2011 was a excellent year for PC gamers, easily the best since the landmark 2007. While a few titles failed to live up to their potential and hype, many others did, meaning there were so many great games this year I still haven't caught up with all the major releases in the November landslide (I finally bought LA Noire today).

Here are my top five games of 2011:

5. Tie: Portal 2/Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Portal 2 was a superbly written and well made game. My first playthrough of the Campaign and Co-op campaign in Portal 2 were some of the best times I've had with gaming this year. The puzzles were clever and the humour was very sharp. However, the game lacks any real replay value. What you get here is excellent though, which is why it makes my list.

Deus Ex: HR is a worthy prequel to cult classic original. I had a few problems with the game, such as the wonky energy bar and the necessity of a high hacking skill, but regardless the gameplay was great, as was the story and world the game took place in. I hope we get more games like this in the future with well thought out stories and settings.

4. Saints Row: The Third

While I loved Saints Row 2, the PC version was a very shoddy port indeed and this made it less enjoyable. Saints Row: The Third has none of these issues. Its great on the PC, running well and looking sharp. However, it is the gameplay design and gonzo humour that made this game stand out for me. The story missions are a ton of fun and are highly varied. The game also does very little to bar the player from anything they want to do, providing access to weapons and vehicles usually reserved for cheat codes. Pair this philosophy with great underlying game mechanics and epic customization options and you have a real winner of a sandbox game.

3. Batman: Arkham City

Everything about Arkham City screams quality. The level design, controls, combat, pacing and voice acting are all top notch. Intelligent puzzles; fast, exciting melee combat and deliberate stealth segments are all equally enjoyable in Arkham City, and it looks great to boot. The game piles on new gadgets and mechanics while still giving you uses for the old ones. It also gently reminds you of controls when you forget, since it seems to be aware of the huge amount of content it throws at you. Arkham City is simply a superbly made game that should be played by fans of batman and those like myself who just appreciate quality game design.

2. Shogun 2: Total War

Shogun 2 was my first total war game, and while the learning curve was a tad steep at first, once I understood how everything worked I found myself enthralled. The music and visuals come together so amazingly well, and both the real time and turn based components are fun and require a lot of thought. Slowly conquering Japan with a series of incredibly epic battles between thousands of troops was one of the most gratifying experiences I had this year in gaming. The atmosphere in many of the real time battles is like something out of a Akira Kurosawa film. Truly great stuff.

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Going into 2011, this was on the top of my most anticipated list. CD Project Red provides something intangible with their games that simply isn't found anywhere else. Perhaps it is the game's refusal to back down from mature content and issues that makes it stand out. I played through this game twice during the year, and was astounded at how different the two playthroughs were. As a result of this, I enjoyed the second playthrough just as much as the first, and this I think is the true test of a good RPG. I also found the characters in both games to be far more grounded than in most, making them much more memorable, and the game much more memorable.

Add to this the truly stunning visuals and the excellent story, Witcher 2 was the game that Impressed me the most in 2011. The uneven difficulty and general clunkyness that was present at launch has largely been resolved, with the current version of the game being more balanced and stable. I'll likely go back and play it again right before The Witcher 3, but I'm content to be left with my fond memories of the game for the time being.

Honourable Mentions:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

While this game may not have grabbed my attention like it did others, I still have been enjoying it greatly. Bethesda really nailed the cold, snowy feel of a Northern region, and it's a lot of fun to explore and do side quests. Sadly, I've encountered some very serious bugs that impacted the main story line, and I don't think the story or writing is particularly good. I might write a review on GS or do a blog where I go into more depth on my experience with Skyrim.

Dead Space 2

This would be #6 on my list if I was going to 10. While the amazing atmosphere and feeling of dread from the first Dead Space returns, the combat has been much improved. I also loved the scripted events that occurred from time to time. If Dead Space 2 was longer than the 7 hours it took me to finish, It would likely have been higher on my list.

Bulletstorm

My favourite First Person Shooter of 2011. Awesome pacing and weapons combined with the highly entertaining 'skillshot' system made Bulletstorm a real joy to play. The game also looked great and had surprising replay value. I hope we see another Bulletstorm in the future.

Trackmania 2: Canyon

My pick for best driving game and best multiplayer this year. Problems I had with the car handling at first melted away as I better learned the driving mechanics and better tracks were made. I also had a blast making my own tracks. check out my review of the game at NGN.

Dawn of War II: Retribution

Possibly the best bang for buck expansion pack ever made. Another full campaign lasts you about 8 hours and can be played with any of 6 races giving it amazing replay value. You also get all races for multiplayer and all characters for last stand. This is because, thankfully, Retribution ditches Games for Windows Live in favour of Steam for a matchmaking system. Again this proved to be one of my staple multiplayer games this year, and I still jump in for a multiplayer match now and then.

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These are the games I enjoyed most this past year. There were lots of other great games I enjoyed, but they also had serious enough issues. I'll give a shout out to BF 3, Crysis 2, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine and Two Worlds II as other games I got a lot of enjoyment out of, but also had either serious problems or didn't do enough to really stand out.

It's also worth noting that I haven't played LA Noire yet, which I may end up loving.