Game(s) of the Year 2012?

[Get_A_Grip_]

The Walking Dead: I really don't think it's necessary to explain myself here. But I have to say that it's the first video game that's ever made me shed a tear, and it managed to do it twice. Telltale; I applaud you.

Other great games of the past 12 months:
Torchlight 2: Easily the best loot-drop ARPG since the days of Diablo II.
Mark of the Ninja: This has been a rather good year for the stealth genre with Dishonored and the return of Hitman, but Klei Entertainment's 2D stealth game was the most satisfying of the year.
SSX: The only AAA title on my list, and it's a sports game. It's been a long time since there's been a good snowboarding game and the return of the SXX franchise did not disappoint.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

My Goty would probably be Halo 4 and I dont care if it's too triple A for all you game hipsters, who seem to avoid high budget games like the plague.

Your comment resonated with me especially because I tried so hard to like Halo 4. I tried. But you know what? The game blows. It BLOWS.

I didn't make fun of you for liking that schizophrenic pile of sell-out garbage. I love the Halo series. I am desperate for a Halo title that makes me feel good about my purchase. But Halo 4 is not even close to playable. The fans deserve better.

 

[perkl]

Best: Wargame: European Escalation. See other threads for the reasons.

Worst: Far Cry 3. Revolting genocide simulator with a side of ethnic cleansing, drug use and extinction of endangered animals. Also torture. This is the most morally repulsive game ever, including Japanese rape simulators. I don't want anything to do with it. Being the worst game in the same year Warfighter came out is really something.

 

[KissmahArceus]

My favourites in no particular order: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Halo 4, The Walking Dead, Mass Effect 3, Hybrid and FIFA 13

Best: Wargame: European Escalation. See other threads for the reasons.

Worst: Far Cry 3. Revolting genocide simulator with a side of ethnic cleansing, drug use and extinction of endangered animals. Also torture. This is the most morally repulsive game ever, including Japanese rape simulators. I don't want anything to do with it. Being the worst game in the same year Warfighter came out is really something.

I am curious as to what exactly gave you this opinion of Far Cry 3, having only literally played 20 mins of it, I am interested in your opinion.

 

[Milanezi]

Right now, out of nowhere, I'd go with The Witcher 2 (for Xbox), Dishonored and Sleeping Dogs. Sleeping Dogs and Witcher were by far my favorites though.

 

[Scarim Coral]

2012 is pretty much the year of Guild Wars 2 for me (but in saying so I didn't played alot of games this year).

 

[Tohuvabohu]

My personal games of the year:

Max Payne 3
I wasn't sure just how they could continue the series after the 2nd game, and was skeptical to how good it would be given all the time that has passed. But to my surprise, they put together a great Max Payne game. So great that I consider it to be the best in the Max Payne series, and easily at the top of games I've played this year.

Spec Ops: The Line
The biggest surprise to come out this year. Completely out of the radar until after it was released, even then I paid it no mind since I -like many others I'm sure- thought it was just another one of THOSE games this generation is already bloated with. But, after hearing many recommendations, I gave it a try. And once it was over. It instantly leaped above every other game I played this year into GOTY status. I think every MMS needs to halt in their tracks and look up to this game.

X-COM: Enemy Unknown
Thank god for this game showing us that not every IP needs to be devoured and regurgitated as a shitty FPS for the sake of 'broader appeal'. It did a fantastic job retaining and streamlining it's existing format for a 2012 release, and is easily one of the freshest experiences this whole year. It's bloody fun and challenging, and nigh-endlessly replayable.

 

[Britisheagle]

The Walking Dead
X-Com
Far Cry 3

My choices this year, as much as I loved Borderlands it didn't pull me in as much as the first one or as much as these.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I'd have to go with Mass Effect 3... considering it's the only game from 2012 that's actually compelled me to finish it.

 

[Kuredan]

I think that for me, Game of the Year necessitates a breakdown into genres (genres that I like). Also I can only speak to the games I have actually played.


Best RPG (MMO or otherwise):
Guild Wars 2 (Fixes so many things wrong with MMOs/ WoW. Not perfect, still grindy, but different and good enough to make the grade)
Runners up: The Secret World (I love the setting. Appropriately creepy, scary and otherworldly. Very free-form in character creation and class creation.)

Mass Effect 3 (Thank you Bioware for making me cry.)

Best Shootery type thing:
Borderlands 2 (Hey this is RPG too maybe?)
Runner up: Dishonored (Also RPGish...)

Best Strategy Game:
Endless Space (Awesome classic 4X game, made me needlessly OCD. At one point I terraformed my entire empire to see what would happened)
Runner up: ... I don't want to use it here.

Best Adventure Game:
The Walking Dead (This game evokes such a visceral response inside me when I play it, I looked forward to/ dreaded each installment. I hurt after playing this; it totally exhausted me)
Runners up:
Deponia (So funny, so infuriating)

Journey (quietly brilliant, eerie at times, and moving. I have never felt so alone in a game and then overjoyed to have someone accompany me, if only for a while)

Game of the Year:
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (A new classic in the making and the subject of many nerdy water cooler moments for me. the solid game play was slightly marred by random chance and I had quite a few failed playthroughs. The game was addictive and unforgiving; a difficult game, even on easy.)

 

[Sacman]

Dishonored certainly... it's no Thief... but it's the most simultaneously organic and immersive experience I've had in years... not to mention the fact that it's one of the first games I've played in forever to stress decent fucking level design... sure the story is lacking, there's plenty of wasted potential when they set themselves up for plenty of character development, and squander it... and moral choice is a load of crap... but compared to other games, it's certainly not the worst game to handle moral choice...<.<

So yeah, for reminding me of a time when shooters were aspiring to be more than games, it gets my top spot...<.<

than again I didn;t play a whole lot this year... and from what I hear, it might change when I get my hands on spec ops...<.<

 

[Shazbotacus]

For me, as a PC gamer, here are mine.

Planetside 2. Bugs and optimization be damned, there isn't a single multiplayer shooter in existence that comes close to the level of intensity and scale of that game. In my opinion, it is the ultimate shooter. Nothing else comes close at this point, and to top it all off? Its free to play.

Tribes Ascend. As a long time Tribes player (As if my name weren't making that obvious), this game brings me back to my old Tribes 2 days, and is incredibly fun. It is also free to play as well.

Mass Effect 3. Yes, everyone can agree that the ending was garbage, though the extended cut helped a significant amount in my opinion. But the rest of the game was top notch, emotional, incredibly well written, and just absolutely brilliant overall.

Dishonored and Borderlands 2 also rank very high with me. BL2 was an all around blast, and I think it definitely can be considered a potential GotY contender.

Dishonored was great fun too, but because of how incredibly short the campaign is... I don't know if I can actually give it GotY.



And for my "Raspberry Award"... I give that to CoD: Black Ops 2. Nothing new. Nothing innovative. The gunplay is still laughably unrealistic spray and pray nonsense. Just more garbage thrown by the developers to their almost zombie-like fanbase, in their yearly attempt to cash in.

 

[DarksideFlame]

So far it's Mass Effect 3 for me but that might change when I get to play Far Cry 3 or Dishonored

 

[Mr Mystery Guest]

Best games this year were;

1 Spec Ops The Line
2 Walking Dead
3 Max Payne 3
4 The Darkness 2

The worst games were Never Dead and Resident Evil 6. Could include Halo 4 and Black Ops 2 if I played them but i didn't bother as they looked like the same old bollocks.

 

[Solo-Wing]

So many top contenders...

But I will have to go with Spec Ops the Line. It just made me feel things that I have not felt from games in such a long fucking time.

Second Place for me would be Final Fantasy XIII-2. [sub][sub]Fuck you I have my own opinions[/sub][/sub]

That is how you make a Final Fantasy game Square. Please remember what you did right when you are making Lighting Returns.

And of course there is Pokemon Black/White 2. Now that is probably the best Pokemon game to be released. The mechanics were done so right.

 

[Jfswift]

Dragons Dogma was surprisingly fun. I love the mix of action and shadow of the collossus style bosses. Also the prepare to die dlc for Dark Souls was excellent. It's not perfect with a few minor bugs but the addition of four bosses and roughly two new large areas to explore was great.

 

[aba1]

Call me a dirty hipster, but at this point... Hotline Miami. Don't get me wrong, The Walking Dead has provided me with the most emotional experience I've ever had playing a video game, however, Hotline Miami is just pure win for me.

Runners up are:
Mass Effect 3
Defense of the Ancients 2 (Yes, I know the game hasn't technically been released yet.)
The Walking Dead
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale

Games I still seriously need to play:
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Spec Ops: The Line
Retro City Rampage
Journey

I can't believe you are the first one to mention play station all stars. The game is top for me personally I love the how all the characters are so unique it has great game play lots of replayabilty and supports local multiplayer.

 

[aba1]

SSX: The only AAA title on my list, and it's a sports game. It's been a long time since there's been a good snowboarding game and the return of the SXX franchise did not disappoint.

I just wish this game had some multiplayer. If I could have played this wish my friends I would have bought the hell out of it.

 

[sabercrusader]

The Walking Dead is easily my GOTY, no doubt about it. I haven't played Spec Ops: The Line yet, but it sure sounds really nice, I'll have to pick it up sometime.

 

[freakonaleash]

Right now its probably dishonored, MOP, legend of grimrock or mark of the ninja.