TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 Recap: 90 – 86

So here we are, the third day of our look back at our Top 100 list. You know what they say, it gets easier once you’re past the third day. Or that may be quitting smoking. Anyway, will there be any hidden gems now we’ve got past the first ten games in our list? Well, take a look and judge for yourself.

90 – F.E.A.R. 3

The much delayed release of F.E.A.R.’s third instalment finally made its way onto shelves in June, after being pushed back from March, a date that had already slipped from 2010. However, taking a look at the game’s Metacritic score of a consistent 75 across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 it looks like Day 1 Studios at least put the extra time to good use. They certainly must have done something right as aside from its score the game débuted at number three in the UK chart.

F.E.A.R. 3 follows the horror FPS stylings of the rest of the series, giving you control of either Point Man (yes, that’s all he’s ever called) or his evil brother Paxton Fettel. Playing as Point Man gives you fairly traditional FPS mechanics, with the addition of slo-mo combat. However, playing as Fettel gives you a much wider range of psychic abilities to help you as you make your way through the game.

If all of that sounds like something you fancy but you’ve missed out on older F.E.A.R. games why not take a look over at our history of the series? Everything you need to know in one neat, article sized package.

89 – Final Fantasy XIV

Two games that slipped from March in a row? Is the third month of the year suddenly cursed? That’s right, Final Fantasy XIV also suffered from set backs, although rather more severe than those affecting F.E.A.R. 3. In fact, if you’re waiting for some Final Fantasy MMO goodness I wouldn’t hold your breath, the game’s on hold indefinitely right now. Of course I’m only referring to the PS3 version, the PC version of the game launched last year.

The PC version, or more accurately the reaction to it, is what has its PS3 counter-part held up. See, the people actually playing the PC version weren’t all that pleased with it. In fact, they were so displeased that back in December, Square Enix completely overhauled the development team in an attempt to get the game back on track. Once the PC version is up to scratch, the PS3 version will be updated and, eventually, released. However, it looks unlikely that we’ll see anything this year.

88 – Final Fantasy Agito XIII/Final Fantasy Type-0

Well Final Fantasy Agito XIII has faired better than XIV, only suffering a name change since we created the list. That’s right, as you can see the game’s been rebranded Type-0, with hopes of a new series launching off of the title. With that said, it’s worth noting the game is still supposed to be using the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology in which Final Fantasy XIII was set.

Type-0 is rooted firmly in the RPG part of the Final Fantasy games, although with a particular focus put on managing your party. The game sounds vaguely squad based, with different characters specialising in different weapons. This is meant to encourage you to keep your actual three member party used in battles constantly fresh, as you rotate in and out characters depending on the situation. To me this sounds vaguely like Pokémon, particularly as when a character is knocked out they have to be revived in the next town, but then again what do I know? Information is still thin on the ground.

87 – Tekken Tag Tournament 2

I have exceptionally fond memories of Tekken Tag Tournament, it was pretty much my introduction to the Tekken series and the reason I love the games so much. Sure, the franchise might not be doing amazingly well right now, with Tekken 6 feeling a little behind the times, but it’s hard to dislike a new Tekken Tag game.

However, to use a phrase I’m quickly becoming overly familiar with, the game has been delayed. Whilst the game’s arcade release was meant to have already come and gone, it now looks like the coin-op version won’t be out until autumn. As for the home console version, next year is looking like a faint possibility. It’s worth noting that the arcade release date is for Japan only, so unless you happen to find yourself over there you’ll be stuck waiting as well, possibly as long as those of us hoping for the console release. All we can do is sit and wait, although with any luck we’ll have Street Fighter X Tekken by then to satisfy our need to tag with Tekken characters.

86 – nail’d

Ah, a game that was actually out on time. It’s worth saying that this game was only a 2011 release in the EU, it actually made its way out back in November for those of you who live in the land of the free. However, as we’re predominantly a European site it makes the cut to be included in the list by our rules. Anyway, on to the actual game. nail’d is basically a game in the mould of MotorStorm or Pure, taking everything to the utterly ridiculous extreme. How ridiculous? Well during our review of the game, Dan managed to clock up over 150 miles travelling in the air. This in a game where you only drive ATV and MX bikes, nothing with anything even vaguely resembling wings. That is, by any standard, fairly crazy.

Sadly, the game does suffer from a few issues. First amongst these is the game’s inability to match up your bike’s turn of speed with the track design. To quote from our review, “Time after time you will boost off a jump straight into a wall, or a tree, or some other object that completely ruins the flow of the race.” However, it seems the biggest problem the title suffers from is its loading times. In game with this sort of pace you want to be back on your bike as quickly as possible, waiting a few seconds to respawn simply isn’t good enough. With all of that said, we scored that game at a respectable seven out of ten, with the good managing to just overcome the bad.

So that’s it for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with a look over the games we placed between 85 and 81. Will they hold up to our expectations? Wait and see!