User blog:Radical M/2011 in Review

I was waiting until I finished Skyward Sword to make this, but that game takes freakin' forever and I've waited long enough. So here we go. I'm going to count down the Top 10 movies, video games, songs, and books of 2011, just like I did last year.

Top 10 Movies of 2011

 * 1) The Muppets - Yeah, it was my favorite movie. Sue me. The Muppets were as epic as ever in this movie. In fact, they were probably epicer (epic - epicer? :P). This might be my favorite Muppets movie yet, and this is coming from a 90's kid. Even in my high school years, the jokes made me laugh, the songs were as good as ever, and the characters were just as fantastic. What I really liked about this movie was that it wasn't a gimmick. They didn't just stick the name Muppets on a movie poster and make crap (looking at you, Alvin and the Chipmunks >.> SPOILER ALERT Chipwrecked is not on this list :P). The movie's plot was interesting and in a way, also true to real life. In a world where kid's shows are now taken over my stupid dancing characters and educational crap, the Muppets have fallen subject to wash-uppedness. But this was their return and they were just as good as before and they reminded me that not all kid's things are crap nowadays. :P
 * 2) Captain America: The First Avenger - As most of you nerds like me probably know, Marvel is releasing a bunch of movies of different superheroes and combining them all into one movie called The Avengers. After watching Captain America, I have NEVER wanted to see a movie so badly in my life. I won't spoil the whole plot (although you comic book nerds like me can probably predict how it ends), but the whole World War II era plot makes the movie really exciting. It may not be the most realistic World War II movie you've seen (:P), but I doubt you'll care when you see a German scientist trying to evaporate a hyped-up American soldier with magical cubes from space. I'll be in line to see The Avengers on Day 1.
 * 3) Rise of the Planet of the Apes - I'll be honest, I don't usually like origin stories. It might be because the first three Star Wars movies have just generally turned me off to them, but I just don't like them. :P Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an exception, due to many factors. These factors mostly include apes smashing things, explosions, and James Franco. God, I love James Franco. XD. Definitely a must see. I also liked Andy Serkis as Caesar.
 * 4) Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows - Who says all sequels have to suck? Sherlock Holmes 2 was amazing. It's a good thing they saved the big guns for the second one. In other words, Professor Moriarty makes this movie. After watching the first one, I expected generally the same movie from the second one. Smart villain, but Sherlock Holmes generally outwits him. That is not the case here. Sherlock Holmes is pitted against a mind just as strong as his own and spoiler, Moriarty tends to trick him many times throughout the movie. It's a really intense duel just between these two characters until the end when... well, I'll let you see the movie. :P
 * 5) Crazy, Stupid, Love - I've never cried watching a movie. Honestly, I haven't even come close. The last thing I expected was to nearly tear up while watching this light-hearted comedy starring Steve Carrell. Sadly, this is precisely what happened. :P The movie doesn't have any elements that a normal "tearjerker" would. No one's dying of a uncurable disease. In fact, no one dies at all. I honestly can't even explain what makes this movie so sad. Maybe because I actually cared about the character this time around. But I don't want to make you think this movie is necessarily a tearjerker; it is extremely funny too. I was laughing hard at one moment and tearing up at the next. Put it down in the records that I did not actually cry though. :) :P (That beats my sister's record, who cried when Snape died in Harry Potter)
 * 6) Thor - Another Marvel film. *le gasp* Yup. I liked this one too, though not as much. Don't ask me why, though. Just my opinion. The cast was great though and the action was great. Out of all the comic books I've read, Thor was not one of them. This pretty much caught me up on the average life of Thor. It was surprisingly funny too. You wouldn't believe it (unless you have seen it). Definitely worth seeing, especially if you are looking to see the Avengers.
 * 7) Paul - This movie was hilarious! It was seriously underrated if you ask me. It made me laugh the whole time and it had somewhat of a meaning compared to most comedies. Seth Rogen was great as Paul and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg always made me laugh. Top it off with some surprising action scenes and this makes for a pretty good movie.
 * 8) Tower Heist - It may not be the funniest movie this year, but I have two words for anyone who says this is a bad movie. Eddie Murphy. He's back and he's not playing a human spaceship. :D It reminded me of the good ol' fashioned Eddie Murphy, like Beverly Hills Cop. Eh, Ben Stiller was funny too. :P The plot is as interesting as I thought it was, although the ending wasn't that good.
 * 9) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - TBH, I'm not a big fan of the Harry Potter movies, especially the first one (>.>). This one was legitimately good though. It was a nice way to finish the series off and it was a really intense, action-packed movie.
 * 10) 30 Minutes or Less - Jesse Eisenberg + Aziz Ansari = A really funny comedy. These two guys are really good actors and the movie is really funny, but it starts off kinda slow. It is also full of lots of action.

Top 10 Video Games of 2011

 * 1) Batman: Arkham City - This was the hardest decision I've had to make in my life, but I ultimately chose this game. As I stated above, I'm a huge comic book fan. I've read all the Batman comics. I watched the animated series throughout my entire childhood. And now I get to be the Batman! How cool is that? I won't spoil anything, but the story is amazing! There are so many villains that I've seen since I was a kid and now I get to beat the living crap out of them! :D There are even some villains in it that even I don't know some of them. The ending is phenomenal, but it doesn't stop there. Once you beat the game, there are a million side quests to do. Normally, I wouldn't get excited over this, but the side missions are really good. You get to battle guys you didn't during the main story and they almost feel like miniature main stories. I have yet to find the Riddler, but when I do, I swear I'll get revenge for the many trophies he made me fetch. >.> My choice for game of the year.
 * 2) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - This game was so close to getting #1, it isn't even funny. :P The Wii is almost gone and in my personal opinion, it was Nintendo's weakest console. Not to say I hated it, but it mostly sat unplayed. However, this game symbolizes everything the Wii should've been. A game that you can only play using motion controls. Honestly, it might seem sad, but I never want to play a Legend of Zelda game without motion control ever again. It would never feel the same. The enemies are puzzles within themselves and the actual puzzles are very challenging. Slashing away with the Wiimote like you do in Wii Sports Resort will not work, trust me. The story is very good also. Now the ultimate question: Skyward Sword or Ocarina of Time? :/ Well, Skyward Sword isn't even my number one game this year, so I'll have to say Ocarina of Time, only because the story is more extensive in OoT, even if it isn't as cinematic as Skyward Sword. Plus, Ocarina of Time is legendary. :P
 * 3) Portal 2 - Portal was one of the most innovative games of the decade. No exaggeration. (If you can think of a better one, I'd like to know in the comments). I didn't think Valve could top themselves in a sequel. Of course, I was horribly wrong. Portal 2 added new elements, such as the gel. The levels were still tough, but that made the challenge more interesting. New characters made the story a lot better. Wheatley and Cave Johnson were great additions and were really funny. Combine that with GLaDOS's famous humor, and this is actually probably the funniest game I've ever played. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. There is a big twist in the game that makes the story really interesting, but I won't spoil it. And then we haven't even gotten to the biggest addition. CO-OP! Sadly, my brother doesn't like this game because he's not a cool person. I normally played online with friends from school and it is a very fun multiplayer experience.
 * 4) Skyrim - What, Radi?!?! Why is this game not #1?!?!? Have you taken an arrow to the- No, I'm not insane. Honestly, this game is extremely overrated, but that doesn't mean it's not a great game. The world is enormous and vast and it's honestly fun to just walk around. Even if you get attacked by a wolf every other minute. :P The main reason I think I'm not a huge fan of the game is because I'm not a big first-person RPG guy. It might also have to do with the fact that I killed an entire family so I'm never allowed in Whiterun again. >.> Not my favorite game this year, but I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat. Even though I doubt anyone needs a recommendation to play this game. :P
 * 5) Super Mario 3D Land - Let me start of by saying this. The 3DS is seriously underrated. I know the launch line-up wasn't very good, but it's getting a lot better and I recommend it to all of you if you can afford it. Playing Mario in 3D is amazing. It's nothing like a gimmicky 3D movie you might see in theaters. The 3D is beyond phenomenal. I can't even explain it to you guys with words, but if you've seen it before, you probably know what I'm talking about. There was only one problem with this game. It was much too easy. I finished the 8 worlds in a total of 2 - 2 1/2 hours with about 30 lives. And every time you die more than twice, you are given a Golden Tanooki suit, which basically makes you invincible to anything. So you basically walk through the level freely. If you somehow manage to die twice in a row with that, you are given wings that skip you right to the end. Easy, right? Somewhat. Once you beat the first 8 worlds, you are given 8 special worlds which are MUCH harder. So, you may have to play a little bit to get to the challenging stuff, but the visuals will keep you entertained throughout the whole thing.
 * 6) Mario Kart 7 - Pretty much the same as above. The visuals are so amazing and will keep you interested for hours. Also, the online is really good and probably the best online Nintendo has had (Mario Kart Wii's was really laggy). There are a few reasons this is below Super Mario 3D Land. One is the roster. They took off some of the best kart racers and added really obscure people. Example? Honey Queen is an unlockable character, but Waluigi was not included at all. Yeah... I mean, I hate Waluigi as much as the next guy, but he's a more prominent character than Honey Queen. Also, I didn't like the new additions of going underwater and hang-gliding. I mean, they weren't bad additions, but they were overused to the point where most stages didn't have enough individuality to me. Still a game worth getting though.
 * 7) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Yeah, I am a Call of Duty fan. Yes, I do agree that it is an overrated franchise. Yes, it could be a lot better. I agree with all of that. I honestly did not expect to like this game as much as I did. I mean, gameplay was not much better than any of the other games. Point and shoot, it can be fun, but it's not very innovative. So, was it the multiplayer? Nope. Still don't get why people think it's addicting. Was the story better? Nope. Just as crappy as the other ones. It was the scenery that got me. It made me feel like I was in an action movie in a way the previous two didn't. SPOILER ALERT The scene where the Eiffel Tower falls is amazing and there are many other scenes of equal shock value, such as riding a truck through the subways, shooting at Russians. SPOILER ALERT ENDS. Anyway if you're a COD fan, then this game should intrigue you. If you can't stand shooters, stay away. If you're a fanboy, STFU!
 * 8) Assassin's Creed Revelations - Why, oh why are you down here Assassin's Creed? You were supposed to at the top. :( The game was good, but I'm a huge fan of the series so this is going to pretty much be a rant. First off, Ezio again? Brotherhood shocked me by not introducing a new assassin. It turned out to work, but I was sure that was the last we'd see of Ezio. Sadly, I was wrong. Ezio's story has aged just as he has. The story was a bunch of political stuff that was completely uninteresting. The story did pick up a little later, but not by much. Also, at some parts of the game, you got to play as Altair again, which I was really looking forward to. Sadly, these parts featured really unchallenging gameplay and only lasted five minutes max each. They were really only there to cover the rest of Altair's story. Also, the new gameplay elements were really unuseful, like the hookblade and bombmaking. Both of this are really useless and are really only gimmicks to make it look like innovation was made. The last thing I'd like to complain about (Sorry for my rant :P) is the lying title. Revelations. What revelations? I would put a spoiler alert here, but there's literally nothing to spoil. The ending taught me nothing I didn't already know. Anyway, this makes the game sound really bad, but the good old fashioned Assassin's Creed gameplay that I fell in love with is still there, so it is worthy of this list and I wouldn't discourage anyone from checking it out
 * 9) L.A. Noire - This game is extremely innovative. I don't know specifically how the technology works, but they used motion sensors to track actors' movements and make the characters' faces look exactly the same. This makes interrogating fun and a cool new way to play. Guessing if they're lying or not based on the character's face starts off as a challenge and becomes almost natural by the end of the game. I have never seen a game like this, but I hope I see it more. Also, the recreation of 1940's L.A. was astonishing. However, the game can get boring after a while and the ending was pretty bad. It is still a good game nonetheless.
 * 10) Sonic Generations - I haven't played this game much and honestly if I had played more games this year, it probably would be the only one not on the list now. Not to say it's a bad game. I would probably recommend it since it does remind you of the good ol' Sonic games of the past.

Top 10 Songs of 2011

 * 1) Stereo Hearts - Adam Levine and Travie McCoy?! That's the best team-up since Queen and David Bowie. :P Okay, that's a huge over exaggeration, but I still really like this song. Adam Levine has a great voice and Travie McCoy is a great rapper. That, along with the great beat and the meaningful lyrics and you have the #1 song of 2011.
 * 2) Moves Like Jagger - Yup. Adam Levine again. I love me some Adam Levine. :3 I don't normally like Christina Aguilera, but she wasn't that bad either.
 * 3) Born This Way - Yeah... Gaga's my guilty pleasure. Plus, as much as people like to use the lyrics as a joke, they do have an important message in there.
 * 4) Nice Guys - What? Never heard of this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfeys7Jfnx8 There. You heard it. Now you love it, doncha? ;)
 * 5) Party Rock Anthem - I didn't like LMFAO until this year. This song is what the title says. It is an anthem for party rocking. This is the song I wanted to be playing at every party I went to in 2011 (which was none because no one invites me to parties D: :P jkjk).
 * 6) Grenade - This song is really meaningful and I pretty much am in love with Bruno Mars's voice. I listened to this song at least a million times.
 * 7) Raise Your Glass - I'll just say this. This song basically describes my life. -_- Joker: Why so serious?
 * 8) More - I'm sorry if my descriptions are getting stupid. I'm pretty much bored of typing at this point. :P Usher's a great singer/rapper hybrid thing and this song is good for dancing.
 * 9) Rocketeer - It's a good song. I like the guy's voice. I don't know if he's actually in Far East Movement, but whatever. The rapping was good too.
 * 10) Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - I don't normally like Coldyplay, but this song is an exception. I've listened to it numerous times.

Top 10 Books of 2011
Ha. Yeah, still don't read books. XD

Tell me what you think of my choices and tell me yours in the comments.