Gunslinger Gaming

2011 proved to be another amazing year for the Gunslingers. We had over a thousand new members walk through our virtual doors last year, each with their own preferences and inputs of what makes a great game. Those opinions certainly got reflected in the voting booth for the 2011 Gunslinger Games Awards.

Below are the results of the voting that took place in various categories during the entire month of January, 2012. Many of the categories were also present in the previous two annual Awards, but there is a big difference worth noting. The console specific awards this year featured only games exclusive to each console rather than allowing multi-platform titles as voting options. This change is based on feedback given after the 2010 edition.

Thank you all for voting and taking part in the Gunslinger experience!

Here are the results for the 2011 Gunslinger Games Awards!

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Best Nintendo Wii Game of 2011: LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD
Runner Up: Conduit 2
Last Year’s Winner: GoldenEye 007
Notes: 2011 didn’t feature many new titles for the Wii; Skyward Sword’s win is no surprise. Even with more competition, Skyward surely would have won. Many reviewers, amateur and professional alike, hailed this newest chapter of Link’s story as the best to date. Considering Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was deemed revolutionary during its time, that is saying a lot.

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Best Playstation 3 Game of 2011: KILLZONE 3
Runner Up: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Last Year’s Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Notes: KillZone 3 has proved to be a juggernaut. While its comrades of 2011 first quarter releases (think Homefront) have come and gone, not only has KillZone 3 remained as a featured clan front for the Gunslingers, but it knocked out Sony’s flagship franchise, Uncharted 3, by a good margin when it came to GS member voting. To this day, GS still features weekly events, an active Frosty Pints, and regularly scheduled members-only events for KillZone 3 thanks to the hard work of Scars311 and proactive members such as Dunkaroo69.

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Best Xbox360 Game of 2011: GEARS OF WAR 3
Runner Up: Forza 4 and Kinect Sports: Season Two (tie)
Last Year’s Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Notes: It only makes sense that a Microsoft Studios title would win the Xbox360 category, right? Besides, it didn’t have a whole lot of competition in its general genre due to the company’s focus on launching the Kinect. Gears of War 3 still has its own section and recruiting front at the Gunslingers, and it retains the milestone of being the first exclusive Xbox360 title to have a Gunslingers clan. 2012 promises to have Mass Effect 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and Halo 4 all Kinect compatible. Next year’s edition of the awards may prove to be quite a show down!

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Best PC Game of 2011: STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC
Runner Up: Minecraft
Last Year’s Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops and Starcraft II (tie)
Notes: How does a person make the formula of World of Warcraft even more addicting? Why, by applying it to the Star Wars universe, of course! Players can play for any faction of the Star Wars realm as they wish and write new lore for the franchise in the process. Be forewarned: George Lucas may very well digitally add more imperial walkers in whatever you create at a later date.

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Best Nintendo 3DS Game of 2011: MARIO KART 7
Runner Up: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Last Year’s Winner (DSi): Dragon Quest IX
Notes: The Mario Kart franchise makes its triumphant return to the Gunslingers with Mario Kart 7, and the overwhelming amount of votes for the title over other 3DS choices reflect that. In fact, Mario Kart 7 is the only game in this year’s Games Awards to win two separate categories. If that milestone wasn’t enough, Mario Kart 7 is the first handheld title to earn its own Gunslingers clan front, complete with its own forum and chat section. Shell slinging on the handheld now with hang-gliders, underwater vehicles and custom community settings added some new flavor to the latest installment. Beware of the Shellslingers!

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Best Role Playing Game of 2011: ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM
Runner Up: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Last Year’s Winner: Dragon Quest IX and Mass Effect 2 (Tie)
Notes: Kiss your social life good bye. With a promised 300+ hours of original gameplay, Skyrim is Nirvana in overdrive for role playing fans. The game proved to be one of the top selling games during the Christmas season and has won the industry’s Best Game of the Year award. By the way, it is pronounced Sky-Rim.

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Best Shooter of 2011: BATTLEFIELD 3
Runner Up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Last Year’s Winner: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Notes: Drive a tank. Fly (or crash) a helicopter. Kick up sand in a buggy. There are so many options as to what a player can do in Battlefield 3, that a person doesn’t need to contend themselves with only running and gunning. Battlefield 3 proved to be very popular with Gunslingers. In fact, it now holds the record for the amount of GS members on the game’s Masterlists. Presently, the number of GS members listed on the BF3 Masterlists hover a little over five hundred. Now, that’s an army! Granted, a drunk army, but still…

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Best Racing Game of 2011: MARIO KART 7
Runner Up: Forza 4
Last Year’s Winner: Gran Turismo 5
Notes: It was a battle between pure arcade candy and simulation racing. The Gunslingers sure have a sweet tooth! Thanks to Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, we got to see some GSers return to active status and host nightly races with each other. May the cries, “Blue Shell Coming!” never die.

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Best Platform Game of 2011: SUPER MARIO 3D LAND
Runner Up: Sonic Generations
Last Year’s Winner: Super Mario Galaxy
Notes: Mario has been the reigning king of platform games for decades. Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS shows that he isn’t about to hand over his crown any time soon. Wielding the perfect combination of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, and Nintendo 3DS graphics, Mario’s newest adventure lives up to the franchise’s own incredible standard. That’s not too shabby for an unemployed plumber.

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Best Action/Adventure Game of 2011: BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY
Runner Up: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Last Year’s Winner: Red Dead Redemption
Notes: This category was a tightly fought one. Go figure that a crime fighting super hero would win. Batman: Arkham City barely nudged out both Uncharted 3 and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the title. The way that Arkham City expands on all the gameplay and the environmental arena of said gameplay has made it an instant classic. Having Mark Hammell play the Joker sure didn’t hurt.

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Best Puzzle Game of 2011: PORTAL 2
Runner Up: Catherine
Last Year’s Winner: N/A
Notes: The puzzle game category is a new addition to the Gunslinger Games Awards, and Portal 2 almost single-handedly created the need for it. The game’s wit, attention to detail and dialog, along with a rich variety of problem solving throughout the course of the story should get everyone’s attention. If the single player action ever gets boring, the game practically begs to be played with a friend in co-op mode. Besides, you can always fling the robot he/she is playing as into a wall “accidentally” to subtly remind the person that he/she still owes you money.

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Best Sports Game of 2011: FIFA 12
Runner Up: NHL 12
Last Year’s Winner: Madden NFL 2011
Notes: FIFA and NHL faced off and battled for the award down to the final moments of the polls being open, and FIFA won by a single vote. That is all-too-fitting of a win considering FIFA lost top billing in this category last year by a single vote. FIFA 12 has been marked as the best release in the franchise’s history, readdressing how it approaches the defense mechanics in the process. All the hard work paid off. In case any GSers are reading this who may be interested in getting either FIFA or NHL, there are active Gunslinger teams in both games!

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Best Fighting Game of 2011: MORTAL KOMBAT
Runner Up: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
Last Year’s Winner: N/A
Notes: There weren’t enough fighting games to warrant its own category the previous year, but 2011 changed that. Mortal Kombat easily won in the GS polls over its competition thanks to the developers’ interest in bringing the franchise back to its over-the-top mature roots. No longer was gritty Mortal Kombat fighters engaging in fisticuffs with Superman. It’s spine ripping out time! Banned in Australia.

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Again, thank you all for taking the time in the beginning of 2012 to cast your votes on your favorite games. Likewise, thank you for taking the time to read about the results. 2011 was an amazing year for the Gunslingers because of you, and I look forward in seeing what this coming year of releases brings us!

Some of you may know her as Dria from the Gunslinger Forums, but many of you undoubtedly have chatted with her under the name TheCakeisaLIE. The Gunslingers have had the fortune to count her as a member for some time now, and it is high time we get to know her better! With that in mind, enjoy the following interview that will shed some light as to why her chat handle is quite apt.

GS: You joined the Gunslingers back in May, 2011. How exactly did you happen upon us, and was there a particular game that brought you here?

Dria: Not any particular game really. I joined after my boyfriend (Sosyc) told me about the site and I had recently given up my MMO at the time and was looking for something to give me the social aspect that I enjoy. After reading over the forums and the diversity of games and systems and then after spending time in the chat room I was hooked!

GS: Obviously, you like gaming, but what people may not know is that you have formal training in the culinary arts. How long have you been doing that, and when did you first realize decorating cakes is something that interested you?

Dria: I went to culinary school several years back. My family spends a lot of time watching food network, which had gotten my attention from the various cake challenges. I had been working at a toy store before that and felt I wanted to get out of retail. I always loved desserts and the artist aspect of cake decorating was super fun, challenging and something I felt I could do and enjoy.

GS: Based on the pictures, you have created some really complex cakes. Can you tell us how the process of molding objects out of sugar works?

Dria: Well for things like wedding or tiered cakes its always best for me to start out with a sketch of my idea based on either a theme or color scheme. Then I can make a list of what is needed for that cake in decorative aspects, e.i. Flowers, bows, bubbles, swags, or things of that nature. Sometimes it takes a couple days to make those before you even bake the cake. If its a fondant cake you can color the fondant yourself by kneading a gel coloring into white fondant, or you can buy pre-colored, or you can choose to airbrush (I prefer self coloring) after all that its just a matter of assembly.

GS: What was the most elaborate or hardest piece you have made, and how long did it take?

Dria: Most elaborate piece would be the three and a half foot sugar sculpture I did with dolphins,

An eleborate cake created completely by Dria

bubbles, kelp and shells. It took around three days. Sugar can be temperamental depending on humidity and how heavy handed you are. It requires a very delicate touch and good eye for assembly keeping in mind balance issues for when the piece is moved. I have a bad habit of wiggling my piece after attaching a few things to make sure things aren’t going to fall off. On the flip side, that piece didn’t fall apart until three and a half years later.

GS: According to your GS profile, reading is listed as one of your other interests. What genre do you most often read? Do you have any favorite authors?

Dria: Fantasy and Science Fiction are my go-to genre’s. Though I enjoy historical fiction, biographies, and I did go through a kick for a year or so that I read a lot of westerns. My favorite author at the moment…. a three way tie. Lois Mcmaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, and Terry Pratchett.

GS: In addition to being a culinary artist, you also dabble in drawing. Has that been a life-long interest, or is that something you have recently picked up?

Dria: Life long interest! Always thought when I was a kid that I wanted to be an illustrator for novels. Did competitions when I was in high school and ended up with a sculpture piece in Athens for a few months because of it. Don’t draw or paint so much now. I’m horribly out of practice.

GS: Being from Georgia, what are some favorite places that you could recommend to the tourists among us?

Dria: Technically I’m not really from Georgia. I grew up in Germany on a military base.Though I think that it gives me a better look at Georgia by not being from here. From what I have discovered of Georgia, Jekyll Island was a lot of fun to visit, River Walk in Savannah is beautiful plus the city of Savannah itself is interesting to walk through. The apple houses of north Georgia was very neat to visit with lots of fresh apple cider. North Georgia also has the Appalachian mountains that are scenic and with trout streams! Atlanta has an amazing symphony plus the High Museum of Art. Not to mention all the amazing restaurants with a very diverse culture.

GS: Your significant other, Sosyc, and you both enjoy gaming. How is it like being a gaming couple? Who gets dibs on the television?

Dria: We share a lot of the same interests so it works out very nicely. We enjoy the same shows and games for the most part. I like watching him play games as well as playing myself. I love being a gaming couple! He does tease me about my facebook app games, which they are silly but I still enjoy. I used to play Neopets too (though I don’t admit to it very often) There are alot of co-op games that we have such Borderlands, Dirt3, Portal 2, and Dungeon Defenders. And we have a lot of characters we play seperately on Skyrim, Fallout, 3d Dot Game Hero and Brink.

GS: Do you have any pets? If so, can you tell us something about them?

Dria: I have one pet, a ten pound white peke-a-poo named Murphy. He’s eleven years old now but still plays like a puppy. He’s a strange little dog who has a lot of cat like tendencies.

GS: And, most importantly, what is your favorite drink?

Dria: Vanilla Coke most assuredly!

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, and thank everyone for reading it. Most importantly, thank you for being a Gunslinger, Dria!