Call it our favorite moment in a console’s lifecycle: that point where it’s no longer a “next-gen” system but is instead a mature piece of hardware that developers have finally wrapped their heads around. Such is the case with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Both are at the top of their games, and both have delivered some great gaming experiences in 2011. Meanwhile, the PC had a strong showing, with a meaty selection of exclusive and multisystem releases. And the nascent Nintendo 3DS is just starting to come into its own, with at least one game making the cut for 2011’s top games to buy, and several others that were just below the cutoff point.

2011 was indeed a great year to be a gamer. Here’s our buyer’s guide of the top must-own games from the calendar year. Have you played them all?

Portal 2 is not only the sequel to our choice for the best game of all time, it’s a sequel that improves on that choice in every imaginable way, including a longer campaign, more memorable characters and the addition of cooperative play. To describe the elements that truly make Portal 2 an unforgettable experience, however, would require spoilers that might ruin that experience. If you haven’t played it yet, stop reading this and go do so immediately.

Portal 2 review
Portal 2 screens
Portal 2 videos

How do you improve on the greatest superhero game of all time? Throw in more heroes, more villains, more powers and a more epic setting, then miraculously manage to connect all those pieces with writing that’s as good as – or better than – most comic books, movies and TV shows based on the same character. If you’re a fan of Batman, this is a dream come true. If you’re not, you’re about to be.

Batman: Arkham City review
Batman: Arkham City screens
Batman: Arkham City videos

Size matters. Sure, you could probably conquer Skyrim in about 10 hours if you stuck only to the game’s main quests, but you’d be missing the point. The massive RPG’s real attraction is everything on the side – hundreds of hours of optional (but worthwhile) adventuring, exploring, crafting, hunting and dungeon diving outside the central storyline. Skyrim is an incredibly ambitious title that raises the bar for open-world experiences and will keep you busy for a very, very long time.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim screens
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim videos

A perfectly balanced mix of innovation and classic Zelda gameplay, Skyward Sword truly lives up to the Zelda legacy of excellence and offers the most variety of any Zelda game to date. Its swordplay and puzzles are some of the best in the series, and seeing Link and Zelda's first story chronologically is a treat for longtime fans.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword review
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword screens
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword videos

Don’t think that The Witcher 2 is just another fantasy RPG. Truly a labor of love, this amazing sequel fortifies the foundations laid down by a flawed classic and creates a brilliant masterpiece. Visceral combat, dizzying player customization and a truly immersive story all come together to create one of the best role-playing experiences of the year.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings review
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings screens
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings videos

To say that 2000’s Deus Ex changed the face of gaming might sound hyperbolic – if it weren’t true. Fortunately for modern gamers, this latest entry in the series lives up to those impossibly high standards. Human Revolution is an intelligent, challenging and Blade Runner-beautiful vision of the future, with gameplay that’s customizable enough to qualify as both 100% shooter and 100% stealth. Which genre you experience is completely up to you.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution review
Deus Ex: Human Revolution screens
Deus Ex: Human Revolution videos

Uncharted 3 is the PS3’s premier action title. It has slick, relentless combat, fun and imaginative puzzles, absolutely beautiful visuals, and impressive multiplayer. It’s full of nearly nonstop big cliffhanger set-pieces amongst amazingly detailed environments, from bright Yemeni markets to vast underground dungeons filled with ancient machinery and cool optical illusions. Nathan Drake and his cronies are some of gaming’s most likeable heroes, proving that Hollywood doesn’t have a monopoly on blockbuster excitement in a story-driven medium.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception review
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception screens
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception videos

If you’re looking for a new kind of shooter, look elsewhere. Modern Warfare 3 succeeds by doing more – much more – of what’s always worked spectacularly for the series. The campaign is still an unapologetically unrealistic roller-coaster ride through blockbuster-movie setpieces across the globe. The multiplayer is still addictively simple and pulse-poundingly immediate, but with enough new modes and features to keep you busy until the next Modern Warfare releases. We still can’t get enough.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 screens
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 videos

Super Mario 3D Land is everything we want from a Mario game. With fantastic use of the 3DS’s 3D capabilities and some clever nods to the franchise’s history, the game is certainly a release worthy of the character’s legacy. It expertly builds on franchise history, has tons of clever ideas, and stands tall in the realm of 3D platformers, especially compared to the paltry library of games the 3DS currently has.

Super Mario 3D Land review
Super Mario 3D Land screens
Super Mario 3D Land videos

Dark Souls is an anomaly – a thoroughly modern 3D game whose old-school mechanics and philosophy gleefully reject every modern gaming convention. The brutal difficulty and complete lack of hand-holding take you back to the era when games were made to challenge, and beating them was all the reward you needed. For those who “get” it, Dark Souls is undoubtedly one of the year's best.

Dark Souls review
Dark Souls screens
Dark Souls videos