Welcome to the 2011 OXM GOTY Awards! We’ll be running down our picks from the best in gaming all week long, concluding on Thursday by naming OXM’s Game of the Year 2011. You can go here for the full list of winners.

This was already a great year for games until the fall hit, bringing with it an avalanche of awesomeness that overwhelmed our consoles. Not that we didn't have some early favorites, like Portal 2 and Dead Space 2, but when Gears of War 3 dropped in late September we awarded it our first "10" since 2008. Soon after, Batman: Arkham City released and also got a 10, followed by Skyrim. Having a surplus of amazing to sift through is a good problem to have, but it made choosing the ultimate winner all the more challenging. That said, we stand by our pick and 2012 certainly has some big shoes to fill.

Runners Up:

Dead Space 2 
Horror games are supposed to be scary, but this action-adventure goes above and beyond. More than any game we played this year, Dead Space 2 is a masterpiece of pacing — a rollercoaster ride that lurches from maniacally intense (the opening moments, the gym battle) to startlingly calm (realigning solar panels, boarding the Ishimura) without warning. You never really know what to expect, and that tension is a slow burn that can lurch into an “OMG!” moment at any time. Being on-edge never felt so good.

Saints Row: The Third 
Fans of Saints Row know to expect two things from the series: purple outfits and awesome, over-the-top lunacy. And The Third is Volition in top form — they’ve delivered a tight open-world game that’s crammed full of insane, unpredictable events. Whether you’re flinging a fart grenade, running through a plane as it spirals toward the earth, or guiding a flapping toilet through a virtual world, you’ll have a marvelous time laughing yourself silly. That all this humor is built upon a spectacular action game with little to no filler sealed Saints’ spot as a GOTY contender.

Batman: Arkham City 
Amazing superhero games are a rare breed, to be sure. But what makes Rocksteady’s epic blockbuster so special isn’t just that it’s a great Batman game (though it is; Arkham City always leaves you convinced that you are the Dark Knight). What’s most terrific about it is its unwavering commitment to quality across the board. Stellar production values (graphics, sound, voice-overs) are the foundation for an engrossing story, rewarding combat, and a veritable feast of missions, challenges, and collectibles. The end result? Bliss.

Portal 2 
Anyone can build a puzzle game, but fine-tuning is the hard part — hitting just the right difficulty so that puzzles are always challenging but never frustrating. So that with a little trial-and-error, most folks will find the answers eventually. Last year, Limbo did this perfectly; in 2011, Portal 2 steals the crown of most cleverly designed game. Valve’s cheeky action-adventure feels exquisitely crafted throughout, especially in co-op mode, which offers unique puzzles that form a master class in allowing two players to work together. Bravo.

Gears of War 3 
This trilogy-closer was the best overall package of the year, hands-down. For $60, we got a long, entertaining campaign that we could co-op with up to three friends; an arcade mode that kept the thrill ride going; and some of the most purely fun-as-hell multiplayer sessions we’ve had in ages. Horde mode — still the best of its kind, despite all the clones it’s spawned — was complemented by Beast mode, where your Locust warriors crushed COGs with wanton glee. Whatever Epic does next, we’re buying.