Underrated GOTY

[sXeth]

Dragons Dogma. I haven't completed out the story fully to comment properly there, but mechanically alone, its worthy of it. Even aside from its primary climb-on-monsters gimmick (which handles far more organically then I'd anticipated), theres a ton of co-oppy combat goodness (though its shame you can't do full on co-op instead of just trading pawns) that harkens back to stuff like Chrono Trigger (albeit in real time). It has its flaws in travel time, and mostly static encounters, but when you do fight, it makes up for it. The crafting system is also worthy of note, although a bit confusing to tackle head on.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

I'm so gonna get flamed for this: Final Fantasy XIII-2.

*Defends you* You are not alone! I enjoyed that game more than I should have, I was insanely disappointed with 13 but played this on a whim (It was my sister's copy) and I loved every second of it! Too bad it is overshadowed by it's awful predecessor...

Can you list me some of its improvements over its predecessor and why you loved it? I've only heard bad things about it until recently and I do like me some FF.

I don't know what mine would be :/
I guess FTL, it was a great little game and I had tons of tense moments and fun with it. That came out this year right?

A lot of them seem minor, but they still count...

I found the Serah/Noel duo worked very well and I loved how there was no romance involved, which is normally the case with male/female duos, it was refreshing. Noel is also one of my favorite FF characters, I thought he would be the new character we wold have to baby through the game but his backstory is excellent and I liked his interaction with Serah.

Combat was faster and removed the stupid "pan to every character every time you paradigm shift for the first time each battle" The addition of monsters to tame made combat more fun to mess around with.

The Crystarium is revamped to suck less and no more materials to improve your weapons, good riddance.

Much less linear and even sidequests and fun bosses to fight off the beaten path.

Things were explained to you and you didn't have to read a bloody datalog to know what was what.

I actually enjoyed how the story went, it stuck to 2 characters and wasn't jumping all over the place, and I am excited for the final game in the trilogy!

I found it improved everything that bugged me about 13.

I might check it out then. If I can get it cheap I certainly won't be too disappointed even if I don't like it.

 

[Zetona]

Solar 2 from the Xbox Live Indie selection.

How many other games this year let you grow into a black hole and absorb the universe? And how many let you do it for just $5?

 

[MrCollins]

snip

Here's the link for you, my friend
[link]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/content/GameoftheYear/2012/[/link]

It was on the front page for an incredibly small amount of time for some reason.

 

[aguspal]

snip

Here's the link for you, my friend
[link]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/content/GameoftheYear/2012/[/link]

It was on the front page for an incredibly small amount of time for some reason.

Thank you!..

Althougt I dont really check the main page. I just go straight to the forums section. Oh well, I will take that into account the next time...


BIG EDIT:


...


The first thing I saw in the page was "There's little doubt about it, 2012 was a big year for gaming"


*Scrolls down and sees 20 games*

*Of those 20 games, I only actually like 2. 10% percent."

"2012 = was a big year for gaming"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH, LOL, ROFL, LMAO and all of that. Yeah right.


This just made me realize. Either this was a REALLY shitty year, or its ME who has shitty tastes. Or both... somehow...



In my honest opinion, the only 2 games that are worth it are BORDERLANDS 2 and CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS 2, those two easily kick all the other 18´s ass HARD- (By the way voted for Borderlands 2- But Black ops 2 is also a damn good game as well).

But again, thats just my opinion. I am just suprised than Walking Dead, of all the thing, are on the list. If I had to choose the WORST one of the list, I would choose that fucker. Nonetheless, I hope the best wins.

MINOR EDIT 2: After thinking about it for a good 5 minutes, I decided that Far Cry 3 shouldT be placed along with the other crap- its averague-y enough to not be with all of them. Its still nowhere near close to BL2 or BO2 thougt.

 

[Catalyst6]

Katawa Shoujo.

If you've played it, you understand. If not, well, it's the only game this year to make me cry, so that's worth something at least.

I was tempted to put in for Persona 4, but since it's a re-release that kinda works with it when other games only got one shot. So Spec Ops it was, I guess.

 

[Lucyfer86]

Katawa Shoujo.

If you've played it, you understand. If not, well, it's the only game this year to make me cry, so that's worth something at least.

I was tempted to put in for Persona 4, but since it's a re-release that kinda works with it when other games only got one shot. So Spec Ops it was, I guess.

Okay i kinda skipped this in my mind since i can't decide if i should count it as a game or not.
But yeah Katawa Shoujo would be the _best_game_ever_ in that case.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

I have tons of fun with FC3 but i don`t think it`s a wrothy game of the year. It`s a great but forgettable sandbox.
Voted Spec Ops. This game was a kick in the nuts and it will be remembered.

From the games not on the list i like to name three i spend hours of time with (i just can`t have only one game of the year).

Dragon`s Dogma - 5 playthroughs and i`m still using my first character with his trusty sidekick.

Max Payne 3 - couldn`t lay it down until i finished it on every difficulty and i`m still having a good time messing with the cheats and jumping around spreading bullets.

Sleeping Dogs - Asia movie atmosphere, an upgrade system, a great brawler and everything else was fine. Thanks to the little slo-mo effect it`s also the first game i ever played where driving and shooting works great and is fun. The way the player is allowed to create own stunts is also awesome.

 

[maninahat]

Katawa Shoujo.

If you've played it, you understand. If not, well, it's the only game this year to make me cry, so that's worth something at least.

I was tempted to put in for Persona 4, but since it's a re-release that kinda works with it when other games only got one shot. So Spec Ops it was, I guess.

I've said it elsewhere, but if we are going to include visual novels, my vote would go to Analogue: A Hate Story.

I suppose I should try to sell it:

Unlike other visual novels, Analogue: A Hate Story is not about dating schoolgirls or collecting nudes. It's not about fluttering hearts, single glistening tears, or any of that other crap that is often mistaken for romantic literature. It's not even a "game" that gives you one arbitrary choice per hour, and then expects you to sit through gradually scrolling text.

It's a solid story about a dead vessel drifting through space. The player takes on the role of a hacker/detective who is trying to find out what the hell happened. They must rediscover a barbaric ancient culture, deal with the threat of nuclear annihilation, and become the sole representative for future mankind. Further more, you actually get to do stuff - you get to make choices, you get to "hack" (in the Hollywood sense), and you're expected to interact with all sorts of stuff.

Basically, Analogue is what happens when you expect more from a visual novel, instead of letting it resort to the dubious writing and design conventions that stagnate the genre. It's a visual novel for people who don't like visual novels.

 

[pat34us]

I'm so gonna get flamed for this: Final Fantasy XIII-2.

*Defends you* You are not alone! I enjoyed that game more than I should have, I was insanely disappointed with 13 but played this on a whim (It was my sister's copy) and I loved every second of it! Too bad it is overshadowed by it's awful predecessor...

It was better than 13, but as far as story goes (and ending) it was garbage. 2012 was a disappointing year for games (for me anyway) there are only three games I liked enough to even nominate.

1) Diablo 3
2) Mass Effect 3
3) Borderlands 2


Guess which I would pick for GOTY???

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Obviously, it's Persona 4: Golden. Buts it's not really underrated. (It's actually the highest rated Vita game available)

I guess I'll go with Sleeping Dogs. It was an enjoyable game.....when you don't consider the mandatory karaoke sections.

 

[Talaris]

Katawa Shoujo.

If you've played it, you understand. If not, well, it's the only game this year to make me cry, so that's worth something at least.

I was tempted to put in for Persona 4, but since it's a re-release that kinda works with it when other games only got one shot. So Spec Ops it was, I guess.

I've said it elsewhere, but if we are going to include visual novels, my vote would go to Analogue: A Hate Story.

I suppose I should try to sell it:

Unlike other visual novels, Analogue: A Hate Story is not about dating schoolgirls or collecting nudes. It's not about fluttering hearts, single glistening tears, or any of that other crap that is often mistaken for romantic literature. It's not even a "game" that gives you one arbitrary choice per hour, and then expects you to sit through gradually scrolling text.

It's a solid story about a dead vessel drifting through space. The player takes on the role of a hacker/detective who is trying to find out what the hell happened. They must rediscover a barbaric ancient culture, deal with the threat of nuclear annihilation, and become the sole representative for future mankind. Further more, you actually get to do stuff - you get to make choices, you get to "hack" (in the Hollywood sense), and you're expected to interact with all sorts of stuff.

Basically, Analogue is what happens when you expect more from a visual novel, instead of letting it resort to the dubious writing and design conventions that stagnate the genre. It's a visual novel for people who don't like visual novels.

I played both after getting Analogue in the Humble Bundle. Katawa Shoujo introduced me to VNs, and after playing/reading some of varying genres I would say I'm a fan or sorts. It's very close between them; Analogue had an interesting plot and more interactivity, but never that much emotional depth to keep myself invested in what the characters were going through. Katawa Shoujo had the better dialogue, which added greatly to the immersion.

If you can count VNs, Katawa Shoujo gets my vote, if not then Spec Ops: The Line would be my choice.

 

[charge52]

snip

Here's the link for you, my friend
[link]http://www.escapistmagazine.com/content/GameoftheYear/2012/[/link]

It was on the front page for an incredibly small amount of time for some reason.

Thank you!..

Althougt I dont really check the main page. I just go straight to the forums section. Oh well, I will take that into account the next time...


BIG EDIT:


...


The first thing I saw in the page was "There's little doubt about it, 2012 was a big year for gaming"


*Scrolls down and sees 20 games*

*Of those 20 games, I only actually like 2. 10% percent."

"2012 = was a big year for gaming"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH, LOL, ROFL, LMAO and all of that. Yeah right.


This just made me realize. Either this was a REALLY shitty year, or its ME who has shitty tastes. Or both... somehow...



In my honest opinion, the only 2 games that are worth it are BORDERLANDS 2 and CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS 2, those two easily kick all the other 18´s ass HARD- (By the way voted for Borderlands 2- But Black ops 2 is also a damn good game as well).

But again, thats just my opinion. I am just suprised than Walking Dead, of all the thing, are on the list. If I had to choose the WORST one of the list, I would choose that fucker. Nonetheless, I hope the best wins.

MINOR EDIT 2: After thinking about it for a good 5 minutes, I decided that Far Cry 3 shouldT be placed along with the other crap- its averague-y enough to not be with all of them. Its still nowhere near close to BL2 or BO2 though.

Judging by the content of the comment, I would say it probably is due to your taste, or you just played very few games this year, since you liked 2 games on the list, both shooters, and one really good(Borderlands 2), and on barely on the "good" side of average(B2).
Another explanation is you state such because you like the fact they can both abbreviate to the same thing (B2).
Also the reason TWD is on the list is because few games have ever reached the level of storytelling that it has.

 

[Derelict Frog]

I voted for Far Cry 3 (probably my actual 2nd choice for GOTY).

Ideally I would have voted for Max Payne 3 as 1st choice - the voice acting, music, settings, atmosphere are amazing and the gunplay is the best I've seen in any 3rd person action game to date.

Sleeping Dogs is a close 3rd choice because it actually makes me want to visit Hong Kong, and its nice to finally get a sandbox game where one drives on the left side of the road.

 

[Viredae]

I notice that Lone Survivor wasn't there...

 

[Smogger]

Tales of Graces F, Growlanser Wayfarer of Time and Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward all are my candidates for GotY.