2011 was a huge year for fans of RPGs. Superb titles practically came out of the woodwork in every genre and niche, which made the decision of which should receive the coveted RPG of the Year award something that we didn't take lightly here at RPGFan. In the end, we chose the game that we believe represents the absolute best the genre has to offer in every regard. That game is CDProjekt Red's PC epic, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Right from its first moments, Geralt's latest adventure wowed us and the RPG world. Featuring sharp writing, an engrossing and twisting narrative that allows for a substantial degree of player agency, deep and challenging gameplay, spectacular art design and graphics, and an exceptional
soundtrack, this game is a massive achievement.
Not only that, but the game's developers have continued supporting the game since its release, listening to fan criticisms and ironing out bugs as well as the game's notoriously unforgiving introductory sequence. All of these tweaks and updates come free in a world where paid DLC is the order of the day, and will be available out of the box for Xbox 360 players who purchase the game next year. It's hard to argue with a development team that consistently shows such passion for perfecting their work in the increasingly commercial world of game development.
Simply put, as our own Kyle E. Miller said
in his review, The Witcher 2 sets the new standard for fantasy RPGs, and that is why we at RPGFan have chosen to give it our RPG of the Year award. Play this game.
Dark Souls is a spectacular game in its own right, and one that appeals very much to some of our staff here. In the end, though, despite the game's excellent combat and incredible atmosphere, we were forced to admit that while Dark Souls excels in those areas, The Witcher 2 excelled in every area, and appeals to a much broader audience.
