Last week we opened up the Nintendo Life Game of the Year 2011 Readers' Vote, giving you the opportunity to commemorate the very best titles of the past 12 months.
We received over 6,000 votes over the course of a week, and after stringent verification we've tallied them all up to reveal the games you voted as the best of 2011.
Readers' Wii Game of 2011
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword — 72%
An absolute landslide in Link's favour, mopping up nearly three-quarters of the vote, Skyward Sword also grabbed the coveted Nintendo Life Wii Game of the Year. An adventure of inimitable spirit and imagination, this was clearly worth the five year wait, and the year's best argument for motion controls.
Second place: Xenoblade Chronicles — 11%
Third place: Kirby's Return to Dream Land — 5%
Readers' DS Game of 2011
Pokémon Black & White — 38%
The monster-battling phenomenon took to DS again in 2011 with its best instalment yet. The fact you only see new Pokémon in the story mode was a fantastic move to recreate the sense of wonder trainers felt in their first adventure, and enhanced online trade and battle features were most welcome.
Second place: Kirby Mass Attack — 15%
Third place: Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Spectre's Call — 10%
Readers' 3DS Game of 2011
Super Mario 3D Land — 42%
Fending off the off-road advances of his kart-based rival, Super Mario 3D Land showed that when it comes to portable platforming, the plumber is king.
Second place: Mario Kart 7 — 31%
Third place: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D — 16%
Readers' DSiWare Game of 2011
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition — 71%
A free multiplayer Zelda game was always going to win this award, but its margin of victory is almost embarrassing. It's only free until 27th February, so if you haven't downloaded it yet make sure you don't miss out.
Second place: Mighty Milky Way — 9%
Third place: Plants vs. Zombies — 3%
Readers' eShop game of 2011
Pullblox/Pushmo — 40%
Another runaway winner, Intelligent Systems' blocky puzzler is equal parts clever, cute and downright fiendish sometimes. Throw in a level editor that lets you share your creations online and you've got the complete package. A deserving victor.
Second place: Mighty Switch Force — 14%
Third place: 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure — 13%
Readers' WiiWare Game of 2011
MotoHeroz — 35%
RedLynx's MotoHeroz proves that there is room for quality on WiiWare, and that players are willing to pay for it. The daily race challenges provided one of the best reasons to keep powering up your Wii in 2011, providing more value for money than most cheaper WiiWare games — or even disc releases.
Second place: FAST — Racing League — 17%
Third place: BIT.TRIP FLUX — 16%
Comments 61
These are almost the same ones I gave my vote. Only 3DS winner is different. I voted for Mario Kart 7.
WOW! Everything I voted got 1st place! Nice!
That's weird how Super Mario 3D land won over Mario Kart 7 in best 3DS game of the year, but then Mario Kart 7 had more percent in overall game of the year...
Wait, isn't there an official GoTY, with IGN hosting, or something????? Help, please!
Americans will get their chance to vote Xenoblade as 'Wii game of 2012'..
As I already commented on the staff's choices :
I'm very glad that Xenoblade made it to the second position! LOL
no surprises really
Ah, "Xenoblade" and "FAST League Racing" got second place. Was really roting for them, but it was to be expected. Happy new year, everyone! v ^_^
Skyward Sword is mediocre. Have people played the other games that came out?
Skyward Sword really isn't mediocre. It's Super.
I voted Zelda for Wii, Kirby for DS, Mario 3D Land for 3DS, Four Swords for DSiWare and Pullblox for 3DSWare. Nearly everything turned out as I expected. But it's weird dat 3D Land is the best 3DS game and Mario Kart 7 is second best game of the year. I also agree with Kirby97. Ghost Trick deserved a place.
Well, It was a really good Nintendo year.! Hope next year will be good too. Happy New Year!!!
@Galaxia-Master Dang right
SKYWARD SWORD FTW!!!
Ill remember this year as the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, and all of Nintendo's stars, like Mario,Link,Fox,Kirby and such starring in amazing gmes for the 3DS and Wii
Skyward Sword deserves to be in top spot, it's truly outstanding what Nintendo did with that game! Bravo, Zelda, bravo! clap clap clap
Awesome list, but where is the love for SolatoRobo?
I'm really happy Xenoblade got second despite the fact that the Americans are yet to pay it. In my opinion it pretty much matches Skyward Sword overall, and is well deserving of it's 2nd place. Also, I was surprised that Super Mario 3D Land got 3DS game of the year. I thought it would be MK7.
Awesome, Pokemon getting first, the best 300 hours of my life.
Shame VVVVVV didn't win, even though Pushmo is fun.
I'm surprised that OoT 3D didn't win in the 3DS GoTY, however I am glad that it was beat by 2 fine games, Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land.
This year was a very eh year for Nintendo, but high quality games were still released. Next year we have Xenoblade, Luigi's Mansion 2, Kid Icarus, Paper Mario, and hopefully some other great games announced at E3
None of my choices won but four swords but these are well deserving. But I will wait for that year when Professor Layton beats Pokemon.
I said but alot lol. (I need a laugh on the holidays)
Basically what I voted for as well. It was a really good year after all.
@Dragoon: It didn't have a real chance since it's only out in the US!
Where's my eShop love for Freakyforms?!
I demand a recount! =) Really was the wuhu loop glitch was enough to keep mario kart 7 from winning 3DS GOTY?
Everything I voted for, except 3DS game of the year, won! Awesome!
Zelda definitely deserved everything it won today and yesterday. It was a great year to be a Zelda fan.
This really is a sad state of affairs for Wii this year, isn't it (especially in North America)? The fact that Kirby got 3rd place is telling.
I'm sure Pokemon would've been my DS GotY if I had gotten it (since I didn't play any DS games from 2011), but I just couldn't let myself get into that series again. I really just don't have the time these days.
Glad Mario Kart 7 was beat by 3D Land, in 3DS GotY at least. For me, mind-blowing creativity and pitch-perfect platforming will beat fun multiplayer racing any day.
Not too surprised my vote for Flipper 2 didn't go anywhere considering it's been out for only 49 hours in EU and not in NA yet at all.
I made a good call in voting for VVVVVV instead of Pushmo, as I knew the latter would win due to VVVVVV being out for the same amount of time as Flipper 2, and only in one country again (this time America). Especially since while Pushmo might be the best puzzle game I've ever played (besides the Portal games, which have so much else going for them anyway), VVVVVV is hands down my favorite "traditional" platformer, and I like platformers better than puzzlers.
I should be happy my FLUX vote counted for something in it getting third place, and I am, but really, it got beat by FAST? This series really is too eclectic for the majority of gamers.
No surprises with the "Ultimate" GotY, but as others have said, interesting Mario Kart 7 took the cake over 3D Land for this award. Maybe people who voted the latter as 3DS GotY felt bad and wanted to give Kart some love too?
Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of the best games that has ever been made and will ever be made, so kudos to Nintendo for proving they still have what it takes to be the best after 25 years.
@Mahe Dood, (in America at least) nothing else came out. Even if Skyward Sword was mediocre it'd still be the best Wii game released this year.
I WAS ONE OF DA 6,000 VOTES!!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! lol i think i forgot what i voted for lol but of course i just know i voted for Skyward Sword and 4 Swords for 3ds i think i voted zelda wooooo i did 3 zeldas for 3 categorys!!!!!! lol
Kirby getting 3rd place is WHAT? Is it wrong I prefer Kirby over Skyward Sword (despite loving both). You don't speak for all of us man. Hell I even like Fortune Street after it. Rayman Origins not so much.
It seemed to be a slow year at the beginning for Nintendo, with the botched 3DS release and all but towards the end they put out some good games indeed and salvaged the year. Kirbys Return to Dreamland, Skyward Sword, SM3DL and MK7 just to name a few. Hopefully 2012 they will have a good year all around.
This was to be expected, and for good reasons, too.
@KaiserGX I know, I'm as much at fault as making my opinion sound definitive as anybody else, but that's just my opinion.
I was hoping for Carmen Sandiego and Excite Bike. Everything else I voted for.
Really dont think Pokemon deserves first - that franchise is just getting lazy. All the others were the same as the staff ones, and were pretty obvious choices.
Mario Kart was voted GOTY more than 3D Land? Wat. >8C
I really wish Okamiden and escapeVektor Chapter 1 had won at least an honorable mention... those games really made 2011 for me in terms of gaming.
I like this concept, because the fans can't complain. We did the voting, and this shows what the majority of us liked.
Though I think if more people would try more games, the votes might not be so landslide-ish all the time.
like @Late said, I voted for all of these except for the 3DS winner if I remember correctly, I voted for MK7, but SM3DL is well deserving of the title too
Professor Layton should've at least been second place DS GOTY...
Ah Xenoblade, how I wish I could have played you in 2011! Well 2012 will be the year I play then, and April isn't too far off!
I've only really played 4 of the winning games so i better keep my mouth shut about the winners. But Kirby Mass Attack, Mario Kart 7 and Pullblox are really great. Zelda OoT was nice too but i can't really get excited about a remake of a game i played before.
One to Watch in 2012: Looking forward the most to Luigi's Mansion 2. Of course i hope Kid Icarus: Uprising to turn out great but i don't wanna get my hopes up too high for this one.
Fanboy moment: The update that contained video recording. Especially being able to pay for just one eShop game was something i never thought i'd ever see. Along with the very Nintendo-like updates to StreetPass this makes me more optimistic that Nintendo really grasps online now.
Biggest surprises: DS going out in style / Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Disappointement: Capcoms's cancellation of MML3 and how they communicated it. PES2011 (3DS) and Bust-A-Move Universe
PS: It would be interesting to see a full list of the eShop results. I thought Pushmo would get a much bigger advantage.
Airport Mania deserved more votess
(Sorry couldn't resist!)
I disagree with everything except for Zelda: SS. But whatev'
So pretty much the same except for the DS section. Yeah, no surprises here.
It's a testament to what a sneaky good year the old DS had that none of my four favorite 2011 DS games (Radiant Historia, Ghost Trick, Okamiden, Solatorobo) cracked the top three in votes and I don't have a problem with it.
Nice, love seeing all the zelda and I guessed the winners, except for wiiware (I never played any this year), even if I did not vote for them
@cyrus_zuo Hey, I really enjoyed both of them, and First Flight was actually the best DSiWare game I played this year (besides Antipole, but I think I'll give Airport Mania the edge). Sorry I didn't vote for it on the assumption that my DSiWare GotY was going to come out yesterday, which it didn't.
On an unrelated note, do you have the power to put Airport Mania on sale on the Amazon App Store so I could get it for my Kindle Fire? I think I would enjoy it even more on the bigger, full-touch screen.
@9 arent you the guy who review skyward sword on gamespot cause im thinking theres only one of you
POKEMON FTW!!!!
BRING ON 3DS RUBY/SAPPHIRE REMAKES!!!!!
I had to get that out xD
Yeah!All the games I voted for, got the 1st place! Well...except the DS game I voted on Solatorobo.But doesn't matter they're all great games!!XD Happy new year everyone!
i guessed the 3DS ware, the 3DS, the dsiware,and the ds game of the year right
I voted mario kart 7 for 3DS game of the year but it wasn't. arrrrghhh!
Very little of what I voted for won. Not too surprising, considering I voted Radiant Historia for DS game of the year (Yes, it was better than Ghost Trick and Solatorobo, at least in my opinion.) and Step Up! for WiiWare, since I don't own any Wiiware titles. Though I will need to check out FAST.
Didn't get too vote because I was banned at the time.. disappointing. Ocarina of Time 3D deserved 3DS Game of the year though.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! OoT 3D disn't get GOTY!!!!!
Zelda Skyward and Kirby Dremland, my year favorites. ARE IN!
I voted for the all the winners
Sweet! I voted Mario 3D Land as 3DS GOTY, and MarioKart 7 as overall GOTY, and MK7 beat out 3D Land by a hair in the runner up tallies for overall GOTY. I guess I made up one of those handfuls of votes that edged MK7 into the runner up spot. Skyward Sword also had my vote for Wii.
As much as I loathe Pokemon, I'm not surprized that White & black got the DS GOTY title. Oh well...
PS - Hooray for Pushmo!
@kesley You should check out BIT.TRIP FLUX.
Mario Kart 3DS should have beaten Mario 3D Land.
Also it's a shame Skyward Sword beat Xenoblade Chronicles by such a large margin. I preferred the latter game.
Im glad everyone enjoyed Kirbys return to dreamland enough for it to get third. I figured skyward sword would win
All good,
4 swords in single player would not be good enough to win. Since Xmas however I've had the privilege to play it multiplayer, it is an absoloute blast, all makes sense now.
The first 8 worlds of 3d land are fairly easy, but then the specials are much more of a challenge, good mix imo.
Didn't vote for any of the winners (except Four Swords), which was expected because I didn't vote for the obvious favorites Zelda, Pushmo, or 3D Land in their respected categories. Guess I have different taste. (And there was no way Ghost Trick was going to win Game of the Year, but I'm surprised that it wasn't a runner up in the DS category and Rayman wasn't a runner up in the Wii category.)
But what about Ghost Trick! Noooooo!
So much first party Nintendo its sickening.
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