The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a vast fantasy role-playing game with one of the most immersive virtual worlds ever created. We think it's the best game of 2011 (Bethesda Softworks)
Batman: Arkham City, an open-world multiplatform game that ranks among the very best super hero adaptations (Warner Bros.)
Portal 2, an ingenius puzzler featuring some of the most memorable characters ever to appear in a game (Valve Corp.)
Gears of War 3, the gritty and occasionally moving final chapter in one of Xbox 360's best exclusive series (Microsoft)
Minecraft, an indie game for PCs that allows players to create virtually anything they can imagine using materials mined within its virtual world (Mojang)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, an action/adventure RPG for Wii that sees Link questing through cleverly designed dungeons while chasing after the titular heroine (Nintendo)