TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 Recap: 95 – 91

Even now, TSA’s Top 100 list continues to act as a kind of flagpole when we’re plotting coverage and looking at release dates. This is the second look back at a collection of games from the list and again it has an interesting mix of big names and small triumphs.

95 – Free Realms

Free Realms is the family friendly MMO that came out on the PC back in 2009, with a Mac version towards the end of 2010. The PlayStation 3 had to wait until March 2011 for its first taste of an English-language MMO. As yet, it’s still unavailable outside of the U.S. PSN Store so perhaps our European anticipation was misplaced. We still haven’t abandoned hope of an EU release, though.

The game is free to play, although non-members won’t be able to level up past level 4 in the game’s virtual jobs. As usual with MMOs, there are various monthly and even yearly subscription packages. With a current Metacritic rating of 79 (for the PC version), it’s obviously got something going for it.

Free Realms is aimed at a younger audience and it seems to be doing well for Sony Online Entertainment. There’s no way of knowing what damage the recent PSN downtime did to the game’s population but with the rest of Sony’s online business returning swiftly, we would expect Free Realms repopulated fairly quickly too.

94 – Two Worlds II

This fantasy RPG didn’t do particularly well in our review. It fared slightly better elsewhere with a Metacritic score of 67, 70 and 77 for the 360, PS3 and PC versions respectively.

The game came out early this year and its open world role playing sounded like a winning concept. Unfortunately, the narrative failed to capture a lot of gamers and although it was generally seen as an improvement on its predecessor, Two Worlds II did not have the draw to compete with the other big fantasy RPGs that were already on the market or gearing up for a release.

93 – de Blob: The Underground

A quick name change between us compiling this list and the game’s release saw us reviewing De Blob 2 rather than the subterranean subtitling it had previously sported. Never mind, it was a decent little game with Move support in the PS3 version and some really tricky platforming to sink your teeth into.

Our own review noted the game’s charming character but also told of numerous frustrating flaws in the gameplay which became irritating. Particularly bothersome was the inclusion of a time limit on the large levels, which would be ripe for exploration otherwise. Curiosity was encouraged but penalised, it seems.

92 – The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

This one is real class, if its Metacritic rating is to be believed.

A third person action RPG based on a Polish book and made by a Polish studio might not sound like it has as much promise as the latest big budget blockbuster being marketed to death by Sony or Microsoft but the reality is something entirely different.

The Witcher 2 was praised for its depth, narrative and exceptional immersive atmosphere. Some critics found trouble with the combat mechanics and plenty of Steam users have complained about the repeated 9GB patch downloads but on the whole, The Witcher 2 looks like one of the year’s best RPG games.

There’s been an Xbox 360 version confirmed for the end of this year too, although sadly no word of a PS3 conversion.

91 – Ilomilo

The charming patchwork stylings. The unforgettable music that sets up camp in your mind and refuses to move for weeks. Ilomilo is essentially just a platform puzzler but the real attraction is with the characters and the appearance of it. Your quest is to reunite Ilo and Milo by moving around the patchwork 3D shape, using blocks and bounce pads to bring the two cute protagonists back together.

There’s a strong cooperative element to the game too, with two players working together to solve many of the wonderfully designed levels. The release of Ilomilo, immediately after Christmas, may have meant some people missed it but it’s certainly worth picking up if that’s the case.

Our own review of the game gave was very favourable and Metacritic’s hive mind generally agreed with us.

Join us again tomorrow for another look back at a section from the Top 100 list.