Part 2 of my 2011 GotY blog. Let's not waste any time; here are my top 10 games of 2011.

10. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Details: Normally I wouldn't rank DLC this high, but Undead Nightmare is an exception. Although the story to this game doesn't fit perfectly into any part of Red Dead Redemption's story, I still thought it was written nicely. The story itself was pretty short, but there was still a lot of extra stuff to do, like in the original game. There were challenges to complete, towns to save, secret horses and legendary to find, and much more. The multiplayer also offers a lot of new modes that weren't in the original game, such as Undead Overrun, which will keep people occupied for a long time.
Rating: 9/10

9. The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Details: This was actually the first 360 game I received and played, back in 2008. I never got around to beating it, which I definitely should have. Out of every Spyro game, this one definitely had the best story. I thought that it was even better than any of the stories in the original Spyro games, which were way better gameplay wise. But anyway, Dawn of the Dragon was very fun. It was the first Spyro game to have 2 player co-op, which made playing the game with another person a whole new experience for the series. All of the levels in the game were beautifully designed and were very fun to play through. I especially liked Twilight Falls, Valley of Avalar, the Destroyer, and the Floating Islands. The music was pretty good too, but wasn't as remarkable as the original games. But in the end, Dawn of the Dragon was a fantastic Spyro game and wrapped up the Legend of Spyro trilogy perfectly.
Rating: 9/10

8. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Details: I could not wait to play through this game. As soon as I beat Sly 2, I just had to play Sly 3. After beating this game, I was not disappointed in the Sly series. Sly 3 took the same gameplay route that Sly 2 took, but they added a few new twists to it. One of those was a variety of new characters to play as. Instead of just playing as Sly, Bentley, and Murray, you were able to play as the Guru, Penelope, Panda King, Dimitri, and Inspector Fox, all with their own unique powers and abilities. This reminded me of Spyro 3 a lot, which is my second favorite game of all time. Sly 3 also had a lot of stuff to do after the game, which the previous two did not provide a lot of. There were challenges for you to complete once you beat the main storyline. These range from completing previous tasks in a faster time to searching the levels for buried treasures. Oh, and speaking of the storyline, it was amazing. Sly 2's was better, but Sly 3's had a fitting end to the trilogy. I have high hopes for Sly 4, and I hope it can follow in the footsteps of Sly 3.
Rating: 9/10

7/6. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Details: Yes, I know I gave them both a 10/10, but they are not my game of the year. Why? Because the top five were all more memorable to me. But anyway, HeartGold and SoulSilver are the perfect Pokemon games. They are remakes of Gold and Silver and I think they are definitely better. They not only expanded the main quest in the Johto region, but they also provided a lot more to do in Kanto, which was lacking in Gold and Silver. I also think that HeartGold and SoulSilver have offered the most amount of post-game content in any Pokemon game so far, which is very important to me in Pokemon games. After clearing the main storyline, you could partcipate in the Pokeathlon, capture a vast amount of legendary Pokemon, train your Pokemon in the Pokewalker, compete in the Battle Frontier, and much more. The fun never ends in Pokemon games and Heartgold/SoulSilver definitely prove that.
Ratings: 10/10

5. Halo: Reach
Details: I got this game last year, but I barely touched the campaign. Which was a huge mistake, because it was great. The last mission of the campaign was epic, and truly defined how a Halo campaign should be made. My favorite missions were probably Winter Contingency, Tip of the Spear, and the Pillar of Autumn. All on Normal difficulty, of course. The soundtrack for Reach was pretty cool too. The multiplayer was definitely awesome as well. There were a lot more playlists than there were in Halo 3's matchmaking. The leveling system is much better than 3's as well, which gives you more incentive to play more games online. Currently I'm a Field Marshall in matchmaking, and I have been playing online for about a year. I still think that Halo 3 is better, but Reach is still a great addition to the Halo series.
Rating: 9.5/10

4. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Details: Along with Undead Nightmare, Gay Tony is another DLC title that ranks so high on the list. Why? Because it's awesome. Following the Lost and Damned, which was short as hell and didn't have much to do, the Ballad of Gay offers a lot more than the first DLC had. Among those are parachutes, base jumping, dancing in the clubs, destroying things in the tank, and much more. The story was pretty well done too. It followed very closely to what happened in both Grand Theft Auto IV and Lost and Damned, which was very neat. It took you through the life of Luis, much like the previous two did with Niko and Johnny. I really liked his character's development and how he interacted with a lot of the other characters in the game. A lot of the story missions were very fun too, like the museum mission and the final mission. This game was still not as good as GTA IV, but it's still a good DLC title that should not be missed by any GTA fan.
Rating: 9.5/10

3. Pokemon Black
Details: I was actually considering having this as my GotY, but then I played two better ones. But anyway, Pokemon Black is a great game. It added a breath of fresh air into the Pokemon series, which none of the previous generations have done as well as Black has. Gen 5 added a lot of new features to change the experience of Pokemon. They totally revamped the battle system, adding things like triple battles, rotation battle, and moving sprites. Some other noteworthy things added are seasons, the DreamWorld, Battle Subway, Pokemon musicals, and much more. The story was pretty cool too, but not as good as others in the series, such as Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald or Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. The amount of post-game content was nice too. After beating the Elite 4, about half of the region is unlocked, which provides you with a lot of things to do. There are sidequests to complete, legendary Pokemon to capture, trainers to battle, and a lot more. Like I've said before, the fun in Pokemon never truly ends and Pokemon Black is another game that proves that.
Rating: 9.5/10

2. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
Details: Explorers of Darkness was one of those games where I couldn't just wait to play. I bought this a few years back, without having played much of the first game. It was stupid, I know, but it was still worth the money. Explorers of Darkness is technically a sequel to Red/Blue Rescue Team, but the story has no connection to first games, other than the fact you meet your partner and then form a rescue team. My starter in this game was Piplup and my partner was Treecko. Now, I wasn't a huge fan of Piplup before this game, but after beating it, I grew more attached to it. I already knew Treecko was a boss, so that was to be expected in the game. The story in this was much better than the previous game as well. The first game's story could be predictable at times, but this one had many plot twists that I did not expect. Several parts were very sad, and made me tear up a little. Explorers of Darkness adds a huge thing that the first games did not have much of. After you beat the game, there is kind of another storyline. That makes the game longer and gives you more to do, which makes the adventure more fun. I cannot wait to play Explorers of Sky, and I hope we get to see more of the Mystery Dungeon games in the future.
Rating: 9/10

1. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Details: No, I did not give this game a 10. But I don't care. This game is truly deserving of the GotY status. As I have stated in one of my previous blogs, the Sly Cooper series has become one of my favorite gaming franchises of all time, right behind Spyro and Pokemon. After playing Sly 1, I had already gotten a taste of what Sly Cooper was about, and I wanted more of it. Then I played Sly 2 and was blown away. Usually sequels to a lot of things aren't as good as the original, but Sly 2 is clearly not an example of that. Sly 2 was a lot different than the first. For one, instead of playing as just Sly, you got to play as Bentley and Murray as well. Each of them had their own moves and abilities that could be used to help you along the way. Each of the three even had their own missions dedicated to them. They involved using their techniques, along with the traditional platforming involved. The platforming was not as involved with the game as the first game, but it was still great. I still felt like I could be playing something like Spyro when I played Sly Cooper. The story was definitely the pinnacle of the game. Very few games have had me glued to a story like Sly 2 has. Eight chapters were not enough for the game; it definitely should've been longer. All of those chapters were excellently developed though. My favorites were... well all of them. The ending was very well-done. It was so heartbreaking though, I actually felt like crying at the end. It was so perfect that it could've ended the series right there. It would've been fitting, but I'm glad they didn't. I'm hoping that Sly 4 will have a story as good as Sly 2's but bring back the platforming elements that made Sly 1 special. If you've been thinking about playing the Sly series, definitely do it. You will not regret it.
Rating: 9/10

Will most likely be beaten in 2012:

Skylanders
Halo Anniversary
Rayman Origins
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
L.A. Noire
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Pokemon LeafGreen
Pokemon Platinum
Pokemon White
God of War
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Sonic & Knuckles
And more...

So yeah... that's pretty much it. Thanks for reading!