It’s that time of year again, when editors from sites around the world gather together to argue out their year-end “Best Of” lists. We here at CraveOnline are no different. But before we tackle our 10 best overall games of the year, we’re shining the spotlight on the smaller guys by selecting our 10 favorite downloadable titles of the year from marketplaces such as Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam. These games may not have had multi-million dollar ad campaigns and $100 special collector’s editions, but they were all fantastic titles nonetheless. And each and every one of them deserves your attention.
As an added note before we get started, we will be publishing our 10 Best Games of 2011 list next Friday (as well as something a little more ambitious the following week). Just because a title makes our 10 best downloadable games does not disqualify it from our top 10 games overall. We just want to make that point clear.
OK, onward!
Renegade Ops
Platforms: XBLA, PSN, Steam
We had a lot of fun with Renegade Ops. It’s a twin-stick shooter with an emphasis on cheesy characters, strong visuals and a shit-ton of explosions. You upgrade your characters and loadouts as you level up in this game built on the same engine as Just Cause 2. It’s an addicting ride that rewards players in bangs (no, not those kind of bangs).
From Dust
Platforms: XBLA, PSN, Steam
Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, From Dust lets players play God, manipulating environments using a number of tools at their disposal to protect and enlighten a nomadic tribe. From Dust is a beautiful looking game with gameplay that’s both easy to pick up and addictive as all get-out. And who doesn’t enjoy playing God every once and a while?
Swarm
Platforms: XBLA, PSN
We got a chance to check out Swarm at PAX East this past year and it turned out to be one of our favorites of the show. Thankfully, the final product didn’t disappoint either. In Swarm, players are tasked with maneuvering a... wait for it... swarm of mindless little creatures through stages filled of deathtraps -- stuff like buzz saws, grinders, explosive fluid sacks, etc. The object isn’t to make it to the end with everyone intact. In fact, the goal is to have some of your brainless hive-mind bite the bullet in order to rack up higher score multipliers. In a nutshell, Swarm rewards death. And because of that, Swarm is one of the most unique, fun and hilarious games released digitally in 2011.
Iron Brigade
Platforms: XBLA, PSN, Steam
Iron Brigade, formerly known to the gaming world as “Trenched,” is one of two works from Double Fine in our list. It’s also one of the two tower defense-ish titles on our list. You play a mobile trench mech, straight out of a sci-fi version of the post-World War I world. Roboting tube monsters aim to attack your various bases and you use incredible upgrades and sweet towers to keep them safe. The gameplay, the humor and the fun are almost unrivaled.
InFamous: Festival of Blood
Platforms: PSN
Taking a cue from Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare DLC, Sucker Punch released InFamous: Festival of Blood as a standalone PSN title to celebrate Halloween. Built on the engine powering InFamous 2, Festival of Blood featured Cole being turned into a vampire and given 24 hours to track down and destroy the head vampire to save not only himself but all of New Marais in the process. Festival of Blood is a meaty PSN effort featuring a new story, new powers and PlayStation Move support built around the already addictive gameplay of the InFamous series.
