It's that time of year again: Time to look back at all the games that were released in 2011 and sort out the best of the best. Which games won over gamers and stood out from the pack?
This year saw the release of two major new consoles: the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PS Vita. Yet only one title from either hardware would be considered worthy of a Top 10 list. However, showing just how much smartphones are changing the gaming landscape, Apple's iPhone and iPad saw a truly amazing title released that was, hands down, one of the best games of 2011. The bulk of the year's best, though, were games that appeared on home consoles and the PC. And, more interestingly, most were developed by Western game studios, not Japanese ones. There were a couple of Japanese-created titles — notably From Software's "Dark Souls" and Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" — that stood out in 2011, but big-budget Western-developed games now increasingly dominate.
Here's a look at some of the memorable titles of 2011.