Does anyone know if the single player campaign in Injustice: Gods Among Us is similar to Mortal Kombat? Neatherrealm developed both games, so I'm assuming the single player campaigns are probably similar. I thought the campaign in Mortal Kombat was excellent, so if Injustice has a similar structure, I will probably buy it.

If someone could chime in, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

In a belated entry, I thought I'd break down my favorite games of 2011. I thought mostly about how much I enjoyed playing each game, the quality of each game, and time spent playing each game. These are not necessarily in order of the best quality games, but the ones I enjoyed the most... so let's go!

10. Battlefield 3/Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

• The rivalry and competitive nature between these games made playing each of them even better. Each game has it's own distinct traits that make it fantastic and that's why it's a tie to me. The slower, teamwork based, massive map Battlefield is amazing. At the same time the arcade style, fast pased action shooting of COD is as addicting as ever.

9. Batman: Arkham City

• What was considered by many as the overall game of the year, Arkham City just added to the success of the first game. I loved that there were so many villains worked into the game with their own stories. If you aren't a Batman fan, learning the back story of each character is a game in its own.

8. Gears of War 3

• Besides the obvious difference of being a TPS and not a FPS, Gears 3 provided a sensational and compelling story mode that the other shooters of the year lacked. I loved the culmination of the first two games into this third game and some of the cut scenes were very sentimental and did a great job of connecting you to the players.

7. Top Spin 4

• This game is one that probably isn't on anyones top 10 list. The reason it is on mine is because it caught me by surprise when I bought earlier in 2011. I didn't expect to play it much, but the mechanics of the game and story mode provided me with over 30 hours of fun gameplay. For shear enjoyment of something new, a new style of sports game that I hadn't been big into, Top Spin 4 was a nice surprise.

6. Bastion

• As a huge fan of XBLA games, Bastion was a perfect fit for me. The level of customization on my player made me bond with him and connected me to experience as a whole. With hands down one of the best soundtracks of the year, roaming around Caelondia mashing attack buttons was a nice change of pace from other styles of games. The art style was so distinct as well, unlike any other game that's out there.

5. From Dust

• Taking the prize for highest XBLA game in the countdown, From Dust was another surprise over the summer of 2011. I am a huge fan of puzzle games, but rarely are they fun and challenging at the same time. From Dust was simple in dynamics enough that you think you can master it easily, but the fluid reactions of the nature and realistic physics engine created the perfect challenge for the game.

4. Mortal Kombat

• MK provided the fighting genre with a phenomenal story throughout the single player campaign. The story was so perfectly woven into fights and I learned so much about each player as the game progressed, it really turned into an engrossing game. The fighting mechanics were so perfectly balanced and learning each new character's special moves was a joy in itself. Never has a fighting game's story taken over my mind and made me want to keep playing just to get to the cut scenes to continue the story, and that's why Mortal Kombat made the top 5.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• The biggest surprise of Skyrim at 3 is that it's not at 1. The game is fantastic. I loved getting lost in the massive world and slowely watching my player progress into a duel wielding destruction mage taking down dragons. And as everyone probably knows, I am not even close to "finished" playing this game - finished is a relative term. There are moments in this game where I would just look around in awe of how fantastic the world is. The first time you see the Northern Lights may be one of the best video game experiences of the year. Things like that is what I remember about playing and really make the game stick out in my head.

2. L.A. Noire

• L.A. Noire brought a game style that no other game has had. Investigating crime scenes and interrogating suspsects was both fun and challenging and the spot on scenery of old school California just drew me in even further. I am a fan of investigations into serial murderers in general, and this game offered me the chance to put my skills to the test. The one very specific aspect of the game that is engrained in my head is the unbelievable facial animations. The technology behind the conversations was perfect, comparable to watching a legitimate animated movie and that's what blew me away. The atmosphere that the underlying engine set up coupled with the new gameplay style and compelling story made it an unforgettable game.

1. Portal 2

• Although the last 9 games provided me with great fun through the whole year, I have no hesitation choosing Portal 2 as my game of the year. Portal 2 brought a new style of game that hadn't been seen in years and nailed the physics of the gameplay. The most memorable characters of the year came from Portal 2 and more than that, the most memorable instances in a game came from Portal 2. Wheatley's shenanigans and GLaDOS' test chambers provided hours upon hours of head scratching puzzles, just enough out my comfort zone that it was a challenge, but easy enough that I could figure them out. And that was all in the single player. The multi-player was my favorite multi-player game of the year as well. Playing with a friend and simultaneously trying to work together to figure out a puzzle, but at the same time trying to figure it out before them so you can brag about it, was magnificent. There were puzzles where both of us contributed to the solution and that added to the overall satisfaction.

These 10 games gave me countless hours of enjoyment over the past year, but Portal 2 took the cake easily. I guarantee everyone doesn't agree with most of this list, but if you have a top 10, top 5, top 3 or even top 1, let me know!

I have played games for practically my entire life. I have played every type of game and continue to play all genres, I love the difference between the games and the play styles that each lends itself to. This past week I was trying to think of how my gaming preferences developed and if there were certain games that I could pinpoint as the most influential. Obviously, the answer is that each game that I've played has contributed something to my preferences, either good or bad, but I really tried to think about a specific game in each genre that helped define what I like. I vastly simplified the genres into sports, shooters, RPGs and everything else (like action adventure games or puzzle etc.). Here is what I came up with...

Sports
I am a huge sports fan, follow almost every sport and have a favorite team and player. But within games I can somewhat safely say the clear distinct game that still sticks out in my head is Madden. This may seem like an obvious choice, so I'd like to explain it. Madden was the first real sports game I played. I had the old versions, but really got into when it came to the N64. This isn't the section of playing that sticks out in my head the most though. This game took over when it went to PS2. I played the Madden series for PS2 more than any other game by far. It was a perennial automatic buy that I looked forward to for months. I remember going through no less than 25 fantasy drafts within the game to draft the perfect team, playing through countless hours with that team and then eventually playing people online for the first time.
The reason this is distinct to me is that Madden started my real long term gaming with sports games preference. I did buy the first few versions of Madden on Xbox 360, but then I shifted to NCAA Football, and now I'm almost entirely 100% FIFA. BUT, in my head, I know that playing Madden for the PS2 started that.

Shooters
I think I'll probably be with the masses on this one, but Halo still stands out in my mind in terms of FPSs. My adoption of Halo play was not orthodox, I didn't even buy the game (my brother did), I didn't play the campaign, and I was horrible for a long time. What is burned into my brain is the marathon sessions of local co-op at my house between my friends and I. Playing Hang'em High only Shotguns was possibly the greatest multiplayer experience ever. As I said, I was horrible when I started playing... then one day something clicked and I went positive most of the time from then on. This game really taught me the idea of easy to play, hard to master. Anyone can get on Halo and tinker around and throw grenades (especially on Halo: CE cause one grenade kills people), but it takes hours of practice to be competitive and eventually win.
Halo started the multiplayer buzz before there was online play. But with that being said, the game that totally solidified my shooter genre was Halo 3. Halo 3, in my opinion, will go down as the best online multiplayer game of all time. It revolutionized the genre, everyone played it. It had such an addictive aspect to it, and that's why people to this day still play. The 14 hour online sessions with my friends in college will always be a fond memory of mine and that's why Halo stands out in my head as a key game that shaped who I am.

RPGs
I more rarely played RPGs in the PS2 or original Xbox days, I got more into them from 2005 on with the Xbox 360. The first "real" RPG I played was Fable 2. I did not play the first Fable, but I thought the second one was great. With that being said, no RPG will overtake Fallout 3 in my head as the most addictive andengrossing RPG that shaped my play **** I had never in my life played a game like Fallout 3 before I took it on. I was unfamiliar with inventory management, leveling up and perk/ability selection. At the start is was like trial by fire with so much going on at once. I wasn't used to having 10 open missions sometimes, but I learned to love it. I loved the fact that you become attached to your character after 50+ hours guiding them through the open world. The karma system was ingenious and really let you feel like your game was customized to your individual self. The memory of playing through that story for hours on end and discussing it with my friends will be what sticks with me. Similar to Skyrim now, talking about your events within the game to friends is what sets the game apart. Everyone has a different story. Fallout 3, with no doubt in my mind, got me into the RPG genre for good. It's the reason I played Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Skyrim and all the other great RPG titles since then.
I do want to note one thing since I mentioned Mass Effect. Mass Effect 2 is arguably my favorite game of all time. However, when deciding on Fallout 3, I thought about what influenced what type of gamer I am today. I wouldn't have given Mass Effect a fair chance without playing Fallout. For this reason I think Fallout 3 influenced my gaming preferences more.

Miscellaneous
I made this section for games that didn't specifically fit into any other category. In terms of influence on my ****of gaming, I think the Assassin's Creed series was paramount. I realize that this series is a relatively new one with the first one only being released in 2007, but I think it's justified. I think of the action-adventure genre like the weird offspring of shooters, puzzle games and RPGs. The genre encompasses aspects from each of these genres and that's what I love about it. Specifically, Assassin's Creed is what really brought this genre to my attention. I did play the first AC, and although it was a little dry, it brought to light a new play ****for me. It was the development of a character without the tenuous process of inventory management. It was the dynamics of killing people without playing the same map every time. It was challenge of staying hidden while still being actively engaged with enemies. These three distinct aspects of the game came together in a perfect culmination in Assassin's Creed 2.
Similar to Mass Effect 2, Assassin's Creed 2 is definitely in my top 5 games of all time. The mix of puzzles, action and a thick backstory was just astounding. That game drew me in for over 50 hours of shear delight. From that game alone, the action-adventure genre became my favorite genre. Other games, like Uncharted, work on a similar formula and that is why they are fantastic. But for me, Assassin's Creed 2 is the baseline for which all other similar games will be judged.

Just to reiterate, these are not my top 4 games of all time, merely the 4 games that I believe influenced my foundation as a gamer the most. Madden, Halo, Fallout 3, and Assassin's Creed 2 provide the foundation for who I am as a gamer today, and I wouldn't change that for anything.

Clearly, the choice of what games influenced you differ for each person... sound off below to let me know what games help mold who you are as a gamer today. I'm interested to see everyone's choices!

I am starting to look for something that can record or take live screenshots of my gameplay, but I'm not sure what is out there to be honest. Does anyone know of any good ones, or at least products to start the search from? Let me know if you do, thanks!

There is a decently known survey amongst gamers that classifies people based on how they like to play. The psychologist Bartle came to recognize that every gamer can be broken down into four main areas: killer, achiever, explorer and socializer. The quiz ranks players in all four categories, each out of 100. The total of all four areas cannot go over 200 though. For anyone that hasn't tried this quiz, I recommend it. It is astonishlingly accurate for how I play my games, and it's cool to see your play styles broken down. Check out the link below for the quiz...

http://www.gamerdna.com/quizzes/bartle-test-of-gamer-psychology

I came across this quote by Roger Scruton, a philosopher, regarding playing games and interaction with other people. Although he feels that communicating with people through playing games online does not technically constitute interaction or friendship (which I definitely do not agree with), this quote I feel is extremely indicative and a perfect representation of what friends are.

"In real life, friendship involves risk. The reward is great: help in times of need, joy in time of celebration. But the cost is also great: self-sacrifice, accountability, the risk of embarassment and anger, and the effort of winning another's trust. Hence I can become friends with you only by seeking your company. I must attend to your words, gestures and body language, and win the trust of the person revealed in them, and this is risky business. I can avoid the risk and still obtain pleasure; but I will never obtain friendship or love."

He goes on to talk about the fact that since this game in online and your finger is just resting on a button, and you may be glued to the screen, but not face to face. He says that the it's the screen you're glued to, not the person.

I agree with the substantial fact that there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction, but I also feel that interactions online with other players can still form real friendships.

Posted my blog to another page, but check it out, it's an interesting one!

http://www.gamingsilo.com/1/post/2011/10/games-that-defined-me.html?

The FIFA 12 demo has been out for almost a week now and I have a lot of early thoughts on how I like it so far...

FIFA does do a good job of not being complacent and changing things every year. The biggest and most noticeable difference in gameplay is the new defense mechanics. The fact that there is no tackle button that you can just mash and get steals makes me happy. The new defense tactics really make it a skill based system that takes patience and precise timing. However, it is so hard to tackle even the computer. There are almost literally NO tackles that take place in the middle third of the pitch. I understand that it is harder to tackle in that section, but no turnovers ever happen. That is extremely frustrating.

The computer is ridiculously calm and collected all the time also. Their players are never flustered from being pressured by my defense. They make immaculate crosses no problem. I do like the fact that defense is an art now, but I feel they may have gone overboard with the new changes. Hopefully there is an update, or the learning curve on the real game is better.

The other main thing that I have noticed is the speed of the game. The game speed is about twice that of FIFA 11, which makes it really exciting. The new precision dribbling works flawlessly and really gives you more control in the jam packed moments that happen most often in front of the goal. The skill moves work more seamlessly that 11, which is nice.

Overall, I think FIFA 12 has a ton of potential to be a much more specialized game that 11 was. There is more room to become very good at specific areas, like defense, but there is also a much steeper learning curve to do that. Clearly, I'm still going to put the time in, but I hope the defense isn't so stinted that it makes it unrealistic and frustrating. I guess everyone will have to see in 8 days.

Have you played the FIFA 12 Demo? What do you think of it? Agree or Disagree?

The weeks following E3 I always feel a little underwhelmed by everything happening. There were so many great announcements at E3 that I'm stoked for, but none of the games come out soon. It's kind of the catch 22 of the event, the games look so good that I want to play them right now, but I guess everyone has to cope with that. The cyclical nature of the industry is that E3 keeps the hype up during the summer and then September rolls around and the big name titles start to drop - as is the schedule this year.

I have a lot of games on my "will buy" list already, many of which were showcased at E3 and since. I am really looking forward to Battlefield 3. To preface this, I do play Call of Duty, I've played every title, however, Battlefield 3 looks much better. I think the weight of battle comes across more from what I've seen. It's everything that DICE is doing, the sound of the game is phenomenal, the environments, the missions that we've seen (like the tank mission), they all look great. Although I don't believe that Battlefield 3 will sell more than COD: Modern Warfare 2, I think many players will be swayed and switch "allegiances," so to speak.

The announcements I've seen for FIFA 12 have got me very excited as well. I was officially "converted" to a hardcore FIFA fan 2 years ago - that's when I stopped playing NHL as much and spent hours on FIFA. What astounds me about the new developments in FIFA is how un-complacent the development team is with their market control. FIFA dominates the soccer market and this team is still instituting and brand new control scheme and game dynamics because they are not 100% satisfied with the game - that'sa dev team destined to succeed. The new player specific tactics that the computer will use, although probably frustrating, will add a realistic dimension to the game that I appreciate. This game is only about 2 months away and I still play FIFA 11 every week, but I can't wait to throw that aside for this new experience.

The game that took me by surprise over the past few weeks is Far Cry 3. I did not play the first two installments of this series, and beyond that, I honestly didn't know what they were even about beyond the occasional headline. That being said, the trailer at E3 looked oustanding to me. The graphics were beautiful, and the idea that you're stuck on that island and just have to blast your way out sounds fun. To me, any shooter that is not set in a war atmosphere seems a little "cartoony," which isn't bad, but it just doesn't have the same backbone to it and it shouldn't. What intrigues me about this game is that it's so unlike other shooters out right now. Not a military try-to-be-real game, just a survival game by any means necessary.

Obviously, there are way more games from E3 that were incredible... Bioshock: Infinite, Assassins Creed: Revelations, Kinect Sports 2 ;), Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3... the list is long. Almost like clockwork I'm going to try to wrap up my unfinished games during the summer and clean my slate for the stacked release schedule come September. I hope you all do the same.

Thanks for reading!

I've come to the conclusion that I am going to buy a pair of headphones to game with. Just the convenience of only myself hearing it, not distracting the roommates or anything is a good way to game. Plus the sterio sound of a nice headset will enhance the games.

With that being said... does anyone have any good suggestions? I have researched the main brands (Turtle Beach, Triton, etc.) but I'm not sure if one set is really better than another. I'm looking to spend less that $100... in the $75 range would be perfect though. If you have a set and/or know about them please let me know... I would really appreciate it.

I'm working on some write ups for games I'm playing now as well. I should have stuff up on Mortal Kombat and L.A. Noire in the coming weeks (I've said this before about other games, but I swear this time I mean it).