Game(s) of the Year 2012?

[Cody Hargreaves]

So far that i'v played
1. Mass Effect 3
2. Max Payne 3
3. Spec Ops the Line

Still need to play Dishonored and the Walking Dead.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

Dishonored. Need to try Spec Ops Line though.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

So far for me it's:

- The Walking Dead
- Mass Effect 3
- Dishonored
- FarCry 3
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown
- Diablo III

Honorable mentions:

- Spec Ops: The Line
- Hitman: Absolution
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown

 

[Boggelz]

1. The Walking Dead

2. Spec Ops: The Line

3. Journey

C'mon guys! You're forgetting about Journey! Of the the best gaming experiences of this year!

EDIT: Awkward. Should have read into the second page before posting the Journey part

 

[White_Lama]

Halo 4, obviously.

 

[AJvsRonin]

Awesome guys, I thought I ran the risk of getting dragged over the coals for saying ME3 but there's a decent bit of love here for it.

That it took 2 pieces of DLC to achieve closure in the last ten minutes isn't damning but it certainly stinks. I've always said I was fine with DLC so long as the core game was fine without it. Thus far this has generally been true. ME3 is the first time I can truly say that the bits you need to add after you buy the game are actually important. That some of those bits came from DLC from the previous game is especially questionable. There is at least one quest I know of that only has a good ending if you played through Stolen Memories and a number of possible additions to your readiness could only be achieved if you played through the incredibly tedious Operation Overlord.

Yeah, and when you're not in a position to take advantage of DLC (I pre-ordered so there's a bunch of DLC I paid for but can't use!) it's hard to feel like you're being ignored as a customer. I even sent an email to Bio-ware saying that if they released a full edition with all DLC I'd be happy to buy all three games again... alas, no response.

And a lot of indie games are coming up which is great to see.

Personally, my games of the year are probably ME3 and Faster than Light. I was surprised by how much joy I got from a rather minimalist roguelike. ... That a character can have precisely zero lines and zero characterization and only an hour of screen time can worm it's way into my mind months later is a testament to the power of emergent storytelling.

First Place goes to FTL: faster then light Heck I stayed up all night just so I could buy it as soon as it went online for sale

I really love me some emergent storytelling and on the basis of these recommendations I've decided to get Faster Than Light, just finished downloading and will be playing it today.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Easy:

Crusader Kings 2 for being the best game made in years.

Resonance for making me wince before The Walking Dead did.

FTL for being awesome and making me a space captain.

Honorable mention Spec Ops: The Line for being damn clever.



Worst games I've played in 2012, just for the hell of it:

Mass Effect 3 for being even worse than Mass Effect 2.

Max Payne 3 for being a shitty action movie with obnoxious cut scenes and CRT filters.

Hitman: Subtitle for misunderstanding what a Hitman game is about.

Honorable mention: None, really. Those are the absolute scrapings of the barrel and most games I played were either miles better of older. Those 3 are just shite.

 

[lRookiel]

XCOM! Holy shit it is an awesome game!

Literally made me sad at the ending since I'd actually grown attached to those pixels that were my squad. D:

Playing through it again and again just because it's so damn good! (And so damn hard)

Runner up is definitely the walking dead, because it actually made me care about the characters.

 

[Kavonde]

1) The Walking Dead, easily.
2) Max Payne 3
3) XCOM: Enemy Unknown

 

[Longing]

The Walking Dead made me become an emotional mess, crying at every pointless death the game threw at me. It wasn't the most enjoyable gameplay or the most involved game of the year, but it had amazing story telling and I think that's the most important aspect that gaming as a whole should concentrate about.

That said, I've played probably 6 games in 2012. What an horrible year for rpgs.

 

[TrevHead]

My Fave is Akia Katana on the 360. I love the phantom mechanic and the use of Katana's in Climax mode. Drop dead 2D visuals to boot.


SkullGirls: First 2D fighter i've played in a long time, love the artstyle and jazz music. The gameplay is just want I want from a 2D fighter, Largely ignored by gamers which is a crying shame because it's a joy to play and one of the best value games on XBLA & PSN

FTL: This game was like crack until I beat it on normal, one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences for a long time.

Binary Domain: Fixes everything that is wrong about Gears of War, ie the pacing, gamefeel, enemies, weapons and bosses (just about everything really)

Ys Origin: The best 2D zelda clone i've ever played, fast pacing, great bosses, no grinding, why can't more games be like this!

Dust, An Elysian Tail: Similar to Odin Sphere and Muramasa. And while Vannilaware is still tops for visuals, Dust has better gameplay for sure.

 

[The Hero Killer]

Mass Effect 3 which I keep forgetting came out this year, Borderlands 2, and Guild Wars 2. Once I get my disc based version of The Walking Dead I'm sure it will be up there too.

 

[NickKuroshi0]

(1)Persona 4:Golden
(2)Borderlands 2
(3)Disgaea 3 (Psvita Port)

 

[Buizel91]

Halo 4 and AC3 so far, Fall Of Cybertron would be there to, the story is damn perfect, the Multiplayer however isn't what i (and the rest of the community) was hoping for, little to no updates and every update they brought in made it worse.

However, i will have my hands on Farcry 3 soon, and for all i know, it could be feckin amazing, which i hope it is.

 

[Joccaren]

This year I've honestly found little worth writing home about. Pretty much everything I've played has been a pile of meh. Sure, I haven't played TWD, or XCom, Spec Ops or Halo 4, but none of them really look like they'd appeal to me anyway. If I had to pick a GOTY it'd be the Diaspora mod for Freespace 2 simply due to it being well made, fun and reasonably accurate regarding the lore it bases itself on, bonus marks for having an editor with which to make your own missions.

 

[Juan Regular]

1) The Walking Dead
2) Journey
3) Dishonored
4) Mass Effect 3
5) Hotline Miami

Still hoping Far Cry could get a spot there though. Looks amazing.

 

[jackinmydaniels]

I'd have to say, going in order from favorite to least favorite...
1.) The Walking Dead - I have never been so emotionally involved in a game thus far.
2.) AC 3 - Love this series to death, and despite an ending that obviously leads to more games I was happy with it overall.
3.) It's a tie between Dishonored and ME 3 pretty much.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

For me it's probably Borderlands 2, but then again, I've played barely any games that have come out this year.
Still a really damn good game though.