The Platinum Chalice Awards 2011, Part 3 Game of the Year

GAME OF THE YEAR 2011 (FOR REAL): Portal 2

This was hard. In the six years we’ve been handing out Platinum Chalices, no choice has divided and tested the GamesRadar team more. Usually, we have two obvious contenders and must simply decide between them – 2011, however, presented us with so many objectively outstanding games that even finalizing the list of five nominees was an emotionally charged challenge.

Then again, this wasn’t as hard as you'd think.

Once we focused on what the winner of this award should represent – the absolute best, no caveats, Game of the Year – Portal 2 was and is the clear winner. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is amazing, but only if you still love that familiar formula. The Witcher 2 is phenomenal, but requires an understanding of traditional PC RPG design to fully appreciate. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is life-consuming, but with the unfortunate multitude of bugs that plague it to this day, it’s also potentially soul-crushing. Batman: Arkham City is (cliché alert!) the greatest superhero game ever made, and came closest to taking the top spot, but would we recommend it to those who don’t like Batman or don’t like the styles of play it so impressively blends? Honestly, no.

Portal 2, though, is an experience we feel could and should be enjoyed by everyone – literally everyone. Portal 2 defies genre. To label it as a “puzzler” diminishes the genius with which those puzzles have been blended into the fabric of the world, so seamlessly that you don’t even realize you’re solving them, or how genius you’re becoming yourself through doing so. Portal 2 transcends the tropes, conventions and limitations of what we’ve come to expect and accept from interactive storytelling. You meet hugely memorable characters voiced by hugely talented celebrities, you uncover a deeply developed mythology, and you learn mind-shattering secrets about your own protagonist, yet all of this is accomplished without cutscenes, without excessive menus or prompts, and often without dialogue – the immersion is whole, complete, never broken. Portal 2 is exactly the right length. Every moment serves a purpose and no part is unnecessary padding, yet if you feel it’s too short, you can always lose hours finding the meticulously conceived Easter eggs or joining a friend for the equally one-of-a-kind multiplayer.

Portal 2, in other words, is as close to perfect and pure as a game can possibly get. At least this year. Your move, 2012.

READER’S CHOICE AWARD: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

While we’re confident and implacable in our Game of the Year decision, we also wanted to get YOUR opinion on the matter. To accomplish this, we started a Twitter poll and asked you, our highly intelligent and opinionated readers, to tell us what you thought.

At first, Skyrim seemed like an obvious choice to us, too – but as much as we love it, we can’t in good conscience award Game of the Year to a title plagued by so many bugs. Our readers don’t appear to be nearly as bothered by them, though, and Skyrim quickly emerged as the clear favorite.

@Bux007 called Skyrim “one of the most complete games I’ve played in 5 years,” and many who responded echoed similar sentiments. Clearly, the Dovahkiin’s gargantuan quest to save the Nords is resonating with a lot of you right now – and likely will for some time.

Runner-up: Batman: Arkham City

Interestingly, Arkham City only narrowly beat out stiff competition from Dark Souls and Gears of War 3, the latter of which – in spite of being a great entry in the franchise – didn’t take home any awards from us this year. Portal 2 also made a significant showing in the votes, so at least some of you won’t be enraged by our winner.

That’s the end of our Platinum Chalice Awards for 2011. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already, and let us know what your winners are in the comments below!

GamesRadar+ was first founded in 1999, and since then has been dedicated to delivering video game-related news, reviews, previews, features, and more. Since late 2014, the website has been the online home of Total Film, SFX, Edge, and PLAY magazines, with comics site Newsarama joining the fold in 2020. Our aim as the global GamesRadar Staff team is to take you closer to the games, movies, TV shows, and comics that you love. We want to upgrade your downtime, and help you make the most of your time, money, and skills. We always aim to entertain, inform, and inspire through our mix of content - which includes news, reviews, features, tips, buying guides, and videos.

Latest in Action
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Naoe and Yasuke walk in the sunset in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows
Following Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing director says "every big AAA game could be better," but players shouldn't be mad "just because some dude told you to"
Assassin's Creed Shadows Wanted Status
How to remove Wanted status in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
God of War
20 years later, God of War's original monster art has been revealed: behold this army of stick figures slapped on a whiteboard, no clue Kratos is coming for them
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe facing off against samurai warrior on red bridge
An Assassin's Creed Shadows fan is showing off some of the RPG's most impressive little details, and it's done more to get me interested than Ubisoft ever did
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Captain Planet #1
Captain Planet is back after 33 years with a "sexy" makeover and a message that's as important as ever: "Reality has gotten a lot less subtle"