Don't see why you can't. Just put PC in brackets after the name.
GAF Games of the Year 2012 - Voting Thread, now closed. Thanks for all the fish.
- Thread starter timetokill
- Start date
Don't see why you can't. Just put PC in brackets after the name.
Macho Madness
Member
Yeah, it should fall under the Dark Souls rule.
fart town usa
Banned
ZombiU- Silent Hill combat with Metroid Prime exploration, and it's legitimately scary. Best survival horror game in years and the only true "nex-gen" experience available of consoles.
Cheesemeister
Member
Are you trying to vote? Go read the OP.
1. Hotline Miami ; Super responsive, high speed gameplay, coupled with outstanding artistic vision and an incredible soundtrack.
2. Walking Dead ; Proof that the episodic format works superbly well if the storytelling is up to snuff.
3. dayZ ; Probably the best example of emergent gameplay and storytelling.
4. Sleeping Dogs ; The most competent GTA clone so far. The addition of martial arts made me realize I prefer good fist fights over shoot outs in third person games.
5. Dear Esther ; A tranquil exercise in video gaming with great art direction, a sense of mystery and most of all: immersion.
6. Natural Selection 2 ; Although it just won't click most of the time, playing with an experienced commander will make you realize how much fun teamplay actually can be.
7. New Super Mario Bros U ; All the reasons you love 2D Mario are here (well, except maybe the tanooki suit). Level design is excellent. The best 2D Mario since Since Mario Bros 3?
8. X-Com ; Although I was screaming at the monitor for the whole duration of my playthrough for how unfair this game can be, nothing this year was as satisfying as killing an enemy with a well placed sniper shot in X-Com. Nothing.
9. Borderlands 2 ; The defacto gold standard in coop gaming for me. Everything about this game is better than in its good predecessor, especially the writing - made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
10. Journey ; Although it failed to instill the same sense of wonder in me that Dear Esther did, the interaction with a complete stranger proved to be an unique experience that reminded me that gameplay can be a bonding experience.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Far Cry 3
x. Mark of the Ninja
x. Counter Strike: Global Offensive
x. Mass Effect (PS3)
Games I have not yet played but may very well end up in my Top 10:
Virtue's Last Reward
The Unfinished Swan
2. Walking Dead ; Proof that the episodic format works superbly well if the storytelling is up to snuff.
3. dayZ ; Probably the best example of emergent gameplay and storytelling.
4. Sleeping Dogs ; The most competent GTA clone so far. The addition of martial arts made me realize I prefer good fist fights over shoot outs in third person games.
5. Dear Esther ; A tranquil exercise in video gaming with great art direction, a sense of mystery and most of all: immersion.
6. Natural Selection 2 ; Although it just won't click most of the time, playing with an experienced commander will make you realize how much fun teamplay actually can be.
7. New Super Mario Bros U ; All the reasons you love 2D Mario are here (well, except maybe the tanooki suit). Level design is excellent. The best 2D Mario since Since Mario Bros 3?
8. X-Com ; Although I was screaming at the monitor for the whole duration of my playthrough for how unfair this game can be, nothing this year was as satisfying as killing an enemy with a well placed sniper shot in X-Com. Nothing.
9. Borderlands 2 ; The defacto gold standard in coop gaming for me. Everything about this game is better than in its good predecessor, especially the writing - made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
10. Journey ; Although it failed to instill the same sense of wonder in me that Dear Esther did, the interaction with a complete stranger proved to be an unique experience that reminded me that gameplay can be a bonding experience.
Honorable Mentions:
x. Far Cry 3
x. Mark of the Ninja
x. Counter Strike: Global Offensive
x. Mass Effect (PS3)
Games I have not yet played but may very well end up in my Top 10:
Virtue's Last Reward
The Unfinished Swan
1. Xenoblade Chronicles ;Best JRPG of the Generation. It has a great combat system, an awesome story and likeable cast
2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings; Wonderful story with a wonderful atmosphere. Pretty cool combat system.
3. Kid Icarus: Uprising; Best 3DS game of the year. When you get used to the controllers everything its smooth.
4. Lollipop Chainsaw; Not the most polished game but it has a big heart (Personality and its pretty fun to play
5. Journey; Its truly a great journey.
6. Dead or Alive 5; Best Fighting Game of 2012
7. Trine 2
irector's Cut; Just beautiful all around and the coop its awesome.
8. Dragons Dogma; Probably the most satisfying combat in an RPG.
9. SSX; Super fun game with some minor difficulty spikes that might frustrate you.
10. Resident Evil Revelations;Portable Resident Evil better than the console version? Yes. Definitely better than 5 and 6 and it has the atmosphere for a horror games which the last numbered games have been lacking.
2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings; Wonderful story with a wonderful atmosphere. Pretty cool combat system.
3. Kid Icarus: Uprising; Best 3DS game of the year. When you get used to the controllers everything its smooth.
4. Lollipop Chainsaw; Not the most polished game but it has a big heart (Personality and its pretty fun to play
5. Journey; Its truly a great journey.
6. Dead or Alive 5; Best Fighting Game of 2012
7. Trine 2
irector's Cut; Just beautiful all around and the coop its awesome.8. Dragons Dogma; Probably the most satisfying combat in an RPG.
9. SSX; Super fun game with some minor difficulty spikes that might frustrate you.
10. Resident Evil Revelations;Portable Resident Evil better than the console version? Yes. Definitely better than 5 and 6 and it has the atmosphere for a horror games which the last numbered games have been lacking.
Resistance100
Member
1. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ; Fantastic game, a great mix of some RPG elements, beautiful artwork and amazing music.
2. Pokemon Black & White 2 ; Best Pokemon release in years a combination of the best pokedex in the series and a deep story which sucks you in for hours.
3. Dynasty Warriors Next ; This was the game which finally made the series feel at home on a handheld.
4. FIFA 13 ; It's scary to think how much FIFA manages to keep on improving each year. FIFA 13 is now at a level where its starting to feel like you would expect in real life, the great gameplay with plenty of modes put this game in my list. Can't wait to see what they do with the PS4/NextBox hardware.
5. Nintendo land ; A number of the mini games which were much deeper than I expected plus it has the hidden gem of Mario Chase which while it is very basic in its premise theres something massively entertaining about it when playing with a few mates.
2. Pokemon Black & White 2 ; Best Pokemon release in years a combination of the best pokedex in the series and a deep story which sucks you in for hours.
3. Dynasty Warriors Next ; This was the game which finally made the series feel at home on a handheld.
4. FIFA 13 ; It's scary to think how much FIFA manages to keep on improving each year. FIFA 13 is now at a level where its starting to feel like you would expect in real life, the great gameplay with plenty of modes put this game in my list. Can't wait to see what they do with the PS4/NextBox hardware.
5. Nintendo land ; A number of the mini games which were much deeper than I expected plus it has the hidden gem of Mario Chase which while it is very basic in its premise theres something massively entertaining about it when playing with a few mates.
Allan Holdsworth
Member
It would be cool if we could revote for 2011, since I usually play games late, but maybe it would be too much work to compile both lists.
Anyway, my list is not that great but as usual, I play more games from previous years.
1. Paper Mario: Sticker Star ; I know it's hated because it removed some RPG stuff, but I'm not really an RPG fan, so I liked the changes. While I liked TTYD more overall, I think this is the best game I played released this year. The levels are really well done, and I had a blast exploring them for secrets. Pretty much no handholding, which is a common complaint in other Nintendo games. I don't usually care about game music, but this one here has great tracks, I await the Club Nintendo OST (Japan only for sure!)
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 ; it's 2D Mario, so I liked it, but it clearly wasn't inspired. The free DLC levels were much better though, but I'm not paying for the rest unless they sell them together for cheaper.
3. Rayman Origins (PC) ; the game looks beautiful and it has good levels, but I never felt totally comfortable controlling Rayman which is crucial in a platformer, so that's why I put it behind Mario.
4. Mario Tennis Open ; yeah, this game is really barebones, and I hate they locked some costumes under local multi/Streetpass, but I somehow managed to play 70 hours before getting burned out. So addictive, I will probably get back to it at some point. Not worth full price but for $30 it was a good purchase.
5. Rabi Laby 2 ; a really cool puzzle platformer, for only $2. A steal.
6. 3D Classics: Kid Icarus ; I could never get very far in the NES game. With the new controls, I was able to survive long enough to understand how the "experience" system works, and while I went back and beat it with the original controls, it is much more enjoyable with the new ones. Finished it like 5 or 6 times for the different endings. The game does have this weird difficulty curve where it's easier as you advance, but I don't mind.
7. Mutant Mudds ; slow-paced as it is, the level design compliments it. I thought the price was steep, but with the added levels it's fair now.
8. CRUSH3D ; cool puzzle game, but some of the time it seems I'm just crushing randomly instead of figuring stuff out. Also, very annoying camera at times.
9. Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword ; got it in when it was on sale. I liked the game, though it's small in scope and some may say repetitive, but the short length is actually a good thing here. If you don't have any more ideas don't add tedious padding.
2011. Mario Kart 7 ; after not liking the Wii version, this was a return to form for me. It's my most played 3DS games at 130 hours, and I'm sure I will go back to it at some point.
Didn't like: Kid Icarus: Uprising - genre is not my favorite, but add to that the weird controls and the result is me abandoning it after about 2 hours.
Games released this year that I plan to get eventually: Crashmo, Fractured Soul, Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, New Play Control! Pikmin 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land (bundled)
Anyway, my list is not that great but as usual, I play more games from previous years.
1. Paper Mario: Sticker Star ; I know it's hated because it removed some RPG stuff, but I'm not really an RPG fan, so I liked the changes. While I liked TTYD more overall, I think this is the best game I played released this year. The levels are really well done, and I had a blast exploring them for secrets. Pretty much no handholding, which is a common complaint in other Nintendo games. I don't usually care about game music, but this one here has great tracks, I await the Club Nintendo OST (Japan only for sure!)
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 ; it's 2D Mario, so I liked it, but it clearly wasn't inspired. The free DLC levels were much better though, but I'm not paying for the rest unless they sell them together for cheaper.
3. Rayman Origins (PC) ; the game looks beautiful and it has good levels, but I never felt totally comfortable controlling Rayman which is crucial in a platformer, so that's why I put it behind Mario.
4. Mario Tennis Open ; yeah, this game is really barebones, and I hate they locked some costumes under local multi/Streetpass, but I somehow managed to play 70 hours before getting burned out. So addictive, I will probably get back to it at some point. Not worth full price but for $30 it was a good purchase.
5. Rabi Laby 2 ; a really cool puzzle platformer, for only $2. A steal.
6. 3D Classics: Kid Icarus ; I could never get very far in the NES game. With the new controls, I was able to survive long enough to understand how the "experience" system works, and while I went back and beat it with the original controls, it is much more enjoyable with the new ones. Finished it like 5 or 6 times for the different endings. The game does have this weird difficulty curve where it's easier as you advance, but I don't mind.
7. Mutant Mudds ; slow-paced as it is, the level design compliments it. I thought the price was steep, but with the added levels it's fair now.
8. CRUSH3D ; cool puzzle game, but some of the time it seems I'm just crushing randomly instead of figuring stuff out. Also, very annoying camera at times.
9. Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword ; got it in when it was on sale. I liked the game, though it's small in scope and some may say repetitive, but the short length is actually a good thing here. If you don't have any more ideas don't add tedious padding.
2011. Mario Kart 7 ; after not liking the Wii version, this was a return to form for me. It's my most played 3DS games at 130 hours, and I'm sure I will go back to it at some point.
Didn't like: Kid Icarus: Uprising - genre is not my favorite, but add to that the weird controls and the result is me abandoning it after about 2 hours.
Games released this year that I plan to get eventually: Crashmo, Fractured Soul, Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, New Play Control! Pikmin 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land (bundled)
Usually I would just list my GoTY and a runner up, but I couldn't split two games.
1. Mass Effect 3 ; Game gets plenty of hate around here, but I enjoyed pretty much every minute (which there was plenty of).
2. Forza Horizon ; My favorite racer this gen. You should buy it.
3. Minecraft ; Always thought this game looked stupid, then I actually played it. Such a great time waster.
2011 Driver San Francisco
1. Mass Effect 3 ; Game gets plenty of hate around here, but I enjoyed pretty much every minute (which there was plenty of).
2. Forza Horizon ; My favorite racer this gen. You should buy it.
3. Minecraft ; Always thought this game looked stupid, then I actually played it. Such a great time waster.
2011 Driver San Francisco
ToyMachine228
Member
1. Halo 4; So much great content. The game that keeps on giving.
2. Hotline Miami; The game that came out of no where and blew me away.
3. Max Payne 3; Great storytelling and great combat.
4. Dishonored; Aimless story aside.
5. The Walking Dead; I thoroughly enjoyed TWD but I wasn't as blown away by it as some.
2. Hotline Miami; The game that came out of no where and blew me away.
3. Max Payne 3; Great storytelling and great combat.
4. Dishonored; Aimless story aside.
5. The Walking Dead; I thoroughly enjoyed TWD but I wasn't as blown away by it as some.
Kenshin001
Member
1. Journey; such a beautiful, unique experience. About the only game that has had any emotional impact on me.
2. Spec Ops:The Line; a flawed but bold attempt at storytelling in a contemporary shooter. Hope this sets a precedent for future games.
2. Spec Ops:The Line; a flawed but bold attempt at storytelling in a contemporary shooter. Hope this sets a precedent for future games.
1. The Walking Dead ; First episodic game that really nails the formula, and first the game that actually moves you emotionally on a deeper level than before
2. Borderlands 2 ; More Borderlands, but more refined borderlands. Playing the campaign singleplayer made me realize how essential co-op is for this game
3. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ;
4. Mass Effect 3 ;
5. Far Cry 3 ;
6. Retro City Rampage ;
7. Nintendo Land ;
8. Journey ;
9. Uncharted: Golden Abyss ;
10. Syndicate ;
2. Borderlands 2 ; More Borderlands, but more refined borderlands. Playing the campaign singleplayer made me realize how essential co-op is for this game
3. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ;
4. Mass Effect 3 ;
5. Far Cry 3 ;
6. Retro City Rampage ;
7. Nintendo Land ;
8. Journey ;
9. Uncharted: Golden Abyss ;
10. Syndicate ;
Cheesemeister
Member
The program will see these titles as comments. Please put semicolons and comments AFTER the titles.
Devilgunman
Member
1. Hotline Miami ; The unique of its kind. Fast-paced, strategic, arcade-y action game with the best soundtrack.
2.The Walking Dead
3. Far Cry 3
4. 2nd Super Robot Taisen OG
5. Journey
6. Dragon Dogma
7. Fez
8. Guild Wars 2
9. The Last Story
10. Xenoblade Chronicles
2.The Walking Dead
3. Far Cry 3
4. 2nd Super Robot Taisen OG
5. Journey
6. Dragon Dogma
7. Fez
8. Guild Wars 2
9. The Last Story
10. Xenoblade Chronicles
1. Sleeping Dogs; The most fun I've had with an open world game and the graphics are just unbelievable on PC.
2. The Walking Dead ; The best storytelling in any game I have ever played. Makes you genuinely care for the characters and the main character and I share the same name so that made the experience better.
3. Borderlands 2 ; I spent 96 hours in the original and only 30+ in this one. It's a good game but the concept is the same and I got bored of it fast. I have the season pass but haven't played any of the DLC or the necromancer.
4. Diablo III ; Spent countless hours on this game the first month it came out then the RMA came and I cashed out and never went back to the game. Still had loads of fun with the game while it lasted.
5. Mark of the Ninja ; I was sold on the game the moment I saw some screenshots. I'm a sucker for anime art style game. Turns out the game was as good as it look.
6.Darksiders II ; A great game. If you had fun with the original Darksiders then you will like this one. The game's length was way too long for my taste, though. And the Earth level was horrible.
7. Assassin's Creed 3 ; The most boring game in the series after Assassin's Creed 1 and I have played them all. The graphics and gameplay are great but the game does nothing to keep me from coming back or explore the world. I just wanted to rush through the main storyline and be done with it. I didn't like the way the game ended either.
8. The Darkness II ; I adored the original for its atmosphere and the sequel didn't quite capture that same atmosphere. The shooting mechanics and tearing people apart with the Darkness still feels great. I want more Darkness!
9. Spec Ops: The Line ; I went into the game expecting a great story after reading Gaf rave about it and I left disappointed. The Shyamalan twist was cool, but I expected better. The controls could be better and a little more polish couldn't hurt. The shooting itself didn't feel that great. The pacing could be better. It was non-stop shooting to get from point A to point B. I expected the game to be more story driven based on Gaf's impressions, but it was just another Call of Duty with a cool storyline.
Those are the only 2012 games I have played this year. Been busy finishing my Steam backlog.
2. The Walking Dead ; The best storytelling in any game I have ever played. Makes you genuinely care for the characters and the main character and I share the same name so that made the experience better.
3. Borderlands 2 ; I spent 96 hours in the original and only 30+ in this one. It's a good game but the concept is the same and I got bored of it fast. I have the season pass but haven't played any of the DLC or the necromancer.
4. Diablo III ; Spent countless hours on this game the first month it came out then the RMA came and I cashed out and never went back to the game. Still had loads of fun with the game while it lasted.
5. Mark of the Ninja ; I was sold on the game the moment I saw some screenshots. I'm a sucker for anime art style game. Turns out the game was as good as it look.
6.Darksiders II ; A great game. If you had fun with the original Darksiders then you will like this one. The game's length was way too long for my taste, though. And the Earth level was horrible.
7. Assassin's Creed 3 ; The most boring game in the series after Assassin's Creed 1 and I have played them all. The graphics and gameplay are great but the game does nothing to keep me from coming back or explore the world. I just wanted to rush through the main storyline and be done with it. I didn't like the way the game ended either.
8. The Darkness II ; I adored the original for its atmosphere and the sequel didn't quite capture that same atmosphere. The shooting mechanics and tearing people apart with the Darkness still feels great. I want more Darkness!
9. Spec Ops: The Line ; I went into the game expecting a great story after reading Gaf rave about it and I left disappointed. The Shyamalan twist was cool, but I expected better. The controls could be better and a little more polish couldn't hurt. The shooting itself didn't feel that great. The pacing could be better. It was non-stop shooting to get from point A to point B. I expected the game to be more story driven based on Gaf's impressions, but it was just another Call of Duty with a cool storyline.
Those are the only 2012 games I have played this year. Been busy finishing my Steam backlog.
1. The Walking Dead
2. Planetside 2
3. Zombi U ; By far the best console exclusive this year.
4. Far Cry 3
5. Assassins' Creed 3
6. Dishonored
7. Halo 4
8. Guild Wars 2
9. Sleeping Dogs ; One of the surprises of this year. Fantastic game.
10. Spec Ops ; Many people thought this game would be poor due to delays. It wasn't. Just forget about the tacked on multiplayer.
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman Absolution
x. Mark of the Ninja
x. Dragon's Dogma
Kept everything to the US spelling incase the count doesn't like the proper way to spell Dishonoured;p
edit - Why are people not following the OP regarding formatting? Use ; to seperate comments not -
2. Planetside 2
3. Zombi U ; By far the best console exclusive this year.
4. Far Cry 3
5. Assassins' Creed 3
6. Dishonored
7. Halo 4
8. Guild Wars 2
9. Sleeping Dogs ; One of the surprises of this year. Fantastic game.
10. Spec Ops ; Many people thought this game would be poor due to delays. It wasn't. Just forget about the tacked on multiplayer.
Honorable Mentions
x. Hitman Absolution
x. Mark of the Ninja
x. Dragon's Dogma
Kept everything to the US spelling incase the count doesn't like the proper way to spell Dishonoured;p
edit - Why are people not following the OP regarding formatting? Use ; to seperate comments not -
1. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria ; Most fun World of Warcraft expansion I've ever played.
2. Gravity Rush ; Beautiful little gem. Gravity has never been this fun to play with.
3. Hotline Miami ; Addicting gameplay, retro look and still able to make me feel exhausted after all that violence you're so freely unleashing.
4. Final Fantasy XIII-2 ; It needed way, way more Lightning.
5. Diablo 3 ; I never played D2 and it seems it was for the best, as I was able to enjoy and spend lots of quality time with this game, which in certain occasions reminded me of Diablo 1 enough to make me feel a little bit nostalgic. Always Online DRM for single player sucks though and that deserves all the scorn it got.
6. Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten ; I dislike most tower defense games, but this one managed to get my interest thanks to the charming character art, the humor but especially the gameplay, which felt like a mix between an RPG and a tower defense game.
7. Hitman: Absolution
8. The Walking Dead
9. Sleeping Dogs
10. Far Cry 3
2011. Saints Row The Third ; Best open world kind of game I've played this year. Fun story, fun gameplay and also pretty to look at.
2. Gravity Rush ; Beautiful little gem. Gravity has never been this fun to play with.
3. Hotline Miami ; Addicting gameplay, retro look and still able to make me feel exhausted after all that violence you're so freely unleashing.
4. Final Fantasy XIII-2 ; It needed way, way more Lightning.
5. Diablo 3 ; I never played D2 and it seems it was for the best, as I was able to enjoy and spend lots of quality time with this game, which in certain occasions reminded me of Diablo 1 enough to make me feel a little bit nostalgic. Always Online DRM for single player sucks though and that deserves all the scorn it got.
6. Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten ; I dislike most tower defense games, but this one managed to get my interest thanks to the charming character art, the humor but especially the gameplay, which felt like a mix between an RPG and a tower defense game.
7. Hitman: Absolution
8. The Walking Dead
9. Sleeping Dogs
10. Far Cry 3
2011. Saints Row The Third ; Best open world kind of game I've played this year. Fun story, fun gameplay and also pretty to look at.
O.DOGG
Member
1. Max Payne 3 ; My GOTY. I loved everything about it. I loved the gameplay - the best gun play of any game I played. I loved the graphics. I loved the story. I like the new Max Payne more than the original two games. I think I played through it 6 or 7 times already. And I'm about ready to go back to it.
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; I haven't played the original XCOM but this one scratched an itch that's been... well, itching since Jagged Alliance 2. Excellent tactical game, beautiful graphics. It could do with a little more depth but considering it was released for both PC and consoles, it's a miracle it turned out as deep as it is.
3. FTL: Faster than Light ; Probably the most addictive game to come out this year. Hellishly difficult with deceptively simple mechanics it makes every decision you make critical with potentially catastrophic consequences. A lot of fun, and a tremendous value.
4. Spec Ops: The Line ; Very interesting take on action games. I liked the story, and the way it was presented. Not a game I'm looking forward to playing again but this experience will stay with me more than those of other games.
5. Far Cry 3 ; The most fun I had with an open-world game this year. It's not as deep as Far Cry 2 but it was very enjoyable for what it was. Probably the best FPS this year too. Great weapons, cool environment and some great characters (especially the main antagonist) make this a solid, fun experience.
6. Mark of the Ninja ; The best stealth-based game of 2012. I really liked the game mechanics and how they adapted the stealth gameplay to a side-scroller format.
7. Alan Wake (PC) ; Great atmosphere and a decent story. I'm glad it finally came out for the PC.
8. Mass Effect 3 ; Excellent all the way up to (but excluding) the ending.
9. Legend of Grimrock ; A beautiful throwback to dungeon crawlers from back in the days, it especially reminds me of an old favorite of mine - Lands of Lore. Though I haven't finished it yet (the game is huge!), I missed on a whole lot of school work roaming its dungeons.
10. Hotline Miami ;
2011. Batman: Arkham City ;
Will think about adding more later.
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; I haven't played the original XCOM but this one scratched an itch that's been... well, itching since Jagged Alliance 2. Excellent tactical game, beautiful graphics. It could do with a little more depth but considering it was released for both PC and consoles, it's a miracle it turned out as deep as it is.
3. FTL: Faster than Light ; Probably the most addictive game to come out this year. Hellishly difficult with deceptively simple mechanics it makes every decision you make critical with potentially catastrophic consequences. A lot of fun, and a tremendous value.
4. Spec Ops: The Line ; Very interesting take on action games. I liked the story, and the way it was presented. Not a game I'm looking forward to playing again but this experience will stay with me more than those of other games.
5. Far Cry 3 ; The most fun I had with an open-world game this year. It's not as deep as Far Cry 2 but it was very enjoyable for what it was. Probably the best FPS this year too. Great weapons, cool environment and some great characters (especially the main antagonist) make this a solid, fun experience.
6. Mark of the Ninja ; The best stealth-based game of 2012. I really liked the game mechanics and how they adapted the stealth gameplay to a side-scroller format.
7. Alan Wake (PC) ; Great atmosphere and a decent story. I'm glad it finally came out for the PC.
8. Mass Effect 3 ; Excellent all the way up to (but excluding) the ending.
9. Legend of Grimrock ; A beautiful throwback to dungeon crawlers from back in the days, it especially reminds me of an old favorite of mine - Lands of Lore. Though I haven't finished it yet (the game is huge!), I missed on a whole lot of school work roaming its dungeons.
10. Hotline Miami ;
2011. Batman: Arkham City ;
Will think about adding more later.
1. Kid Icarus: Uprising ; Such an amazing effort of a game, probably would be my game of the decade if I had to decide.
2. Theatrhyhm Final Fantasy ; Fun! I'm probably going to be playing this one for awhile now.
3. New Super Mario Bros: U ; Nearly perfect 2D platformer, very well-rounded game and I enjoyed just about every bit of it, including the art and music.
4. Nintendo Land ; Great mini-game collection.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles ;
6. The Last Story ;
7. Trine 2: Director's Cut ;
8. New Super Mario Bros 2 ; I didn't like it at first but I've grown attached to it now.
9. Borderlands 2 ;
10. Rayman Origins ;
2011. Pokemon Black/White
I left this year very disappointed outside of Square-Enix & Nintendo.
2. Theatrhyhm Final Fantasy ; Fun! I'm probably going to be playing this one for awhile now.
3. New Super Mario Bros: U ; Nearly perfect 2D platformer, very well-rounded game and I enjoyed just about every bit of it, including the art and music.
4. Nintendo Land ; Great mini-game collection.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles ;
6. The Last Story ;
7. Trine 2: Director's Cut ;
8. New Super Mario Bros 2 ; I didn't like it at first but I've grown attached to it now.
9. Borderlands 2 ;
10. Rayman Origins ;
2011. Pokemon Black/White
I left this year very disappointed outside of Square-Enix & Nintendo.
1.) Journey; Journey is not only Game of the Year, it’s quite possibly Game of the Generation. The entire game is a borderline religious experience, where every piece of scenery feels ancient and profound. If that wasn’t enough, the game makes you feel empathy towards total strangers, showing off the good side of humanity in every step you take with your partner. The ending is such a moment of emotional catharsis, that long after the credits had finished I just sat there, controller in hand, jaw on the floor. This is a work of art completely devoid of cynicism and evil – it is pure and timeless. Journey is the reason I play videogames.
2.) Spec Ops: The Line; Spec Ops is one massive ‘f*ck you’ to the military shooter – I would even argue that it’s more subversive, and has more to say about player agency than the phenomenal Bioshock. The trippy atmosphere, when contrasted with some of the atrocities you commit over the course of the game, all combine to create a genuinely surreal experience. Even if the ending is quite stupid, I still value the game for having a genuine comment on the video game industry as a whole – and not being afraid to say that war is a terrible, terrible thing (as opposed to a backdrop for a multiplayer map).
3.) The Walking Dead; Despite hating the current trend of zombies entering pop culture, I decided to try this episodic series a try, after the overwhelming critical acclaim - and I'm really glad I did. This game features some of the most gut-wrenching decisions I’ve ever had to make in a videogame – and the ending is extraordinarily powerful, something that you don’t often get in this medium (Assassin’s Creed III being a prime example of this).
4.) Gravity Rush; Just when you thought that Japanese game development was dying, out comes Gravity Rush, a gorgeous, charming action-adventure with one of the best soundtracks of this year. There are quite a lot of issues, pacing and combat, in particular, but it's not enough to make you stop enjoying it.
5.) Super Hexagon; Living proof that the simplest ideas are often the best. A game based solely on twitch reaction, Terry Kavanagh, the game's creator, makes you reach an almost zen like state as you battle through the obscenely difficult levels. Still playing months after its release, will probably be playing it years from now.
6.) Dear Esther ; An interesting experiment that doesn't quite work, but still manages to impress with gorgeous scenery, dark, ambiguous story, and an almost unbearably oprresive atmosphere. For a game where all you do is walk around an island with voiceovers that play once you reach certain points, this is quite the feat.
Overall, a pretty crap year for AAA titles, with the biggest disappointment being Assassin's Creed 3. It's a good thing the indie stuff was phenomenal
2.) Spec Ops: The Line; Spec Ops is one massive ‘f*ck you’ to the military shooter – I would even argue that it’s more subversive, and has more to say about player agency than the phenomenal Bioshock. The trippy atmosphere, when contrasted with some of the atrocities you commit over the course of the game, all combine to create a genuinely surreal experience. Even if the ending is quite stupid, I still value the game for having a genuine comment on the video game industry as a whole – and not being afraid to say that war is a terrible, terrible thing (as opposed to a backdrop for a multiplayer map).
3.) The Walking Dead; Despite hating the current trend of zombies entering pop culture, I decided to try this episodic series a try, after the overwhelming critical acclaim - and I'm really glad I did. This game features some of the most gut-wrenching decisions I’ve ever had to make in a videogame – and the ending is extraordinarily powerful, something that you don’t often get in this medium (Assassin’s Creed III being a prime example of this).
4.) Gravity Rush; Just when you thought that Japanese game development was dying, out comes Gravity Rush, a gorgeous, charming action-adventure with one of the best soundtracks of this year. There are quite a lot of issues, pacing and combat, in particular, but it's not enough to make you stop enjoying it.
5.) Super Hexagon; Living proof that the simplest ideas are often the best. A game based solely on twitch reaction, Terry Kavanagh, the game's creator, makes you reach an almost zen like state as you battle through the obscenely difficult levels. Still playing months after its release, will probably be playing it years from now.
6.) Dear Esther ; An interesting experiment that doesn't quite work, but still manages to impress with gorgeous scenery, dark, ambiguous story, and an almost unbearably oprresive atmosphere. For a game where all you do is walk around an island with voiceovers that play once you reach certain points, this is quite the feat.
Overall, a pretty crap year for AAA titles, with the biggest disappointment being Assassin's Creed 3. It's a good thing the indie stuff was phenomenal
JAY the BIRD
Neo Member
1. The Walking Dead: The Game
I have never had an emotional connection with a story in a game that has ever even come close to The Walking Dead. Brilliant story. IDK if i would even really call it a game, just an amazing story, but since I played it on my PC, it gets my vote for number 1.
2. Dishonored
Just an all around perfect stealth game. Great atmosphere, sound mechanics, and some of the best art direction I have seen in years. Every power has a purpose, and as a player you can play how ever you see fit. BLINK.
3. Sleeping Dogs
A great example of open world games done right. beautiful environments (amazing pc port btw), fun and addicting gameplay (both melee, gun, and driving), and a story that wasn't an after thought, but rather something that actually moved the game forward in continually interesting ways.
4. Far Cry 3
Yes, I believe the story was a HUGE waste of potential, but that didn't stop it from being some of the most fun open world stealth gameplay i have had in years. Well thought out design, interesting mechanics, and DAT BOW, made for a surprisingly solid stealth experience. Beautiful as well.
5. Max Payne 3
Continuing Rockstar's ability to knock story telling and gameplay out of the park, Max Payne 3 was a truly magnificent shooter. Linear, yet full of interesting ways to approach every firefight. AN interesting story, with a great main lead, helped stitch the awesome set pieces together in a believable way. Also some amazing soundtrack work, and a great PC port from Rockstar? Thank god.
6. Hitman: Absolution
Awesome PC port, beutiful levels, and really, just great gameplay. Long time Hitman fan, and while this game was very different, it was alos very enjoyable.
7. Borderlands 2
Loved the first one, loved this one. Once again, yay for good pc ports, and also yay for great coop.
8. XCOM
Challenging, unforgiving, addicting. This years Dark Souls as far as oldschool hard as fuck games.
9. Torchlight II
What Diablo III should have been #everyonesaysthisbutitstrue.
10. Hotline Miami
Played it for 10 minutes. Fell in love. Dat music.
Honorable Mentions...
Dark Souls PC
Journey
2011:
SKyrim
I have never had an emotional connection with a story in a game that has ever even come close to The Walking Dead. Brilliant story. IDK if i would even really call it a game, just an amazing story, but since I played it on my PC, it gets my vote for number 1.
2. Dishonored
Just an all around perfect stealth game. Great atmosphere, sound mechanics, and some of the best art direction I have seen in years. Every power has a purpose, and as a player you can play how ever you see fit. BLINK.
3. Sleeping Dogs
A great example of open world games done right. beautiful environments (amazing pc port btw), fun and addicting gameplay (both melee, gun, and driving), and a story that wasn't an after thought, but rather something that actually moved the game forward in continually interesting ways.
4. Far Cry 3
Yes, I believe the story was a HUGE waste of potential, but that didn't stop it from being some of the most fun open world stealth gameplay i have had in years. Well thought out design, interesting mechanics, and DAT BOW, made for a surprisingly solid stealth experience. Beautiful as well.
5. Max Payne 3
Continuing Rockstar's ability to knock story telling and gameplay out of the park, Max Payne 3 was a truly magnificent shooter. Linear, yet full of interesting ways to approach every firefight. AN interesting story, with a great main lead, helped stitch the awesome set pieces together in a believable way. Also some amazing soundtrack work, and a great PC port from Rockstar? Thank god.
6. Hitman: Absolution
Awesome PC port, beutiful levels, and really, just great gameplay. Long time Hitman fan, and while this game was very different, it was alos very enjoyable.
7. Borderlands 2
Loved the first one, loved this one. Once again, yay for good pc ports, and also yay for great coop.
8. XCOM
Challenging, unforgiving, addicting. This years Dark Souls as far as oldschool hard as fuck games.
9. Torchlight II
What Diablo III should have been #everyonesaysthisbutitstrue.
10. Hotline Miami
Played it for 10 minutes. Fell in love. Dat music.
Honorable Mentions...
Dark Souls PC
Journey
2011:
SKyrim
tamaster92
Member
1. The Walking Dead; great writing, great characters and it's the only game to ever make me sob like a little baby.
2. Journey; beautiful in all ways and wonderfully serene. Also a good look into co op in games.
3. Trials Evolution; more accessible yet still insanely hard. Funnier, more varied and the track creator is amazing.
4. Rayman Origins; A gorgeous game with fantastic art, music and gameplay. Easily the best 2D platformer I've played for a few years.
5. Borderlands 2; Much better writing and far funnier than the first. Better customisation and more more loot.
6. Gravity Rush; Fabtastic music, fantastic art and perfect for a portable. The only let down is the sown times appalling combat.
7. FTL: Faster Than Light; deep strategy yet easy to understand. It really appeals to the space commander inside of me!
8. Lumines: Electronic Symphony; Great music, great graphics and great gameplay.
9. Slender; Truely indie and the scariest game I've played since amnesia
10. SSX; brings back nostalgia for ssx 3 and has some fantastic music and sound design. Nothing beats the mt Eddie DLC
Editted as asked
2. Journey; beautiful in all ways and wonderfully serene. Also a good look into co op in games.
3. Trials Evolution; more accessible yet still insanely hard. Funnier, more varied and the track creator is amazing.
4. Rayman Origins; A gorgeous game with fantastic art, music and gameplay. Easily the best 2D platformer I've played for a few years.
5. Borderlands 2; Much better writing and far funnier than the first. Better customisation and more more loot.
6. Gravity Rush; Fabtastic music, fantastic art and perfect for a portable. The only let down is the sown times appalling combat.
7. FTL: Faster Than Light; deep strategy yet easy to understand. It really appeals to the space commander inside of me!
8. Lumines: Electronic Symphony; Great music, great graphics and great gameplay.
9. Slender; Truely indie and the scariest game I've played since amnesia
10. SSX; brings back nostalgia for ssx 3 and has some fantastic music and sound design. Nothing beats the mt Eddie DLC
Editted as asked
Grieves
Member
1. SSX- loved SSX of old and been wanting a new version all generation. This game, despite the "Death Pits", didn't disappoint.
2. Catherine- Still not finished it, but really enjoying this so far. It's hard but I'm loving the story and it's really gratifying when you get a stage done.
3. Borderlands 2- yeah, guns, guns, guns...I'm having a blast with it.
4. Journey- overrated but still a lovely experience.
5. Mass Effect 3- so that's what all the fuss was about. Had fun with it and wasn't upset (unlike most) with the ending.
Far Cry 3, Dishonored and Assassins Creed 3 will be Christmas presents for either me or the kids so they may get added later.
2. Catherine- Still not finished it, but really enjoying this so far. It's hard but I'm loving the story and it's really gratifying when you get a stage done.
3. Borderlands 2- yeah, guns, guns, guns...I'm having a blast with it.
4. Journey- overrated but still a lovely experience.
5. Mass Effect 3- so that's what all the fuss was about. Had fun with it and wasn't upset (unlike most) with the ending.
Far Cry 3, Dishonored and Assassins Creed 3 will be Christmas presents for either me or the kids so they may get added later.
Guts & Puck
Member
1. XCOM ; This year I got into SRPGs, and this one is my favourite.
2. Spelunky
3. Under Defeat HD
4. Mark of the Ninja
5. Trials Evolution
2. Spelunky
3. Under Defeat HD
4. Mark of the Ninja
5. Trials Evolution
Conrad Link
Member
1. New Super Mario Bros. U ; Multiplayer Mario is fantastic, level design is fantastic, pure fun to play. I think the game looks beautiful too. Sequel to one of my most fav Mario games (NSMB: Wii) doesn't let down.
2. Dragon's Dogma ; Most underrated game of the year IMO, its so good I really loved it. Spent hours clearing out EVERYTHING to do. Love the pawn system and the battles are just top notch. Jumping on the back of some giant creature while spells and stuff are going off around you and lightning in the sky is a breathtaking sight. Its just plain fun to play. DLC I look forward to but a real sequel has so much potential.
3. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ; Nostalgia overload, and just really fun to play. I don't normally go for these types of games but the FF take got me hooked big time. I wish it got a sequel / had other game versions etc too.
4. Final Fantasy XIII-2
5. New Super Mario Bros. 2 ; Coin collecting is actually really addictive, so much so that when I play other 2D Mario games now sometimes I think GOTTA GET THEM ALL still lol.
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ; In Treyarch I trust, proved to me again their games are what I want to be playing multiplayer for hours and hoooours.
7. Resident Evil 6 ; Leon is top tier, might not really 'feel' like an old RE game anymore in parts (like the war shit) but its still heaps of fun co-op with my brother who is also into RE.
8. Pokemon White 2 ; I've loved Pokemon games since day 1, but not since Yellow had I ever been interested in the 'other' version of a gen besides for game collection purposes. Doing things this way was the move Nintendo needed to do to get me playing the 'other' game day 1 and it worked.
Playing at the same time as my GF and brother are adventuring too just ups the enjoyment factor so much. Pokemon games are awesome.
9. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss DLC ; A few awesome NEW hours in Dark Souls was better than a lot of the full stuff seen this year lol, the game is that dominant. Just having some new bits to play was enough to get me all giddy again.
10. Borderlands 2
x. Nintendo Land ; Fantastic multiplayer, had 5 player going last weekend and it was SO MUCH fun just sadly having that isn't a common all the time occurrence for me so the title is down for not being able to always enjoy it at its best.
Wish I could vote for Xenoblade but I played it last year.
2. Dragon's Dogma ; Most underrated game of the year IMO, its so good I really loved it. Spent hours clearing out EVERYTHING to do. Love the pawn system and the battles are just top notch. Jumping on the back of some giant creature while spells and stuff are going off around you and lightning in the sky is a breathtaking sight. Its just plain fun to play. DLC I look forward to but a real sequel has so much potential.
3. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ; Nostalgia overload, and just really fun to play. I don't normally go for these types of games but the FF take got me hooked big time. I wish it got a sequel / had other game versions etc too.
4. Final Fantasy XIII-2
5. New Super Mario Bros. 2 ; Coin collecting is actually really addictive, so much so that when I play other 2D Mario games now sometimes I think GOTTA GET THEM ALL still lol.
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ; In Treyarch I trust, proved to me again their games are what I want to be playing multiplayer for hours and hoooours.
7. Resident Evil 6 ; Leon is top tier, might not really 'feel' like an old RE game anymore in parts (like the war shit) but its still heaps of fun co-op with my brother who is also into RE.
8. Pokemon White 2 ; I've loved Pokemon games since day 1, but not since Yellow had I ever been interested in the 'other' version of a gen besides for game collection purposes. Doing things this way was the move Nintendo needed to do to get me playing the 'other' game day 1 and it worked.
Playing at the same time as my GF and brother are adventuring too just ups the enjoyment factor so much. Pokemon games are awesome.9. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss DLC ; A few awesome NEW hours in Dark Souls was better than a lot of the full stuff seen this year lol, the game is that dominant. Just having some new bits to play was enough to get me all giddy again.
10. Borderlands 2
x. Nintendo Land ; Fantastic multiplayer, had 5 player going last weekend and it was SO MUCH fun
just sadly having that isn't a common all the time occurrence for me so the title is down for not being able to always enjoy it at its best.Wish I could vote for Xenoblade but I played it last year.
1. Journey ; An aesthetically pleasing Gesamtkunstwerk.
2. The Walking Dead ; The way Telltale puts the player into extreme situations about group dynamics is excellent. Best story game of all-time.
3. Pixeljunk 4am ; One of the most intuitive musical instruments
4. The Unfinished Swan ; The first chapters are mind-blowing. Unfortunately the developers were not very confident about the game's concept in the later chapters.
5. Thirty Flights of Loving ; Interesting experiment about staging and cutting in videogames.
6. Kairo ; A modern day Myst.
7. Bientôt l'été
8. Datura
9. Papo & Yo
10. Dear Esther
2. The Walking Dead ; The way Telltale puts the player into extreme situations about group dynamics is excellent. Best story game of all-time.
3. Pixeljunk 4am ; One of the most intuitive musical instruments
4. The Unfinished Swan ; The first chapters are mind-blowing. Unfortunately the developers were not very confident about the game's concept in the later chapters.
5. Thirty Flights of Loving ; Interesting experiment about staging and cutting in videogames.
6. Kairo ; A modern day Myst.
7. Bientôt l'été
8. Datura
9. Papo & Yo
10. Dear Esther
Bientot l'ete is already out?? You put it on your list, so I assume you think it's pretty good. Is it as good as Tale of Tales' previous games?
TaroYamada
Member
1. Binary Domain ; Could have used some more polish, but an intriguing setting and storyline pulled me in. Fun gameplay, and robots that fall apart helped me overlook the more apparent flaws (like the animation, and Dan/Big Bo).
2. Torchlight II ; Realistically, this would be my number one but I didn't get to play multi and that's where these games really shine for me; in co-op.
3. Shogun II: Fall of the Samurai ; Shogun 2 was my 2011 GotY, so more can't be a bad thing.
4. Darksiders II
5. Cortex Command
2011. Saints Row the Third
2. Torchlight II ; Realistically, this would be my number one but I didn't get to play multi and that's where these games really shine for me; in co-op.
3. Shogun II: Fall of the Samurai ; Shogun 2 was my 2011 GotY, so more can't be a bad thing.
4. Darksiders II
5. Cortex Command
2011. Saints Row the Third
1. Journey ; Carpet fish
2. Spelunky ; Tomb maker
3. ZiGGURAT ; Popcorn fireworks
4. Super Hexagon ; Shoplifting alternative
5. Thirty Flights of Loving ; Limb prosthetics
6. Far Cry 3 ; Backstab dominoes
7. Max Payne 3 ; Belly flops
8. Mark of the Ninja ; Ballet ninja
9. Hotline Miami ; Death compilation
10. Dishonoured ; Shadow kill
2. Spelunky ; Tomb maker
3. ZiGGURAT ; Popcorn fireworks
4. Super Hexagon ; Shoplifting alternative
5. Thirty Flights of Loving ; Limb prosthetics
6. Far Cry 3 ; Backstab dominoes
7. Max Payne 3 ; Belly flops
8. Mark of the Ninja ; Ballet ninja
9. Hotline Miami ; Death compilation
10. Dishonoured ; Shadow kill
It is: http://conte-des-contes.com/bientotlete/
Bientot l'ete is very different from their previous work. The game perfectly captures the beach atmosphere and has some surprising visuals.
The scenes in the cafe only make sense if you meet another human player. You talk to strangers using phrases you discovered at the beach. The multiplayer experience depends alot from the other player, but can be interesting.
If you are interested in experimental game design, you should give Bientot l'ete a try.
Tentative list- a lot of Comments to add.
1. Journey ; It felt serene. It made drifting on majestic sands an adventure into the unknown. And calling to a stranger was met with apprehension and wonder.
2. Max Payne 3 ; Daytime noir- can it be done? Apparently so. Wished there was more emphasis on Mona, but it felt like Payne. Shoot dodging around corners, feeling the impact of every single bullet fired. HEALTH's score was fantastic, and "Tears" in the airport was an incredible moment.
3. The Walking Dead ; Who do you care for? It was all about Clem.
4. Dead Or Alive 5 ; Shimbori tried to make it right. No Itagaki, and a lot of uncertainty. Some of the stages felt uninspired, but hitting a Critical Burst combo added cinematic flair to a beautiful game. Everything is pretty, accessible and there were some wonderful outfits. Bring on DOA+!
5. Guild Wars 2 ; Aimlessly meandering about to Jeremy Soule felt like a wonder.
6. Sleeping Dogs ;
7. Hitman Absolution ;
8. Style Saavy: Trendsetters ;
9. Spec Ops: The Line ;
10. Hotline Miami ;
1. Journey ; It felt serene. It made drifting on majestic sands an adventure into the unknown. And calling to a stranger was met with apprehension and wonder.
2. Max Payne 3 ; Daytime noir- can it be done? Apparently so. Wished there was more emphasis on Mona, but it felt like Payne. Shoot dodging around corners, feeling the impact of every single bullet fired. HEALTH's score was fantastic, and "Tears" in the airport was an incredible moment.
3. The Walking Dead ; Who do you care for? It was all about Clem.
4. Dead Or Alive 5 ; Shimbori tried to make it right. No Itagaki, and a lot of uncertainty. Some of the stages felt uninspired, but hitting a Critical Burst combo added cinematic flair to a beautiful game. Everything is pretty, accessible and there were some wonderful outfits. Bring on DOA+!
5. Guild Wars 2 ; Aimlessly meandering about to Jeremy Soule felt like a wonder.
6. Sleeping Dogs ;
7. Hitman Absolution ;
8. Style Saavy: Trendsetters ;
9. Spec Ops: The Line ;
10. Hotline Miami ;
1) Virtue's Last Reward ; I love everything about this game. The writing has vastly been improved from 999. The game keeps you constantly thinking, you'll be plotting your own theories while the game goes on, just to be completely wrong about it. All the twisting and turning keeps you engaged every single second. You feel uneasy and start to suspect everyone. And it also has this lovable cheesy humor to lightnen things up a little bit during some scenes/puzzles. Maybe I should have put it a little lower on the list due to the technical issues the game has, but I never encountered any, so I'll just pretend there are none.
2) Dishonoured ; Stealth, but fast paced. It isn't your typical stealth game, but maybe that's why I liked it so much. No more slow walking behind enemies for 2 minutes just for them to turn around at the last second.
3) Borderlands 2 ; Awesome humor (aside from some cheap meme references) great gameplay, awesome soundtrack and much replayability.
4) ZombiU ; Extremely repetitive and glitchy, but for some weird reason I really liked it. It had some really cheap moments and really cheap scares, but the tension, oh the tension. Also really nice use of the gamepad, felt like it was really a part off the game right there in your hands.
5) Kid Icarus: Uprising ;
6) Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm ; Easy to learn, hard to master rhythm game.
7) Resident Evil: Revelaitons ; The best of old-school meets the best of new-school Resident Evil. It's a mix that still needs an amount off tweaking. Gameplay is awesome, but the rest is pretty forgetable. Forgetable story, forgetable enemies, forgetable characters, etc.
8) New Super Mario Bros U ; Misses the challenge and it's much off the same. Doesn't mean it's not a good game, it's just that I didn't enjoy it that much. So much potential these titles have... I hate challenge mode, challenge should be in good level design, not in gimmicks and restrictions.
9) NintendoLand ; I played this one all night with some friends and it was really fun. Some good games, some bad games. I ended up liking Animal Crossing: Sweet Day and Metroid Blast the most. Animal Crossing is fast, hectic and stresfull fun, it doesn't require as much communication as say Mario Chase, but you'll still end up yelling random shit to your friends in the hope they get what you mean. Metroid Blast is really good too and the competetive factor can be pretty intense. Only downfall is that the modes are not customizable, but disregarding that, this game is an absolute blast. These were the games we ended up playing most off the time. I ended up hating Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and that was probably the game I thought I would have liked the most watching E3 and impressions. I can't even explain it, it just didn't click with me. The Legend of Zelda game I thought was awful. Mario Chase and Pikmin Adventure were decent, but I just didn't like them as much as Metroid and Animal Crossing.
10) Sine Mora ; Great art, but pretty mediocre gameplay
Still somewhat under construction.
2) Dishonoured ; Stealth, but fast paced. It isn't your typical stealth game, but maybe that's why I liked it so much. No more slow walking behind enemies for 2 minutes just for them to turn around at the last second.
3) Borderlands 2 ; Awesome humor (aside from some cheap meme references) great gameplay, awesome soundtrack and much replayability.
4) ZombiU ; Extremely repetitive and glitchy, but for some weird reason I really liked it. It had some really cheap moments and really cheap scares, but the tension, oh the tension. Also really nice use of the gamepad, felt like it was really a part off the game right there in your hands.
5) Kid Icarus: Uprising ;
6) Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm ; Easy to learn, hard to master rhythm game.
7) Resident Evil: Revelaitons ; The best of old-school meets the best of new-school Resident Evil. It's a mix that still needs an amount off tweaking. Gameplay is awesome, but the rest is pretty forgetable. Forgetable story, forgetable enemies, forgetable characters, etc.
8) New Super Mario Bros U ; Misses the challenge and it's much off the same. Doesn't mean it's not a good game, it's just that I didn't enjoy it that much. So much potential these titles have... I hate challenge mode, challenge should be in good level design, not in gimmicks and restrictions.
9) NintendoLand ; I played this one all night with some friends and it was really fun. Some good games, some bad games. I ended up liking Animal Crossing: Sweet Day and Metroid Blast the most. Animal Crossing is fast, hectic and stresfull fun, it doesn't require as much communication as say Mario Chase, but you'll still end up yelling random shit to your friends in the hope they get what you mean. Metroid Blast is really good too and the competetive factor can be pretty intense. Only downfall is that the modes are not customizable, but disregarding that, this game is an absolute blast. These were the games we ended up playing most off the time. I ended up hating Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and that was probably the game I thought I would have liked the most watching E3 and impressions. I can't even explain it, it just didn't click with me. The Legend of Zelda game I thought was awful. Mario Chase and Pikmin Adventure were decent, but I just didn't like them as much as Metroid and Animal Crossing.
10) Sine Mora ; Great art, but pretty mediocre gameplay
Still somewhat under construction.
Work and family have made it difficult to finish a lot of these so my list stands as far as I am in some titles:
1. Dragon's Dogma; Gameplay is king for me and DD had the most enjoyable combat of the year. A wealth of options and the ability to mix and match at practically any time meant the game always felt fresh. The game also cemented it's place in my heart for the wonderful sense of adventure even just on the journey from Cassardis to Gran Soren. Griffons, Trolls, Dragons, Bandits, LizardMen et al were all great fun to fight. Enemy placement, crap story 90% of the time and easy difficulty are often cited as the games biggest flaws, which I agree with to a point but I don't look for perfection in my GOTY, just fun, which this game gave me in droves. Plus that title music! A superstar sequel surely awaits and if it has the heart of this game with a little more polish it could reach Dark and Demon's levels of my GOAT headspace.
2. Tekken Tag Tournament 2; Fantastical return to form after Tekken 6. The most comprehensive fighting game but also the most inclusive, Tekken always has long legs and i can see myself returning to this for years.
3. Mass Effect 3; Like many others, I was turned off by the hullabaloo surrounding the ending. In fact, I haven't even finished the single player due to a lose-lose choice made near the end making me salty. It still shocks me to think it but ME3 is this high on my list due to it's tacked on multiplayer. A lot of time was spent exploring the classes and enjoying the co-op gameplay without even thinking of the F2P style grind. Randomised unlocks were like crack. Surprise of the year and although burned on the series generally, I would be there day one for a multiplayer only title that expands on the concept further.
4. Sleeping Dogs; A really fun open world game with a unique feel, couldn't put it down until I had finished.
5. The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition (360); Lived up to the hype, may have been higher if i had been able to get further. Great story, combat and graphics.
6. Rocksmith; I would have loved to have put this higher for it's innovation alone. Got me playing guitar again after an 8 year hiatus and it will be robust enough to teach my wife something once she has time to commit to learning. An all round excellent and encouraging package which is useful outside of being a game.
7. The Walking Dead; A harrowing adventure with a payoff at the end I never thought they would land. Episodic gameplay done to perfection (in a timely fashion and affordable).
8. Tokyo Jungle; Dogs vs Lions
9. Xcom: Enemy Unknown; Loved the game, would have been higher if I had played more.
10. Binary Domain; Great game on hardest difficulty, satisfying combat and awesome setpieces.
2011 GOTY. Battlefield 3, if only because i voted for Dark Souls last year.
Honourable Mentions
x. Spelunky
x. Dishonored
x. Akai Katana
x. Borderlands 2
x. Resident Evil 6
x. Kid Icarus: Uprising
x. Journey
x. FarCry 3
Each of these are games i can tell are fantastic but have only scratched the surface of meaning it would be unfair to bump any off the list. Journey is an interesting concept but I don't qualify it as a game.
1. Dragon's Dogma; Gameplay is king for me and DD had the most enjoyable combat of the year. A wealth of options and the ability to mix and match at practically any time meant the game always felt fresh. The game also cemented it's place in my heart for the wonderful sense of adventure even just on the journey from Cassardis to Gran Soren. Griffons, Trolls, Dragons, Bandits, LizardMen et al were all great fun to fight. Enemy placement, crap story 90% of the time and easy difficulty are often cited as the games biggest flaws, which I agree with to a point but I don't look for perfection in my GOTY, just fun, which this game gave me in droves. Plus that title music! A superstar sequel surely awaits and if it has the heart of this game with a little more polish it could reach Dark and Demon's levels of my GOAT headspace.
2. Tekken Tag Tournament 2; Fantastical return to form after Tekken 6. The most comprehensive fighting game but also the most inclusive, Tekken always has long legs and i can see myself returning to this for years.
3. Mass Effect 3; Like many others, I was turned off by the hullabaloo surrounding the ending. In fact, I haven't even finished the single player due to a lose-lose choice made near the end making me salty. It still shocks me to think it but ME3 is this high on my list due to it's tacked on multiplayer. A lot of time was spent exploring the classes and enjoying the co-op gameplay without even thinking of the F2P style grind. Randomised unlocks were like crack. Surprise of the year and although burned on the series generally, I would be there day one for a multiplayer only title that expands on the concept further.
4. Sleeping Dogs; A really fun open world game with a unique feel, couldn't put it down until I had finished.
5. The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition (360); Lived up to the hype, may have been higher if i had been able to get further. Great story, combat and graphics.
6. Rocksmith; I would have loved to have put this higher for it's innovation alone. Got me playing guitar again after an 8 year hiatus and it will be robust enough to teach my wife something once she has time to commit to learning. An all round excellent and encouraging package which is useful outside of being a game.
7. The Walking Dead; A harrowing adventure with a payoff at the end I never thought they would land. Episodic gameplay done to perfection (in a timely fashion and affordable).
8. Tokyo Jungle; Dogs vs Lions
9. Xcom: Enemy Unknown; Loved the game, would have been higher if I had played more.
10. Binary Domain; Great game on hardest difficulty, satisfying combat and awesome setpieces.
2011 GOTY. Battlefield 3, if only because i voted for Dark Souls last year.
Honourable Mentions
x. Spelunky
x. Dishonored
x. Akai Katana
x. Borderlands 2
x. Resident Evil 6
x. Kid Icarus: Uprising
x. Journey
x. FarCry 3
Each of these are games i can tell are fantastic but have only scratched the surface of meaning it would be unfair to bump any off the list. Journey is an interesting concept but I don't qualify it as a game.
Liquid_Bike
Member
1. Binary Domain ; Amazing characters some of my favorites in years(Big Bo, Faye and Dan's relationship and of course Cain). The story is great too with engaging twists. The gameplay was so-so at times but the rest of the game more than makes up for it.
2. Mists of Pandaria ; Best expansion for the best MMO
3. Far Cry 3 ; A great open world fps, I love the jungle setting and the gun play. I could clear those bases all day ever day.
4. The Darkness II ; Fun shooter, I liked it even more than the first one. It has a great story and voice acting. Quad wielding works a lot better than you'd think
5. Spec Ops: The Line ; Such a great story. It really does something different for a game anyway.
6. Sleeping Dogs ; Love the setting and the characters. Some of the nicest graphics this year(on PC)
7. Mark of the Ninja ; Best stealth game in the last 10 years
8. Dishonored ; A deeply flawed game but for a new IP it has lots of potential
9. Max Payne 3 ; The most fun tps gameplay I've ever played. I really like the scenes where Max is alone in his hotel drunk/high but the rest of the cutscenes are insufferable(and unskippable)
10. Mass Effect 3 ; So much potential but the game's story was botched. The plot was so bad its almost hard to believe Bioware could release it in such a sad state. The biggest kick in the nuts though was the fact that two vital components of the story weren't included with the standard version of the game(From Ashes and Leviathan) the later not even being available at release is puzzling because its integral to understanding the plot.
Everything else I played this year best to worst:
11. Walking Dead - Point and click revival, enough said!
12. Hitman: Absolution - I was never sure how to play this is it Himan, splinter cell, or a tps no matter how I played something always felt off.
13. Resident Evil 6 - Fun but flawed the FOV really made me feel sick. Will play again when the PC version comes out.
14. Diablo 3 - I got what I was expecting(a fun hack and slash campaign) but I was never that hyped to begin with.
15. Tales of Graces F - Fairly fun but its not the kind of game you want people to see you playing.
16. FFXIII-2 - So bad it hurts. I grew up playing FF4-9 in their prime and what the series has become is tragic.
Notable releases I haven't got around to playing:
Xenoblade
Xcom
Guild Wars 2
Journey
Secret World
2. Mists of Pandaria ; Best expansion for the best MMO
3. Far Cry 3 ; A great open world fps, I love the jungle setting and the gun play. I could clear those bases all day ever day.
4. The Darkness II ; Fun shooter, I liked it even more than the first one. It has a great story and voice acting. Quad wielding works a lot better than you'd think
5. Spec Ops: The Line ; Such a great story. It really does something different for a game anyway.
6. Sleeping Dogs ; Love the setting and the characters. Some of the nicest graphics this year(on PC)
7. Mark of the Ninja ; Best stealth game in the last 10 years
8. Dishonored ; A deeply flawed game but for a new IP it has lots of potential
9. Max Payne 3 ; The most fun tps gameplay I've ever played. I really like the scenes where Max is alone in his hotel drunk/high but the rest of the cutscenes are insufferable(and unskippable)
10. Mass Effect 3 ; So much potential but the game's story was botched. The plot was so bad its almost hard to believe Bioware could release it in such a sad state. The biggest kick in the nuts though was the fact that two vital components of the story weren't included with the standard version of the game(From Ashes and Leviathan) the later not even being available at release is puzzling because its integral to understanding the plot.
Everything else I played this year best to worst:
11. Walking Dead - Point and click revival, enough said!
12. Hitman: Absolution - I was never sure how to play this is it Himan, splinter cell, or a tps no matter how I played something always felt off.
13. Resident Evil 6 - Fun but flawed the FOV really made me feel sick. Will play again when the PC version comes out.
14. Diablo 3 - I got what I was expecting(a fun hack and slash campaign) but I was never that hyped to begin with.
15. Tales of Graces F - Fairly fun but its not the kind of game you want people to see you playing.
16. FFXIII-2 - So bad it hurts. I grew up playing FF4-9 in their prime and what the series has become is tragic.
Notable releases I haven't got around to playing:
Xenoblade
Xcom
Guild Wars 2
Journey
Secret World
If I had to put money on something I'd say The Walking Dead, who'da thunk that a Telltale game would ever have a chance at that? I guess Journey is up there too. But it's a pretty tough call this year.
Feels like walking dead and journey are the 2 leaders right now. I think you have to count all the votes it gets and not just the #1 votes since they all count towards the overall tally.
The_Darkest_Red
Member
1. Xenoblade Chronicles ; Of all the games I played this year, none of them stuck with me and impressed me more than Xenoblade Chronicles. Each new location was a treat to discover thanks to jaw-dropping vistas and incredible art direction, and the gameplay was there to back up the presentation. The final 10 hours or so in particular is one of my favorite stretches in any RPG ever, and the game also contains my favorite village in a JRPG. Throw in a monumentally incredible soundtrack and it's easy to conclude that Project Rainfall was worth ever ounce of energy it took.
2. Borderlands 2 ; Borderlands 2 sits at my number two spot for a very simple reason --- the game is a blast. A step up from the original in every department, this game improves upon an already fun and addictive idea to create a formula that easily carried me through my 40+ hour playthrough. Shootin' and lootin' never felt so right.
3. Mark of the Ninja
4. Sound Shapes ; One of the biggest surprises of the year for me, Sound Shapes was a true delight in every sense of the word. At its core is a very simple 2D platformer with an interesting mechanic that turns the coins you collect throughout a level into notes in a song, but in this case the simplicity was a large part of the appeal. Because Sound Shapes is simple in both looks and level design, creating levels suddenly looks much more appealing than in similar games (such as LittleBigPlanet). I spent hours upon hours creating levels and prototypes in the Sound Shapes editor, and it kept my attention over that span thanks to the fun that is creating a 2D platforming level in conjunction with a song that becomes more layered and complex as you go. Truly a must play for anyone who is a big fan of music, platformers, and creating.
5. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; I've never played the original X-COM games but as a big fan of SRPG's I felt like EU would be right up my alley. I was correct. I played through the game on normal ironman and enjoyed it immensely, even after my first run went sour at about 10 hours in and forced me to start fresh. The game is a wonderful combination of tactical battles and strategy and each layer feels fully developed and well realized. If not for a few extremely painful glitches (as in, losing your five best units painful) this game would likely have ended up even higher on my list.
6. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning ; Kingdoms of Amalur was the single player game I put the most time into this year (82 hours) and for good reason, the game is fantastic. It isn't without its flaws (lack of real character development, difficulty is eventually nonexistent, somewhat generic at times) but the meat of the game was so enjoyable to me that I was easily able to overlook them. I found the word itself to be interesting and fun to explore thanks to solid combat, a well developed skill system that rewards experimentation, and solid world building in the way of dialog, art, and variety. KoA is a very underrated RPG, and it's a shame we will likely never see a sequel.
7. Kid Icarus: Uprising
8. Darksiders II
9. Super Hexagon
10. Spelunky
Honorable mentions:
x. Dust: An Elysian Tale
x. Dishonored
x. Mutant Mudds
x. Halo 4
x. Velocity
Currently playing (I won't rank a game unless I've finished it but these have potential):
ZombiU
Persona 4: Golden
2. Borderlands 2 ; Borderlands 2 sits at my number two spot for a very simple reason --- the game is a blast. A step up from the original in every department, this game improves upon an already fun and addictive idea to create a formula that easily carried me through my 40+ hour playthrough. Shootin' and lootin' never felt so right.
3. Mark of the Ninja
4. Sound Shapes ; One of the biggest surprises of the year for me, Sound Shapes was a true delight in every sense of the word. At its core is a very simple 2D platformer with an interesting mechanic that turns the coins you collect throughout a level into notes in a song, but in this case the simplicity was a large part of the appeal. Because Sound Shapes is simple in both looks and level design, creating levels suddenly looks much more appealing than in similar games (such as LittleBigPlanet). I spent hours upon hours creating levels and prototypes in the Sound Shapes editor, and it kept my attention over that span thanks to the fun that is creating a 2D platforming level in conjunction with a song that becomes more layered and complex as you go. Truly a must play for anyone who is a big fan of music, platformers, and creating.
5. XCOM: Enemy Unknown ; I've never played the original X-COM games but as a big fan of SRPG's I felt like EU would be right up my alley. I was correct. I played through the game on normal ironman and enjoyed it immensely, even after my first run went sour at about 10 hours in and forced me to start fresh. The game is a wonderful combination of tactical battles and strategy and each layer feels fully developed and well realized. If not for a few extremely painful glitches (as in, losing your five best units painful) this game would likely have ended up even higher on my list.
6. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning ; Kingdoms of Amalur was the single player game I put the most time into this year (82 hours) and for good reason, the game is fantastic. It isn't without its flaws (lack of real character development, difficulty is eventually nonexistent, somewhat generic at times) but the meat of the game was so enjoyable to me that I was easily able to overlook them. I found the word itself to be interesting and fun to explore thanks to solid combat, a well developed skill system that rewards experimentation, and solid world building in the way of dialog, art, and variety. KoA is a very underrated RPG, and it's a shame we will likely never see a sequel.
7. Kid Icarus: Uprising
8. Darksiders II
9. Super Hexagon
10. Spelunky
Honorable mentions:
x. Dust: An Elysian Tale
x. Dishonored
x. Mutant Mudds
x. Halo 4
x. Velocity
Currently playing (I won't rank a game unless I've finished it but these have potential):
ZombiU
Persona 4: Golden
1. Journey ; A monument to minimalist game design, this downloadable title exudes a sense of wonder and awe onto the player. It's like a slow burn of awesome. I can't believe it took me until the end of 2012 to finally play through this.
2. The Walking Dead ; Yet another downloadable title. One of the few games to make me actually care for the characters. At times, I truly felt like Lee, and I hardly ever relate to characters on that level.
3. Dishonored ; Despite my aversion to first-person games, this was quite enjoyable. While I haven't finished it yet, the game certainly has that "spark" of greatness.
4. Sleeping Dogs ; One of the most fun open world games I've played this side of Saint's Row the Third. I loved the combat and actually fun missions. I kept wanting to play!
5. Spec Ops: The Line ; Average gameplay, incredible story. I really appreciate the message of the narrative and what it set out to accomplish.
6. Starhawk ; Yet another title I happened upon at the ass-end of 2012, this game has tight controls, great levels, and a fun multiplayer.
7. Mass Effect 3 ; Despite all the hate over the ending, I find the gameplay to be very fun, and I enjoy playing it regardless of how it treats my choices. It's all about the journey, man. ;^)
I haven't played XCOM yet; it will probably make the list if it's half as good as everyone makes it seem.
2. The Walking Dead ; Yet another downloadable title. One of the few games to make me actually care for the characters. At times, I truly felt like Lee, and I hardly ever relate to characters on that level.
3. Dishonored ; Despite my aversion to first-person games, this was quite enjoyable. While I haven't finished it yet, the game certainly has that "spark" of greatness.
4. Sleeping Dogs ; One of the most fun open world games I've played this side of Saint's Row the Third. I loved the combat and actually fun missions. I kept wanting to play!
5. Spec Ops: The Line ; Average gameplay, incredible story. I really appreciate the message of the narrative and what it set out to accomplish.
6. Starhawk ; Yet another title I happened upon at the ass-end of 2012, this game has tight controls, great levels, and a fun multiplayer.
7. Mass Effect 3 ; Despite all the hate over the ending, I find the gameplay to be very fun, and I enjoy playing it regardless of how it treats my choices. It's all about the journey, man. ;^)
I haven't played XCOM yet; it will probably make the list if it's half as good as everyone makes it seem.
1. Assassin's Creed III; Many hate AC3 for its buggy console mess. I personally love the game. The story may be bland at some points, but I thought it was interesting. Combat is way too easy now however the animations are cool. I look forward to AC4.
2. Pokemon Black & White 2
3. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
2011. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet [XBLA]; A game just like Metroid. You fly a ship and go around looking for upgrades, solving puzzles along the way. My personal favorite game from last year.
2. Pokemon Black & White 2
3. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
2011. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet [XBLA]; A game just like Metroid. You fly a ship and go around looking for upgrades, solving puzzles along the way. My personal favorite game from last year.
1. Halo 4 - In a year that felt pretty meagre this polished and substantial game stood out. In truth it's not that I expected Halo to be the best, but everything else was such a let down. It was such a joy to find that Master Chief woke up well rested, cheerful, and chatty! When he slotted Cortana for the first time there was a smile on my face that didn't much leave for the entire time. Plus jetpacks! Always jetpacks!
2. Binary Domain - The NA cover art was shit, which probably did not help sell this game but this was a smart and varied TPS. It came out the same time as Mass Effect was was mechanically a superior shooter in every way. Great guns, great enemies, great destruction, and a lot of Japanese weirdness done right a la Vanquish.
3. Max Payne 3 - With that last man 'standing - slow mo bullet spray' thingie you could make finger paintings in blood on the screen. That's why I got into video games in the first place, to fuck around with depraved shit like that. Plus this game had some bumping music and all-round coolness. This is the Rockstar game I enjoyed most this gen.
4. X-Com: Enemy Unknown - A digital board game that I will pull out and play any time I want that flavour. It's very well done and it's hard.
5. Journey - I don't play a lot of these kinds of games but thatgamecompany always makes stuff worth your while. It was calm and beautiful and very enjoyable.
6. Far Cry 3 - I'm still enjoying it! I haven't played an Ubi game in years because this generation it's been The House That Casual Built. Everything about this game however is of impressive quality. It's a great sandbox and an easy place to waste your time in.
7. Darksiders 2 - This game is like curling up with a big ole metal-as-fuck graphic novel. It's a decent fighter, a decent puzzler, a decent loot game, but above all I just like to see the content, the epic scenery and the crazy bosses. It's fun. Just fun!
8. SSX - The stink of 'Deadly Descents' still wafts over some of these mountains and ruins what would have been a good run. This title wouldn't make any list as shipped but the Freeride patch was meaty and it gave the game new life.
2011 Entry - Dark SoulsI played this game for most of 2012. This is what games should be. Deep, dark, filled with fear and love. This is a beautiful game. Lots of games are pretty but only this one on the list is beautiful.
2. Binary Domain - The NA cover art was shit, which probably did not help sell this game but this was a smart and varied TPS. It came out the same time as Mass Effect was was mechanically a superior shooter in every way. Great guns, great enemies, great destruction, and a lot of Japanese weirdness done right a la Vanquish.
3. Max Payne 3 - With that last man 'standing - slow mo bullet spray' thingie you could make finger paintings in blood on the screen. That's why I got into video games in the first place, to fuck around with depraved shit like that. Plus this game had some bumping music and all-round coolness. This is the Rockstar game I enjoyed most this gen.
4. X-Com: Enemy Unknown - A digital board game that I will pull out and play any time I want that flavour. It's very well done and it's hard.
5. Journey - I don't play a lot of these kinds of games but thatgamecompany always makes stuff worth your while. It was calm and beautiful and very enjoyable.
6. Far Cry 3 - I'm still enjoying it! I haven't played an Ubi game in years because this generation it's been The House That Casual Built. Everything about this game however is of impressive quality. It's a great sandbox and an easy place to waste your time in.
7. Darksiders 2 - This game is like curling up with a big ole metal-as-fuck graphic novel. It's a decent fighter, a decent puzzler, a decent loot game, but above all I just like to see the content, the epic scenery and the crazy bosses. It's fun. Just fun!
8. SSX - The stink of 'Deadly Descents' still wafts over some of these mountains and ruins what would have been a good run. This title wouldn't make any list as shipped but the Freeride patch was meaty and it gave the game new life.
2011 Entry - Dark SoulsI played this game for most of 2012. This is what games should be. Deep, dark, filled with fear and love. This is a beautiful game. Lots of games are pretty but only this one on the list is beautiful.