GregHowley.com

Best of 2011

December 16, 2011 - - -

The end of the year is here, and although I seem to have let it slide the past few years what with moving across the country and everything, this year I'm going to take a good hard look at all my favorite stuff from this year. Yay stuff!

Best Movie: Super 8

I've spoken to some people who really didn't like the movie, but Linda and I both agree: Super 8 was our favorite movie of the year, hands-down. It had action, it had drama, it had comedy, and it had horror. It was a coming-of-age adventure in the style of E.T. and Stand By Me, and we absolutely loved it.

Personally, I think a lot of what I liked about the film was the fact that it took place in 1979, and it captured the era so very well, without being in-your-face like That 70s Show. I was five years old the majority of that year, and so I'm significantly younger than many of the kids depicted in the film, but the nostalgia still struck a chord with me.

The kids in the movie are all newcomers to film, and they're all exceptional actors. More than that, they have chemistry and character. You can easily buy them being a close-knit group of neighborhood kids. I could go on praising the movie for another few pages, but if you haven't seen it, I don't want to spoil anything. Just go watch the movie.

Best Video Game: Batman Arkham City

It's hard for me to explain why I chose Arkham City over Skyrim, especially since I've already put more hours into Skyrim than Arkham City. Both games are fantastic, and both are deserving. But being a time-eater isn't the key criterion in choosing the game of the year. What I love about Skyrim is mostly the same stuff that I'd loved about Oblivion. But what I love about Batman: Arkham City is something else.

In much the same way that Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was the best thing about The Dark Knight (which was a movie that had a hell of a lot of best things) Mark Hamill's performance as The Joker adds significantly to Arkham City. Yes, that's right - Luke Skywalker voices The Joker. And he's really good, too. But as good as he is, he wouldn't be able to do much without good writing. And he's got some fantastic lines, the best of which come at the game's culmination. I don't think it spoils anything if I say that Arkham City's ending is my second-favorite ending to a video game of all time. (My favorite is the ending of Half-Life 2: Episode 2)

But as good as the story is, a game is nothing without good gameplay. The gameplay in Arkham City is excellent. It comes down to hand-to-hand combat, which is the best one-on-many combat in any game I've ever seen, stealth gameplay, which is handled as well as the stealth in Thief or Tenchu, and open world navigation, which Arkham City handles more than competently.

I've finished the main story in Arkham City, but I know that I'll be going back to it from time to time, grabbing all the Catwoman trophies, running through the combat and predator challenges, and playing the New Game Plus mode.

My runner-up for best game of the year is Atom Zombie Smasher, which you may never have heard of. You can get a copy for next-to-nothing nowadays, and if you're interested in learning more about the game, you can read my more detailed write-up here.

Best Book: Changes, by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files is a fantastic series - I've read all thirteen books that are currently out - but as good as they've all been, when I reached book twelve, Changes, it absolutely blew me away.

The Dresden Files started slowly, almost episodically. Wizard detective solves mystery. Very simple. They're very easy reads, and the books actually get better as the series progresses. Butcher establishes his world and his characters, and while the setting and the overarching story progresses, there are no real drastic changes.

And then comes Changes.

I can't even speak about how epic the story is, because without having read the eleven books that lead up to it, you just won't get it. But a decade from now when I look back at the twenty-something books that comprise The Dresden Files series, the one I'll point to as amazing is Changes.

My runner-up book is Ready, Player One by Ernest Cline, which would easily have been my book of the year if not for Jim Butcher's amazing work.

Best TV Show: A Game of Thrones

...and how could it not be? I think that it was everyone's favorite show, and for the same reasons that Lord of the Rings did well in the movie theaters a few years back. When you take a really good book and translate it to film well with good actors and a good director, it kicks ass. When you take creative license and modify the original, you end up with movies like Eragon. Not much else to say here.

My runner-up TV show is Fringe. While I'd like it to be first, the latest season hasn't been nearly as amazing as the ending of last season. Here's hoping it picks up.

Best Board Game: Betrayal at the House on the Hill

I first tried Betrayal at Hartford's monthly board game night earlier this year, and I fell in love. It's a board game that features a different plot and entirely different rules each time you play. I've played upwards of a dozen stories now, and I think I've only repeated one once. There are fifty scenarios in the book and more available online, but the crux is that your group is exploring a haunted house. You all see odd things, but at some point, one of you is revealed to be a betrayer. Once this happens, the game truly begins. From then on, it's a many-on-one situation as one player is revealed to be a vampire or a mad scientist who unleashes a horde of zombies. Just about every horror trope you can think of exists in the game, and then some. each scenario has rules specific to that scenario, and that really keeps the game fresh. If you've never played, you're missing out.

The runner-up game is Castle Panic, which I discovered at PAX East 2011 and now play with Lia.

Best Gadget: Droid X

I don't know what I did before I had an Android phone. I use it for absolutely everything now. In thinking about how human beings truly are merging with technology, I wrote up a big article on The Secret Lair entitled Technology, Convergence, and Human Evolution. In re-reading now, I probably could have gone a bit more into depth on some parts and explained the whole thing a bit more clearly, but when writing for the internet, I tend never to re-read what I've written before I publish. That's probably not good.

I've written tons about my phone and about Android Apps. I'm not sure how much more there is to say.

So that's my 2011 "Best Of". I'd be interested to hear your comments about your favorite movies, games, gadgets, and other stuff.