Irrational Games' next project, BioShock Infinite, won't be out until 2012. In spite of this, BioShock creator and Irrational honcho Ken Levine says that "2011 is a year to be proud of our industry."

"It's been an interesting year. It's the best year since - and I'm not just saying this because of my game - 2007," Levine told Eurogamer. "A lot of great games, like Portal, came out that year. It's the best year in a very long time."

It's true that 2007 was a pretty good year. Among the releases were God of War II, Halo 3, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, and Super Mario Galaxy. No matter what console you owned, there was a game to look forward to.

2011 was stacked, too, though. Portal 2, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution are just a few examples. Levine's personal favorite of the year was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

"[2011] is a year to be proud of our industry," said Levine. "It's a year to be proud of the Uncharted guys. It's a year to be proud of Epic. It's a year to be proud of the Call of Duty guys. It's a year to be proud of everybody because people are delivering this year in a way the industry hasn't delivered in a very long time."

Right now 2012 isn't looking so bad, either. BioShock Inifte will be joined next year by Mass Effect 3, Twisted Metal and Borderlands 2, among others.