Today, we finally publish our sixth annual Platinum Chalice awards – but not just yet. Before we begin our celebration of all things great and amazing that gaming gave us in 2011, including our Game of the Year, we’ve got one final GOTY nominee to unveil. It’ll face some stiff competition, seeing as our other nominees this week have been Portal 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Batman: Arkham City and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
For those who’ve already invested countless hours in its sprawling fantasy world, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim needs no introduction. For those gamers, in fact, it may even be the obvious choice to win. It is, put simply, one of the most fully realized game worlds ever created, packed with infinite quests, sprawling dungeons, gigantic towns, likable characters and endless fascinating things to do. It’s the biggest, prettiest, deepest and freest Elder Scrolls chapter to date, and that means it is absolutely amazing – not to mention incredibly addictive.
Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim your favorite game of 2011? Whether you agree or disagree, let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to return this afternoon (Pacific time) for our full Platinum Chalice Awards, where the Game of the Year winner will finally be revealed!
