of the competition this year. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception delivered the next best visual experience without the benefit of the higher-end technology DICE had at their disposal for the PC market as Naughty Dog again showed how they're at the forefront of PS3 development.

Best Sound
Audio is often under appreciated within games yet it is something that can make or break an experience as demonstrated by Bastion in 2011 - not to say the gameplay is bad, it's far from it, but the narration throughout is splendid and neatly guides the game forward. Often licensed songs can provide a better experience, like with Saints Row: The Third taking its cue from Grand Theft Auto with in-game radio stations and one moment in particular with two characters singing along as you drive provided me with a hearty laugh. Sometimes a breath taking orchestral score provides the game with an added slice of excitement like in Skyrim which gives it a sense of grandeur. The best audio this year came from a game that had an average original sound track and voice acting that wasn't out of the ordinary. Battlefield 3 excelled in its audio design for the in-game sounds and make the experience really nail the feeling of immersion and this more than makes up for original music and voice acting. The sound of every bullet that pings past, the sound of the jets soaring above or the rough noise of the tank as it navigates the rocky terrain to deliver a round that causes a deafening explosion near by. You don't need high-end headphones to enjoy it either as even through your TV speakers you'll get a stellar audio experience.

Runner up
In a game that aims to not only create tension for the player to evoke fear but to also create scenes of sudden urgency and panic you need a good audio team. Visceral Games has just that and more. In 2008 they released Dead Space to acclaim and in 2011 they hit it out the park with the sequel, Dead Space 2. The game manages to create both terror in paranoia with foot steps and feint screams but also panic when being chased by a mob of hideous screaming necromorphs as the music reaches a crescendo. The sound is an integral part of the experience and it excels at its role.

Check back next time when I'll take a look at the biggest surprise of the year and the most disappointing, and no Battlefield 3 doesn't win every award... I promise.

Written by: James Stevenson

Lukémon101
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RE: [GOTY] vgZero 2011 Awards - Sound & Visuals
Tbh, these days I'd say there're two sub-categories in "good visuals"

There's the pursuit of perfect realism, which these days is only really attainable in mega-budget FPS games such as Battlefield or Crysis.

and the Artistically amazing/clever graphics, such as is more often found in indie games.

Case in point, last year VVVVVV was probably one of my favourite games graphically, but there's no way it'd go up against anything made in the past few decades for good graphics in the classic sense.

either way, since I've not been the elitist PC gamer for a while - Crysis 1 still remains unbeaten for graphics IMO (Although BF3 came close, maybe next year), so my favourite visuals for 2011 would probably be Minecraft, Bastion or Limbo.

(This post was last modified: 01-17-2012 05:21 PM by Irony.) Lukémon101
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