2012: Quietly turning into a fantastic year

[Arnoxthe1]

I was gonna talk about Spec Ops but I got ninja'd at least 3 times right off the bat so nevermind.

I'll tell you what I will talk about though. Halo 4.

I know exactly what you're thinking. Another Halo game from Micro$oft. And, to an extent, I don't blame you. We've have no less than 5 Halo games. And ever since Bungie stepped down from Microsoft Game Studios to do their Destiny game, everyone's thinking that that was truly the last nail in the coffin for Halo. But then Halo 4 is announced by an as of yet untested developer. 343 Industries. Oh, well now we've seen it all.

Now I'm going to tell you why Halo 4 won't suck. It's because it's Xbox's baby. It SAVED its narrow behind. Microsoft's not going to give that franchise up without a really good fight. Think about all the Xbox exclusives. And then think about the one that's worth the most. Not just in money, but how much weight is in the name. Yeah. Heck, I know some PS3 and Wii gamers even that love Halo. For Microsoft and 343, to screw this up would be shooting themselves not in the foot, but right in the chest.

And not just that. I've read some essays and watched pretty much every video documentary they've released and scrutinized everything they've done and said. And so far, I can't find too much fault AT ALL. Of course, one can't say for certain until the game actually comes out but people that have played Halo 4 (at PAX for example) have all said it's awesome. Every one of them.

So anyway. I could go on to say that 343 is made up of Halo fans and other such things but trust me. I will bet that Halo 4's gonna come and it's going to blow us away. Again.

 

[an annoyed writer]

Yeah, this seems to be a great year so far.

Favorites that I've been playing:

Spec Ops: The Line- This really came out of left field. Fantastic story, well-written characters, and the subtleties of the its presentation are simply amazing. Plus it has Bruce Fucking Boxlietner as the "antagonist". You can't get much better than that. The best part? This is a game that truly puts you in the shoes of the villain. None of that Saturday-morning-cartoon-villain-do-evil-because-it's-evil crap. The most evil villains are the ones who don't realize it.

Borderlands 2- This game is hilarious, and if you don't think so I'll inform you that you need to grow a sense of humor. The characters are well-written, and it's got one of the better villains I've seen in this generation (The best part about Jack is that he doesn't realize that he's the villain, and it's due to some really strong character flaws that put him in that position). I love that the previous Vault Hunters finally got characterized to a significant degree, and I was genuinely sad to see Roland and Angel go. Claptrap, as annoying as he can be sometimes, was also a genuinely tragic and sympathetic character. Gearbox, you've done well.

Max Payne 3- A terrific game from start to finish. I like what Rockstar's done with Max, and how they've depicted his downward spiral and disconnect with the world and the people around him. He's as witty as ever, but he's also tired and weary. Being someone who's also been through a lot of pain and has low self-esteem, I can definitely say they nailed the character and made him truly believable. And the soundtrack... Wow. It's got one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. Rockstar knows good music.

Dishonored- What's this? A game that feels like Bioshock, Deus Ex, and Thief got combined that deals with the finer aspects of politics, environmentalism, and assassination? and what's that you say? It has a brilliant art style that combines elements of Steampunk-Victorian and Futuristic inclinations? And Whuuuuaaaaat? It also has brilliant characterization of not just the main cast, but of the small bit-players? Yes yes yes yes yes I'd very much like that!

The Darkness 2- I liked the first Darkness quite a bit for its exploration into a bit of emotion you don't see much of in big blockbuster titles: Love. The second game still deals with that, but it deals more with loss, of not only loved ones but also of sanity and agency. The fact that it has a more focused and directed method of delivering its gameplay serves to enhance this feeling. Not to mention good mobster crime fiction really hits the spot.

Mass Effect 3- This is one of those games that unfortunately will be remembered in the "It was good but-" category. From the opening moments this game was incredible. It constantly had this "End of the World" vibe that really got to me. Carrying a Shep through the series gave this gravitas, and made it feel like an epic, a story that transcended the limits of its medium. The characterization was strong, and there were moments that really hurt, like losing Mordin and Legion. I just wish the ending could meet up to that standard. Sure, the extended cut fixed most of the issues, but it should've been like that in the first place. Maybe then it wouldn't leave this sour taste that comes about whenever I think about this game.

I'm still looking forward to Halo 4. I hope 343 does it right.

 

[Windcaler]

My choices would be

1. FTL
2. Mark of the Ninja
3. A tie between Dishonored and worms Revolution

I think it really says something that FTL and Mark of the ninja are in there over every AAA title this year. Its nice seeing such great games come out even if they arent AAA and even more awesome that my favorite game this year was a crowdfunded one

 

[Klumpfot]

It seems like the only games released this year that I've really played are Mass Effect 3, Torchlight 2 and Orcs Must Die 2. The only one of them I'd consider better than their respective predecessors is Torchlight 2.

I wouldn't call it a good year, but I've yet to experience most of it!

 

[mohit9206]

max payne 3 and the walking dead are the only two games i have played which are from 2012.. looking forward to assassins creed 3 and RE6 this year and the new tomb raider..
i have been busy this year playing a lot of older games like resident evil 5, assassin's creed 2, burnout paradise, crysis 2, crysis warhead, arkham.city, god of war 1 and 2, final fantasy 12, haunting ground, gta4, mafia 2, etc etc etc... lol

 

[Atmos Duality]

In some semblance of order:

1) FTL: Faster Than Light
2) Borderlands 2
3) Torchlight 2
4) X-COM: Enemy Unknown
5) Legend of Grimrock
6) Kid Icarus: Uprising

Starbound is potentially on that list (due late this year) as well.
Development for that game has shown to be promising so far.

I may also check out Dishonored later when I have spare cash.

But even such a good year isn't without its downsides.
In my Shame of the Year list:

1) Diablo III
2) Mass Effect 3

Two of the most polarizing games I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot more than most), and not for any GOOD reasons either.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Mass Effect 3

FTL

I didn't realize how few games released this year that I got. Those are the only two I apparently got. All the other games I got were games that came out two years ago or more.

So for releases this year, I literally made an equal split between Triple A and Indie. My gaming world is in balance.

Personally I thought the first hour I played was worth the price, and I have sunk 8 hours in to the thing.

Steam shows that I've played FTL for a total of 38 hours. :-S

I guess that I like to boldly die in ways I've never died before. I've beat the game at least three times, though only on easy.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

2012's been an ok year apart from C&C getting the last nail on the coffin and hopefully this years GOTY won't end up as stupid as the last.

My top 3 so far:

1)Transformers Fall of Cybertron
2)Borderlands 2
3)Dishonoured

 

[TheRussian]

#1 Dishonored
#2 Max Payne 3
#3 Spec Ops: The Line
It is indeed a great year for gaming.

 

[sammysoso]

It's weird, the only 2012 release I've played this year was Mass Effect 3. I loved it, especially after BioWare sort-of fixed the ending.

I finally got to play the Uncharted series, and boy are they great! Can't believe I missed out for so long.

Releases I'm looking to get: X-Com, Spec Ops: The Line, and Dishonored. Hopefully Halo 4 will be good.

 

[Luca72]

I agree, this season is pretty great. I don't even have the time to try Dishonored because XCOM has my full attention (which it wrested from FTL, another amazing new release!). Can't say I'm excited about many of the big name releases, but Assassins' Creed 3 does look pretty good. Then again, Dishonored looks like the best damn stealth game in years, so I may not even investigate AC3.

Plus, earlier this year we got Tribes, the best goddamned multiplayer game I've played in years, and the first game I'm considering joining a clan for since Counter strike.

And this doesn't exactly count, but I got the Humble Indie Bundle back in July, and that was the first time I played any of those games. That means for a few weeks of absolute nerd bliss I experienced Braid, Bastion, Super Meat Boy and Amnesia for the first time!

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

My biggest surprise of the year so far is Mark of the Ninja. I thought I would like the game, but wow did I have fun. I've only played it 90 minutes so far, but I've had just such a pure amount of actual fun playing the game, that I didn't care about the score system. That's a big thing for me. In other games that have systems to encourage me to play it a certain way like earning medals, achievements, unique endings or more points etc., much to my chagrin they do motivate me to play in certain ways, even if I don't want them to. I really don't care if you'll give me another 8,000 points for not killing anyone, MotN, Imma killin' all the things!! Stabby, stabby! I also love being able to see the game's systems visually, that's was a fantastic idea.

Only time will tell: but the fight for my GOTY is now between: Mark of the Ninja, Dishonored and The Walking Dead.

Honorable runners up: Sleeping Dogs, Legend of Grimrock, Borderlands 2 and Orcs Must Die! I'm sure there's others I can't remember. I have a really hard time remembering when I played games, or even which games I played more than a month ago.

Potential throne-taker: Hitman: Absolution, Blood Money is my all-time favorite stealthy game, so here's hoping (note: I have not played Thief 1 or 2, and for that I am sorry--maybe one day when a magical boat of free time sails my way).

Disappointments: Borderlands 2 was just inexplicably meh for me. Until I played the Mechromancer. The Anarchy system is awesome, so that's definitely vastly improving my experience. It helped me fall back into my old Borderlands groove and remember why I liked the game.

 

[Arslan Aladeen]

My biggest surprise of the year so far is Mark of the Ninja. I thought I would like the game, but wow did I have fun. I've only played it 90 minutes so far, but I've had just such a pure amount of actual fun playing the game, that I didn't care about the score system. That's a big thing for me. In other games that have systems to encourage me to play it a certain way like earning medals, achievements, unique endings or more points etc., much to my chagrin they do motivate me to play in certain ways, even if I don't want them to. I really don't care if you'll give me another 8,000 points for not killing anyone, MotN, Imma killin' all the things!! Stabby, stabby! I also love being able to see the game's systems visually, that's was a fantastic idea.

Only time will tell: but the fight for my GOTY is now between: Mark of the Ninja, Dishonored and The Walking Dead.

Honorable runners up: Sleeping Dogs, Legend of Grimrock, Borderlands 2 and Orcs Must Die! I'm sure there's others I can't remember. I have a really hard time remembering when I played games, or even which games I played more than a month ago.

Potential throne-taker: Hitman: Absolution, Blood Money is my all-time favorite stealthy game, so here's hoping (note: I have not played Thief 1 or 2, and for that I am sorry--maybe one day when a magical boat of free time sails my way).

Disappointments: Borderlands 2 was just inexplicably meh for me. Until I played the Mechromancer. The Anarchy system is awesome, so that's definitely vastly improving my experience. It helped me fall back into my old Borderlands groove and remember why I liked the game.

Nice to see stealth games making some kinda of a comeback, isn't it?

 

[CannibalCorpses]

I don't think i've played anything good released this year yet. Been working on my backlog of older games on rental and only had a few modern games.

Mass Effect 3 was ok but nothing special.
Just got Final Fantasy 13-2 today so i can't comment on it yet.
Syndicate was ok for 2 days.
Walking dead isn't really a game.
Trials evolution was a bit of a letdown.

Nah, it's just another average year of piss easy games that take 2 days to fully complete and then never get thought about again...bah. Roll on GTA5!

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

Everything i liked is already in this thread.
I still have to play Spec Ops, Dishonored and the Xcom game.
The recent released Mark of the ninja looks also like my kind of game but i don`t have a 360 and there are other psn titles i still have to play (journey). Since Shank has gotten a psn release i still have hope to play it in the near future.
I also have my eyes on The Walking Dead and i`m waiting to buy the complete experience and for a final review.

The year started with Binary Domain, i liked the setting and story. The characters where stereotypes but at least they managed to add personality to each of them. I finally played a shooter with boss fights, the first in a long time after Vanquish. The gameplay was allright and i loved the tactical destruction of the robotic enemies.

There where a few forgettable rentals inbetween and then the game i was waiting for so damn long got released, Max Payne 3. This is now my second favorite game of the franchise and i recently started replaying it. I love this game.

Dragon`s Dogma was another suprise game. I`m still missing the "hero"trophy but after over hundred hours and three playthroughs i needed a break.

Sleeping Dogs was great sandbox fun. There was nothing really standing out gameplaywise but the whole mix, the fresh location and the HK movie atmosphere made this game awesome. After using the "NG+"glitch i did two replays even when i allready got the platin trophy. Too bad that there is no real NG+.

Borderlands 2 is also damn entertaining and looting together doubles the fun.

This year is a great gaming year for pleasant surprises and new ips. I feel like i`m finally fed up on the big seller franchises (the once in a year type). It`s not that those games aren`t fun but i don`t really think of them and they`ve become more the forgettable rental type of game.

 

[BBboy20]

All I know is this year finally makes me feel confident that downloadable games are now heavy contenders for Game of the Year awards across the board.