2011: The OTHER Awards (Part 2)

It's time for the second half of the extra set of awards I'm giving to recognise some of the unsung heroes (and villains) of 2012, so without further ado...
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
WINNER: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
I was looking forward to this one- heck, it was pretty high on my Most Anticipated Films of 2011 shortlist! As such, when I was bitterly let down by On Stranger Tides (2.5/5) in May, it really was a shame as I had honestly thought the film could have been a contender for the best Action-Comedy of the year. Instead we got a shallow plot, a mish-mash castlist only redeemed by the returns of Depp and Rush and a blatantly open ending left hanging so that Disney can milk even more cash in a few years with a follow-up or two (rumour has it Pirates 5 & 6 are shooting back-to-back in 2013), and all of that made for one of the worst releases of the year. What a terrible way this would be to send off the franchise- if only Disney would let Pirates die with some dignity now, rather than stretching it out until the fanbase wants it dead.

RUNNER-UP: E3 2011

The three head honchos of gaming- Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo- appear to be really running out of ideas for their current generation of consoles. All we got announced here were a few regular-franchise sequels for Autumn 2011, leaving us virtually 100% in the dark as to what to expect this year, and while that was rectified somewhat later in 2011, it's still hard not to be disappointed when comparing this year to previous ones for the vast number of video games on offer. Thank goodness we got the WiiU announced, because otherwise this would have been a complete failure. Come on Sony, Microsoft, let's get the Xbox 720 and PS4 announced at this year's expo and out for 2013 please!

WORST FILM
WINNER: GREEN LANTERN
There weren't very many comic-book fans who had high hopes for Green Lantern, what with Thor, X-Men and Captain America releasing in the same Summer, but wouldn't it have been nice if DC could have surprised us with a potential new franchise like they did with Batman Begins back in 2005? Nope, no such luck: GL was an atrocious adaptation of a great series, wrecking the original origins story of Hal Jordan's alien alias by throwing in a rubbish romance arc and worse still a horrendously realised CGI beast to give Ryan Renyolds' protagonist some fast reason to become a superhero. I thought the critically panned Ghost Rider (2007) was actually okay, and now I've got a reason to say that, because Green Lantern makes it look like the Avatar of comic book adaptations!

WORST GAME

WINNER: SONIC FREE RIDERS

I know, this wasn't strictly released in 2011...but to be fair, I don't think I played anything released that year that dropped so low as this turgid Kinect racer. Launched along with Kinect Sports and Dance Central in November 2010, Free Riders was the follow-up to two average Sonic: Riders game released way back when for the PlayStation 2, however, SEGA basically took the few things that those titles did it right, threw them in the garbage and added in loose Kinect controls that was subject to a whole lotta lag. That's never a good foundation for a game, yet when the storyline was almost non-existent and the homages to Sonic's past just as hard to find, Sonic: Free Riders could be nothing but the very worst game I played last year. But hey, there's always next time...isn't there?

TOP 10 BEST SONGS OF THE YEAR
10. ROLLING IN THE DEEP (Adele)- One of two great tracks from perhaps the biggest music star of the year on the shortlist, Rolling is a fast-paced and dramatic introduction to Adele's work.
9. WARZONE (The Wanted)- A latecomer this year, Warzone is a welcome addition to The Wanted's already considerable number of hits, a bit less of an anthem played constantly by radios and a bit more subtle, and that's what guaranteed it a spot on the list.
8. GET IT RIGHT (Glee Cast)- People often hate on Glee because it always riffs on previously loved songs, occassionally in ways which alienate the original fanbase of the music, yet when it can produce such a brilliant and strangely haunting song as Get It Right (completely original to the show, before you ask!), I can forgive them any bad covers they might have done!
7. JAR OF HEARTS (Rihanna)- Another quite haunting melody, Rihanna never ceases to amaze me with her musical flexibility and range. No innuendo intended there, of course.
6. MOVES LIKE JAGGER (Maroon 5)- Maroon 5 made a strong comeback this year with one of the most timelessly addictive songs you'll ever hear; I've still got Moves Like Jagger playing in my head right now...
5. PARTY ALL NIGHT (SLEEP ALL DAY) (Sean Kingston)- It had to be the credits montage of The Inbetweeners Movie that drew me into Kingston's work, utilising his up-beat party track perfectly and selling it as perhaps the best party anthem of 2011.
4. TELL ME WHO YOU ARE (Murray Gold)- This piece accompanied the Doctor's discovery of River Song's true identity at the climax of A Good Man Goes To War, and its beautiful melodies, if you'll excuse the pun fanboys, still put a smile on my face every time I hear them played on my iPod.
3. SOMEONE LIKE YOU (Adele)- Adele thoroughly deserves to be near the top of this prestigious list- Someone Like You managed to sweep into the stakes early in the year, and from its release in January had a profound impact on my view of the artist and her previous work.
2. PARADISE (Coldplay)- Another latecomer, but nonetheless one of last year's best songs, Paradise just has that inert replayability about it that won't ever fade away, and I have a feeling it will remain one of the most-viewed track of 2012!
1. WONDERMAN (Tinie Tempah feat. Ellie Goulding)- However, undoubtedly my favourite song of the year was Wonderman- not only was Tempah's selection of words perfect in the superhero-esque context of the tune, but Goulding provided wonderful backing to the rap, her memorable voice never ceasing to impress for the whole duration of it warming up our lives here.

BEST TRAILER FOR AN UPCOMING GAME/FILM

WINNER: BIOSHOCK INFINITE VGAS/THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

There have been a heck of a lot of trailers for releases due out in the next twelve months released recently, but it was easily the Spike Video Game Awards trail for BioShock: Infinite and the full The Dark Knight Rises preview that caught my attention most, and you can see why when you watch them below.

HEAR THE TOP SONG OF 2011, AND WATCH THE BEST 2012 PREVIEWS: