The end of 2011 is nigh and the year’s gaming highlights are being laid bare by the masses. We’ve roamed the Rub’ al Khali in Uncharted 3, glided over Gotham in Batman: Arkham City and ascended the bowels of Aperture in Portal 2. However, in the midst of all this retrospective goodness, it’s easy to forget about some of the year’s less prevalent titles. In between the pantheon of gaming greatness and the depths of software hell, lies a selection of titles that weren’t quite good enough to snag the year’s ‘Best of’ awards, but still deserve commendation for their fine efforts.

Brink

Why it deserves a mention: It took ambitious risks and dared to subvert FPS convention.

Brink dared to be different. It took the idea that 95% of multiplayer FPS games are about personal glory – kills, headshots, streaks – and turned it on its head. Team play and support are the way to win- with buffs, captures and defense offering far more points than a straight up frag. It’s a game that sets out a brave mandate from the start, forcing you to play by it’s rules; either you pick the appropriate weapons and class for the objective in hand, or you lose. I also love the simple, yet logical touches that are furnished throughout the game. Been thrown a revive syringe by a medic? You choose when to use it. Repairing an crane? Feel free to move side-to-side in order to take cover. Carrying out the un-glamourous job of guarding an objective? Here’s a constant stream of XP as a reward. Brink has its share of annoying flaws, but they don’t stop the game from being a fresh and enjoyable experience.

Child of Eden

Why it deserves a mention: It combined skill-based scoring with chill-out synesthesia

Child of Eden isn’t rhythm action. Rhythm action games force you into a state of intense concentration where missing a given number of beats will force you into endless maddening restarts. Without wanting to indulge in the many intricacies behind Eden’s scoring system, I’ll simply summarise by saying that, unlike most music games, Child of Eden places the fate of your score multiplier firmly within your hands. Once you understand exactly when to trigger your ‘Octa-lock’ the game morphs into a unique experience, combining score-chasing focus and with mellow synesthesia. It’s a weird sensation: you can play the game to attack a high score, yet feel totally relaxed while doing it. Aside from Rez, I can’t think of many rhythm experiences like it.

Bulletstorm

Why it deserves a mention: Anarchy Mode was dangerously compulsive.

Through a combination of stop-start design and frequent loading times, Bulletstorm’s story mode failed to push past the ‘very good, but not excellent’ boundary. However, combine its intuitive scoring system with a mode based around short, score-attack based levels, and you’ve got a recipe for time-swallowing addiction. The game type in question was named ‘Anarchy Mode’- a moniker that was arguably at odds with its ability to induce meticulous planning. Anarchy Mode took levels from the main campaign and challenged you to set a high score within a given time-limit. It also provided you with copious amounts of weapons and ammo, meaning potential Skillshots were only limited by your imagination. It’s this unhinged empowerment that made the mode so compulsive.

You weren’t constrained by an on-going narrative or the need to limit your inventory, instead you were free to play through each scenario over and over again to progressively build the perfect plan. Judging factors like enemy placement, environmental hazards and tough – but rewarding – Skillshot opportunities became second-nature as your final score exponentially increased; eventually sending you rocketing up the leader boards. Anarchy mode highlighted everything that was great about Bulletstorm, namely its liberating Skillshot system and the many ingenious ways it could be used.

Mass Effect 2 (PS3)

Why it deserves a mention: PS3 owners finally got their hands on Commander Shepard.

Yea, I know it came out in 2010 on the Xbox and PC. And yes, I know it received every gaming award under the sun. However that doesn’t change the fact that, until January 2011, PS3 owners had no way of playing through Commander Shepard’s amazing galactic tale. Anyone who’s finished the game will know how brilliant it is, so this commendation is more for the fact that EA and Bioware actually took the risk of launching the PS3 SKU, knowing that it may not sell brilliantly. Without that brave decision, us PS3-only folk wouldn’t have been able to experience what is undoubtedly one of the best games of this generation.

No More Heroes: Paradise

Why it deserves a mention: It allowed us to experience Suda 51′s insanity in HD, and with a controller.

You may raise an eyebrow, but bear in mind that this was the first time I had actually played a No More Heroes game since the Wii versions passed me by. But just like any good remake, the game’s shiny HD visuals and promise of new content enticed me in. Initially I was disappointed, as the combat and early levels felt derivative. However – as its appearance on the list suggests – NMH really picked up steam and got consistently better until the fantastically ludicrous final battle (the real one).

You could make the argument that it is simply a 2008 game with a HD spit and polish, but you’d be ignoring one of its fundamental features: Dualshock support. Suda 51′s eccentric lunacy shouldn’t be dampened by fudgy motion controls, it should be enjoyed with a pad and buttons. That factor alone made it worth investing my time into what turned out to be a mad, yet memorable adventure.

Stacking

Why it deserves a mention: It evolved the traditional point & click experience.

I am admittedly behind on most of this year’s downloadable/indie titles, but Stacking is a game I instantly bought the moment it appeared on the PSN. My enthusiasm was partly driven by my love for Tim Schafer and Double Fine’s previous work, but also by the prospect of playing a puzzle-based adventure game that didn’t require sifting through a bloated inventory. Stacking did away with traditional point & click tropes to give us an experience that managed to be both idiosyncratic and straightforward.

Once you understood the game’s rules, you could have a ton of fun experimenting with the character abilities to solve puzzles in multiple ways. The game provides just enough subtle hints to usher you forward at a nice pace, ensuring that you don’t get stuck in the typical adventure game mire. The entire experience is focused and streamlined to near-perfection, with repetition only rearing its head during the game’s final levels. Double Fine’s unique blend of humour and quirky gameplay look perfectly suited for the downloadable space, with Stacking being a shining example.

So what were your Honorable Mentions of 2011? Did you find any hidden gems among all the AAA hype?